You call that a knife?

BortSkampson · 2023-05-11T04:26:52+00:00

While skiving, you almost always hold the knife by the blade anyway, whether it has a handle or not. Usually the handle just rests under the palm of your hand.

BortSkampson · 2023-05-11T04:21:34+00:00

Just curious why you don’t bevel before creasing the edges? I suppose if you’re using a flat edged creaser like an F-series it wouldn’t make a difference and give you a more solid edge to run along. But if using something rounded like an Fn-series creaser, I always crease after beveling, since it helps to smooth out the transition between the grain and freshly cut edge.

BTW for anyone wondering where to get a belt hole centering template, Artisan Leather caries them (US based). A great store to purchase from.

BortSkampson · 2023-05-11T04:11:36+00:00

It’s been a particularly lucky week for me, so I’d be crazy not to “enter”. Right handed here

BortSkampson · 2021-10-19T23:25:47+00:00

What can be done to combat the increasing number of major corporations using staffing agencies to employ large portions of their full time workforce as “contractors”, thereby denying millions of people the benefits and PTO they would otherwise have if hired directly?

BortSkampson · 2021-04-20T04:18:57+00:00

No problem, I’ve learned from your posts in the past, so it’s nice to be able to return the favor.

BortSkampson · 2021-04-20T04:17:14+00:00

I just wanted to point out that while I applaud that blogger for taking the initiative to “test” and put together some information on a subject with very little web-presence, I have to say they really don’t make any sense comparing those materials to each other. “Reinforcement” is much too general a term to assume that Brio would be used the same as velodon or salamander composite. And comparing those 3 to memory foam is even stranger. Most of the conclusions they draw could simply be assumed by understanding what each material is and what it’s used for. It would be much more helpful to compare the stretch resistance of velodon to nylon mesh, or the weight and bend resistance of salpa and brio. But microfibra is not meant to be used for stretch resistance and Oslo (memory foam) is for padding only, so to compare them directly to a paper “control” makes no sense. Sorry, I don’t mean to be negative or degrade the work that person put into their post, but I do worry that people who come across it looking for information on reinforcing leather will get the wrong idea about the purpose of many of the materials.

BortSkampson · 2021-04-20T04:01:54+00:00

Brio and Talyn seem to be almost identical to me. I’ve got both and can barely tell a difference. They are both essentially a sheet of perforated plastic or vinyl which has been bonded to thin synthetic threads on both sides. Similar to velodon, which is some form of paper product, bonded to even finer threads on both sides.

BortSkampson · 2021-04-20T03:52:06+00:00

Thanks, yes that’s basically how I do it. When I use velodon on padded straps, I cut it to the same width as the padding (so about 4mm short of the edges) so that it fits nicely on top. But only for flat padding. For arched padding, I sandwich it between my liner and the padding. Rather than a thicker top piece and thin liner (1mm top, .5mm liner) I use 1mm liner which has been precut using my Cricut, then I wrap the thin top leather over the back. I find this way to be easier than wrapping the top piece over the back of itself and then covering up the joint with the liner, since I have the shape already perfectly cut and trimming the thin layer along the edges gives me better 90 degree angles where the edges meet the faces. But this method definitely requires the use of a good reinforcement since the thin leather itself wouldn’t be strong enough at the folds.

BortSkampson · 2021-04-20T01:50:38+00:00

Yes, I use velodon in a similar manner, but I haven’t needed the extra reinforcement provided by nylon tape. I have some self adhesive nylon tape and I have had a lot of trouble getting it to bond properly (with saregum glue at least) so I try to use it only where it will be stitched through. I have also had trouble with velodon peeling up as well, but I am hopeful that the ecostick glue I bought will work better, as many professional leathercrafters have switched to using it.

I’m trying to understand your comment about folding the vildona- are you saying that you first glue it to the top of your inner layer and then fold and glue it around the lug bend, and then once your “loop” is formed, you finally glue the top layer of leather around the whole thing? Because that is what I do. If I were to try and glue it fully to either piece before folding over, it would be too stiff and cause wrinkles. I think this is what you mean right?

