DwightT
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Posts posted by DwightT
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On 4/12/2024 at 10:10 AM, Sprocket said:I'm gonna try not to ask too many dumb questions but bear with me
The only dumb question is the one that isn't asked. So ask away.
And welcome to the group.
/dwight
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I've been wondering about him myself. Haven't seen anything from him for a couple months. Hope all is well.
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I had some spare time yesterday (crappy weather meant no yard work) so I went back and incorporated the suggestions. I went out to the hardware store to pick up a burr with a smaller ball and finer teeth, and I ran it at a higher speed. This made it easier to control the rotary tool so that I could get a cleaner line. I also tapered the base away from the letters a bit so that I don't get the shadowing anymore. Next up will be to do it again on a smaller head.
/dwight
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Looks great. And congratulations.
/dwight
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Beautiful work. You'll sell out in no time.
What is your source for the metal clips? I have several granddaughters that would love a grandpa-made gift like that.
/dwight
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10 hours ago, MarshalWill said:Hey, that's an idea. Maybe take a stab at making one out of Delron. It would be a lot easier to cut than steel.
I've considered that, and it will probably happen sometime in the future. But while Delrin may be easier to cut than steel, it's also a lot more expensive. A quick look on Amazon shows that a 1/2" thick 6"x6" slab would cost $25. For this one I was able to use materials and tools that I had on hand so it didn't cost me anything to go play. But yes, I can definitely see a Delrin version in my future. And after playing with steel for a while, I should be able to get really good at controlling my rotary tool.
/dwight
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That's beautiful work. How did you make the stamp itself? I can't imagine that you did that by hand with files or a rotary tool.
/dwight
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23 hours ago, csosborne said:Well if it is stamped Newark you have yourself a unique knife in your hands. We were located in Newark until 1906 when our Factory burned down. Ever since then we have been located here in Harrison, NJ and still current. All tools stamped Newark are over 100 Years old!!!!
Interesting. I have a knife with the Newark stamp that I inherited from my grandfather. Photo below. I knew it was old, but I didn't think it was that old. I'm by no means an expert on knives, but I do strop it whenever I use and generally try to keep it sharp. Is there anything specific that I should be doing to take care of it properly?
/dwight
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15 hours ago, DieselTech said:Looks good. I would say you did great for your 1st try. Nice work.
Find some finer tooth burr bits for a less chattery rotary tool=less jumpy. Plus you will get a nicer finished surface.
Thanks. With as easy as that turned out to be, I'll probably be trying to figure out what other tools I can make. Good call on the finer-tooth bits. I mostly just went with what I had in my tool drawer, but if I do any more I'll be making a trip to the hardware store first. I should probably also run the rotary tool at a higher speed. I had it set pretty low thinking that it would be easier to control that way, but the "chatters" from that slow speed probably made it worse.
14 hours ago, MarshalWill said:Hey, looks good! You're a stamp maker, now. I see you got a little outline shadowing when you made the impression. Taper it off around the letters and all you'll have left is the logo.
Good point. I think it wouldn't hurt to make the letters a little deeper in general, but I can see where adding a bit of a taper would help too. I'll have to play around with that and see how it comes out. Thankfully I still have lots of material on the head to play with.
/dwight
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About a month ago, @MarshalWill did a post on making your own Basket Weave stamp: https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/113743-make-your-own-basket-weave-stamp/?tab=comments#comment-736819
That got me thinking (dangerous thing), and I had some spare time today, so I went out to the garage to see if I could make my own rather simple Maker stamp.
I started off with the largest bolt that I could find in my scrap bin and took it too the grinder to flatten the surface, round off the head, and remove the threads.
I marked my pattern (just my initials - I said this was simple) with a marker, then used my rotary tool with a small ball bit to carve it out.
It's a little rough and possibly a bit bigger than what I would ultimately want, but for a first pass I think it turned out OK. The whole process only took a couple hours, so I may try to do another one on a smaller head if I can come up with a better way to hold the rotary tool steady.
/dwight
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6 hours ago, MarshalWill said:Looks good. All the symbolism makes it special. The rose is nice. The stamp you used for the border is good. Nice work.
The only thing I would do differently on the border is to cut it with a swivel knife and bevel that before doing any stamping. That defines the space and keeps things even.
I agree. The stamp that I used was interesting, but I had a heck of a time keeping my line straight. Cutting a couple lines with a swivel knife first would have helped a lot. It actually bothered me enough that I went and did another one for him, but used a rope boarder instead:
There were still a couple problems with it, but I think it looked a lot better.
