THein

I've had pretty satisfying results with setting a finished piece out in the sun after oiling then antiqueing afte a resist. About six hours in a warm sunlight seems pretty good at this latitude in the summer. This time of year it's doubtful you should be hanging it outside at sub zero temps. and the sun doesn't have any punch to it anyway. I was thinking about options. Sun lamp, indoors or maybe one of those plant grow lights. Wondered about taking stuff to town to a tanning salon. Anybody ever tried something different that worked? Terry

Caledon sales in Calgary Alberta sells leather and tools. 1-800-361-6565

I'm glad to hear it might help someone else. Couple days ago after another session of surgery on the old dinosaur, I told my wife, that's it I'm done with that machine. It's just too hard to let go of. Old machines hold a charm for me. Terry

I've been fighting my Landis sole stitcher for quite awhile. I was searching for a place to buy parts and found this manual online. I'm thinking it's going to be helpful. Here's where to find it. http://www.bootmaker.com/Landis12_Operator's_Manual.pdf Terry www.singletreeleather.com

Ken I was looking into the Weaver splitter. Haven't bought anything yet. I wrote to another member here who had bought the Weaver and she said it worked great for her, mostly veg tan leather. I am wondering about the sks splitter from campbell randall they don't show a price and have not answered my e mail request for a quote. Terry www.singletreeleather.com

Pretty nice work, I'd use more adjectives but that'll do. Terry Terry

I'm needing to get a straight hook from a hook and awl stitcher for sewing cantles. If there's anybody in western Canada who has an old one they'd part with, let me know. Thanks, Terry

Those edges are rubber. I've repair lady's handbag straps that came apart. That edge peels away like cured rubber cement. Sometimes that edge is the only thing that holds the two layers together. Case in point, I sewed together about twenty brand new belts for the local western store that came apart before they could be sold. Looked on the back it said "designed in the U.S ,,,made in China. Have a good one, Terry

Kevin, I too was disappointed at the 800 business but another irritation was... When ordering from outside the U.S. get them to check stock before giving them your CC #. I ordered some items from SL last summer then canceled as they had no stock in some items and I couldn't wait. They had already run through the total. When they did the credit, it cost me another discount for currency exchange. Result, I paid $20.00 for nothing. Terry

Caledon Sales in Calgary is the place to go. Ken's got tools, hardware, fiebings, a good joke now and then. Ph. 1 800 361 6565

Thanks all for your ideas and input. I'm inclined to reccomend they get a rope ladder! My biggest worry about any aid is liability. I thought about an extra stirrup on a strap from the saddle horn but no matter which foot you put up first, you'd have to cross your leg to get in the saddle the proper direction. In most cases that's looking at the back of the horses ears,,,but there have been times.... I'm thinking about bowing out on this job. Thanks again, Terry

Long and short of it is, customer has a bigger horse than he can get on easily. He uses the horse for hunting. Anybody ever created a cure for this affliction other than trading off the horse? Thanks, Terry

I had a damaged punch I took to a friend who has a machine shop. He chucked it up in his lathe and in seconds, it was sharp. Should work on gasket punches. Terry

Pippi, Don't despair because you don't have any feedback. It's probably because everybody is looking through old catalogs and magazines. I too live in the "sticks" (NW Sk. ) You can upload photos faster if you compress them even on dial up. Some of the folks on here that are adept at computer workings could explain that pretty easy. I had to figure that out the hard way. If you need coaching on that, pm me. Terry www.singletreeleather.com

Josh, Nice clean and simple. Nothing wrong with that. Just good using gear. Terry

Check around and find someone making saddles or other large items. You might get a pile of scraps free for the asking. I know I'm swimming in scraps and not enough time to utilize them for smaller items. Skirting leather will allow you to get some good practice on thick leather. Terry www.singletreeleather.com

These are getting to be a real seller. Thanks for looking, Terry www.singletreeleather.com

Caledon Sales in Calgary handles Bork hardware. www.caledonsales.ca 1-800-361-6565 Terry

Joe, If you can't find a supplier, you might tear apart a notebook and look for a maker on the ring part. I did that awhile back looking for rings for a business check book. If you still have no luck, get back to me, there's a supplier in Ontario. Terry

RMR, I've got one cardboard pattern I've used so much it's curling under on the edges from tracing. I've got a peice of Lexan to tape a new pattern on then cut it out on a bandsaw. I figure on cutting a little large and finish on a sander. Terry

Century Textiles in Saskatoon has Scmetz needles and they carry machine bobbins. Address : 1841 Ave C N , Saskatoon, SK S7L 1L9 Tel: (306) 652-0994

Almac, I started buying leather about four years ago from an outfit in Calgary called Caledon leather. Their website is: www.caledonleather.ca their tooling leather is higher priced than TLC but it's a much better quality and in my mind worth it. They also have high quality tools and hardware, as well as popular Fiebings products and a lot of misc. things used in the trade. When I need hardware, I usually buy package quantities. For that type of stuff, I've been buying from a local farm/ ranch store that sells Western Rawhide products. Western Rawhide is out of Winnipeg. The hardware is decent quality and the price is acceptable. They too have leather, some tools, dyes, and finishes. Drawback here is they don't sell to the public. You might be able to set up with them if there's not a dealer close you now. Their site is: www.westernrawhide.com they have an online catalog. Hope this helps, Terry

Thanks, Wiz, I dug back in old magazines and found a real phone number for them. I figure there's no need to name names and beat up somebody you might need help from in the future. Terry

I realize this might not be the place to bring this up but being how I'm in the market for a new sewing machine, I'm posting it here. After five years of putting up with a lousy machine, I'm ready to upgrade. Yesterday I tried to call a dealer in the U.S. to inquire about their machines and freight rates to Canada. Picked up my Leathercrafter/ Saddler's Journal and found their ad and toll free phone number. The toll free number won't work from Canada! I went back to the ad in the journal thinking, Ok, I'll pay for the call, now where's their regular number? nothing in the ad This happened a couple weeks ago with another leathercraft supply store in the U.S. when I tried to order supplies. It's not that I can't afford to, or won't pay for the call, it's the principle. The easier I make myself available to customers, the more sales I can make. I realize I'm having a rant, but if you don't let it out, you'll explode. Have a nice day! Terry

Paul, I don't use anything but rubber cement and I've found no problems with adhesion to lining leathers. Now that I'm writing this, might be a different story with wood. Terry