Fiddlegirl89

I learned braiding from Bruce Grant's Encyclopedia of Rawhide and Leather braiding...he has instructions for several round braids in there.

I listed a few extra tools of mine on Ebay, if anyone's interested. The draw gauges are Osbornes, and I don't know what the knives are...got them at a local "antique" shop. I just need to get rid of the tools I don't need. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320738766696&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320738768240&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320738772347&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

I'll be sewing dog leashes...the thickest section will be 4 layers (skived a bit) of the 6/7 oz latigo leather. My motor is a 115v...is this good or bad? In addition to getting the thing to run correctly without breaking the thread after 4 stitches, I have a question about the guide. I want to sew very close to the edge of the leather, but when I move the guide over as far as possible, it's still sewing way too far from the edge. That's with the guide butted all the way up against the sewing foot. What can I do about that? Thanks!

I found the model numbers...it's a K767 990001. There is also this: 767-FA-373. I googled this sewing machine and found one for sale...the original price was $8500 and they had knocked it down to $3000. I paid $800 for this one, including delivery... So, either I got a really, really good deal, or I got what I paid for!!! (Or the other website was crazy, I guess...)

Hi! I have an Adler that I know absolutely nothing about and I desperately need help! The story is, I was working with this guy and he found it and bought it for me...he said it was what I needed for what I was making, but I have no knowledge of leather sewing machines in the least. I'll be sewing 6/7 oz and 8/9 oz leather...most of the time, 2 layers of the 6/7 oz.. I have seen that there are numbers after the Adlers folks metion on here, but I don't have that in the paperwork that came with it...will those numbers be on the machine and do I need to find them? Today was the first day I've tried to work with the machine. I did get it threaded (good grief!) by following the piece of thread the guy he got it from had left in. I followed the directions on the paperwork for winding and threading the bobbin, and I'm pretty sure I did that right. However, when I go to sew with it, it will sew maybe 4 or 5 stitches, and then everything binds up and the belt starts slipping on the lower pulley. The paperwork I have on the machine is pretty sparse..it tell how to thread the bobbin and adjust the tension, but since I don't know anything about sewing, I'm unsure as to how to tell when/if the tension needs adjusting... There is no trouble-shooting info in the paperwork either. I'm pretty lost! Can anyone help?! Thanks!

Well, in the past couple of weeks, I've been a little too Ebay-happy! The way I figure, I can get tools that look a little rough and clean them up. So, that's what I did/am doing! So far, I've gotten a round knife, mallet, another fid, and 3 draw gauges. The draw gauges are where I went a little crazy...! Here are a few pictures of 2 of the draw gauges. I don't have pictures of the third that I bought from Ebay...just got it today and I haven't cleaned it up at all. The all metal draw gauge was one I found at a local antique shop for a steal. Before/mid-cleaning... I didn't get a lot of pictures before I shined them up nicely. So here they are all cleaned up. I was able to get all the rulers shined up nicely as well. They look a LOT better than they did when I got them! \ Anyway, I'm excited about getting the tools I need, and I'm loving these tools already! It's been great to have all of the gauges here, so I can decide which one feels best for me. My plan is to decide for good which one I want to keep and turn around and sell the others. These are all C.S. Osborne, marked with the Newark, NJ stamp. The third draw gauge (the one I received today) is rosewood and silver, with the silver running down the middle. I'm going to celan it up and get pictues of it as well, but I'm not keeping it...I think I've decided to keep the more coppery looking one of the two above. (The second picture up^ and the one in the middle in the picture of all three.) What do you think...am I crazy?! That's what my family thinks.... Thanks so much for y'all's help!

It's not just the picture...I noticed that as well!

Here are pictures of my two bevelers. The one with lighter handle is a #2 that I bought a long time ago from Tandy. The one with the darker handle (silver working end) is the one I'm having trouble with...it just won't take anything off. Do you think maybe it just needs to be sharpened? I still can't find any numberings or markings on it at all. I didn't buy this one...someone bought it for me. Looking at both ends side by side, it looks to me like the silver one is actually bigger, in which case it should do what I need it to do! So, what do you think?

