unicornleather

Heavy horse show ploughing bridle. 4 thicknesses of bridle butt 4-5mm leather in the cheekpieces, hard to stitch but worth the effort.

It doesn't come out as a table on here very well but for 8 stitches to the inch you'll need a 3/18 thread if you email me on unicornleather@excite.com I'll attach the chart to the email and send it to you, Oz

Hello, To be honest I completely forgot, apologies. I have written it in my diary this time and will dig it out tomorrow when back in my workshop. Oz

Welcome, try it. it does work well of instructions are followed. I threw this out on the leading UK Horse forum and quite a few of them had a go with it and the feedback was good, it does work. It's natural with nothing nasty in it that will affect your skin or your leather. It's a darn sight cheaper to make your own too!

Good question I am often asked here as well. The fats used have been treated with fairly high temperatures, this seems to change it's chemical structure and it doesn't go rancid. I have had it in my workshop which is a wooden structure and in the Summer it does get hot, I have never had any go off or rancid even after 2 years. If you are worried just shove it in your fridge, sorted !

Hello Sticks, the technique will give you the slant no matter what thread, size of awl, hole or needle you use. The first photo is a handmade belt I happened to photo, my belt to be precise, it was already a year old when I photo'd it so a little worn but good enough to show the slant of the thread. Practice will give you a good stitch on the back as well as the front, try to get in to a rhythm and don't stop. When you get going, you should be able to achieve one stitch every 5-7 seconds

http://www.unicornleather.co.uk/leather_conditioning_and_cleaning.html Sorry for typo in the title, my keyboard letters have worn off! This article also advises what not to use on leather and the reasons why as well as how to clean leather properly

Don't use neatsfoot, explanation is in the link in my above post

You'll see the difference in the stitching, stitching the saddler's way you'll get slanted stitching favoured by traditionalists such as this example [/url] now compare this to the methods used in the video above [/url] Can you see the slant on the stitches in the first one? It's not just that It looks neat it's functional too as it locks the threads together better than in the second one, it's the standard and accepted way in the trade whether you are a saddler, harness maker, collar maker, leathergoods or footwear trades person.

http://www.unicornleather.co.uk/leather_conditioning_and_cleaning.html Have a read, ALWAYS find out what is in your conditioner BEFORE you use it, several horses have reacted to Effax and Car,Day & Martin products which contain a variety of mineral oils,spirits and chemicals not designed to be in contact with human or horse's skin.

Video is not a good example of a professional hand stitcher. You use the awl as you stitch, therefore holding the awl in right hand and one needle, the other needle in the left hand. He is also looping the thread over itself the wrong way, you loop forwards not backwards. You also pull up with the left hand and down with the right as you pull the threads tight. You simply wouldn't have the time to stop, pre awl, then fiddle around with needles and no awl if you have to make a few bridles or harness each week.

Thanks, will remember that but I don't make enough clothing in leather to worry about really here's the last 2 items I made [/url] Brigadine Circa 1450 AD [/url] [/url] Gothic laced up the sides waistcoat,lined with cotton

Nice jacket well done, I always tend to make clothing too small either that or I am just getting fatter a lot quicker than I can make things!

Well, my mate's dog, a Doberman keeps getting beaten up by other dogs. He's the softest dog you have ever met so doesn't stand up for himself and was suffering an image problem! [/url] My mate asked me to make him a super dog collar with spikes to give him some street cred So, here it is,made it yesterday, out of bridle butt leather, lined with soft hide, all handmade and hand stitched. He seems to like it and it suits him, maybe other dogs will leave him be now and the owners will think he's hard! (he's not!) [/url] [/url] [/url] CLOSE UP OF HAND STITCHING [/url] Here he is, posing! It's 2 inches wide, wide enough to protect his neck if he gets attacked again [/url]

Not far from me, I'm in Surrey too, Oz

Totally agree NVLeatherWorx, I have hides I have dressed in my workshop with my own leather conditioner I make which are all natural ingredients and they are as good today as they were when I bought them nearly 30 years ago. The saddlery I manufacture is all treated with this product and will last decades if treated correctly. I even make some of my own fats and waxes that I use in it so I know how pure they are. Can't beat the "old ways"

WELCOME to the forum, Oz (saddler in Caterham on the Hill in Surrey)

as humperdingle has said, it maybe a split, it's a good way of using scrap up in the tannery! People use it all the time for leathergoods. Try and show us more photos, it's very hard to see sometimes though unless we have the leather in our hands so we can feel it too. Oz

Belly is very pappy and will stretch, we use it in the saddlery trade as scrap basically for linings, anything that needs backing and is out of sight it is a poorer quality hide BUT in leather goods such as you are going to use it for it might be passable! It's good to practice on and make a mock up with, are you trying to make a soft type bag or a firmer,thicker leather bag? Oz

IF you have room and money get a hydraulic press and have some press knife forms made up to cut patterns out quicker, that will help for starters

Some good points there and you hit the nail right on the head about over oiling and also using neatsfoot for over 40 years. It's ok on older hides, newer modern hides have changed in the way they are produced so much, all in the name of progress of course, that neatsfoot is simply not good for modern hides. Glycerine saddle soap used to be good on old hides years ago too but now on modern hides the Ph is wrong. Over here in the UK it is anyway. I have seen some awful treatment of leather on another forum recently, one guy dunking his harness in 5 gallons of oil for 48 hours then drying it off in front of his furnace as well as someone else burying their new saddle in the yard in sand for a few days to "soften" it! I gave up with that one! Lastly, one of the more modern used commercial leather conditioners which everyone rates and raves about over here has this as it's ingredients: DESTILLATES (PETROLEUM) HYDROTREATED LIGHT PARAFFINIC PETROLATUM SOLVENT-REFINED LIGHT AND HEAVY PARAFFINICS PARAFFIN HYDROGENATED MICROCRYSTALLINE WAX CERA MICROCRISTALLINA LANOLIN PERSEA GRATISSIMA (AVOCADO) OIL CERA ALBA PARFUM CI 12700 The last one CE 12700 is a yellow dye they use because they don't have any beeswax in it so have to fake the colour. This is simply for OUR benefit and not the leather it is applied to, also I looked into the data that comes with this product and it states it's code 4 which is a "to be rinsed off product use only" So, one has to beg to ask, what the hell are they doing putting this in leather conditioner that is going to come in to contact with your hands, your leather and in saddlery your horse? WHAT is in it to make it a "rinse off product use " only? I have heard of 2 horses recently that have had allergic reactions to this product. Perfume is not needed either, it's there to disguise the smell of the paraffin etc! WHY can't people just use natural products, I make my own leather conditioner, it's simple, natural, easy to make and half the cost of the rubbish that's out there like the one above.

THIS ^^ I've been a Saddler trained in the old school way for around 27 years and I'm still learning and perfecting my techniques. You need at least a few years under your belt to be able to make most things and make them with any degree of skill and quality. A colleague of mine who I trained at Cordwainers College with makes the most beautiful leathergoods, one of her bespoke crocodile skin handbags just sold to a high class client for £14,000 ($21,876.54) and one of her red patent briefcases fetched a staggering £34,000 ($53,128.74) and yes, she's still learning too! Oz

Have you found anyone yet? What is it you are actually trying to make? Oz

I use a no 2 rawhide mallet

Butted mail if far easier and quicker than riveted mail. Many years ago I contacted the Head Armourer at the Tower of London and he sent me detailed patterns on how to make it. I had to sign a copyright contract before he let me have the patterns, these patterns were of some of the mail at the Tower. Absolutely fascinating subject. My next project IF I can ever find the time is to make a leather waistcoat with mail down the sides.