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Post by davy on Mar 26, 2017 14:48:01 GMT
Been keeping head down,, been a bit off lately, 2nd anniversary of my dad's death yesterday ,so to try and get through the day been trying to keep busy. Started off with veg tanned leather and gave it four coats of red dye with my airbrush kit, I then went 50% red,50% black mix and airbrushed the centre of belt,, I then airbrushed the edges black. Four coats of wax polish I then part mounted brass buckle and riveted in place ,, made the belt keeper an finished of the belt. Only my second attempt and first at airbrush dying,i got the antique look I was after,, very pleased with results.
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Post by davy on May 1, 2017 18:30:06 GMT
Since the weather hasn't improved and a telescope is redundant, I thought I would put up latest on my belt making warts n all. Was going ok until I tried my new alphabet stamps,, running off a bit,I have made a jig up at work to sort out this set back. Made the stitch lines a bit wider than previous belt. Added stitch holes, the mod to my arbour press by uncle John made a big difference, no hammering and banging Air brushed navy blue then black on edges So this is where it went wrong,, getting 6mm stamps correctly spaced and on a straight line didn't work 😥 but as I said I welded up a jig to sort that problem out
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Post by davy on May 1, 2017 19:00:18 GMT
So I haven't added any hardware to this belt yet ,was waiting on plain silver buckles arriving. Ordered some more bits n Bob's to the kit, silver star rivets and skull and crossbones, a big Celtic belt buckle. I have also ordered a stitch pony so I can try saddle stitching,missplaced my needles so ordered new ones. Been looking into making my own custom stamps, to buy one's cost £20-£30 a time, so becomes very pricey. , So looked at a CNC router to make my own,, bit noisy and messy, so shelved that idea,, next up was a CNC laser,,these can be a bit smelly burning designs into leather and a 40w one is still £300,, and running out of space in my man cave. But found the answer I hope 😂 This wee chap is £72 and it etches to 38mm the exact width of the belts I do,, but total etch size is 38mm x 38mm but I hopefully can put in more different designs and it won't cost a fortune, clever software as well just drop on a jpeg and it converts to a cut file. This should get me started in leather laser engraving.
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Post by davy on May 1, 2017 19:07:02 GMT
The laser in action
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Post by davy on May 1, 2017 19:08:40 GMT
And on leather
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Post by Dragon Man on May 2, 2017 12:48:40 GMT
"Acrylic cover 2 x 2 x 3 inches in size" I think he needs to buy a new tape measure
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Post by davy on May 2, 2017 14:08:23 GMT
I'm hoping it works ok with the weight of the belt, on the work bed
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Post by Dragon Man on May 2, 2017 15:50:56 GMT
I'm hoping it works ok with the weight of the belt, on the work bed You can only try. If it doesn't work for belts I'm sure you'll find a hundred other things to laser etch.
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Post by davy on May 2, 2017 16:16:03 GMT
No doubt there 😂. If it works well I can see me getting a cheap Chinese 40w CNC laser, I quite fancy making my own leather sporran from scratch, this would allow me to custom designs, also the funeral plaques I was making would go to a higher spec and quality.. pretty excited 😁 on the prospects of the small machine
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Post by davy on May 7, 2017 16:53:58 GMT
Finished my third belt, at last lol
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Post by Dragon Man on May 8, 2017 13:46:58 GMT
Looks alright Davy
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Post by davy on May 8, 2017 16:49:44 GMT
Was better than expected,, was a test case,, done the red saddle stitch to it at weekend and put on the buckle and punched the adjustment holes in and a quick polish up.. My last belt was better but this was a step up from the previous , stamping my name on it,, I made a jig to hold the letter's together and lined up,, so a lesson learned,, punching stitching holes was another new bit and of course saddle stitching,, over all a good enough job
Next up, 😁 Celtic design/ theme belt Done a thistle design and need to test burn on leather,, if it goes ok then I will sketch out a rough design and make a start,, London tan colour for this one and I got a nice Celtic knotwork belt buckle for it as well.
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Post by davy on May 8, 2017 16:54:18 GMT
I really want to do this and hopefully give it a go soon 😗
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Post by davy on May 14, 2017 21:55:47 GMT
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Post by davy on May 31, 2017 12:15:32 GMT
Been on a rest bite from the forum,, had some bits n pieces to sort out,, burning both sides of the candle.. Been reading the posts but not replying..but great discussions guys. So what have I been up to. Been in talks with an old friend and her company she works for is putting in an order for custom mugs,, finally got green light on design and start my test mug next week for approval. £500 - £600 order. So I had to sit the I and cross the t. Still looking for a new van to convert into a mobile observatory. Done a lot of research into laser and router engraver / cutters and have sent away for a 40w cnc laser this is to primarly cut designs into acrylic for leather printing. Latest belt,,
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Post by Dragon Man on May 31, 2017 12:34:47 GMT
Sounds like good News Davy. Spare cash in the Astro kitty
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Post by davy on May 31, 2017 17:58:13 GMT
Rowan belt mod 😁
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Post by Dragon Man on May 31, 2017 18:34:56 GMT
Fits any mount drive
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Post by davy on May 31, 2017 20:30:40 GMT
That's why I use a screwdriver as a chisel
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elpajare
Member
Posts: 438
home town/country: Girona-Spain
time zone gmt +/-: 1
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Post by elpajare on Jun 1, 2017 7:20:07 GMT
Fantastic works, congratulations.
I feel the death of your father, I share your sentiment.
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