bruce johnson

Lasse, At least in the US, retired dairy cows are slaughtered to a huge extent. They almost all go to slaughter if they can walk. It is how the dairy people recoup some of their investment, much like spent laying hens go to soup. It is also how they use "buy-out" programs to send cows to slaughter and reduce milking cow numbers in oversupply/low milk prices times. The hides on these dairy cows tend to be bigger than beef hides although thinner. They are generally not branded (although a lot in my area are), and tend to have less scarring. They are still a by-product of the cattle industry, not the primary goal. Not many producers worry about the hide value at any point in the production of beef or dairy cattle.

Drop the skirts and push them up. Sometimes you can push them up one at a time into the channel without dropping the skirts and spray/soak them with warm water to break down that kink and then pull them over.

I have worked both sides of this animal death deal in some pretty good numbers - slaughter, natural death - attended and not, euthanasia, gunshot for something you can't handle, etc. and am not about to argue the merits of one vs the other. A good share of the population is now removed from the farm and seeing death first hand by a few generations. They are 40ish and thanks to health care advances, both grandparents are still alive. The first death most of them personally face is their pet. I do have some thoughts on the rest of the discussion. I think one thing that is continuing to be overlooked and Steve just mentioned it is that animals die and these hides do exist and they can go to the tannery, get processed into another byproduct, or drug to the back pasture bonepile. These hides are still by-products. These animals all were raised with some economic or production goal in mind. They may have outlived that, or they may never have lived long enough to fulfill that. These cattle are not frolicing in the pasture or living on some pensioner farm awaiting death so they can be skinned for "slaughter free hides" as their primary goal in life. The only difference between these hides and the others is a premortem inspection (at least in the US)and being pulled off the animal in an inspected facility. The slaughter-free die and are then loaded to go to a processing facility. Just how big that niche market is for leather coming from cattle who didn't die in a packing house I don't know. It hasn't been around long enough and explored enough to be tested yet. This is really the first time out, and for the right maker with the right clientele, it could be a bonus.

I have listed a few more knives for sale tonight on my website. These are all good solid vintage knives - sharp and ready to use. If you are interested, here is the link - Leather Tools for sale . Thanks,

I would suspect the milled feed roller is slipping. There is a spot for the set screw in that roller to seat into the shaft. It doesn't just bind against the shaft, it seats into it in one spot for a positive movement. You may need to take that set crew out, then slowly move the roller around with a flashlight in the screw hole to find where it should seat.

Julia, There are sure two ways and both work. There are regional and personal biases for either way and it is kind of one of those saddlemaker's debates that won't ever be solved. Personally,I use maybe heavier strings than some people do. Some of my customers tie doctoring bags and saddlebags on. A lot of kids pull themselves up with a string. Lighter strings will break before they tear out leather, a stronger string pulls leather. The problem when they pull leather is they tear off the front jockey or seat jocket at the cantle ear. These are pretty expensive repairs.

I am with JW, I use tugs whenever I can. On some of the repairs I have to deal with pocketed bars and just don't like them. Sometimes they don't pull up tight and it is a pain to resew them through the woolskin. I use one twist nail and one drywall screw for my lugs. I've done a few pocketed bars for guys riding in the pines who worry about needles working in under the bars though. I drill for most strings, but only through the bars not the skirts. I gouge out the rawhide between my string holes and seal with a little varnish. The strings lay flat on the bottom of the bars. It makes them secure and easy to change when one breaks or is cut off for a repair. Unscrew the lugs, drop the skirt, restring, and screw the lug right back in the same hole. No fiddling around running one through the skirts and under the wool.

I added a few new tools today to my website. Gomph knives sold right off the bat, but I have a nice Chase pattern splitter, plough gauge, and hand tools left. Here's a link - Leather Tools for Sale . Thanks,

My customers are dinosaurs. I make several a year. I buy the planners at places like department stores or office supply stores. I shop around and it is less expensive to buy them made up than to buy the inserts. I drill out the rivets and use the clip from them. The hardest ones to find right now are the ones that take 8-1/2x11 inserts, but Staples came through for me. Ohio Travel Bag is a source for clips too.

Jerry VanAmburg has a lot of exotics and different colors of frog. Here's a link - Van Amburg Leathers . I think that is the old address and he has moved everything to Idaho now. The phone number I have is (208) 785-0800.

Good advice above. For tight curves in heavy leather, I use a punch for the curve.

If you are going to do a lot of them, I like the JP tack tool. I have had one for a couple years and use it quite a bit. It makes getting a old one out easier for me, and the price is pretty good. There are some out there that cost more, but this one hasn't marked up leather has got them all out so far for me. Here's a link - JP Tack Tool

A fine napped paint roller is about all I use for big pieces or straps. Little stuff I use a clipped woolskin scrap and squeeze it out some.

