jcuk

This is more or less how i do mine, if you have access to a bench buffer/polisher machine you will be surprise how much that will keep a nice edge you will not need to sharpen very much, don't let the blade get to hot just a quick polish https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uUvErBUG68 Hope this helps JCUK

The one you have is plenty save your money, learn to use it the right way and you will wonder why you ever felt the need to own or need a Japanese knife or French skiver. That single head knife will do what those two can do and more just needs practice in use and sharpening and stropping. Take a look at some good youtube clips on how to use and maintain one, have not got much time now but if you need or pointers to some good ones let me know because there are some awful and dangerous ones. Hope this helps JCUK

What kind of Barnsley Knife they have many for sale.

If you are doing a long run of hand stitching its best practice to re-wax your thread at some time during your stitching that will also help locking your stitching when back stitching. Hope this helps JCUK

Not if your using the correct sized thread for you spi, most of my is with horse tack within the horse racing industry so it get plenty of use and a lot of abuse along the way as said before never happened to me. Hope this helps JCUK Surely enuf is spelt with two fs

No worries, never made any farrier chaps but have repaired and patched a few, some i have done knowing the leather i patched them up with is better than what they were made from.

Don't know if this is of any use to you, here are some links to what leather Abbey has for farrier chaps maybe look for something similar your side of the pond. But do bear in mind these leathers are for proper working farrier chaps nothing fancy, because believe me i have seen some farriers trying to make fashion statement with their chaps and you soon see they don't stand the test of time. https://www.abbeyengland.com/farriers-chap-butts-2mm-oily-beige-e1f271 https://www.abbeyengland.com/farriers-chap-butts-2mm-oily-black-e1f272 https://www.abbeyengland.com/farriers-chap-butts-2mm-oily-olive-e1f270 Hope this helps JCUK

I have been using linen thread for 30 years, never have had to use glue just go back 3 and a half stitches snip thread as close to your work as you can use awl to poke any excess thread into the stitch mark. Hope this helps JCUK

Pricking irons which is what i use, will only mark the stitching marks they do not punch all the way through the leather that is what the awl is for it does take time to master this method but to its better to have this skill than not. Yes the stitching chisels will punch all the way through the leather will get a lot people up and running learning to saddle stitch. Pricking iron and stitching chisels are not the same thing. There is a thread pinned here some where explaining about the difference.

I have never stitched using round holes, i did watch the video with Nigel Armitage doing this as always he explains things very well also he explains how casting the stitch adds no strength to the stitch but will give you the angle some people like, have to say some don't, me i do think it looks so much better. Most of my work consist of repairing and making saddlery so i use the traditional method for stitching needle and awl, over time if you want to use the needle and awl method you will start to refine the method you use, at least that what happened to me but you have to understand i was taught this method by attending saddlery courses long before youtube. But i do think think there are some very good youtube vids to be watched and also some terrible ones in my eyes. If it was me just starting out and had no leather working courses near, i would not look much further than some off the links below. One thing you will notice they all stitch towards themselves, to its just foreign to stitch away. And there may be the odd occasion you might have to do this but i cant remember the last time i have had to do this. https://www.youtube.com/@UKSaddlerytrainingcoursesuk https://www.youtube.com/@ArmitageLeather https://www.youtube.com/@JHLeather https://www.youtube.com/@LeathercraftMasterclas Some of these also hold on-line courses which may be of help. Hope this helps JCUK

The way i look at the repairs i do, is if i would not ride on it it does not go out. Sometimes some things are well pass by their sell by date or they are damage beyond repair so i tell the client that i can not do a safe repair, some people want miracles it just not worth it. They don't realise they maybe putting them selves and maybe their loves ones too in danger at times, have had that on occasions, some people have said oh well i will take somewhere else to be done. One time it was their childs piece of tack that i refused to do they said i will take to the place which had done a poor previous repair , madness in my point of view. Regards JCUK

As i said i come from a racing back round where in a lot cases the tack is not maintained very well through neglect and dare i say ignorance and laziness. When i was a young apprentice we had to clean our tack every day, one time after riding my last lot that day i was in a hurry to leave so i just put my tack away and was on my way out the door when the head lad said to me have you clean your tack John i said no i will do it Monday one day is not going to hurt it he said its only the fact your cleaning it you are also checking it and believe me it may save your life one day so i went and cleaned it, that has always stayed with me. The girth you have repaired has i believe has five different points where they join, all possible weak points not saying they are, but they would be some where i would check of a regular basis just to be safe. Hope this helps JCUK

The way i was taught this was to line your Awl up with the angle of your stitch mark, and where your thumb is on the Awl haft cut a notch out colour with a marker pen that should help keep your Awl at the correct angle. Hope this helps JCUK

This may be of use to you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEg-Sx6Y_7Y https://www.jhleather.co.uk/products/trifold-wallet-pdf-pattern-pack I have used this Australian supplier in the past, many moons ago they were good to work the Kangaroo leather was very nice and tough as old boots as they say. https://packerdirect.com.au Hope this helps JCUK

Nice work again, i am afraid i think you will be repairing it again at some point, i could be wrong having not seen this type of girth in the flesh, but there does seems to to be a wear and stress point judging from your close shots of the elastic. Have to say coming from a Horse Racing back round i have never been a fan of elastic girths for a few reasons. First being the elastic will start to stretch more and more so the hole on the billet you are used to girthing your horse up on, suddenly you are on the next hole up and so on, which bring me to next reason with elastic girths because they stretch you can always find another hole to go up, i have seen so many horses over girthed because of this not so much with other types of girths. Another reason is as you have seen with your repair the elastic becomes worn and frayed and also sometimes the elastic on the same end of the girth after while one is longer than the other because that one has stretched more than the other meaning you could be on one billet that side, yes some people will go to the next hole up on the slack one. But having said all that i have seen girths where the elastic is trebled instead of just being doubled and it does seem more durable and they don't stretch as much if you have to do it again maybe try to treble the elastic if you can, but you my not have the room to do that though hard to tell. Again good work. Hope this helps JCUK