humperdingle

Wouldn't it depend on what kind of leather it is, what finish it has on it, etc? If it's dyed, i'd reckon acetone applied in some way will age a finish pretty rapidly.

Call me a skinflint, but I use tiny offcut pieces of veg tan leather as glue spreaders

I made little leather "Band aids", for the fingers that either push needles through, or the stress points where I pull thread to tighten it. Just little strips of supple leather, stitched to size, so easy to take off if needed.

Aah... Thanks Could have been messy :D

Aah, we have Rugby Football Union (RFU) or Rugby league football (A bit confusing), but one has 15 players, the other having 13. League is a bit faster-paced, having slightly different rules and scoring. For me? Union... Probably because I played it for my high school.

That's exactly my plan I'll buy the bigger bottle soon. I like the little bottles, as they allow a dauber to be put in. Incidentally, what do you use to apply Resolene? I've heard spraying is best, but I don't have a sprayer. I've used sponge, which seems to create a lot of foam. A lambswool dauber seems better, but they can lose tiny fibres, which end up on the surface!

Rugby is much more of a mans' game :D Makes much better viewing than the overpaid thesbians they call football (soccer) players.

Neither really. (And it's 'Celtic', not 'Celtics' You Americanos have Celtics lol I abhor the sectarian hate involved with the Rangers/Celtic thing... And anyway, the lack of skill shown on the average Scottish football field doesn't make me watch it :D

Awkward in shape mostly... I find working at a bench easier. We're just north of Edinburgh. Aberdeen is about a 2 hour drive further north.

Cool, thanks. I'll probably use it up in a couple of weeks. Good to know that I don't have to throw any away!

I had a small bottle of Resolene, of which i'd used about half (taking small amounts out for projects and cutting 50/50 with water) So yesterday I was doing a slightly larger project, and just filled the bottle to the top with water, on top of the half Resolene. I ended up only using half of the mixture... So will it keep in this 50/50 state for long?

This Carnauba wax... I have a bottle of Greased Lightning Showroom Shine car wax stuff... If left overnight, there is a clear yellow liquid that settles on top. Would this be the wax? If so, I might siphon some off to use in a conditioner!

Whatever they put in Fiebings Aussie Conditioner... It's a great product.

I made a stitching pony before I'd even stitched a single piece... After a couple of practices, it has stayed where I put it since. I just find the majority of pieces are just too awkward for it to be used. I tend to stitch either on a comfortable sofa or at the kitchen worktop.

Thanks for the answers so far - Keep them coming! I've managed to learn a lot of the pitfalls already, purely by making mistakes! Also, this forum has given a few 'Heads-up" moments. My own advice to my noob self, after being in the hobby for just 2 months would be: "Don't stress... it's just for fun!"

...Piece of advice to a newbie to the leatherworking scene... What would that single snippet of advice be?

Leather and cigars... Two of my favourite aromas

And makes many hours disappear as if by magic :D

I've just completed my 2nd 'large', bag. Yours looks much more complex and neat, though Fortunately (for me), I like the simple, rustic, antique look, so my simplistic style suits! I like the satchel - Fairly traditional satchel looks. I'm not keen on the colour, but that's subjective and personal. One thing I am gradually learning, is that planning is everything... So much easier to make something if you've done a 'dry run', made templates, pre-measured, etc. Good make

That describes my technique exactly... To clarify - I don't travel around with tools, but the stuff needs to be mobile so it can be put away quickly and neatly. I have a cupboard where I keep leather, dyes, reels of thread, books etc that I don't use all the time. I might look into a bigger tool box!

So I need to use my kitchen as an on/off workshop for doing leather stuff... I have a toolbox which holds my tools and other bits and pieces, and a couple of multi-compartment boxes for rivets, snaps, small bits, etc. I find the toolbox can get a bit 'unwieldly', trying to sort through it to find stuff... Does anyone have a good system for stowing away their leatherworking gear when not in use?

Thanks for resurrecting the thread Well, i've sold a few items, but haven't really made a profit when time is taken into consideration. I sold a rifle bolt holder, and the same guy came back to me wanting a shorter version, so that was my first repeat sale (must have been happy enough with the first one!) Mind you, he got a hand-made, custom size piece, in thick leather for less than the price of a factory-made, machine stitched item. Materials were negligible, as I made them largely from offcuts and snaps/dye were pennies, so i suppose I might have managed minimum wage from them! But at this point, it's still all about the learning process.

This one measures approx 13"x13" overall... And yeh, it's pretty heavy even without a divider, but does have a 9" pocket under the front flap. Too big even for my wife - Looks about right on me, but I don't carry a bag!

Well, this was a chore lol... A 1st, experimental, messenger bag. Missus wanted a satchel type bag, but I think this one turned out more man-sized :D Made with a 3 piece gusset, which, tbh, was a hassle, and i've created a much simpler design for my next project. Not really happy with the dyeing (Started off as a natural veg tan colour) - Could have done with another coat, but I just wanted to see the back of it! Changes for the future - Chunkier buckle (maybe two straps), buy leather the right colour to start with and make it smaller.

Somebody (a saddler, apparently) told me that the dust thrown off when sanding leather is carcinogenic... Is this true? I sand my stuff outside more because of the fact my 'workshop' is the kitchen, so don't want dust all over the place, but I don't wear a dustmask... Should I?? Or is that a load of rubbish?