Any questionable exotic you buy from a dealer is going to be tagged. These are CITES tags - Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. This is currently the best system in place.

Like Art, it has been explained to me as no sorting - they pull your order the way they are stacked on the pile. When I made the step from buying locally to ordering, I received one TR side that had a forklift track the length of it about 6" below the spine and footprints. I changed my mind and believe that to one seller "tannery run" means to run over it in the tannery.

I have been following the drop a day advice and probably heard it from Art back in my early IILG days. I started off with the advice to use a little Prolong oil additive in hydraulic oil. A few years ago they had that whole flap about the super friction fighting, surface binding oil additives not doing what they promised so I'm not sure what it did now. About that time I got some Lily anyway. The Lily is about gone, so guys - more Lily with shipping charges? hydraulic oil I can buy at 10 places along the drive home? Buy some Dritz from the sewing machine guy who practically mugs me out of appreciation for not being a crabby woman who ran over her vacuum cleaner cord again and wants it replaced while she waits? Now another question that gets to the solvents. I have been using Ballistol to clean my machines for about the same length of time. In regular use, I clean my machines about once a week, taking off plates, remove the hook and shuttle, and looking for gunk. If I am doing repairs, I clean after those for sure. My concern now is that I just willy-nilly spray into the shuttle area and Q-tip/paper towel it out. I add a few drops of oil to the race and dab a little on the bobbin case. Any thoughts or advice there?

I get crocus at Ace Hardware. They have it in the "by the sheet" displays at the stores here.

I use it for stiffeners in thin or small things like business card cases with inlays. I glue my inlay material to an oversized piece of film and then sew around the cut out through the materials and Xray film. It works particularly well as a backer if you plug your inlays and have a very thin lining.

Sheridan Leather Outfitters usually have them also.

In good using condition they usually sell for $400-750. The lower end is going to have some cosmetic stuff, the higher end are going to look good. If it is buried under leather dust, that can be corrosive and will probably be the biggest problem. These will be the reasons to pass altogether or discount what you can pay. Things to check are the blade condition. Pits and chips close to the edge and that sort of thing. Also, how much blade is left. Check the feed roller. If it is rusted up, it may clean up or may need to be remilled. If it is cupped that is a bigger problem. Same with the top roller. The gears are usually bullet proof, but check to make sure it turns smoothly and the teeth are all there.

It has kind of been a natural progression in both directions for some of our suppliers. They go or have gone from manufacturing to a supply division or vice versa from supplies to manufacturing. Tandy owned a belt company in the 90s when I was making belts. I buy rope cans from suppliers who also sell custom leather covered rope cans. I buy from who gives me the best service and price, not necessarily them being competition or not. I buy some of my leather from a guy who is a great leather craftsman and has a business with both. None of these really bother me, we all have customers for our price and expertise market. For this next part, I am not picking on nay one supplier or praising one for that matter (unless either recognises themselves). I can see both sides of things. They might be competition, but the reputable ones are buying materials and have a feel for lot to lot changes in what they are getting - good or bad. Hopefully they have the character to pass that experience on when they select for my order. I really appreciate it when a supplier tells me "the 7/8s are rough, but I've got some good 8/9s". I like it when they say "I've got some great 8/9 sides, you sure you only want one?". I love it even more when they say "It is all crap, but I've got a new shipment coming next week". I have sure had some businesses that weren't users of what they sell, and the some were good. One recently wasn't. That takes experience, and integrity. You either have to have knowledge of the product through use, or enough experience to know what they got in the last shipment and how it might work up.

I have listed a few more tools for sale on my website. I have a 5 inch Dixon plough gauge, Marlin stitching groover, and two Marlin knives added today. Here's the link if you are interested - Bruce Johnson Leather Tools For Sale . Thanks

Almost all of the stitch groovers are adjustable and you definitely want that. As far as creasers, it really depends. The newer adjustable ones have a rounded profile and splay out more than the older ones. They tend to wander more and leave a wider impression that is not as precise or crisp as the old ones. The downside is that the older CS Osbornes and some of the English made ones are hard to find in good shape. The upside is that with a good adjustable crease, you only need one. They can doulbe as an edge crease or use them to lay down tracks for a beadline. Used on an edge, they won't round over and compress that edge like an edge creaser will though. If you go with the sized creasers, you are probably going to need a few sizes. The edge creasers have one leg longer to ride the edge and the profile will round over the edge and compress it also. The bead creasers have both legs the same length and will mark off and burnish a beadline.

I use straight beeswax for thread. Bees wax is sticky and will hold the thread. I mix bees wax and parafin for edges. I melt it on the stovetop in a pyrex and pour it into cupcake papers to harden. I just got a tip about putting the pieces into cupcake paper or baking mold and melting it in the oven with lower heat too.

Mike, I am using Renia cement right now, but haved Barge in the past.