Michael from Hamburg, Germany, emailed to show me how he cleverly modified his heat sealing iron by replacing the rounded aluminum foot with interchangeable feet he fabricated out of scrap aluminum. Well done, Michael! This is the type of DIY genius that needs to be shared.
If you have some rudimentary metalworking tools, such as files, a drill, a vice, a hack saw, and a tap and die set, then this is a really clever alternative to simply flattening the bottom of the stock leather iron’s foot (which is what I’ve been recommending). It might take a bit longer to fabricate your own parts, but as Michael shows, you won’t be limited to a single foot, and that opens up new possibilities for ironing seams of different widths and configurations. You could even design a foot that pivots so you can press straight down with the iron, which would be easier on your wrist if you’re doing a lot of heat sealing.
Check out Michael’s page where he shows detailed photos of the parts he fabricated out of scrap aluminum bar, and how they fit together.
If I can figure out a way to make parts like this quickly enough that selling them for a reasonable price becomes economical, I might consider doing that, or if someone else wants to give it a shot then I would be happy to point people in their direction…
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