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LeatherCaptain

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Everything posted by LeatherCaptain

  1. OK. This is looking pomising. I'm going to give it a try tonight. I'm sure I'll be able to leave a mark but I'm mainly concerned about the retention over time. I'm thinking the leather will swell back out and loose the stamping.
  2. Hello, I'm wondering if the side of show harness leather I received from W&C will take stamping at all. I think the oil/wax content will make it nearly impossible for it to retain any moisture or the form from the stamp. I guess I can try it tonight but I was hoping someone might have some input. Thanks in advance!
  3. Totally agree with this. The holster is nice but I'd just be careful molding behind the trigger.
  4. My typical order from W&C is a 7/8 Skirting Back, drum dyed black with the flesh side refinished. I've found that the best cut comes from the upper rear of the back. You would typically cut all your strap goods from the upper part of the back because the grain is the tightest and finishes oh so smooth. If I could, I would order in Double Bends and just forget about the shoulder and the belly altogether. Enjoy!
  5. I've ordered from Seattle Fabrics before and just bought some from Foam n more (foamforyou.com). Seattle Fabrics has a ton of other materials. Order a catalogue...i think it's a couple of bucks but they have a ton of material.
  6. I quit using the Fiebings Acrylic Resolene and switched to the Angelus semi-gloss acrylic. I started applying with a synthetic sponge that was wet. It worked pretty well but lately I just cut up an old T-shirt and soak it with non-diluted resolene and apply a relatively thin coat. This keeps the airbubble issue down and limits the drips. Most of the time it only takes one coat but I may go over a piece again if I see a few bare spots.
  7. Hello, Back to the well again.... A friend of mine has asked me to redo his solo seat for him and I have really admired a lot of the work I've seen here on the forum. For those of you who build out solo pan-style seats (i.e. The Dave Thiebold style), what thickness neoprene rubber/foam are you using? I was thinking of ordering 1" thick neoprene that Dave recommends from Foam n more that has an adhesive side. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.
  8. Well, I am looking for the stretchy, elastic like material but it's sort of thick and reminds me of wet suite material or something like a knee brace.
  9. Hi, pardon my ignorance if this has come up lately but, could someone tell me where there is a good place to buy the neoprenish material to make an ankle holster? I never make ankle rigs but I've traded some work with a local handyman and his wife wants an ankle rig. So, I guess that's what I'm going to do. He gave me a Galco to use as an example but I'm not sure where to buy the stretch material. I've looked at CVS, etc. for knee braces and the like but haven't found anything that will work. Any help is much obliged!
  10. Shooter there answered the question. But, I guess you didn't carve in behind the trigger as much as it looks. I'm just trying to look out for a fellow craftsman. I didn't want to see the topic of your next post being "Does anyone know a good lawyer?"
  11. Any concern on your part in regards to the heavy molding behind the trigger? Looks like a lawsuit waiting to happen.
  12. You really put together some cool lookin stuff. I love that folder pouch. Would you mind posting a pic of the back? Also, where did you get the snaps from?
  13. The best thing you can do for pics is to just google the different types and do a search here on LWF. There are a couple of members who have posted images and comparisons of a few different edgers. You'll also get a lot of information from some of the manufacturers websites. See the following couple of links that were recently discussed for some info and sources for suppliers. http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=25469 http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=25369 http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=25212&st=0&p=159610&hl=edger&fromsearch=1entry159610 There's a ton of info already published. Not to be lazy but it would be difficult to replicate all of the great comments out there by some fantastic craftsmen. The biggest difference between the types is the plane of the cutting surface, whether flat or curved and whether there are "feet" or guides on the sides of the blade (i.e. common vs round).
  14. Thanks, Bruce. I called and spoke to Jeremiah and someone at Barry King (sorry for not remember his name). Jeremiah was very resourceful and provided a ton of information that lead me to ordering his #2 round edger. Both were great people to talk to and I was suprised how much time they were able to offer me on the phone. I considered Bob Douglas but it's nice being able to see the product online before ordering it. Ron's tools look great and I'm sure they perform just as well. I think the addition of a sharpening tool is a fantasic idea but I just couldn't figure out the price difference. I didn't speak to him so maybe there's something about the material. Ron's tools also seem a bit long to me. Maybe it's just the perspective of the photos but I prefer to stay as close to my work as possible. I don't need the extra length to get into tight places. Anyway, thanks for the input. I've got a #2 Round Edger from Jeremiah Watt on the way (and a 1.5" half round punch). I'll have to let you know how well I transition from my #3 Round Osborne. Thanks again!
