Arturomex

Thanks, Fred. Yeah, they're just bad bearings on, I think, a poor design. But hearing that you have two that work well is encouraging and I'll try it again. I use felt for dye on veg tan edges. Hadn't thought about using it for edge paint. I'll give it a try and report back to you. Regards, Arturo

I've been doing a lot of work with chrome tan lately and I'm using Giardini basic paint over the dense base coat. I've been applying it with an awl and I'm happy with the result. Not that happy about the time it's taking me to do it. I bought an inexpensive edge paint applicator to test drive and it was disappointing. The bearings didn't run freely, the serrated, conical tip kept freezing and it just generally made a mess. I do like the idea of applying paint this way. Does anyone have some experience they can share with a recommendation for a tool that will work properly? I'd also entertain buying one of those little units with the serrated or cross hatched wheel that spins through the paint bath if anyone has a positive report about that. Thanks, Arturo

Sorry about that, Wiz. It's a TechSew 4800 and it does use 135X16 needles. I'll see what I can rustle up. I haven't had a lot of success finding anything but Organ needles here in Canada and right now that's as far as my needle experience goes. I'm going to track some titanium needles down somewhere and use it as an opportunity to order some other types/brands of needles as well. I'd like to experiment with different points, to see what they look like. Are there any things I should and shouldn't do with twist or chisel type points? Thanks

Not sure if this should be here or "Sewing Leather" but I'm opting for this because my question is machine specific. I have some Renia Aquilim SG water based contact cement. I like it but it seems to stay "tacky" or "gummy" for quite a while. I'm on my first sewing machine and I don't want to gum things up. Does anyone have any experience sewing through this stuff? Thanks, Arturo

Excellent! Did the original stock start as gold fish? I think I read once that they started out with more or less the same colour as you describe and were bred into all their golden splendor. I guess what I'm asking is if your stock are "reverting." Regards, Arturo

You could get something like the Craftool Keen Edge Sharpener and some wet dry sandpaper on a good, flat surface like a sheet of glass, granite or quartz. I'd start with something fairly coarse to redefine the blade angle and keep stepping up to finer grits until I had a surface ready for the strop. Remember to work both sides of the bevel equally. Regards, Arturo

Thanks for the replies. I appreciate you taking the time. I don't have the base coat in hand yet, Danne and that label close up is a real bonus. Received the paint I ordered but the base coat was short shipped and I'm waiting on an order from another supplier. I want to order some leather and I wanted to know if the paint was going to work. Sent an email to Giardini but with the time difference I haven't received a reply yet. Again, my thanks. Arturo

Perhaps it was frozen. The curse of ordering anything like that in Canada in the winter, eh? I use both Barge and Renia Aquilim SG depending on what I'm doing and both work well. The Aquilim stays tacky for a long time and gives me a little "wiggle room" to re-position if I need to. Another thing I like about the Aquilim is that I can use it to paste patterns onto finished leather, peel the pattern off without any problems and it doesn't leave anything on the leather surface. Simply apply the cement to the pattern only, let it cure down well and stick it on the leather. (As always, a test drive is recommended. LOL) I hope you'll give it another try. While it doesn't show on the website, Lonsdale has it in stock. Not sure about sizes available but it might be worth giving them a call. Regards, Arturo

Wondering if anyone has any experience with Giardini edge paint on oil tan leathers. Planning on applying the dense base coat and then, of course, the paint as per instructions. My concern is about adhesion. Will it stick? Thanks, Arturo

I'm looking forward to some pics. Regards, Arturo

I'm going to second @terrymac's sentiment. Your assertion that Wiz has " multiple vested interests" is extremely offensive. Regards to Sheila.

I'm enjoying reading about this. Please, keep posting. Arturo

Are these going to go back into the pond when they're big enough to hold their own?

Thanks, Wiz. Appreciate that. Arturo

From their website: "All of our products are manufactured after ordering. So, shipping is usually arranged about 2-4 weeks later after receipt of you payment. "

I'm just getting to know my first machine and have a question about various needle points. The machine takes 135X16 system needles. I've been using Organ needles. They're fine on chrome tan leather but on veg tan the thread doesn't seem to fill the holes as much as I'd like. At one time JLS mentioned his preference for LL point needles but I haven't been able to find anything like that in a 135X16. I understand that the needle diameter is what it is but I'm wondering if someone could recommend something that might give the appearance of a smaller hole? Thanks, Arturo

Hey, thanks for sharing that. I found a couple of things on there that I've been searching for. Regards, Arturo

Hey, I'm interested in updates. When I was a kid they used to sell brine shrimp by mail order calling them "Sea Monkeys." The comic books were filled with ads for them. It was my first brush with "not exactly as advertised." The ads had cute illustrations of "Sea Monkeys" frolicking around. Papa smoking a pipe, Mama smiling and the kiddies having a good time. The reality was, well, brine shrimp. LOL I was breeding Siamese fighting fish for a while about 30 years ago. They would eat the brine shrimp but preferred mosquito larvae. Please, let us know what happens. Regards, Arturo

Thank you both. That manual is exactly what I need, John. Thought I'd covered the 'net but there must have been a corner I didn't look in. Appreciate both of you helping me out. Regards, Arturo

Received a Techsew 4800 yesterday. Looks really good.Techsew is closed today for a holiday in Quebec so I can't talk to tech support there and I'm anxious to get up and running. The supplied paperwork doesn't exactly match the machine and doesn't reference an oil reservoir. Can anyone tell me how much oil to put in the reservoir? Also, there are two oiling points on top of the machine that are clearly marked. Any other points I should be lubricating. Thanks, Arturo

Nubuck?

Hey, Andrew, This video shows the maker glueing on the curve: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkdxZsqxtdY I learned a lot watching him put that bag together. I can, I think, envision what they're talking about with the stitching but it seems overly complicated. I hope someone who has experience with this type of thing will help educate us. Regards, Arturo

That'll work, too! Nice! I used some 1.5 ~2.0 oz, veg tan lining leather. This stuff was milled and has a soft hand. I put on a couple of coats of Resoline cut 50/50 with water just to make sure the weight won't suck any moisture up from the project. It stiffened the leather up a bit but that worked itself out. Regards, Arturo

I've seen all kinds of things used as weights, Dave. I'm still keeping an eye out for old scale weights. I wound up getting 10 pounds of shot from a local gun shop, sewed some different configurations out of light leather, filled 'em up with shot and sewed the end up. (Think "sap" without the "handle.") These work well for me but if you choose to do this, make sure you choose leather that isn't going to bleed color onto you damp leather. Regards, Arturo

Yes, Sergey makes some fine stamps and some very unique ones but apples to apples here, Sergey's stainless steel basket stamps run at around $32.00 US and King stamps of similar size in stainless run at around $55.00 US. Sergey's estimated shipping time to the US is three to five weeks. Don't know if that time period includes the five day order processing time. Whenever I've purchased anything from King it shipped the same or following day. I'm not sure what kind of duties, if any, would apply in the US. If you're not in a hurry and the duty thing isn't a problem, chrisash's recommendation is worth looking into. Regards, Arturo