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Something that's been bugging me for a loooong time. My engineering try squares have big lumps on em so don't lay flat on the leather. The plastic ones don't have anything on em. I found these small ones on line but the wings are too big. Eventually I cut the wings down so now they're perfect for any leather (except maybe upholstery) and give a quick, flat right angle in a trice. Just thought I'd share.

This probably won't help but I find most peeps are a bit frightened of going too far with leather. It's a lot tougher than you think. I've decided to get back into fishing and was looking for my shooting boots. Gave up shooting a long while back so haven't needed themm After searching the house for two days I realised that they must be in the garage That I don't use and was flooded a couple years ago. Sure enough that's where they were. And this is how I found em. I thought about binning them but I liked these boots and they were worn in. They went straight in the washing machine. (Not a full cycle) After sloshing about a few in the soap and a bit more rinsing. I got em out and dried em on a radiator for 2/3 hours, they were still soaking on the inside so I stuffed em tight with dry rags tied everything together and bashed all the folds and creases out with a hammer. This is how they look after a second coat of Neetsfoot oil. They'll stay like this for a couple days then I'll prolly give em some dye and seal em when they're dry. Prolly re-do the leather around the top also.

You scratched an itch dikman, well done.

Am I right in thinking that you want to do this to create a chesterfield/pillow/quilted type look? If so it would be a lot easier to use foam. I used to buy 7x4 sheets of 1/4"-3/8" foam to make the modern square typr archery targets. You can get it in various densities to suit your purpose. If I'm right, look on YouTube For Cechaflo's channel for inspiration.

You don't say how this would be carried. I'm guessing in maybe a briefcase rather than a pocket. Maybe 12 pens wide may be a bit unwieldy so maybe think about a staggered double decker. That would look cool. As for spacing, you have one pen. Is all you need, you can't cater for every size that's out there so just allow a little leeway. Ive just built a 56 loop bandolier and the loops were based on one shell case. Start with a pen and paper, it won't come to you immediately but it will come. Then maybe some card templates. Your pic shows a thing of beauty but doesn't tell all. Is the brown bit seperate and able to come out? If so maybe one green bit and two brown bits to cater for the 12 pens?

I'm never sure which one does what! I'll try one after the other until it gets the job done. I'll always try the thinners first, the toluene usually does it. This is the one I use to thin the contact stuff. I don't use it often so I'll usually pour a little if this on top of the glue before I put it away. It is an animal though, The other day I found a small plastic glass that I had left a glue brush in with some thinners was just a puddle. The white spirit is best for removing the white leather marker lines. Acetone is last.

I can totally see how this would give a rustic look, especially for the re-enactment types.

Hopefully this will turn out like a deck shoe.

I guess a round shape is more generic and easier to do. What do you think about overhanging shape so can sew around the outside? Wouldn't wear em to a party but for indoors or the garden.........

Been threatening to have a go at slippers for quite a while because I have the leather and a bit of sheepskin and at the moment I'm stubbornly walking on holes. I couldn't find any cheap outsoles and I found a cheap vinyl mat with a good textured back and I immediately thought glued back to back would make a decent sole for a pair of slippers. Draw around feet and cut out. Oversize because I intend to make things easy by sewing and binding around the outside. Rough up and glue. Work out the shape you want. I was very pleased that the 801 skiver took the sheepskin in it's stride. Top level glued and turned. Feet cut out. First try for fit. Cosy or what? That's where we're at now. More to follow.

This is a question that needs addressing. I feel that many of the videos that are out there are misleading inasmuch as hard thick leather is used or the amount of work involved in burnishing is understated. I too have found that the initial sanding raises so much more fibres than expected and I realise that a lot more work is needed to be done and wished I'd left it alone in the first place.

Almost finished. Far more work than I'd bargained for and my hands didn't thank for making the loops a bit tight. Quite happy with the result though. I haven't seen any for sale that include cartridges and these are ballistic tipped, our laws over hre are pretty strict even on components for making so I had to make sure they definitely couldn't be re used.

Stapler! Not the office type, the plier type. Use anywhere the holes are not seen. Simply remove after they've done their job. Office/Work/Home Stapler - Foska Plier Grip Stapler ST0512 - Black | eBay UK

Don't have first hand knowledge but from what I've seen you could do it with a straight fabric strap. One end around the wrist a couple times (maybe velcro) then wrap around the bar a couple times. The grip is only to hold the strap in place. You're lifting with the wrist. Ask any boatman. A round turn and a half hitch could almost hold the Titanic.

Where's the bottom "wing"? You need to unfold the bottom, then trim oversize all round so you can re wet it and clamp all round. Then force it around the corners with a bone folder or similar. Got to be wet. After drying and stitching, trim to final size.

Don't use it as much as some do but it hasn't given a moments worry and I love that I can switch it on at any time and use it without worry whether be it a serious project or to mend one of the dogs squeaky toys. Gives me more confidence than I've ever had.

