barra

Oldtimer. I was in Mark Howes shop a few weeks ago and asked much the same question. He slid a tree over and handed me a nail and tack hammer. No pre drilling was needed. I just put the nail in as if it was wood. Barra

Mike. A Gig in this context is a light 2 wheel carriage so a gig saddle is a harness saddle. To this saddle a back band is attached to connect the shaft tugs to. These tugs hold up the shafts of the carriage. On top of the saddle are 2 terrets. These a rings to guide the reins from the bit to the driver. In the attached picture, the gig saddle is on the left of the railing and on the right side of the bridle/winkers. Barra

Most adhesive removers are acetone based. Acetone is available from most hardware stores - get an MSDS sheet as well and wear appropriate PPE. The 3M company also produce an adhesive remover. Barra

You can get powders from most hardware stores, particularly the large chain ones, Go to the builders section and look for concrete oxide powders that builders use to colour mortar. Here is an Australian example for a colour chart. http://www.boral.com.au/oxides/oxides_colour_chart.asp Barra

G'day Ryan. You can't skimp on this one because as you have said, I will be making safety harnesses. Now I am in Australia and your in The US where rules and regulations are different but I would hazard a guess similar (again that one word - Safety jumps out at me). Not knowing exactly what harnesses you are manufacturing makes things a little tricky but from what I have read I am leaning toward the 7-33 class of machine and probably a second machine for components like zips. Barra

Johanne. This is an old thread that might help. http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=14188&st=0&p=86428&hl=+rounding%20+block&fromsearch=1entry86428 Barra

Lefflers. 171 Kensington road, West Melbourne - 03 9090 4500 are probably your best bet. They will have all the tools and leather you need, more than likely there wil be a scrap bin for small offcuts. Some of the other Melbournites might be able to confirm this as I haven't physically been to the new store yet. http://www.leffler.com.au/saddlery/tools_craft.htm Cheers. Barra

We too get similar complaints from people who choose to buy/build next to an Airforce Base because land is cheaper and then complain about the noise, which makes one smile at the brain deadedness of some. Anyway, very well written and handled response LTCOL Rosensteel. Barra

Here is a link that may help with pictures http://www.leathermachineco.com/catalog.php?category=11 Barra

I started to follow this thread when Bob initially posted but somehow I have missed a heap of valuable info in the middle. I have pictures of the burnishers mentioned by Pete hennessy for hot burnishing but they are stored on my desk top (with virus). I have also topped Troy West and not only mis placed the camera cord but also added my camera to that. Perhaps it is in my car which is in the crash repair shop after being stoved into by a disabled taxi. I will have to get my poop in a pile a drag some pics up. As well as dipping the hot burnisher in beeswax I sometimes use what the boot/shoe trade call heel ball or coad. I really like Troy's idea of the felt shoved into PC pipe as it seems a bit of an improvement over my felt skewered by coat hanger wire. I have tried just about every mechanical device known to man but somehow I always come back to the elbow grease methods. One thing I have found to be a passable black edge dye/coat that is cheap and easy to come by anywhere is tyre black. Ok now to get off my butt and fix my other computer and find the darn camera. Barra

In Australia this is known as spit polishing or spit shining. Alas this process has more or less died as we move into the sensitive new age. What has also died is the skill of attention to detail that was applied to spitty-ing boots/shoes that naturally rubbed off into other aspects of Military life. Now it is all patent leather shoes and the little whozawatzits of today can't even manage to keep them clean. OFF soap box now. As a former drill instructor my boots naturally had to be better than my recruits so I think I am fairly adept at this lost art. Anyhoo there are more spit polish recipes out there than you can poke a stick at. Every soldier since the dawn of time has tried to come up with the best method and short cutting tricks. I will list my old method and list a few variants that mates have used. The term spit polish comes from the fact you literally spat on the boot to add moisture. it is also believed that whatever is in saliva was a mild cutting compound. Here is my polish recipe evolved over 20 years of trial and error. Most people I know use straight Kiwi Parade gloss polish but I scooped out the polish and put it into another can about twice the size. To this I added beeswax to about 1/3 the volume of the polish and a good sized dollop of Johnsons floor wax. I then Melted all ingredients together . The beeswax makes for a nice firm polish. Get a nice soft lint free cloth and wrap it around your finger. Add a small amount of moisture to the finger tip (damp not wringing wet) and rub the finger in the polish so that only a small amount of polish is there. I believe in this case less is more. Now begin by rubbing the polish onto the show in small circular movements with a a fair amount of pressure. This generates heat and friction to melt the polish in. When you see and feel it getting dry and another small amount of moisture to the finger. When you see the cloth has no more polish add another small amount. Keep repeating this process over the whole shoe adding more small layers of polish. When you feel you have achieved the look and are on your final coat, increase the size of your circular movements with the finger so as to blend in the swirl marks. Moisture: 1. actual spit 2. tap water (depending on your region) 3. distilled water 4. Huffing on the show which applies a small mist of moisture from your breath 5. Use a spray bottle. When using this method I find it was better to not actually spray water on the boot/shoe but it was better to spray into the air near the boot and move the boot thru the mist. This seemed to apply the right amount of moisture. I use pure white vinegar and finish with huffing. Another method to apply the polish is to get a cotton ball,dip this in your moisture and apply the polish to the moistened cotton ball and then use the same circular movements on the shoe. I find old T shirts a bit coarse but a good material is old flanellette shirts or pyjamas. Melting the polish in tricks Apply the polish (again in relatively small amounts) and then use a cigarette lighter to lick the polish and melt it in. Be aware the polish is flammable. Heat a tea spoon over a flame, wipe off the soot and use the spoon to melt in the polish. Finishing off or shall we say the poor mans spit polish. Apply polish to the shoe and Buff vigorously with one leg of your significant others stockings/panty hose stuffed with a rag. The stockings make a great buffer. cheat tricks. In Australia the is a brand of liquid floor polish called one go. A cotton ball was dipped in the one go and wrung out well. This was applied to the shoe. OMG did it look super mirror shiney. Only problem was the practice was frowned upon as cheating but on the same note everyone either did it and the bosses both knew and did it themselves in their younger day. Problem 2. If the shoe got wet it turned a tell tale milky white "BUSTED". RSM's would go on inspection armed with a water bottle, spray bottle or water pistol to catch out the heathens who did it. Super cheat method. Paint the shoe in gloss paint, leather lacquer or tire black. If you are spitty-ing shoes or boots, wear them in first to form the creases in the shoe that naturally occur as we walk. Then avoid large amounts of polish in the areas that flex as you walk. Barra

