barra

Twist Direction As threads pass through a sewing machine some additional twist may be added. For this reason the direction in which the thread is twisted becomes important. A thread with a Z-twist, or left twist, is engineered specifically for the sewing machine. The action of the sewing process tends to increase the twist of a Z-twisted thread, but can actually untwist a thread with S-twist, or right twist.

R&D. I have been looking thru census records for Montana. Duke is definately a Chinook name from that era. Let me see where this leads me. Maybe the Blaine County museum in Chinook might have some info Barra

Maree-Josee. Traditionally an English tree is made of Laminated (that's the ply wood term your looking for) beechwood. This is how the light weight is achieved. The strength comes from steel strips rivetted underneath and across the head and under the gullet at the pommel. Leave it with me while I investigate further for you. Barra

It caught me out. I was having withdrawls and eventually had to resort to something boring like going to bed. Barra

http://www.leatherworker.net/leatherworkers.htm http://www.leatherworker.net/suppliers.htm http://www.newbigbook.com/productindex.asp Mate. Try these links from our very own leatherworker.net. Go to links we like and suppliers.

Yes wrinkled lunch/grocery bags would work fine. Again make sure your beeswax is clean to start with. save the manky wax for burnishing edges etc barra

If your threads get grubby as you hand stitch then you can rub the thread vigororously with screwed up brown paper from time to time. This cleans them up and assists in keeping them white. You can then give them a quick re wax with CLEAN beeswax. As for them darkening as you pull the thread tight then as far as my thought processes go the tannins in the leather might be something to do with this. I can't say I've ever experienced this. Barra

It certainly does help. Thanks Art.

Use location/progression marks on both the gusset and body of the bags. As you sew the mark on the gusset must line up with the mark on the body and then you know your on track. On light weight leathers you can temp tack the parts together with a stapler and pick out the staples as you go. Barra

We use Pfaff 1245's at work nearly exclusively for general industrial sewing and it is a gem of a machine. I agree it is not a saddle machine but will handle chaps, spur straps etc with ease. I would go on the advice of the others as far as Ferdco products go but again the Pfaff version of the 1245 is a gem. I too would go with a cylinder arm machine which you can modify into a flat bed like Bruce said and then quickly convert it back to a cylinder arm. Barra

I have been reading various posts and people are referring to the different thread sizes but the numbering has me confused. I hear thread sizes like #207, #92 and #138. All I can fathom is these thread sizes are Imperial sizes. I think you guys call Imperial, standard measurements (oh shoot, not metric). The threads In Australia are referred to by ticket size eg ticket 8 is thick like twine. Other common thread sizes are ticket 12, 18, 25, 36 and 40. The higher the ticket number, the thinner the thread. Barra

I just went out and went through the tools and tried to condense it down to the bare bones must haves. I narrowed it down to something like this. 1. #1 edge tool 2. single creaser/tickler 3. A few awls of different sizes 4. boot knife with grooves cut into the handle for use as a creaser 5. Crew/slot punch suitable for 5/8" strapping (this can at a push be used for 1/2" or by cutting 2 slots can be used on larger strapping but this is to me a last resort 6. burnishing stick and iron for hot burnishing 7. Dixon head knife and old osborne round knife 8. small T square 9. seat awl 10. needle nosed pliers 11 cut throat razor (skiver) 12. smasher. 13. pricking wheels and carriage 14. broken glass in place of a spoke shave 15. compass 16. adjuctable racer/stitch groover 17. set of clams 18. assorted bones for slicking and yet more burnishing 19. skirt shave (I'm not sure what the American equivalent of this tool is but it is like a wide edge tool). 20. home made gadget for stitching leather slide loops. 21. loop sticks 22. bulldog pliers 23. plough guage For me that is the basic tools. I then include in the must haves edge slicking stuff made out of wood glue and water home made saddle soap home made dyes of various shades floor wax or cabinet makers wax (beeswax/canauba wax concoction) latex/rubber cement eucalyptus sap goop (works like gum tragacanth) various bulldog clips I'm sure there are other tools/gadgets I missed and will endeavour to take some pics Barra.

http://www.leffler.com.au/saddlery/bokalp.htm Is this the type of thing you are after?