I think it's called a beveler! I need the tool that rounds the edges of leather so that there isn't the sharp edge. My problem it, I have one that someone bought for me, but it isn't the right size...it doesn't take anything off. Or at least, not enough to be noticeable! I'll be using 6/7 ounce and 8/9 ounce latigo (making dog leashes.) Basically, I just want to take that corner off the leather. Especially on the handles of my leashes...it will make it feel much nicer if the edges are slightly rounded. I don't want to take a lot of leather off....just enough to be nice and rounded! So, can anyone tell me what size I need? Also, is there a way for me to tell which size I already have? I don't think there are any markings on it. Thanks!

For now, I'll just be punching...english points on the ends, and slits sometimes. I'd like to try my hand at tooling at some point, but I don't know how...yet. Not knowing how to do something doesn't usually stop me for too long, though! Thanks for the info! I see that you make Bible cases...my Dad has really been wanting to make Bible cases for a while. I made mine several years ago, but it isn't really any good. I'm the only one in the family who knows anything at all about leatherwork, and I don't know that much, so it's going to be interesting! I'm looking forward to figuring out how to make new things... I realize that the price on tools shouldn't be the big deal, because high quality is best...but, my budget for getting started again is pretty small, and I'd like to save as much for leather as I can. It will be a while before I'm selling enough to get out of the hole! So, for now, I'm trying to balance quality with price! Thanks again!

Ok...I didn't know what kind of mallet I had, but I found it after a bit of googling! It was the Osborne Split-Head Rawhide Mallet. I see it's pretty doggone expensive, so I guess my question is, is it worth it, or is there a more inexpensive option that would be just as good? Here's a link to an Osborne one for sale on Ebay: http://compare.ebay.com/like/120638552436?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&rvr_id=228377816630&crlp=1_263602_309572&UA=%3F*I8&GUID=4676ccb412f0a0265297cd57ff691df4&itemid=120638552436&ff4=263602_309572 Maybe it would work to buy a more inexpensive one for now and upgrade later? And if so, can anyone recommend a good rawhide mallet? It would help if I knew anything about shopping for rawhide mallets...lol! I'm learning a lot as I go! Thanks!

Oh, I'm not wishing him ill at all. I'm just glad I don't have to deal with him! I do have a friend with a tack shop who orders from Weaver, so I'll look at that as well.

Thanks so much for the help and ideas, everyone! I couldn't find anything by Hale and Co on Ebay, but I started looking at tools there (hadn't thought of that before...I love Ebay!) and I'm going to spend so much money! I love older tools! As far as the brands I was using, I'm pretty sure they were Osbornes. The guy never talked much about where to find the tools...he made it sound a lot harder than I've found it to be. I already bid on a few tools...an Osborne round knife and an Osborne draw guage. They both look pretty rough, but I can clean them up and I think (or at least, my Dad and brother are sure) they'll look real spiffy by the time we're done with them! I looked at your tools, Mr. Johnson, and they are so impressive! The items I'm bidding on are some of the ones on your website, so I can't wait to get mine shiny and clean! Yeah...cold, and I've found a few other choice words to describe him, but...that's over now. Thanks again!

Thanks! I ordered a new can of white saddle soap, and I am LOVING it! The can I was using from was way too old...it was all dried up and clumpy. I didn't realize just how bad it was until I got the new! So, I think for now I'll stick with the saddle soap.

OK...for the past few months, I've been doing leatherwork for a guy who helped me out a lot in getting started. He bought me a bunch of high-quality tools, and the idea was for me to buy them from him when I started making a little money. Well, last week we had a nasty business split, and he came and took everything I haven't paid him for. So, now I am in need of a round knife, draw knife, an english point end punch, and a 1 1/2 inch straight slit punch. He said I'd never be able to find these at a high enough quality, but frankly, I don't believe him. He found them, somehow! My brother is a blacksmith, so he is looking into making the punches I need. That still leaves me needing the round knife and draw knife. Any ideas? I looked at Springfield, but I don't really know enough about choosing the tools. Can you help?! I am SO GLAD I bought the sewing machine as soon as he brought it to me!!!

Thanks so much, y'all! This has really been a big help! Maybe one day I'll get around to cutting my own lace...but in the meantime, y-knot looks like a great place!

Right now I'm getting kangaroo lace from Springfield Leather, but I really need another source as well. Sometimes Springfield is out of what I need, and I need to be sure to have all the leather I need all the time. I'm making pretty large orders, and it's already been a problem to get what I need. So, does anyone know of other sources? I know a lot of folks here cut their own lace, but I'm going to stick with pre-cut for a while. Thanks!