Try an office eraser and gently rub. It is like when you get adhesive on your fingers and if you rub your fingers together the adhesive comes off. Barra

Lisa. Here is a link that might be helpful. http://www.buckshotsaddletrees.com He is up in QLD Sorry for the quick reply, work calls Barra

http://www.maclace.com.au/product.php?id=1010&list_page=1 Hemp thread is like the thread in the link although I'm sure that is linen Barra

Ok so you cut the front stitches so you have seen how the panel attaches at the front. (stitched thru the panel, flap and front piece which is the little ridge of leather at the gullet. The back of the panel is laced in using a bent awl and the stitches go thru the base panel which is the leather that touches the tree and then the stitches go thru the seat leather. Barra

If the front of the panel is still stitched in place then restitching the girth strap is going to be tight. If you can, cut the stitches holding the panel at the pommel end and drop the front of the panel. This will give you room to restitch the girth strap. I think the cord you have will be fine. As for finishing off, leave a little slack in the thread when you are forming your last stitch, wrap the thread around the needle a couple of times and pull the last stitch up tight. This will form a knot. Alternatively you can just finish off with a thumb knot. Nylon can slip so I would finish by either running a cigarette lighter over the knot to melt the nylon very slightly or put a drop of superglue or loctite on the knot. Barra

I know these hooks as Pelham hooks. There is only one hook per cheek piece and is placed centrally between the billet loops. The other end of the cheek has a buckle for attachment to the head. Barra

Hi Ann. I attach my girth points/straps with about a 6 cord of number 2 common hemp thread and roll my own and then use a glovers needle. Common hemp is not easy to source these days. I don't stitch with an awl but instead punch small holes about 1/2" apart for about 3 inches. The punch I use is a number zero so rather tiny but you can use an awl and make the holes as you go. I then stitch the strap to the webbing using a back stitch (one needle and not one on each end of the thread like saddle stitching). This is where you start at the second hole, go back to the first, then again use the 2nd hole and then the first. Go onto the 3rd hole, back to the second, then 4th, then 3rd etc. Get to the end of one side and you have one large length of thread that crosses over. Go to the 2nd hole from the end, then the last and continue to the end finishing with a double stitch in the last 2 holes. You can also use a cross over pattern of stitching and crossing over from side to side. This will give you a pattern on the back of the webbing sort of like cross lacing boots. If sourcing a good stout thread is a problem (and it need to be a good stout thread)I have used thin nylon para cord of about 23 kilogram breaking strain. This is about 1/2 the thickness of a good stout boot lace. There is a fleeting glimps of the process starting at 6 min, 55 secs If you get stuck, sing out. Barra

sewmun, on 29 April 2010 - 12:00 PM, said: Years ago we used to extend the arms & make them 20" long,we would sell them for tarps & auto upholstery,but nowadays everyone thinks they need reverse(because their neighbor told them to make sure it has it) I have a real nice one here they are real good for nylon webbing too. I'd be real happy to find it a good home. Bob The 132K6 has for many years been the go to machine for canvas work in Aus and has been used in the saddlery trade for horse rugs/blankets. Reverse is not essential as with most tarp/canvas work you stitch around the item, starting and finishing in the same place. Running over the original stitches for an inch or so locks off the stiches like reversing. If you do need reverse on the ol gal, pull a bit of top thread thru, lift the foot and pull the work back for that inch or so and come forward again. The modern variants do have reverse. Barra