cjmt

This thread is interesting as ever! I also have one of those Meyer Flamery plough gauges. Have you one of his splitters Trox? Interesting to see a photo.

Well said

Hi Chuck We don't consciously do anything different for those leathers. I think it's just a matter of going a bit slower and concentrating on thread tension a bit more. Sting ray is the real killer though! Charlie

It irritates me too when people do that. Hand made means many things to many people, including pushing a watch strap through a sewing machine. If you can be completely sure your right I would privately make sure the claim was taken off their website. Hand sewn has to mean hand sewn or it devalues the work of everyone who really does hand sew Charlie

Just like any other leather, it really depends on the tanning and finishing. It certainly doesn't need to be soft and it retains its strength even when split very thin

Highly unlikely theres any embossed leather there Id say. Based on the craftsmanship as well as the leather it looks like Croc, Alligator and Goat to me. The goat will have started at 1mm or so and can be split thinner. We use 0.6 - 0.7mm for card pockets Charlie

He is, his workshop has no internet connection so it often takes a long time to get a reply Charlie

A production saddler will be able to saddle stitch at a good 40 inches of stitching an hour, well enough to use contrast thread at 8 stitches an inch. There's nothing in the video that looks anything like that speed. I second the earlier challenge, show timed stitching of production quality or we the saddle stitches will say ba humbug, in the friendliest possible way of course.. Charlie

Lots of good sense here! Charlie

Pleased you like it :-) Its not always quite that tidy, but a grubby untidy workshop tends to produces untidy grubby work I think, so we have a clean work bench policy, we tidy at the end of each day. On the whole a calm workshop produces work faster and better because less mistakes are made so we try to do that as well. Neither always works, but we try! Charlie

It is my workshop. We've tried hard to make it a nice place be, the environment effects in the work. It's not always relaxing though and it is the day job! Charlie

Glad you liked it!

Thanks!

Thanks Stampper and slipangle!

They definitley aren't, we've been (theoretically) working with Abbey on the development of a range of pricking irons, theyve taken on the Dixons tool maker, it hasn't come to anything as yet I know of. The Dixons factory and presumably all their moulds etc are destroyed - they are gone Dixons had other problems, some of them dating back to old industrial disputes and claims. There are lots of saddlers in the UK and Dixons also did a lot of industrial knives and dies so the market was there. Blanchard have been taking market share from Dixons for a long time though, Dixons had somthing of a quality problem for quite a long time. All in my opinion of course..

Sad but true, they are definitely closed. In fact in a bizarre turn I believe their factory burned down post the closure as well.

Thanks guys

Hi Guys, I posted this in the watch strap forum but I thought it might be worth cross posting to a higher traffic area of the forum as well as it may be (or may not be!) of interest to people more generally. or for YouTube types https://youtu.be/FFDo-zzr9dY Charlie

Hi Guys, Some of you may enjoy this watch strap video

Just using curved Spring bars will go along way towards getting a curved ended strap

Thanks Tossik. We tend to use 632 Regarding cutting the taper, a sharp knife, a pattern and practice is the best way. A steady hand comes through skill withy the tools, which comes with time (years not days) at the bench, imho at least Charlie

I've never found stretching of the holes or strap to be a problem. Maybe the leather your using is too thin or soft? For lining on the whole we use un-dyed veg tan. It looks nice and feels comfortable to the touch

Its the replacment for the G6M from Regad which Im told is out of production. I havent seen one in the flesh as yet but have one on the way for testing

If Claytons is oak bark tanned it's not leather they are tanning. Bakers are the last UK oak bark tanner remaining. Claytons now own Sedgwick so there may be some commonality, I think both are vegetable rather than bark tanned though Charlie