http://www.beta-uk.org/ http://www.abbeysaddlery.co.uk/ Lute. You might want to try the British Equestrian Trade Association. Search thru the member directory/trade. I have also added the link to abbey saddlery who are suppliers to the saddlery trade. Hope this helps. Barra

Pardon the ignorance Bruce but is Barge a contact adhesive and I assume what you are calling rubber cement I am calling latex. Barra

Which way does everyone place their shearling. Sheeps neck facing forward in the direction of the horses travel or facing to the rear. I know of the various schools of thought but am just interested in everyones ideas/opinions. Barra

I must admit I'm a tad anal about a tidy shop. I like a place for everything and everything in it's place. I think the military man in me has corrupted me. I can let the shop get untidy to a point but then it is clean up time. If others were making the mess and not cleaning up it would bug the gizzards out of me and I'd kick them out. Barra

Pete. Tie your square knot over the edge of the job. As the others have said then start the new run a few stitches back. When the job is finished the thread and any knots over the edge you have tied are snipped of. I then use a round awl and push the remnants of the threads I have snipped off back down into the work. When stitching thru holes that already have stitches (back stitching etc) be CAREFUL shoving your awl in. A sharp awl blade can cut the stitches already there. Barra

Very good topic Bruce. This Plugging thing has me intrigued. Barra

What a loss to the leather world and my deepest sympathy goes out to the King family. This mans legacy will live on in the artistry seen in numerous leather items all over the world. Barra.

No real right or wrong. What technique to use on one teacher may infuriate another. Do you know any of these leathersmiths personally? If so hang around like a bad smell and show that you are as keen as mustard (hmmmm maybe that is only an Australian saying). Do you know others who are real tight with these prospective teachers who may break the ice for you. Show them some of your work and when they see the potential in you they might want to take you on. I think that maybe the biggest turn off for a small one person operation to take on an apprentice is the bureaucratic legal crap an employer has to go thru to employ someone. Barra

http://www.leffler.com.au/saddlery/dixroukni.htm http://www.leffler.com.au/saddlery/dixsinheakni.htm Azmal. From the links above, the first one is a round knife and the second a head knife. They are multi purposed and are used to cut and skive. To cut a couple of methods can be used. Personally I only have round knives and there are 2 schools of thought on sharpening. Some sharpen the whole knife and some only half. The whole knife theory being as the knife is starting to become dull and grab the leather then it is simply flipped over to the other sharpened edge. I only sharpen half and at the first sign of it dulling I give it a quick lick on the strop. I have one knife that is so old and worn that I now have a head knife that is in pristine condition. 1. If you are cutting out large item/shapes you can use the SHARP tip and push around the shape. If the leather is thick I usually go around once to make a shallow cut. This makes a little channel that can assist you to keep the knife on track as you use a little more force on the 2nd time around. 2. To square off a strap you roll the knife across the squared off strap. The knife can be used to make shaped points of various styles, square point/English point etc. 3. To skive the knife is pushed and/or sliced through the leather. There are 3 rules. a. Keep it SHARP as a dull knife is a dangerous knife. b. Keep it sheathed when not in use. 3. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER have your free hand in front of the knife when cutting. When the temptation pops into your head (and it will), grab a suitable dull implement and beat some sense into yourself. Barra.

How the Kangaroo Industry Works: http://www.kangaroo-industry.asn.au/industry.html http://www.kangaroo-industry.asn.au/morinfo/BACKGR1.HTM Barra

Ill informed dribble by uneducated rabble. We need to educate Kangaroos to stop breeding in times of drought so they don't die a horrible death by starvation. Barra

Not being familiar with the Landis 3. Is the bobbin a rotating bobbin or a shuttle? I have found after numerous experiments that the best bobbin winding tensioner and guide are my fingers. I ensure the bobbin winds on evenly by guiding the thread as it winds on with my hand. As the thread gets to either the extreme left or right of the bobbin I give it a little flick with the fingers to ensure it starts winding to the other side evenly. If I don't the thread can have a tendency to wind on top of itself. I also apply tension with the fingers. I don't go that fast as to cause friction burn. My bobbin winder is home made and uses a battery operated drill as the winder. Darc. What are you using as a lubricant in your wax pot. I've near given up on using my wax pot. I still have wax dribble down the side of the machine. That was during the soldering iron in the wax phase. Any hints on wax pots would be appreciated Barra