RavenAus

Do you pull that or push it?

You give me $4k for a decent walking foot cylinder arm or post bed and I'll bin the 290! Until then I just have to use what I can afford. There's not much in the way of good machines here in oz, you use what you can afford and since I'm unemployed following redundancy a 290 is doable, a 'real' machine isn't.

First thing to try is swap out the needle. The 290 does not like blunt needles at all! I can tell straight away now when mine needs swapping, it'll do just that - cut the top thread.

Got my hand press and I love it :D I've only got the three eyelet dies that came with it so far but I'm ordering the other sets this week. I'm getting Line 20, Line 24 and 8mm rivet die sets. Can't wait!

The pattern recommends 4-5oz which is about what I'm using - 1.6-1.8mm - so it's not heavyweight. It's more the way the pattern is worked out that's the problem, with the seams being uneven length, so you have to stretch one side to fit the other. I have a friend who's going to draft me an underbust pattern for one of her outfits - we're collaborating on a runway outfit for a fashion show at an event I'm at - so that should give me a decent pattern to work from though it's a shame about the overbust

First impressions - Tandy are using the rivets to pull the panels into shape. This is wrong, the panels should be shaped correctly to start with. Hope you've got something like a post to rivet the cups on... As usual, the edges are pretty much hit and miss as to alignment, which isn't helped by the whole panel being warped to match the rivet holes. If you don't stretch the panel to make the holes match one is too long. Only one size so lets hope whoever you want to make it for is 36-28-36... Would not recommend...

Hi, just bought this pattern from https://www.leathercraftlibrary.com/p-1825-steampunk-full-corset.aspx%C2'> I'm planning on making it up. Has anyone made one of these before? I'd love to see your version. I'm thinking of adding some boning, anyone have any better idea of where to put it than just along the seams? I've got it cut out and ready to assemble, along with reinforcing strips for the eyelets

Yeah, I don't need enough of those vids to subscribre

LARP/LRP is usually a group thing. If they do more role play than fighting then it's LRP, more fighting, LARP.

Hi, yes it's LRP stuff. I didn't harden it, for the use I'll give it it's not worth it.

Two new things to show today First off, I made these just this afternoon. I was inspired by a set than had huge resin eagle claws and this is what I came up with: Claws of the Wolf This one, well I've had the plans for months but couldn't afford the leather to make it. Finally got enough leather (just - it took the entire hide plus a couple of black panels from a different hide!) so I could finally get it done UlfR Cuirass

First 3 are snap setters, middle is indeed a super skiver and the pliers look to be some sort of setter but I don't know what for. The pics in the next post I don't know, maybe a lacing chisel?

Yep all the ones at the top are what are sold as wood carving chisels but are patterned on wood turning chisels. Most are not really that good for either, being the wrong pattern for carving and too short handled for turning.

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=46571&st=60#entry307806 - Go to that post for details of the currently available patterns

https://www.leathercraftlibrary.com/p-1719-stirrup-bag-vintage-pattern-4372.aspx $1.99 here

Well, it seems my google-fu is improving, I found an honest to god head knife from the right period :D So I may well be getting something made up like this.

I heard the spike was used as a scratch awl? It's definitely a leather knife from the finds with it and is similar to a half-moon knife but yeah, I really would love a period knife for reenactment so finding a good design is important if I'm going to get it made

http://collections.museumoflondon.org.uk/Online/object.aspx?objectID=object-36789&start=52&rows=1 I'm looking at joining a reenactment group and one of the smiths has offered to make me a period head knife at a very good price. This is the only image I could find for a medieval period leather knife, and I can't find anything earlier. The group I'm looking at joining is earlier than this, 400-700 CE England but my research hasn't turned anything up for that early. Anyone ever found anything about leatherwork in that era? Would the spike on this be used as a scratch awl?

For a press or hand-held? Sylvia, for me the problem is the cap almost always moves, no matter the setting tools I'm using, so the tube bends and the snap pulls off... This is why I was so excited to see them here in Oz!

Oh my, I just found the same press here in Australia! Still need to get the snap dies separately but I can get the press off ebay, local pickup, with the 3 grommet dies for $59 and it's an importer I already go to :D It's a shame they don't have the other dies too but they are a new line here. I'll see if the importer can get more dies...

Thanks man!

I'm going to be online a lot anyway - I'm a net addict I have a laptop in the workshop and I can discuss orders online quite easily. Last one I did we discussed what the guy needed half the night and I landed my largest single order because of that. The guy's an 11-hour drive from me, he's heading down to us in a couple of weeks and this was his preferred method of working out the details. Without the facebook groups that I'm going to be in anyway as they are my hobby groups (Steampunk) I'd never have got this order. It's not specifically marketing, it's using what I'm doing anyway to get interest. I'm on the pc most nights, I don't watch tv (hasn't been plugged in in a year) and I chat with friends, show them what I make and I run a group for steampunk and cosplay makers to market their wares. The makers group is Australia-wide and we even have some overseas members. I've some steady customers on there as well, just finished another order for one tonight, and that's just through Facebook contact. It's not the medium, it's how you use it. Join interest groups that, well, interest you and work from there.

Wow, you really don't like the social media scene do you NV? I've had a very good relationship with my customer base on facebook. It's one of my best areas for generating interest. Having a facebook link on my cards and saying "Grab us on Facebook!" works wonders when we're doing events or even when we're just out and about and get chatting. I'm still building my presence on FB, just passed the 500 likes milestone. I've done one giveaway so far and would definitely consider another closer to our next big event. We've just had a big boost to likes following a successful alternative expo and I'm expecting more to come when the next batch of stock hits the site. I've been busy working on BDSM gear for a few weeks though which is a different FB and real life presence, and that side I have a lot more real life contacts spreading the word than facebook, but even there the likers on facebook are proving invaluable, they like something I post, their friends in the scene see it, they come to look, they like the page, and so on... I've already had some custome work from that and I've not been doing the adult side seriously until a month back - and that work has been from FB messages from friends of people who saw us at the expo. YMMV, but FB works for me. Perhaps it's more the social circles on your facebook? Paying for promo on FB is a waste of time but word of mouth really works.

You certainly need something solid under them. Either an anvil or something metal. They take more work than regular rivets as you have to peen the end over

I got a really good setup for AU$120, an airbrush compressor with airbrush and hose supplied. Works a charm https://www.tradetools.com/products/AS18CK I'm sure over there you'll have similar for less, prices down under are usually a lot higher