Matt S

Thanks Les I'll give that a go, I have a lump of road tar somewhere round here.

Thank you, I like it myself. It's the Swedish M39 'moose sack', so-called because from behind it looks like a bull moose's... sack. Ahem. They're very common on the surplus market right now, and not expensive. There are more modern things available for sure, and mine needed a few minor repairs. Needs a few more right now. But they are very solid pieces of kit.

Will Ghormley sometimes uses them 'backwards' -- with the 'head' visible, and the ugly bit inside. He domes them too. It's on my list of 'try it and see'. Here they are on the ends of the cartridge loops on the Hand of God rig (hope Mr Ghormley doesn't mind me using his photo): http://www.willghormley-maker.com/publishImages/MakingHOGRig4~~element177.jpg

Yep rosin is pine sap without the volatiles like turpentine. Wax and rosin don't mix without help so what I do is pour the melted mix into a pot of cold water, then use my hands to mix it as it cools, like making taffy/toffee. It'll get paler as you work it. Watch for hotspots in a large batch even if the outside is cool. WARNING: COAD MIX CAN BURN YOU. BE VERY CAREFUL AND IF YOU BURN YOURSELF DON'T TELL YOUR WIFE IT WAS MY FAULT. Les I would be interested to know your exact mix for black wax. What type of pitch and oil do you use?

I have a Swedish Army rucksack from the 1940s. It's steel, canvas and harness leather. Some of the burr or saddlers rivets are made from aluminium which would be tougher than nickel silver, and easier than stainless.

Probably beeswax and pine rosin (dried sap). The stickiness helps the stitches to lock together.

In his first bushcraft book (Australian Traditional Bushcrafts) Ron Edwards discusses saddlers' clams (which you chaps seem to know as ponies). First he notes the difficulties of steaming timber, and then the scarcity of barrel staves, which used to be the standard substitute. He provides plans for a full size clam built from 3 layers of plywood, and no jig other than a few scraps, a sturdy board and a few clamps needed. I will be building one to replace my current, rather awkward clam as soon as I figure out if I need 3mm or 6mm ply. (Any suggestions?) BTW the book is well worth the few dollars charged at secondhand booksellers. As well as leatherwork it discusses all sorts of tricks and dodges from the pioneering days of the Aussie outback.

Pine pitch is a problem. I understand all production is now in China and is not the same. I use just wax and rosin for general sewing. I don't yet do shoes or histotical items so this does me.

Why not make your own? Not diffivult and you can tweak proportions to suit your preference and climate.

Bryan, try a wine cork for backing stitches. Champagne type corks fit my hand nicely, even if they're not Dom Perignon! Sewing clams are quite easy. Take a foot or two of 2x4 and saw a slot 1 inch wide down most of its narrow side. Bevel the top jaws at 45 degrees or steeper and cover the tesulting sharp edges with leather. Add a clamp or bolt for pressure.

Simon could you freeze small amounts e.g. in an ice cube tray? Then pop out a small chuck and thaw it in the microwave when you need to slick a project.

Are you using spirit dye by any chance?

Use the smallest needle you can, it makes stitching much easier. If you taper your threads you can use some ridiculously small needles; I use no4 needles with 12/5 or larger thread. If you don't taper then you will need to use larger. No2 is a good general size that works fine for 18/3 thread. Awls should be selected based on the total thickness of leathers you are stitching. 1-1/2 inch blades are fine for two layers of 9oz.

Only one or possibly two cords should be in the eye of the needle, that is what makes pulling your needles through much easier. Then once you have locked each needle you have no more than one diameter of thread behind the eye (and I often end up with less). If you use untapered threads you are trying to pull through two diameters of thread each time -- and the needles' eyes must be larger too. Your awl holes are designed to be a very tight fit around two diameters of thread once the stitch is pulled tight. With untapered thread you can have up to four diameters of thread in the hole when trying to force both needles through! The threads stay in place largely with wax. I say wax, but in reality I use coad, a mixture of rosin and beeswax. I know a lot of sources including Stohlman say to use beeswax but coad is definitely the way to go. Whereas beeswax lubricates the linen, the addition of rosin really stickies it up. This helps keep the thread together, helps lock the needle on, and helps the stitches to lock together. Apparently there's also some antirot benefits.