Does it work fine to keep the homemade soap at room temperature (as opposed to the fridge?) Also, the beeswax will tweak the consistency too, so that would be something to think about if I were to add beeswax to mine... Thanks! Oh, and I need folks to jump in with input!

Oops..forgot to say what kind of lace I was using! Right now I use pre-cut lace from Springfield Leather. I'm braiding 6 strands. I guess it's pretty pitiful I don't even know what REAL roo feels like, huh?! Thanks for that recipe...I may try to whip up something like that. I've seen that a lot of folks use Ivory in their braiding soap, but would any soap work? My family makes soap, and we always have tons that doesn't come out pretty enough to sell. I use that for laundry soap when I make our own, so it would be really good if any soap works for the braiding recipe! I would think it would be fine... When I use Fiebings, I just hold the lace against the saddle soap and pull the lace through, (once on each side of the lace) instead of lathering....is that bad? Thanks for the help!

When I braid my kangaroo lanyards, I've been using white saddle soap on the lace first. A friend told me about someone else using mink oil on lace first, so I tried that yesterday. Is there any reason to use one over the other? I had a harder time braiding with the mink oil, because I've gotten use to the tackiness of the saddle soap...helps with gripping and pulling everything tight, for me. With the mink oil, I rubbed it on the lace with my fingers, let it sit for a minute, and then wiped off whatever was left with a rag. It was still so slick, though, it was hard to get a grip and I feel like it took me longer to braid the same length. I thought maybe the mink oil would make the finished product look better, but I didn't really see a difference. I had one lanyard done where I had used saddle soap, and then I compared it to the one I braided using mink oil. It was a little hard to compare because one was black and the other brown, but I couldn't really tell a difference, and neither could anyone else in my family. (but they aren't braiders...) Sometimes I see a little white residue on the braid, after using saddle soap, and that isn't a concern with the mink oil. Should I post pictures? I could, if that would help... So, is it all personal preference, or is one really better than the other? I've seen on here where you make your own braiding soap...is that really that much better than Feibings Saddle Soap, or, again, is it personal preference? Thanks!

I'm doing something similar to that right now...but I'm doing the one in Bruce Grant's book. I'm putting it around a guitar strap, and it just keeps going...and going..and going! It's getting old! I think your's looks great! I hope mine looks almost as good when I get it done! That may be when I'm old and gray, but oh, well....

I think that looks great! Is the lace beveled? My kangaroo stuff never looks that smooth!!! And do you put anything on it after you braid it, to make it shiny? I saddle-soap each strand before I start braiding, and then roll my braid at the end, but your's looks a lot better than mine!

Thanks so much! I worked on them last night and put the knots on ring knots...it worked out pretty well. Someone else told me about making a leather collar on a dowel first, but I didn't know how I could get the finished slide tight enough on the lanyard, making it on a dowel first. Or how I would get it on the lanyard after I got it off the dowel!!! I'm still figuring out what goes where for optimal response!!! Thanks!

Ok, I'm finally posting a question here! I am braiding a kangaroo lanyard, 6 strand braid. For attaching hardware on the ends, I have to decrease to a 4 strand (to fit my hardware) and then I backbraid the ends into the 4 strand braid. I used a Spanish Ring knot at the very end, and then a 5 part, 4 bight (I'm not sure if that knot has a name...) with an interweave behind that. (To cover the backbraided ends and to hold everything in tight. I have to be certain those ends stay put!) My question is this...I'm using a 7 part, 6 bight with an interweave for the sliding knot, and I was planning on using a Spanish Ring knot underneath that knot for a buildup, to make the sliding knot round. Is that going to be enough buildup to make that knot round, though? I really don't know very much at all about the knots, and the buildup under the knots really has me confused...how do I know what to put where? Basically, I want my knot to be nice and round, and I don't know for sure what to do to make that happen! I'm having a crisis here...I'm working with a deadline!!! I have to ship 6 of these tomorrow! This is the 6 strand braid I'm working with... The ends...I haven't put the other knot on the right side yet. And I know the one on the left isn't right, yet! I'm going to work on making it more even! And this is the knot that I want to be round, when I get done! Thanks so much!

Thank you for the response! I am getting letter stamps, so that should make that part a little easier. I also found a bottle of dye in my stash (I should keep better inventory!) so I have that to use if I need it. I think I should only accept orders for projects I have prior experience in doing! This is a little nerve-wracking!!! Thanks again!