barra

I'd marry mine if it was legal. Barra

Bridle and harness leather are similar. Harness leather being a heavier grade. A bit like the weight of say 13/15 oz skirting (guess) Barra

A good quality bridle leather would be fine but remember you only get a few pairs of leather per side, cut from the best leather near the spine. I don't see a need for stretching. The near side will invariably stretch more as this is the side you mount from. After a while just swap the near and off leather around to even out the stretch. Barra

A bouncer can also be be known as a smasher or pompy (dunno where that one comes from). They are usually made from something like lignum vitae or similar wood but can also be seen these days made from aluminium. A very handy tool that can rub something smooth, slick, burnish and pound things into shape (hence smasher). Barra

Sounds like red rot. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_rot_%28leather%29 Barra

I am making a double bridle out of Black Sedgwicks at the moment which has a fair amount of tallow content. I am achieving success staining/burnishing sedgewicks with the following method and potions. I have a home made clamp set up where I can stain multiple straps at once. I then use stencil ink and then clamp the strap into clamp number 2 (the pic with the bull dog clips) I then rub up vigorously with a rub rag heavily impregnated with beeswax. This clamp set up allows me to grip tight and put my back into it so to speak. I then apply a solution to the strap edge made out of PVA glue and water(cheapest PVA you can find - walmart etc). A good generous dollop in about a pint of boiling water goes along way. I then repeat the rub rag burnish. Depending on the job I will sometimes hot burnish. I place the strap in the multiple strap clamp and heat up my metal burnisher (a spoon will do for this)and apply what I call shoe makers heel ball to the hot burnisher. Do a search for heel ball or coad. A final rub up with the rub rag as a final polish and it comes up glassy smooth. Barra

If your looking for a tool to make those wavy lines do a search for a pinking iron. Barra

I'll have a hunt around at work tomorrow to see if I can dig up a K6 manual

Cadburys. Some might be in need of a translation. Car boot (sale) as in garage sale/yard sale. Barra

Slightly off topic. after reading this post and replying, I was out in the shop using my plough guage. Bare in mind i have had the darn thing 30 years and always assumed it was a Dixon plough. As I glanced down a bit closer I saw the faint inscription Something, something Barnsley Late John Adams.

JA Adams are selling that knife as a leatherworkers knife. Similar in many respects to a bridle cutter knife. As Bruce mentioned I can see that knife being handy on long straight cuts Bridle cutter knife http://www.josephdixon.co.uk/products/Bridle_Cutters_Knife.html

Shelly has hit on an Idea with the suggestion of adding a watermark to pitures. Another simple method is to have a small sign or even a business card sized card with something like proudly handcrafted by "Joe Bloggs" visible in every picture as of course trying to capture different angles will not capture the makers mark everytime. I guess the photo shop geeks can get around this but it is a deterent for all but the hard corp image plagiarist. Barra

Newfoundland82. I have made a few Sam Brownes over the years. I used to make my own brass hook or had it chrome plated depending on the Corp the subject Officer was in. Making one is fairly easy with a few cutting and grinding tools. Leave it with me for a bit and I will see what I can dig up. I also have a frog pattern somewhere or I can borrow an Officers Sam Browne from work. Making a Sam Browne is not that difficult but there are a few tricks to bare in mind. Where you place the sword hook and dees/triangles should be tailor fitted for the wearer so that the sword frog sits in the right place. OK this link is in Aust and does not have the hook you mention but I added it in case it might be handy for you. http://www.leffler.com.au/saddlery/sambrowne.htm Barra

Awesome job Lippy. Barra

I'm wanting to say it is some sort of racer/groover for gouging a stitching channel. That's my pure guess. Barra

I too use a lead block. I find, being a soft metal that it saves the punches the best for me. I re smelt once in a blue moon and when it gets chopped up I panel beat it smooth with a solid ball pein hammer, sort of a hit and drag motion not unlike the final peining of a copper rivet. Having said that, after 30 years, Bruce has seriously converted me to the small round punch in the drill press method with an el cheapo kitchen cutting board underneath. Of course this only works for round punches. Barra

If your really stuck, get some natural fibre fire hose. Barra

head knife http://www.leffler.com.au/saddlery/dixsinheakni.htm Round knife http://www.leffler.com.au/saddlery/dixroukni.htm

Never heard of that one and my life is governed by MILSPECS. I guess it is like when a webbing harness is stitched your "supposed" to form your box stitch pattern by stepping up one stitch and coming accross to the other side, or a bit like drop stitches. Thanks for the info

Why not dispense with the need to dye and use some red patent leather. Barra

My 2 bobs worth. I would seriously consider going new straight of the bat. The prices are extremely reasonable at this point in time and new will give you years of trouble free stitching with a warranty. Not to say that a second hand is totally out of the equation I'd just give serious thought to brand new. Barra

Alan. I have read and re-read the entire thread a few times and to be honest I am struggling to find anything sarcastic in what Art has written. Having said that I think most would agree that sometimes meaning can be lost in the written text as the communication associated with face to face interaction is lost. Obviously you have found something in his text that you found to be off putting so I think this is one of those occasions where we should agree that something just went astray. As mentioned Art is not the one who annotated sewing machine expert on his profile. Since virtually the inception of Leatherworker.net Art has given freely of his time in an effort to assist people with many sewing machine questions and was always the go to guy for advice. I am by no means a sewing machine expert nor sewing machine mechanic by any stretch of the imagination, I am just someone who has had 30 odd years in saddlery and ADF textile workshops who can sew. I am handy with the range of machines that I have worked with, 132K6, Pearson #6, Pfaff 545 and the 1245 variants and can usually rectify the usual range of glitches. Even tho I am officially the sewing machine moderator, I will still defer to others like Art who have knowledge on aspects relating to various machines I have never even heard of. Lets all move forward and return to some good natured, friendly banter. Barra

I use one of these circle cutters. loaded into a drill press it has a 3 inch adjustment so you can cut 6 inch circles. You need to place something underneath the leather to cut into so that the blade does not hit the metal stand of the drill press. I just use sacrificial heavy cardboard from a packing box.. I lower the press very slowly. Once I see that a complete circle has formed I slowly raise the press to see if it has cut all the way thru. If not I slowly lower etc. Barra

What type of product do you intend using a machine for? Barra