  15. Barry King Common edger or Jeremiah Watt Round Edger Any preferences for a nice round edge on double layer 7/8 oz? ....OR, pay almost twice as much for an edger from Ron's Tools?
  16. Ring's has the LCP. Call them...ask for their most up to date price list...it's different from their website.
  17. Hand stitched belt and all. Very nice! That's a lot of stitching...and stitching....and stitching... Any concerns about the inside of the belt bleeding out?
  18. Hello again, Does anyone use a leather finishing/polishing machine? I've been on the lookout lately for ways to speed things up and thought a polishing machine might be one of those ways. I've seen the cheapo sharper image shoe buffing machines with the red and black cones that look like their made out of cat hair. And, then there are the $2K industrial finishing machines. Pilgrim seems to make quality stuff but even their machines are a bit pricey ($775 for the "home model"). I'm thinking that maybe building my own might be the best route. I could add a polishing brush to one end of the shaft and maybe a burnishing dohicky to the other side. I'm just no machinist so it's going to take some thought. I doubt there are any easy ways to build something like that. So, does anyone use a purchased machine to buff/polish/finish or have you built your own? Thanks!
  19. I started with Exacto knives but found I kept breaking the tips and needed to constantly replace them. It's a good choice if your only cutting out a pattern or two at a time. But, if you're chopping up an entire side, constantly changing blades gets annoying. So, I purchased a head knife based on recommendations here and from the local Tandy shop manager. It works. It works great for long straight runs or minor curves. I know I could use it for a tight radius if I HAD to but it's kind of a slow process. Ultimately I've taken to the Al Stohlman Trim knife at Tandy's. They're relatively cheap and I can keep stropping it or put it to the grinding stone when I need to. I like the claw like blade that allows me to cut a nice tight radius without grinding the edges. Right after stropping or grinding on the stone, I can get through 7/8 in one pass. But, my hand strength generally weakens over time and it'll take a couple of passes. http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/home/department/Tools/Knives-Cutters-Splitters/35015-00.aspx You might even check out some wood workers knives. There are a few makers out there that have similar blade geometry to the Stohlman knife above and a fairly affordable.
  20. I saw the bench mount system. That's a good idea to set up two. They just seem expensive for what they are. And, the press down handle seemed like it would be more consistent than the plier type grips. I also don't have access to any of these systems to try them out so I went with my best guess. I might add one of these press-n-snaps down the line if it would be a more efficient use of time. Do the snaps just sit on the dies or is there some retention method on the die?
  21. Alright, just came back from Tandy. Bought their press and die set. Overall, seems like a good chunk of metal and the dies look pretty good. The shop manager here says that Weaver uses the same dies. The deciding factor was the way the dies are held in place. The press from Tandy's uses about a 1/4" bolt to hold the dies in place. The other presses use a small set screw that you tighten with a small allen wrench. I'm sure there may be better systems out there but this seemed like the best option. Also, the press and dies were discounted off of the already discounted elite membership price. I shop there enough that the membership is worth it. Oh, and regarding the press from King Richards...the sales rep and the website both say that it's critical that you bolt their press to a workbench otherwise you risk damaging the tool. Just another minus in their bucket. Thanks for your help! (I'm getting better at this decision making thing...with all of the info on the net it usually takes me forever and a day to make up my mind...i almost need professional help)
  22. Thanks for all the replies. I spoke to the company who sells the machine from my earlier post and he said the machine was designed for the gripper snaps and wouldn't work for the caps w/ a post. I don't see why not other than I can't get dies for them. Who knows. Anyway, I think I may go with the machine in the link below. Seems like a good deal. I wonder about the quality of the dies but, I don't think I could go wrong. What do you guys think? http://www.kingrichardco.com/GrommetSettingSpecial/Default.htm I looked on feeBay but didn't see anything. $15/shipped seems like a great deal. Did it come with a set of dies?
  23. Hello, I'm back to the well for answers... Can anyone recommend a quality bench mounted snap press that's a good value for setting 24 ligne snaps onto 7/8 oz. leather? I don't process a ton of work so an automated machine is completely out of the budget. I'm mainly looking for recommendations from anyone who uses one. Are certain dies better than others? I believe there are screw in dies and snap in dies, maybe? What about throat depth? Does this look like a good option? http://sewtrue.com/Store/Automatic-Handpress-Snap-Machine-P507.html Thanks!
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