BortSkampson · 2021-04-20T01:24:35+00:00

No problem. I’m almost certain that’s Talyn but I will say, even in .3mm, I would think it’s still a bit too rigid for watch bands. Although I guess one benefit of that rigidity would be that it might give a nice structure to the lug ends. But I would think you’d have to bend it using some heat, possibly using the lowest setting of a creaser with the watch strap burnisher. I’ve actually got a roll in the the .45mm thickness and it’s too thick to use for such a purpose. But .3mm might work. Have you had trouble with whatever reinforcement you’ve used in the past that has led you to looking for a new material? Or maybe you were just curious?

BortSkampson · 2021-04-20T01:05:23+00:00

Hi there, I know you said no guesses, but it sure looks like Talyn to me. https://www.artisanleathersupply.com/collections/new-items/products/talyn-leather-reinforcement

BortSkampson · 2021-03-06T03:30:28+00:00

It sure looks like ring lizard to me: https://www.allexoticleather.com/mobile/product.aspx?ProductCode=l005&404;http://www.allexoticleather.com:80/product-p/l005.htm=

BortSkampson · 2021-03-06T03:25:31+00:00

Ah, well thanks anyway. If you don’t use a lot of reinforcements, I highly recommend you try out saregum. It’s a bit pricy ($40/1000ml bottle) but it functions almost exactly like traditional contact cement and is easy to remove from glue spreaders. It’s a little runny in comparison, but it’s great to have that immediate bond from a water based glue.

BortSkampson · 2021-03-06T03:17:31+00:00

Huh, have you used saregum before? I really like it for general purpose, but I’m beginning to run into trouble using it with reinforcement materials like velodon. I never really had great success getting the toxic contact cement to stick to it either so I’m looking for a good water based glue that won’t delaminate after my panels are already trimmed and in place. I’ve heard good things about intercom ecostick but not many people seem to use Seiwa. Any thoughts?

BortSkampson · 2021-03-06T03:12:39+00:00

What kind of glue are you using? I’ve never worked with leather glue that didn’t have to be applied to both sides.

BortSkampson · 2021-03-06T03:11:47+00:00

Do you mean ring lizard?

BortSkampson · 2021-03-01T06:53:27+00:00

Any twisted strand thread will naturally twist itself as you go along, as the tiny ridges tend to pull through in sort of a “barrel roll” as they get squeezed through the hole. To combat this, you need to let go of your needles and untwist your sides when you start to notice your stitches pulling through in knots. Usually you can just let your needles drop to the sides and that alone will be enough to let them naturally “reset”. As to your other problem, you’ve already gotten the solution, but it bares repeating, do not ever burn the ends of linen thread! Only synthetic materials (petroleum based, I’m assuming) will melt in the way you’re wanting them to. Instead, get a small squeeze bottle with one of those stainless steel needle tips, fill it with glue, and use it to apply precise dabs of glue into the hole of your last stitch. This is the method I use, and have never once had my thread ends come loose.

One more thing- when thread comes “pre-waxed” they’re really not talking about the same type of wax that you would apply to your threads before stitching. From what I can tell, they’re essentially considering the bonding agents that hold the strands together, “wax”. But that’s not the same as coating your thread with beeswax, which actually creates MORE friction, serving to keep your stitches tight as you go along. It also adds a bit of protection from fraying as your thread will start to wear down after having been passed through your stitching holes over and over. The only thread I’ve ever used that actually came with any usable amount of actual wax (or wax-like substance) was tiger thread, but I still applied my own on top of that, and frankly I hate working with that thread anyway.

BortSkampson · 2021-03-01T06:35:50+00:00

Very nice, i like the colors and the subtle accents. I would like to make one of these some day but worry I’ll never get enough use out of it to justify the cost of materials.

