esantoro

Any machinists interested in reproducing solid brass and solid nickel briefcase locks? To me, it looks that these aren't too difficult to fabricate if you have the machinery. To my knowledge, the nearest place to get these is England. I'll post pictures later. Ed

Just finished some Hermes bag recon on Ebay. Question: For marketing purposes, could one call skirting leather Barenia leather, which looks to me like a supple skirting or bridle leather? ed

I'm looking at about 16" x 12.8" x 7-9". and straps similar to this one: http://www.thebaglady.tv/2008/03/ralph_lauren_th.html

I like at least Hermes history of tradition. Who knows how 90 percent of their stuff is actually produced. There are only a handful of designs I find inspirational. As I do my own thing with those designs, I have to find my way of doing it with two machines and handstitching. I believe that this ultimately leads to sturdier construction overall. My manufacturing processes also lead me to using 346 and 277 thread, which many of the big companies don't use in their desire to always cut costs. The big companies also frequently use leather that has had the top grain altered for conformity of color and texture, which I think weakens the overall integrity of the leather. My leather purchasing ability doesn't allow me to travel the world to find such leather, which forces me to by bridle and skirting leather that is thicker and stronger. Simple, it appears, is better. I wonder how much Hermes, Luis Vuitton, and Ralph Lauren actually pay per sq. ft for their leather. Are they paying less than $6? Because I'm forced out of necessity towards simplifying construction methods, I think in certain areas I can build a better bag inspired by some of the fabulous designs these big companies come up with from time to time. These woman's bag in 5/6 oz bridle leather will be a bit heavier, but they will last forever. ed

I'll clean it up. Simplify. Do a shoulder strap. Make it larger but keep the proportions. I've got very similar solid brass and nickled solid brass locks from England coming this week. Two buckles will have to stay, but the bag can close with just the lock. I'll do wrap around straps. I can do it it skirting or bridle leather. I'll have an external back pocket that will hide the stitching for my two large internal pockets. MAybe I'll do two internal side pockets on the gussets. I've wanted to do a bag inspired by what Hermes does, but wasn't able to see my way to it. RL has bridged that gap for me. I might do my first few in some green chrome tanned that's nice but maybe not quite right for prime time. RL has a more simplified version on its website. I also want to do a simple tote similar to this coach bag: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=230350920365 Ed

Here it is: Inspiration for The Lady Maverick (aka "Calamity Jane"). http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...bayphotohosting Love that leather. Ralph Lauren puts out some very nice bags from time to time that put Hermes and Louis Vuitton to shame. Now I'm off to the Ralph Lauren website for more inspiration. ed

A quick search of our forum turns up no mention of Kathleen Fasanella's site on design and manufacturing. It's worth the read: http://www.fashion-incubator.com/blog/

Thanks, Bree. I'll check out Rockler. I did just stumble upon using scrap neoprene in a spring clamp. Works very nicely. Is very economical. The only thing I don't like is that the finish goes on very thinly, which may require an extra coat. It works well, nonetheless. ed

Anyone have a source for good felt for applying edge finish? The felt I have from Mcmaster-Carr is good for applying edge dye, but for an acrylic finish the felt becomes too stringy and a bit difficult to control. Mcmaster-Carr does have a higher grade felt, but it is too expensive for this task. That's the felt I use periodically for burnishing. Thanks, Ed

Years ago I shelled out over $1000 dollars for a high-end Denon stereo system and had nothing but problems with the CD player with all the techno oversampling and whatnot. My brother-in-law had a $99 Hitachi setup that is still working today, some 18 years later. I don't think 99 percent of the population could tell the difference in sound quality between the two systems. Now my stereo system consists of a couple of portable MP3/CD-ROM/Stereo radios connected to $50 amplified computer speakers, and to hell with all that pseudo audiophile crap. Keep it simple, stupid (KISS). All this has led to this special thread on inexpensive products that are very functional and/or very well made. My first two nominations are for 1. rare earth magnets with copper and nickle coating. I use only a thickness of 1/8" and diameters of 1/8" and 3/4". I place these around the workshop to hold tools, bobbins, needles, etc. wherever I need them and get a great amount of pleasure every time I utilize them. In addition, magnets fascinated me when I was a child...they still do. 2. Thick molded plastic portable fold-up tables (20" x 30") by Lifetime. Great for a variety of uses around the home and workshop. Best price I've seen on them is $27 apiece A few other companies make these, but they haven't paid attention to the details: usable adjustable heights, rugged construction, ease of use, etc. These are two items that stand out for me and always continue to please. What would you add to the list? Ed

