Jax

Hi I saw this on you tube & thought it would be good to make but how would I make the pattern? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrB2uen6lbE Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Hi it looks to me to be a martingale groover, it cuts a slit in the leather & can be adjusted for both the width & depth of the cutI use mine mainly to sink my stitches into the leather when making rolled straps so when they are completely finished no stitches can be seen.

I really like this idea it's gone on my list of things to have a go at thanks for the idea

Thank you so much for the info Beaverslayer & Chief, Im going to get some scrap out & have a go I love the look of this style of lacing. NJBallsout good luck with your seat & thanks for starting the post, I'd never considered this lacing if you hadnt asked your question

Hi I have read this topic & watched cheif's videos on the mexican basketweave & like the look of it very much, I have a bag I'm making at the moment & am thinking of doing this lacing on it but have a question. As I have lined the bag I want to lace all the edges but how would I do the gusset ends? All the instructions I have found require a complete circuit rather than a different start & finish point is there a way of starting & finishing a straight edge or will I have to stick with a double loop lace as originally planned? Many thanks in anticipation & advance Jax

Hi Danzedd, I think the tool you are looking for is called a burnishing iron, the only ones I have seen look like a file but are smooth instead of grooved, you heat the tool then rub the edges of the leather with it to make them smooth & shiny. There were a couple in the tool rack when I was at college but I dont think I ever saw anyone use them. Hope I have been of some use, all the best in your quest to find what you are looking for. Jax

Hi DavidL there is a difference between the pricking irons/wheels with the teeth going in different directions. The ones with the teeth going /////// are for "double hand" stitching, with two needles. The ones going \\\\\\\\\ are for "single hand" stitching with one needle its like backstitch, you will find that if the wrong stitch marker is used the stitches don't sit as neatly.

Thanks for that Troy I've looked at that listing a few times & have been tempted but I am cautious of buying leather without seeing it first, you have given me the info I needed to decide.

Hi, I'm with Emmabeth on this 1 depending on how thick you want the padding, I generally use 1/8" plastazote which is self adhesive, sometimes I rasp it down a little to reduce the bulk. As for the leather I use a nice soft hide, about 0.5-1mm thick. Good luck with your project.

Hi , Steve can you use a mallet on your dies or do they only work with a press? I suppose it depends somewhat on the size of the die? I am very impressed by them & your prices.I have been considering getting a makers stamp for a while now maybe now is the time. Cheers Jax

I've done some of these, a few years ago though, its not such a scary job, if you are seaming by hand it is rather long winded though, if it is a quality saddle (I wouldn't like to say from the pics, are there any makers plates under the skirts? That may be an indication of better quality) the repair would be well worth it but if not then will the person let you have the saddle just to "play" with, then you could strip it down to see what goes on inside. The main problem you may face is if it is made on a plastic tree as you cannot tack into a plastic tree you must use staples and best to use an air stapler too. Good luck!!

Thats a lovely halter. I'm also sorry to hear the news ofyour friends, so glad we don't have fires like that here in the UK.

Thank you all so much there are some lovely suggestions for other possible projects too, Glendon thats a real cute little purse, Kevin the bag he said was too big was similar to the "Dasher" I saw the pic in a Tandy catalogue and made a similar pattern. The sporran idea could be good as they are Scottish, and proud to be and I could carve the cartoon character on the flap. Sylvia, you are a star, those belt bags are brilliant and the patterns would be easy to make & in different sizes instead of buying them. I have aphabet stamps in different styles and sizes so the name isn't a problem, you have fired my imagination now, where's that roll of wallpaper thanks again.

Hi folks, I a friend has asked me to make a bag for his 2 year old granddaugther, with her name & favourite cartoon character on it the later was soon sorted with a search on google images. What I am struggling with is the design of the actual bag. When I was asked to make it I showed him a small shoulder bag I had already made and he said it would be too big....I thought it was quite small, only being about 6" square with a 2" gusset in the usual semi- circle sort of design. Not being very child minded, (I usually avoid em like the plague ). I am wondering what sort of thing might appeal to the child, should I make a handbag, shoulderbag, satchel or rucksack type of thing, my friend has just left that up to me!! Any ideas would be greatfully recieved. Thanks very much

Hi John, Sylvia gave me the link to your site & I had some great leaf tools from you, which arrived really quickly considering I'm in the UK. I check it out almost daily, & am looking forward to browsing your new listings (hurry up & get them on hint hint;))

Hi, Ive had a wooden strap cutter from Tandy for years and it's always served me well in fact I use it far more than my plough gauge apart from on very heavy leathers where I found the blades tended to break. Good luck with the belt making

Hi, I bought most of my pricking irons from Joseph Dixon over the years, I used to be able to call in to the factory, but always asked for the teeth to be made smaller which they always did for me at no extra cost. I found the guys that worked there were always very friendly, helpful and nothing was too much trouble, in my very humble opinion their saddlery tools are probably the best you can get in the U.K., even saying that the old tools are much better, alot to do with the metal they are made from I expect.

Hi, I don't know if this suggestion will be of any use to you but here goes, instead of the oblong punch (we call them crew punches in the U.K.) can't you use a large round hole or small wad punch twice, 1 either end of the slot and then carefully cut between them top and bottom? This could be an alternative to get your guitar starp done until you get your other punch sorted, regarding that it looks like a badly made punch to me, because of the angle of the handle in your picture I would think you will always get an uneven cut i.e the force of the strike from your mallet will be more 1 end than the other, meaning you may have to turn the punch around to get it to go through the leather at both ends. TwinOaks suggestion of a dead blow mallet is excellent I have used 1 of those for years with my punches (never for tooloing) and it really does make punching mush easier, also make sure you are punching on a good solid surface this will prevent your punch from bouncing, I put my marble over the leg of my workbench and put my cutting board on top of that, it does make a difference. I hope some af this at least has made sense and good luck getting this problem sorted. You are very right this can be a very expensive passtime, its worth it though!!!

Hi Helene, when you find that perfect awl treasure it with your life, it will be worth it's weight in gold, they take alot of breaking in and getting used to, I have spent hours polishing some of mine on some very fine wet & dry emery paper then on leather. If you can get hold of an old 1 the metal will be much better. This is just my opinion others may disagree but so what lol.

Hi Nick, have you tried Abbey saddlery & crafts in Knutsford & Walsall or Tandy at Northampton for leather, threads, sundries etc, they do also sell tools or Joseph Dixon for saddlery tools if you want phone nos etc let me know & I will sort them out for you.

Hi, Sylvia, thank you for that I will check it out, I have a friend who has quite a few tools to sell also so I will let him know about it. I would like the link for the leaf stamps please. Thanks again Jax

Hi WyomingSlick, I don't really want to list all of the tools I am looking for because I can only afford a few at a time I'm affraid and I don't want to get carried away, but I would like a L556, W818, W819, W568 for a start. I do also have a few spare tools which I am slowly putting on ebay but i think they are all the common ones. I'm not sure on the procedures on this site but how would I go about discussing buying some of your spare tools please? Thanks very much for responding Jax

Thats very kind of you, thanks Jax

Hi Oldtimer, the tools I would like are W560, Y652, Y654, Y655, L968, L967, there are others but I can only afford a few a time. Thank you Jax

Hi, I am looking for a few discontinued craftool stamps, I keep looking on ebay they do appear sometimes, but as yet I haven't had a successful bid :-(, I have come across Proleathercarvers and Vintage tools (are these the same people?) does anyone know anywhere else I can look for them please? Thanks in advance Jax