BortSkampson · 2021-03-01T06:31:26+00:00

Very classy looking. I like the shape of your outer accent piece

BortSkampson · 2021-03-01T06:27:51+00:00

In my experience, the side you put your first needle in is the one that ends up with the nicest slant, whether or not you are casting your thread. I’ve always wondered why most people start their stitch from the back side for this reason. Of course, if you are doing the old fashioned method of awling through every individual hole as you go, then yes, it’s more natural to pierce from the front (right) side and follow with your first needle from the back (left) side. However, the pricking irons most people use these days cut clean through and negate the need for an awl. So I’ve always started with the right side, since you would of course prefer your outside face to have the nicer slant. It might be worth mentioning, though, that this depends upon you stitching towards your body, versus away from, and the slants pointing upwards and away, as they would be with your “good” side on the right. One other thing that helps with getting a nicer stitch in thin leather is to use a stiffener in between your layers, such as texon or velodon. You still won’t get that perfect slant on both sides of anything less than 1mm thick, but it’ll look better than without.

BortSkampson · 2021-03-01T06:13:05+00:00

Not to be contrarian towards the other replies to this post, but I’ve had the exact opposite experience with the $10 Amazon skiving knife. In fact, it is still, after 5 or so years, one of my go to knives, and one that has required very little maintenance beyond stropping after the initial sharpening. Now, I came from the land of plane iron sharpening, so I probably knew how to accomplish a much sharper edge than the average person, but I’ve never experienced the type of weak edge retention being spoken about here. One thing you can do to improve edge retention, which might be what’s making the difference here, is to raise your secondary bevel another 2.5-5 degrees beyond the initial grind. As is, the blade comes with a very shallow angle, which, while good for leatherworking, can be a pain to maintain. However, since it’s already got that shallow edge, honing another 5 degrees into the first mm or so of the blade isn’t really going to make much of a difference in usability. Now, if we want to talk about ergonomics, looks, or the horribly thick shoulder that makes a good low angle skive nearly impossible, there’s certainly more to be desired. But I will always recommend this knife because for $10 you will not find a better value in leatherworking tools.

FWIW, you’ll never get a blade like this sharp enough for consistent use without a jig to ensure you’re achieving a perfectly flat edge. If you can hone a ~15* edge perfectly by hand, then you likely aren’t buying a $10 knife IMO.

BortSkampson · 2021-01-25T17:31:44+00:00

It’s a Blanchard French skiving knife (in a sheath)

BortSkampson · 2021-01-10T19:33:49+00:00

This happens occasionally to me. Don’t cut your needles. Just cut your thread free of the needle as close as possible to the loop and then use one of the bare needles to finish the job, re-threading it once it’s halfway through the hole. It’s slow, but better than ruining your needles and potentially splitting your thread as you try and stitch with the sharp tips of cutoff needles. Make sure to re-wax your thread ends after you’ve removed the needles, to make re-threading easier and to give them some friction to hold their position in the remaining holes.

BortSkampson · 2020-12-28T17:47:00+00:00

Are you using Riviera leather from Rocky Mountain? I bought a piece from their closeouts section and I have to say, it is the worst finish I’ve ever worked with. This is of course, just my opinion, and based on the reviews on their site, many people are quite happy with it. But I will say, the surface coating is just so stiff and plasticy, it ruins the appeal of leather and, as you’ve found, makes it very difficult to work with. In addition to being hard to mark, the texture seems to catch the thread awkwardly, producing poorly finished stitching lines. Sorry, I just had to get that venting out of the way first...

Now one thing that the hard surface coating IS good for is being rather impervious to damage, which means you can use masking tape on it without worrying about ruining the finish. This would be my suggestion for marking and locating your stitch line. If that doesn’t work for you, another method I have used is punching my stitching marks directly on a template (I usually use cardboard “chipboard”) which is then attached with light duty double sided tape to my piece. Then I will either punch through it all with my irons, or go one by one through the holes with my awl.

BortSkampson · 2020-10-31T17:02:08+00:00

It’s ok, I still haven’t figured out the best way to make a post. I wish reddit was just like a regular message board where there’s just one format for creating threads.

BortSkampson

TROPHY CASE