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A bit of an unconventional topic for a forum like this, I'm just not sure whom else to ask than a bunch of leatherworkers. Preface: In DND, spellcasters (Wizards, Sorcerors, and Warlocks) use an Arcane Focus. An Arcane Focus is a special item to channel their magic, replacing the need for certain material components when casting spells. Spellbooks, hold spells to later access and utilize. Normally they are leather bound books of pages. Some spellbooks could use metal sheets in which spells are etched with acid. My character's "spellbook" was a staff with leather straps attached to a staff. Braided leather cord, leather straps with increasing length and width with spells engraved into them. That staff later replaced with a Scimitar when taking the Bladesinging subclass. Question: What would you use to gather the bundle of leather straps and braided cord? That could also be attached to the ring pommel of a scimitar? Apologies if this isn't posted in the right topic or if this isn't something people normally ask.

Thanks Chuck. I'm ok generally, just the old stuff like underactive thyroid/kidneys etc. This scan and that scan. Most of it I can handle in a breeze but probably because that throat cancer in 2000 left my throat like a mouse's EARhole, that camers down my throat was worse than a bitch. Afterward my BP went up to 257. Had to sit there till it went down but at least he said he didn't find anything too dramatic. As for my Millie, what a little soldier she was. Always drawing the short straw including Pyometra? when she was young. Couldn't watch the light going out of her eyes little by little any more. Was feeling guilty today because I found myself with extra time because I didn't have to look after her any more. I know most dog lovers go through this at one time or another but doesn't make it any easier does it. Thanks again Chuck. Appreciate it. Thanks Darren.

Thanks everyone. The papers and patterns and books are so beautiful. You can tell someone has looked through unused pattern envelops and not put the content back in tho, I am not sure how I'll find all the pieces but I plan to excavate and organize and mark down what I have. If there is anything I absolutely don't want I will list here and yes I will absolutely make sure these find there way to someone who loves them when I am finished !

Hello I am adding a synchronized binder to my DA669 and parts listed in the parts book have different size throat plates and presser feet for narrow vs wide binding but no specification as to what size narrow becomes wide. I'm mainly going to bind 1" raw edge. Thank you!

I do believe the ancients never used chicken fat of grease on their leather They had high quality tallow, goose grease, olive oil, nut oils to choose from The smell of rancid chicken is too powerful for even their noses A recent BBC news story (two days ago) that police closed an area of a park whilst forensics checked out a smell. Social Media reported a body had been found. Turned out to be a bag of chicken wings which had been dumped! Beeswax candles were very uncommon. In the 7th C (600s) a monk wrote to the pope seeking permission to import bees from north France into Ireland (Hibernia) as there were no bees there so he could not make candles In the 8th to 11th centuries Viking traders imported bees into Hibernia so they could make meade and sell the wax. They recorded that there were no bee hives in Hibernia

Are you certain you're using the right needles? A needle too short or too long can give you the illusion of being out of time. Might sound like a silly suggestion but sometimes could be the case? Just look over the mechanisms, you should be able to "see" what the problem is with a little careful analysis.

You need to tell if if you're willing to snow this thing, per the forum rules. Thanks

Great find! Some saddlemaking books are really hard to find and expensive, like @chuck123wapati says, some of the patterns aren't reproduced, so I'd also just keep it. If you find that there are patterns/books for something that you have zero interest in, you could always offer it up for sale at this forum. Brgds Jonas

WOW, yeah, you did good, don't throw anything away, some leather books are worth hundreds of dollars, plus many of the patterns are not reproduced anymore and are valuable. That pattern set for bike bags is awesome. this older information is priceless!!

Oh yes! I remember reading about it. Chandlers used to go around to different villages in their carts, making the yearly supply of beeswax candles for the churches and the wealthy. I do not remember which century or country though but it would have been in Europe. The East was completely different in every way. Is that the time when chicken fat would have been used on leathers? Has chicken fat even been used anywhere on leather, anyway? I wonder. Everywhere I read the same thing - It goes rancid fast! If people find rancid coconut oil unpleasant surely they would object to this too? Or, they did not mind the smell, in which case, I come back to my original suggestion that maybe their surrounding smells inured them to the smell of rancid chicken fat. I prefer to think that even if anyone tried, they would have been turned off by the rancidity and never used it again.

Like new Cobra class 26 leather cylinder arm sewing machine, Used very little, sews up to 7/16” leather, canvas, upholstery, and nylon material easily, 4/5 HP brushless DC motor (sews as slow as you want up to much faster), heavy duty stand with detachable table, straight and curved retractable edge guide, 28 LED work light, 11 spools of thread assorted colors and sizes, 10 new needles, and all original tools in attached drawer. I am selling it because of age related infirmities. $2400 Atlanta area 770 - 630 - 6424

I'm sorry you are having discomfort, and that you had to say goodbye to your dog. I'm giving mine an extra hug right now. I'm sure she would let you do the same. She's a golden named Ethyl, and she likes old people. Getting old sucks, but not as much as all the alternatives. I'm glad you stayed and shared that with us.

