Where does the time go?

Wow -- where does the time go? We just finished moving AGAIN, for the second time in 6 months. What a PITA! I twisted my knee in the process and may have permanent tissue damage.

We moved into a larger house, with a real back yard, across the street from my kids' school, and they have a playground literally in front of our house. Can it get any better than that? Did I forget to mention that there is construction on every road that enters the neighborhood? 20-30 minute delays -- Yay!

Now that we have a larger yard, I decided to forego the $100+/mo lawn service and mow it myself. I picked up a like-new, second-hand mower locally and managed to make one pass in the yard before hitting a steel spike hidden below the grass. $*@#! It stopped instantly and would not run afterward. The blade was mangled and I feared the engine had been damaged. I replaced the blade and eventually got the engine started, but it was running roughly. I was told that the flywheel keyway may have been sheered, causing the timing to be off. However, after removing the cover to inspect the flywheel, I found the keyway intact, but it still seemed to run roughly and lacked power while mowing. Since this was a mulching mower and I didn't have the side ejection port, my only choice was to raise the mower to its highest level and cut the grass in several passes.

Tippman Boss Leather Sewing Machine

My adventures in leatherworking have led me to purchase a Tippman Boss Leather Sewing Machine. I have been working with heavier leathers in belts, holsters and phone cases and I felt that I needed more speed control than my Consew allows, even with the reduction-gear motor. I will eventually add a speed reducer wheel, but I really wanted a heavy-duty stitcher, and the Boss was within my budget. 

I picked up a second-hand cast-iron HS model with a low serial number in great condition a few days ago. 

So far I have only managed to practice on scraps, but I hope to be cranking out useful items soon.

Just finished moving

Did I mention that I hate moving? Well, I really do. I think household junk multiplies exponentially with time.

On the last day of the move, a friend of mine called and offered up some woodworking equipment that had been flooded during hurricane Ike. I had helped him restore a Laguna bandsaw 2 years ago, and he mentioned that he also had some other tools that needed repairs. We never got around to them, and he wanted to clean out his storage unit, so he gave me a Performax 16-32 drum sander, a JDS air cleaner, and a Veritas MK-II sharpening system.

The motors and bearings on the sander and sharpening system are shot. They might be functional otherwise. Most of the castings on the sander and sharpener are aluminum with only slight corrosion from the salt-water exposure. However, most of the steel components are rusted, fused or disintegrated. The galvanized components are actually in decent shape, and I have hope for the drum sander. At the least, it appears to need a new motor and conveyor gear motor and speed controller, which will cost a small fortune.

Since I already have a functional 16-32, I was planning to give it to a friend who has been helping me with guitar making, assuming I can get it back together.

Vinegroon AKA vinegar black leather die

I am proud of my first few attempts at leatherworking. However, one thing I really didn't like was dealing with the leather dies, like Fiebings USMC Black. It gets all over everything, even if you wear gloves, tends to haze over during application and slough off, and can rub off on clothing.

I was reading about vinegroon, or iron acetate, on my favorite forum. This solution chemically reacts with the tannins in veg-tan leather to darken it from dull gray to very black, depending on the exposure time (about 5 seconds = jet black). This reaction is similar to that produced in Oak and other high-tannin lumber when fumed with ammonia. Furthermore, this color change can completely penetrate the leather with longer exposure time.

This solution can be easily made using common household white vinegar and steel wool. Although it has a somewhat unpleasant smell, it is relatively safe and non-flammable.

When using vinegroon, you should neutralize the reaction in a bath of baking soda and water (1/8-1/4 cup per gallon of water), then allow the leather to dry until the smell is gone (up to 2 weeks) before finishing.

Once oiled, sealed and conditioned, this technique results in a deep black finish that will NEVER wear off.

A batch should cost less than $10, including the vinegar, steel wool, and baking soda.

How:

1. Fill a large container, such as a mason jar, with approximately 2 quarts of white vinegar.
2. Put 1-2 rolls of 0000 steel wool into the jar, seal it an shake well. I let mine rust for a week in water first.
3. Loosen the top to allow off-gases to escape. Periodically seal and shake. Don't forget to loosen the top afterward.
4. Keep the mixture in a warm place, lake the laundry room for 2 weeks.
5. Once most of the steel wool has dissolved, filter the mixture through a coffee filter into a clean jar. It may remain a bit murky, but the black sediment will eventually settle or dissolve.

New upholstery projects

After the successful completion of my lounge chair, I picked up a couple of small lobby-type chairs to recover, and lucked into a love seat nearly identical in style to the lounge chair. That made the wife happy. I've got to get these knocked out so I can get back to making guitars soon. We are moving after the end of the school year.