I have Ivan's burnisher, cotton canvas, exotic hard wood slicker for drill press, and exotic hard wood burnishers on 1/8" spindles for the dremel/rotary tools. In the world of burnishing, it's nice to have options. Ideally , I'd like to use these aluminum burnishers with both my rotary tool and a drill press, though preference is for the rotary tool, and for a burnisher with core diameter between 1" and 3/4". I like the idea of having one burnisher for the thinner leathers one to two layers of 3/4oz to 5/6 oz and one for three layers of 5/6 oz. Ed

Thanks for the responses. I went to the dollar store today and picked up five mats that work perfectly. ed

I'd be interested in two if they can be made to fit a rotary tool. The spindle would need to be between 1/8" and 5/32" in thickness. ed

how would you describe the tension on the bobbin thread when you pull the thread out by hand? Does it pull out very freely or a bit snugly or tighter. I find on my 441, especially when I'm using a variety of leather thicknesses and changing thread brands and sizes, that I must periodically make adjustments to bobbin tension. I want the thread to pull out easily but with a bit of a snug feel in the tension. ed

I use some fold-up portable work tables that have rather smooth polypropylene surfaces. Plastic project bins and tubs slide too much on these surfaces. I'm currently using duct tape on the surface to provide some friction to keep these tubs and bin more securely on top of the poly surface. The duct tape, though, doesn't stick too well to the poly surface. Is there another type of tape I should consider for this purpose? Thanks, ed

I like the idea of having a post machine, but I've never seen one with a 1" lift that can do 346 thread. Is there such a post machine? ed

Does anyone know of a PVA with a stronger bond than Fiebing's Tanners Bond has? ed

Johanna has sparked my intermittent interest in tech gadgets. For a long time I've been interested in HTC smartphone PDAs. Here's a link to an old model. Current models could be had for about $250 new. http://msmobiles.com/news.php/5424.html I like the ability to have Excel, Acrobat, MS Word, mp3 audio and AVI film, other programs, and telephone service all in one portable device with the option of having backup batteries available. I also already have tons of Mobile Windows programs at my disposal from when I had a Compaq IPAQ a few years ago. Does anyone know if a lot of the current smartphone/PDAs use Mobile Windows or some proprietary OS that requires proprietary programs? ed

I'd go for a new clone and customer service. ed

I've tried regular Elmers and it has a much weaker bond than Fiebing's Tanners Bond. ed

From my bit of researching foils, my best educated guess for good foil is the folks at Kwik-print. Wickett & Craig uses their stuff. Give them a call. I think the foil you want is the AF (shiny finish) or AS (satin/matte finish). I've experimented a bit with Infinity foils and a soldering iron with alphabet stamps, but nothing came about. I've been wanting to try the AS foil to see if the problem I'm having is with the Infinity foil or with my overall methods. Keep us posted on your printing. Looks good so far.\ http://www.kwik-print.com/ ed

With both presser feet down, how easy is it to pull your leather out from underneath the feet. Try holding the leather firmly against the needle plate when stitching. I've found that if the presser feet are not tensioned enough or if there is just too much clearance between the presser feet at their lowest position and the needle plate, the leather get's pulled up at the ed of the upstroke, prohibiting nice, clean stitches. ed

Try the thread exchange and Ebay.

If you ask IBM and Google, they will sell whatever and to whomever for the right price.

If you hear a rattling coming from the shuttle hook area of your 441, it's a good chance there is one little screw that needs to be tightened. If this screw becomes too loose, the bobbin case will swing open while you're stitching, which is what happened to me yesterday. ed