That's a great buy! I'd keep them all. Need a succession plan to pas them on to another person when you are no longer able to use them so they get put into the hands of another person that will value them. None of my kids or grand kids are interested in leatherwork so I need to figure out what to do with all my stuff before too long.

So i have been doing alot of research and reading about leather work and I wanted to find some books but online they are quite expensive. About a week ago a very kind guy locally listed he had leather books and patterns. He so graciously held them while I got my money in order and I picked them up last night. When I say this Rubbermaid bin is a treasure trove I am not kidding. I don't know where he got this stuff but he asked if I only wanted some as alot of it is not that useful. I told him I wanted everything and I'd look through it and decide later what I didn't want to keep. He sold the entire bin to me and I assumed what he said was correct as I was really only after a couple books he had pictured. These books and patterns surely must of been someone's prized collection. There is incredible content. Magazines organized by years and entire volume collections and so gingerly taken care of. The patterns seem unused! Original al stohlman books and patterns I don't wish to sell anything right yet, but I have to tell someone who understands why I am so thrilled. Is there any books that are rare I should keep my eyes out for? It's going to take hours to go through this! Are there resourced to upload and share content without going against copywrites? Like when you see things listed on internet archives? How does that work? I want to share but I don't want to let go of this content. I feel it needs protection because it almost didn't make it!

Refined tallow candles were the usual. Even refined whale oil. Beeswax candles were for the clergy only, and from the 1st Century. Candle makers had their own way of refining tallow and the best candle makers were sought out for the purity of their candles. A slight smell of cooking beef.

I am wondering what you mean by " up to max thickness "????? In my opinion Patchers are not meant for boot soles. The max sewing thickness of that machine is less then a 1/2" at 12mm (15/32"). I assume you meant Claes 8346-30. Here is a good manual that you can download ( https://www.manualslib.com/manual/3027579/Claes-8346.html?page=3#manual) kgg

I have friends that make holsters, and I don't want to turn people off of making them, but it is a lot more work than someone might think. Watching the pros on YouTube gives the uninitiated the impression that it is "cut some stuff, glue it together, stitch it, sell it" ... but there is a steep learning curve, and customers don't want to pay for your mistakes. I think a lot of us here got into the business because we wanted to save money on buying stuff, or nobody made what we wanted. I think I've heard stories like this here all over the forum: "Some guy was charging $$ for this thing I wanted. I thought I could make it cheaper/easier/better, so now, years into it, and $$$$ into it, I have a deeper respect for what that original person was doing and charging." Yet, I'm still happy I took the plunge and got into it, nice people here - and they're always glad to help!

😅 That puts me in my place. Sorry @fredk no offense was intended. It was different paths of discovery for different cultures and civilizations when people did not travel as much as we do today. We are in such a lucky place in time, having access to all that information now. Those cultures were very advanced - airplanes included, believe it or not. So @AEBL that they knew about soap is not surprising. 🙂 Many scientists have been quietly reading about older civilizations and using that knowledge today, I have heard. Not surprising. Not surprising that they have not given credit to those books either - plagiarism anyone? Coming back to the original thread, people did use plain tallow in lamps, is it not? They were used by the not-so wealthy. The wealthy used beeswax, which was not supposed to be so smelly or smoke as much. I have not tried tallow in lamps but I have read about it. What was used was not the refined tallow we purchase today either. So maybe people had a different attitude to smells from our attitudes today. Needs must, maybe?

I'm from Easley. Didn't know there were others in the area. Anyone interested in a meet up?

Sewing machines are simple machines and anything can be fixed. It's probably just a timing or adjustment problem rather than a parts one. I don't think that machine can handle much sole work, if any? I think most buy them for things like sewing patches on jackets and shoe upper repair work in 4/5oz or less shoe leather. Positioner on a shoe patcher might be not worth the effort, you'd be better off just to set it up to run slow. Positioners are more for speedy production machines and a patcher isn't really one. Slow sewing design w/small bobbin.

I'd have to agree with that! 25 years ago I didn't have a choice, and didn't see it that way. I made a living making holsters for over a decade, and looking back, was pretty good money. I started with $200 and a 90 day loan against my 10 year old VW Golf (bought a stitcher). I made ALLOT of holsters of all types, mainly on contract. I rarely make holsters now and keep looking for something that just requires pushing a big red button. CNC, etc! LOL.

Well I'm glad he is on the mend and you have the help. Ahh, Mom's books!! I have my mom's as well, one of my favorites is Blue cheese dressing that she hand wrote, she wrote down alot of recipes so now i have my daughters re write them so we dont ruin the originals. Some are older than I am lol.

dang man, I sincerely hope you are feeling better and nothing bad is wrong. I am also truly sorry about your loss. I love my dogs I ve had several dogs over the years and loved them more than most people i know. and know how hard it is to lose your best friend.. Take care, friend, and get well!

Post the video on YouTube and link to it here. Need more than 5 seconds that fits file size restrictions here.

Understood and accepted and Thank you