Matt S

I've been using a George Barnsley single head knife for a lil while now. Not bad for £13+VAT from JT Bachelors (no online shop but phone should be fine).

If you are cutting on the outside of the curve, cut in several stages, each cut being straight. Each subsequent cut removes a corner. Once you are pretty close the sanding, bevelling and burnishing should finish it off.

Here's a few starting places. http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=27020

Your main issue with small needles will be threading the eye. You will most likely have to learn how to taper your thread ends. Makes things much easier, but is a little wrinkle few people seem to have picked up.

JT Bachelor is selling Woodware/Barnsley single and double head knives for a decent price (about £13 and £17 exc if I recall). They aren't fancy but really do the job. Sharpening goes without saying.

The ones from Tandy are of the correct type (blunt tip, egg-eye harness needles) but far too large. They are 000 size. For comparison the largest I use are 2 size needles but usually 4 size. 000 size is like stitching with crowbars. You can get proper size ones from several of the better leather supply places such as Springfield.

You could try a reactive dye. These are aqueous solutions of acidic metal salts which are colourless at first but react with the tannins in veg tan to create insoluble (water fast) colours. Potassium carbonate (salts of tartar) will produce a good brown but make sure to observe all relevant safety precautions when handling. Be warned also that it can shorten the service life of your leather without due care.

Two layers of 8-10oz? Diamond awl. Sharpen and polish until you think you're done, then do it some more. Use the smallest size you can get away with; the smallest 1-1/2" size does for most jobs like this.

Thread is so cheap that, to me at least, an extra foot or two is an insignificant cost. Better to lose less than a penny of thread than having to start a new thread a few inches from the end of a seam.

In Ron Edwards' books he mentions that most saddlers would roll threads from "best common no2 hemp", and fancier ones from no15. I currently roll from no12 single shoe or some no8 I got hold of. Was no2 really a 2 lea yarn? Seems awfully thick when Edwards mentions using a 6cord in saddlery!

Archive.org helps.

Dixons make good ones, and much cheaper than Blanchard. They also make angled pricking whells that go ///// but they are not cheap.

Fiebings do a non-gel antique also.

Dixons are also a lot cheaper than Blanchard, speak English and apparently will produce or modify tools to your specifications.

I have used them for tools and dye before. Prices are good (remrmber to add VAT); quality generally mid range (if no brand mentioned, assume Ivan) . Their order system is a bit of a faff and lead time a bit slow though. But they are honest and know what they are talking about.

Just as a warning the silvery (pot metal) adjustable V groovers are not fantastic; the depth adjustment is sloppy and the angle of the cutting edge changes when the depth does.

I find, certainly from a 'temporary workspace' point of view, it's essential to have a place for everything -- and to replace it as SOON as you put it down. Then it doesn't clutter things up, go walkabout or dive into your shoeless foot

Vallee I have a lot less expereince than Dirtclod, but I humbly submit my dissenting opinion. Many tools can be substituted when starting out. For a crew (bag) slot, punch two round holes and join with two knife cuts. Not as fast or quite as neat, but good round punches are cheaper than junk crew punches. Round and English points easily marked with a pair of dividers and cut with a knife. Ivan edgers at £5 work okay if sharpened. A boxcutter and a scalpel will make many cuts adequately without dropping 300 on a custom head knife. Many professional shops use the £15 wooden strap cutter over the £300 plough gauge if they can get away with it, which most can. Quality tools are the way to go for a professional leatherworker for time savings, quality of result and length of service but not essential for a hobbyist/starter. In the same vein buying materials in smaller quantities works out more expensive per yard/SQFT/quart etc. but there is less capital investment in something you might not be good at, enjoy, or even choose quite the right stuff initially. You can buy cuts of hides such as a shoulder, butt or back or even pre-cut straps. A 50gram spool of thread is about £3 for me, rather than £15+ for a kilo. Yep, much more expensive per length but I think an acceptable compromise for someone dipping their toe in the water. For the basics of haltermaking I would say a basic setup would consist: a boxcutter/utility knife, cheap plastic or wood cutting board, a scalpel, a 1-1/2" diamond awl blade and handle, some thread around 18/3 size, some sort of stitch spacer like a cheap overstitch wheel (6SPI seems popular in the US), maybe a stitch groover, 2 harness needles no larger than no2 size (they come in packs of 25 for pocket change), a couple cheap edgers, some scrap denim or canvas, some sort of clamping setup and something with which to sharpen and polish your awl (wet&dry paper works). If you cut your own straps from a larger piece of leather a £15 wooden strap cutter is handy. This is for the basics, there are a lot of 'polishing' techniques and tools to add if you want to sell them for decent money but with these you can learn if it's for you. Where are you located? Someone here is probably able to recommend a better supplier than Tandy (who peddle a lot of junk among the gems).

If you could control the veiner's depth sufficiently, go for it. "Sharpened dividers" would just scratch a line. Useful for some things, but not for grooving. Tools called compass racers exist where one leg of a pair of dividers is forged and ground into a small U-shaped cutter. I think there is a different name in Americanese for this tool.

Thanks Dwight that has confidence to "git er done". Putnam, I found dimensions here which seem accurate http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=44244&hl=%2Bm1907+%2Bsling

A couple of friends are interested in me making M1907 style slings. Doesn't have to be 'correct' with regards to exact hardware etc. but does need to be functional, and to this end I am requesting suggestions for leather in order to minimise stretch. Originals were veg tan around 10oz (4mm), presumably cut from butts or backs. But they supposedly stretched quite a lot. Also, good quality sling hooks do not seem to be available here (just the junk Tandy ones). I wonder if you had any suggestions for alternative hardware? Again, doesn't need to be 'correct', just functional.

Evening chap, If the leather is light enough a glovers needle will be fine. Either back or whip stitch will do the job. For thread, look for something tough and fairly thick. Dental floss, carpet thread, Wenzel, you get the idea.

I need to point out I am neither a riding instructor, nor do I play one on TV, and I've only been schooled in the English style. But I think your leg is too far forward -- as I said, I was always taught that the heel needs to be directly underneath the hip and the ear. To do this, your stirrups need to be like in the photo you just posted. Rule of thumb is the stirrup tread level with your ankle bones with the feet out and legs relaxed down. Alternatively you can judge this from the ground on a GP English saddle by putting your middle finger on the stirrup bar under the jockey and making it so the stirrup tread is at your armpit with the arm straight. Like I said, this comes from one style of English riding. Bringing the leg underneath you brings your centre of gravity underneath you too -- which I find gives me a more independent seat.

Thanks TO, was able to fix it with your help! For the record if anyone else has this issue scroll to the very bottom legt corner. Immediately to the right of the RSS (orange) button is a menu to chage themes; choose 'mobile'.

I am going to go out on a limb here. It may just be the angle of the photo but it looks like your stirrups are too short. I was always taught (admittedly from a modern English seat school) that your ear, hip and heel should be in vertical alignment. Amongst other things it makes rising (posting?) In the stirrupsuch easier and you get a closer contact with the horse.