BlackDragon

You can order from other companies. There are few sellers for HO and W&C. I buy W&C directly from W&C. To buy HO from the company I believe you need to buy 5 sides at a time.

https://stleather.com/product/nylon-machine-thread-415/ The class 4 is designed to run 270 with a #25 needle. You will need a #28 needle and may be pushing the Class 4 with that thickness thread. You'll probably have to adjust your tension and your hook clearance

My guess is when the leather is being cut it's being squeezed first, which makes it expand. After the blades cut the leather relaxes and goes back to it's normal state which makes it narrower. It looks like you're losing 3/32". I'm surprised people are mentioning it. You can just tell people it's like buying a Quarter Pounder. The meat is weighed before cooking.

Unfortunately with auctions many people get emotionally attached to what they want. A stamp that may normally go for, let's say $50, can be driven up because someone just really wants it. I have been to auctions where people pay above full retail, plus taxes, plus auction fees. It could be the person was willing to pay the same as you but then figured "What's another $5?" When I go to auctions I look at things as "Can I turn a profit on this?" attitude. I may want to keep it myself but I look at the long term if I can. When I hang this up can I recoup my cost.

It's been working great. I haven't had any issues so far.

Great idea!

That's what I thought when I first saw it but I didn't know the name. You could always make these for kids shoes or swing dancers.

You're on the right path so far. You need to keep the top and bottom lines the same length. If you dont the brim and top would have to be resized. Your side angles have to change a little. All you have to is draw a line from your new top corner to your bottom corner on both sides. To be sure it works just mock it up and make sure your lines meet up.

Very nice!! You did great job!

It looks like Jim Linnell is using 10oz leather in that video. Even with his hands shaking he does fantastic work. Tooling on 3oz leather is possible but I wouldn't recommend it for a beginner, it would be an endeavor in frustration. Keeping the leather at the correct moisture level, the leather will warp, to name a couple, isn't great to start out with. Carving thin leather can result it cutting right through the leather. Find some scrap 8oz or thicker and learn to case properly before tooling/carving.

Make sure your leather is completely dry after tooling. My steps for dying. 1. Neatsfoot oil. You don't need a lot. It'll help distribute the dye evenly in the next step. Let sit for at least 12hr. 2. Apply dye, usually I use a sock or you can use a wool pad. Let it sit for min 12hrs. I avoid dabbers unless I can cover the piece in one or two swipes, like a bracelet or belt loop. Before going on to the next step make sure your project is dry. 3. The leather will be stiff after dyeing so work it a little. Gently bending it around, this allows the pores to open up and makes it more supple. It also lets your waxes or resolene get better penetration in the next step. 4. Apply either resolene or wax depending on the project or preference.

Most any vs. Tandy. Tandy leather is ok for beginners to try on but it's pretty inconsistent and can leave you frustrated when you're trying to improve. I haven't used Herman Oak but I do use Wickett & Craig and it's great leather for tooling.

I've worked in Japanese manufacturing for so long I fall into metric instead of Freedom unit more than I care to admit. https://maverickleathercompany.com/hide-thickness-conversion-chart/?gad_source=5

Welcome to the forum! When we talk about ounces it refers to the thickness of the leather. 1 ounce is .4mm, 2 ounces is .8mm, and you add .4mm for each ounce. So 5 ounces would be 2mm and 10 ounces would be 4mm thick There are a couple ways to secure leather. Sewing is the most popular, either hand stitching or machine. There are rivets and Chicago screws. Gluing, which is the weakest. we usually glue things together to keep them aligned when sewing. To do hand stitching you need a way to make the holes; diamond chisels, pricking irons, or an awl. Using a machine is usually a very high investment, normally in the thousands of dollars. Standard household sewing machines aren't designed to sew leather. The important question you need to answer is: What do you want to make? If you want to do leather upholstery you need different tools than if you want to make wallets, or horse equipment, or shoes. Can't really tell what your picture is. If it's a rivet I'm going to guess that it may be a Jiffy rivet.

Welcome back!