Seems I spoke too soon. Had a card through the door today telling me that the sender hadn't paid enough postage. I've had to pay another £5.50.

Mine was £25.78 in the UK.

Thanks for the thought H but when I do stuff like this I tend to go with what I have to work with and what's practical. The main strap has to be thick enough to last and do it's job. It has to be wide enough to not only take the bullet loops but also any embossing or stitching you have in mind. The bullet loop strap is governed by the length of the bullet case and needs to be be robust enough but supple enough to wrap around the bullets. I'll decide on thread colour later. I like a contrast but the cosplay and re-enactment peeps might not like it. Looking ahead now, do I incorporate an angle in the shoulder? (Might depend on how wide the main strap is), And if so and I go on to make two, do I make them handed, i.e. the bullets facing each other? Depending on the length of the overall belt and the amount of bullets on each side I could make them universal without the shoulder angle. This'll give you some idea of how my brain works 24/7, I'm tortured.

Thanks Fred.

Found the heads. Now to think about it seriously. Since it'll only be for play I'll not worry about doing things "Properly".The heads are a nice tight push fit so I'll glue em in. Likewise with the cases. Whilst I'll make sure they're tight, a dab of glue will ensure they don't fall out. Fred, if you think those patterns will help I'd be grateful for them. Can never have too much learning. Does anyone have a simple brass pickle recipe?

A Chinese dustman knocked on the door and a bronzed hunk of a man answered. "Where you bin?" Says the Chinaman? Hunk Says "I've been on holiday, d'you like the tan?". "Naw naw naw, where you wheelie bin?" Says the Chinaman. Hunk Says " OK, I lied. I've been on the sunbed".

Welcome Jacqui and congratulations on getting an 801 skiver. It's an amazing piece of kit but be prepared to waste a lot of scrap learning how to use it properly. It might be a strange thing to say but I enjoyed that learning process immensely. You'll learn about different types of feed roller/presser feet/what speed to use and how things change when switching to a different thickness of material. When you think you've got it right it might not work as good on a different TYPE of leather/vinyl so the most important piece of advice I can give you is ALWAYS ALWAYS get it perfect on scrap before putting hours of work through it. Good luck with it and send a message if you need help.

I acquired a large carboy and a few demi-johns as well as the rest of the paraphernalia needed for this journey. I now have three mash bins full of de-stemmed grapes and water and yeast that was put in two days ago and the must is almost at the top of the bins. I haven't adhered strictly to the recipe due to lack of equipment at the right time. I'm told online that I shouldn't have added water despite the recipe calling for it. Time will tell. This post is about the large carboy. I bought it from my new French friend who brought it from France years ago. To say the basket is very fragile is a huge understatement. I know I don't really need the basket but I'd like to know you guys thoughts on how easy it would be to restore it. I will make a leather bottom and lace it to something around the top but I will oil it and look for some wicker? I think it's worth saving. Your thoughts guys?

Big step. First of all, what's your weather like? Over here in the UK the outdoor show season finishes around October time. Rain can ruin a weekend and can be a big factor over here, less of a problem where you are. If you intend to do it full time you might consider paying the extra cost of indoor shows in which case gazebos are less of a consideration. I've seen many cheap ones in the bins after a windy weekend but the good ones are very expensive. If it's to cover three pitches it'll need to be a big one which will make your eyes water. As is often quoted on here, "buy once, cry once". As for the display itself, try for an open fronted "U" shape which is more welcoming than a straight table. Fabricate some vertical tiers, especially at the back where you can put the bigger items especially some brightly coloured stuff. People walking past won't see stuff that are on a flat table. Lighting is a must and raises you to a different level. Use it to spotlight your more expensive or more interesting items and it will attract a lot more than those stalls that don't have it. When choosing what shows to book your first consideration should be footfall. Don't imagine for a second that everyone will like your stuff as much as you do. Only a small percentage of your stuff will appeal to MOST people. Now, after looking at the total footfall you have to face some facts. The promoters will lie about the total footfall because they want your $. Now take out the number that are only making a day of it and have no intention of buying anything. Then take out the number that would be a customer if only they had some money including the tyre kickers. You can think of many more that won't be giving you their money. The number that's left is where you'll make your money. So the higher the footfall, the more chance of making some money. Unfortunately these are the shows that will cost the most. Another important factor might be the type of show. I've paid £40 for a weekend at a steam rally (not with leather) and took well over £1000. I've also paid £600 at an air show with a huge footfall and didn't get the pitch money back because I booked too late and had a lousy position. Lesson learned, when you have all your ducks in a row you'll book your shows for the year just after the new year to guarantee a good pitch. Over here there's a publication called "The Showman's Directory", it lists every show through the year with footfall and contact details. Although primarily a UK thing there was a lot of international shows as well. Maybe there's a US version. Good luck.