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Welcome!!! I retired about ten years ago, or more. I do what comes to mind at the moment. I have taken up just learning new stuff, so leather is not the world to me. Last year, for example i deciced i wanted to make clay pots out of local clay, so i did it, found clay, cleaned clay, built a raku kiln, and made pots both in a fire pit and the kiln. I forge and make tools, knives, and just about anything I need. I learn to make lol. Last winter i rebuilt two bamboo fly rods. I still need to make the cases, this fall, tanning leather hair on, and moccasins. I've got two staves of wood drying for making bows this spring, some staves for arrows, also i learned to make arrows a few years back. Just live, man!!!!

Welcome to the forum. Lots of inspiration to be found, no matter what you like 🙂 You mention that you would like to do leather work as a side hustle, I get that you don't like to deal to much with the public or run a business, but.. Unless you can use all the leather items that you create yourself or gift it off to families, you will end up having stuff all over. (Based on experience from my other hobby which is woodworking/cabinetmaking). A solution could be in doing leather repairs. I have a small company with my son, where I do the leather work part. I am not a trained saddle maker, but I can do most repair jobs on saddles except for restocking them with wool. A lot of people are daunted by the thought of sewing leather, and while it might be more fun to craft something new, there is also a satisfaction in repairing something so it works well again. An advantage (to me) is that repair jobs are very seldom exactly like, so I don't risk making 25 of the same thing in a row, but, one week I can repair a saddle flap, and the next week a stitching in a computer bag or a set of chaps etc. It is just a side hustle, but it is a really nice feeling to be able to immerse myself in a good leather repair project and being paid for sewing and sitting and listening to a podcast or the gentle snoring of our dog at the same time. Most of my customers know of me from word of mouth, as I don't do any advertising. Equestrians often need a lot of leather work to be repaired, people with vintage motorcycles (1950'ies and older) are also possible sources of potential customers, for saddle bags, seat repairs etc. I don't repair leather items exclusively, also horse blankets and replacement of zippers in riding boots etc. I do like to create new things as well, but selling new leather products is difficult in my area, so that is one of the reasons for the repair business. Brgds Jonas

cool !!! Bloodknots look pretty good on these as well.

A lesson a person only gets one chance to learn sometimes. Was working as a roustabout. We had snowed in the day before in a small town; it was Thanksgiving week, so in November. Luckily, one of us had a girlfriend there, so we had a warm floor to stay that night. Got up to drifted snow that totally packed into the engine bays of our trucks. Spent half the day getting them running, then the boss says our pump station was offline again, so buy as much food as you need and head out, the station was 30+ miles into the desert lol. No problem, got there, fired up the station just as the storm started, hopped in the truck happy and warm, put it in gear, and it died, wouldn't start... There we sat. A vehicle goes from warm to freezer in about 30 seconds. Then the compressor station died again, so there were no lights or heat even at the location. We just huddled up together and did everything we could to keep awake through the night. All three of us were local boys and friends and knew not to leave the truck, and not to go to sleep, so we just sat there in the dark watching snow blow across the windshield at 40 mph plus doing about anything to stay warm lol. Yeah, it got colder than hell, about two hours in we figured out that all the really good canned food we had bought was frozen solid as well as our water. Luckily, the storm died, and the sun came out. There was about 6 inches of frozen vapor in the truck just from our breath that we had to knock down because it was thawing on us. Anyway, as the sun warmed us up and we felt safe we fell asleep to be woken up about 2 in the afternoon by another crew sent out for us. It took two graders from sunup to blade the road to us out.

@tsunkasapa i am saddened reading about your loss , my condolences. I lost Mum few years back. I wish you and your family the very best . HS

I think I got it figured out. Needs a little tweaking, not crazy about the buckle but pretty happy with the results. Pattern is available for free if anyone needs it.

I've wondered why you were absent. Mere words pale after such a thing, but my condolences on your terrible loss. I'm glad you're finding your way back and back here.

Doesn't sound right to me. It really doesn't take much to disturb the thread path. If this bloody weather ever breaks, I'll go up and check it out. The last couple mornings the car said 20 below (F). The craft area isn't really cozy right now.

So, it's been quite some time since I've been here. I was offered a job as Traffic Control Supervisor on a road project that was keeping me busy with 60-70 weeks. Didn't give me much time for anything but work and sleep. That was back in '24. The job lasted until November, and on the day before Thanksgiving I took my wife to the Dr for 'abdominal discomfort'. We were told she had a mass in her abdomen, and we would have to go to the hospital and get a CT scan. Turns out 'the' mass was 3, on her liver, pancreas and kidneys. I will condense the next 7 months, but it was a very ugly fight with cancer that didn't respond to treatment, and I lost her the end of June last year. So, the last half of '25 I just really didn't feel like doing much. But it is a new year, and I have been getting myself back together. So, I hope to be back here more often going forward.