With a diamond harness awl. Not those overpriced masonry nails Tandy sells. Get you a 1-1/2" harness awl, mount it in a handle (buy or make) and sharpen it. Polish too if you have the patience. It'll go through easy.

Are you skiving the entire thickness of the leather, or just around the hole where you are fixing the stud? Also, where are you getting your studs?

Le Prevo have them at £2.03exc

I used to have this problem and it is quite common. I think it is because not enough people taper the ends of their threads. If you look at Al Stohlman's stitching book he shows two solutions: tapering the ends of premade unwaxed thread by scraping with a knife and hand rolling thread frim single linen yarns. I started with the first and then moved to the second once i found a source of single strand linen. Now i use nothing else, and no pliers needed. Long tapers also allow you to use very small needles which makes stitching easier and you can make your awl holes smaller. I now use James Joyce no4 harness needles which make those no0 needles Tandy sells look like deck spikes!

Looks very functional! These used to be called costrels, from 'costra' meaning rib and the diminuative suffix; a small vessel for carryng by the ribs. It used to be widely considered bad luck to carry cider in anything mineral like ceramics so wooden (vegetable) or leathern (animal) containers were used in stead.

FWIW I'm slightly OCD about hand stitching. I like to use a pricking iron (NOT used as a punch), never stitch straight across a strap and only groove/recess when needed (maximises strength but mainly because I prefer the look). Thread is pure linen, hand rolled to whatever size needed and waxed with coad. I use a 1-1/2" harness awl and a pair of no4 harness needles, the smallest commonly found. FWIW I now find it quite easy to stitch 12/5 with even these tiny needles -- the trick is to get a good taper on each end, which IMHO can only be achieved hand-rolling from yarn. Pliers hardly ever needed. The other advantage of this is that you only need to keep one roll of yarn in stock, and can dye it any colour you like before waxing. I used to have great difficulties hand stitching -- angled stabs, wobbly stitch, dead sailors and above all slow. So I read all I could. Stohlman's book is a good start but I learned plenty also from Ron Edwards and of course from many generous members here -- especially the old saddlers. I sharpened my awl (£3 blade and £1 handle, shortened and shaved to fit my hand), rolled a lot of threads, built a stitching clam, and practiced Then I practiced some more. I'm up to 3 stitches per minute on a very neat line, though there is still room for improvement.

Ah well of course Stohlman didn't mention rosin or pricking irons either!

I was taught (from the English tradition) that saddle pads and blankets are there to absorb sweat, grease and dirt; easier to wash and dry one than your saddle. If your saddle's rubbing you have a fit problem and no end of padding will solve that. As mentioned above English saddles have a layer of wool padding between the tree and the puter layer already. Replacement of this is a skilled job when it eventually felts down so I suppose this could be one reason why woolskin might be a better althernative, especially on a Western tree where the contact surface is much larger (and thus the pressure lower) than an English tree.

Eco Flo? Theres your problem. Get you a bottle of Fiebing's Pro Oil Dye. Much better.

This is an excellent book, part 8 of Ron Edwards' equally excellent Bushcraft series. They are based upon the experiences of Aussie stockmen, squatters, swaggies and bushies from the days when most stations and wagons were held together with rawhide, fence wire and ingenuity. The first two (also published under the titles Australian Bushcrafts and Skills of the Australian Bushmen) are much more redilly available than the other 8 in the series and contain a wealth of knowledge and tips on homesteading, farming, prospecting, camping and leatherwork. If you're lucky you can often pick the first two up for a few dollars.

Is it the bevelling itself that is taking your time, or burnishing to a rounded edge? There are plenty of powered burnishing solutions available, including those which fit into a pillar drill, or a Dremel type tool.