4 hours ago, Sem2390 said:Yes, really good job. I recently wrote an article about the most popular coffee for my site and would like to insert your pictures for a more attractive effect. Do you mind if I copy these images with a link to this forum for my article?
Thanks. I don't have a problem with you using the images. I guess the forum admins will have to weigh in as to if they want you to include a link back here.
4 hours ago, Herbie said:Love it and the thought behind it. Looks great also.
Thanks
/dwight
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1 hour ago, Mablung said:That stimulates a strange mental image.
I would say you need to get your mind out of the gutter, but it's nice to have some company.
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One thing to keep in mind is if anything gets caught under the leather (dirt, bugs, etc) then it can act like sandpaper and actually do more damage than if you didn't have the leather protector. I have a leather bra on my motorcycle and I have to take it off periodically to make sure nothing is trapped under it.
/dwight
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On 3/5/2024 at 7:57 PM, jrdunn said:If this has been me, and it has at times. Maybe not to you. At least I hope not. I will apologize anyway. Sometimes I forget, sometimes I get excited and worst of all, sometimes I'm too blamed "hard headed" to take good advice. My point being, it seems to me that some people are jerks on purpose. Others, and I include myself in this group, are jerks by accident. Like Tom Petty said, "I can't decide which is worse." So if I haven't irritated you yet, I'd like to bank this apology for later. I'll also apologize for the post length and run on sentences. JM2C, Jim
I blame it partially on the impersonal aspect of the internet. I know many of us like to think of posts on this site as a simple conversation between acquaintances, but without the direct face-to-face interactions it's easy to forget about the personal and just fall into treating it as a general information dump. So I'll agree with Jim and apologize both belatedly and in advance for any unintentional insult.
/dwight
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Personally I find it interesting that you are having problems in getting your humidity down to 50%. I have a whole-house humidifier that is struggling to keep the humidity above 40%.
I remember reading once that people who would buy antique furniture on the east coast and ship it to our area found that the wood would dry up and split out on them. Makes me wonder if shipping leather goods between moist/dry regions would run into the same issues.
/dwight
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Hannibal Lecter?
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So, you did this to learn. Learn what? Your work has already always been phenomenal. What more is there that you could possibly need to learn?
Absolutely stunning work (as always). Was the eagle your own design or did it come from some other artwork? Either way the detail work is fantastic.
/dwight
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Great looking apron. And I wouldn't be too quick to make the straps fixed length. I don't know about others, but I know that I'm not the same size that I was a couple years ago.
/dwight
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20 hours ago, JLSleather said:me, too
Man, every time I start to think that I'm starting to get a handle on this stuff, along comes a post like this that shows me just how much I don't know. I hate you.
Awesome work though.
/dwight
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When I first tried to use mine it was doing that too. It had been sitting out in the garage for the last 15 years or so after my wife's first husband passed away, and who knows how well it had been taken care of before that. I did a little searching around the internet and found a couple sites that said it could be a problem with the needle. I took it apart and discovered that the needle was slightly bent right at the tip. I took some 2000 grit sandpaper and pulled the needle through it a few times, and now it seems to be working just fine. Now I just have problems with keeping my hands steady enough to control it. Dunno if that will help, but you might give it a try.
/dwight
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My son let me know that my granddaughter needed a wallet to keep her lunch money and ski school ID in, so I knocked out this zipper wallet with a pocket for the ID. The main body is Crazy-horse leather, and the pocket is 4/5 veg-tan. I got the monogram a little off center, but I still think it turned out OK. The thing that I think is cool about it though is when I was finished my wife pointed out that I had made something for my granddaughter, using tools that I inherited from my grandfather - her great great grandfather. Something nice about keeping the connections alive.
/dwight
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That's pretty awesome! Way back in the day Tandy used to have a kit for a bellows. I made one for my brother. It had a tooled leather piece on the topside (opposite side from the valve) instead of carved wood, and while it was probably easier to build than yours it didn't look anywhere near as cool. Nice job.
/dwight
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Beautiful work. The feather detail is awesome. My hands start to cramp just thinking about how long that must have taken.
/dwight
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Fantastic looking apron. I know a couple farriers around here that would love to have an apron like that.
/dwight
Hello from Idaho
in Member Gallery
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Welcome to the forum. Where in Idaho? If you are close to Meridian I may have to come over and let you show me your Singer.
/dwight