I do the same thing. I like to go to the thrift stores to see what they have. I find a lot of good looking hardware. Thanks for reminding me. Tom

Thank you. I have just found my next small project. I like to do these kind of pouches. Not only are they fun but challenging. If I can make one that looks as good as yours I’ll be very happy. Nice work Tom

Ah, don’t quite know what to say. Well, except that is exceptionally fine work. Well done. Tom

I remember one guy's Youtube video, where he reckoned the case opening mechanism is only important for thinner thread. I think he said the thicker (stronger) thread will just pull the latch open. Whether what he said is correct or not I have no idea.

Keep the good work up.

It looks pretty high end to me. On the buckle, Julia Child said if you don't tell your guests what's wrong with your food, they'll never notice. Same with belt hardware.

@HAYLEY996 If you don't have your notifications set to email you when someone responds to your posts, you can do so as follows: To enable email notifications when someone posts on your topics (like this one), you can visit https://leatherworker.net/forum/notifications/options/ then click "Mentions and My Content"and make sure the "Email" box is checked. We're finding that people miss responses to requests like this.

My name is Brent Snow, from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. I have been working with leather (just as a hobby) for the past 7 years or so. I work mainly with upcycled Chrome-tanned leather (upholstery leather) that is laminated so that it is stiffer (much like a medium stiff Veg-tanned), which I then use to make small items. At this point in my life (55 now), I am trying to find something that I want to do when I retire. I was thinking of doing leatherwork as a side hustle, but to be honest, the more I look into it, the more disapointed i become. I am not someone who has the desire to interact with people or run a business or deal with the public, but I am someone who enjoys creating, crafting, and even stitching (nothing bttter then needing to hand stitch a strap or belt and 3 hour podcast). I guessI am trying to see what other people are doing and how they are doing it. I am looking for ideas, inspiration, and even some new friends who share the same passion(s) as I do. So, if anyone loves computers (IT administration) and leatherwork, please hit me up I would like to get acquainted.

A relative commissioned a belt from me, and wanted it lined. Would be my first lined belt, tried my best to make it look good and don't think it turned out to shabby. Veg tan 1 1/2 in, 8oz with 2oz liner. (The buckle I had ordered didn't work so I had to use a backup that doesn't quite match the keeper.)

Hello, I am trying to locate an expert with leather that could possibly repurpose my father's leather jackets into other goods. My father passed away in 2020, and I have kept some of his clothing, but I am hoping to transform these into goods I use daily as a reminder of him instead of keeping them stored. Please contact me if you are able to do this or know anyone that could. I would greatly appreciate your help! my email: anaavazqueez@gmail.com

A three hour drive for a $400 Adler? https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/2054185345347351/?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3Abe10a7d6-6af3-41d8-8614-d6d40fc79993

Not even close. The machine appears to have been repainted with the name tag also painted over. From the factory i) setup for binding ii) factory needle system was 134-35 LR iii) Max size of needle is a metric 100 (#16) iv) Max thread size is metric 40 (V69) Value: Unknown. If it was used in a commercial environment it may need unknown repairs so it would be wise to have someone check the machine over before purchasing. How much are they asking??? Most importantly what do you want / need to sew????? kgg

im an old pro. ive had a upholstery shop for 15 years. back then i bought a new durkopp adler 267. i used that machine without issues all that time. but i was moving and sold my house and workshop. then the sellers of the new place upped the price with 50k so i had to shift my focus to storage. my house and workshop is packed in 4 20ft containers and i have a old farm shed storage hall. as im looking for a new place. 4 months in and bored waiting to find my new place. i thought lets buy a little machine and do a little work. small budget as im paying rent and storage fee,s this one was suposed to be working just needed a little maintenance from sitting a few years. sadly i was mistaken XD so i just wanna get it running and make little projects i can sell again. i cant unpack the storage containers so i have been buying little things here and there to set up a temporary workshop. i have black red and orange thread at the moment so i can do 2 color. ill get to it tommorow again hopefully

ah thanks ill print it out and take it with me to my workshop and fight these issues. and see how far i get

do some youtube research. look at the Juki 562 and 563. then watch some Cobra 26 videos. you want what I call a triple feed walking foot machine. that's way I say watch the videos on the Juki 563. It will do what you are asking for now. I think the 207 thread is too big. you should be able to use 138. which looks good on belts. the wallet ??

I love my Cobra 18. It puts down a beautiful stitch and never lets me down. I use 138 thread.