Kevin

Well, it looks like old thread is in the Friday special today. How apropos (had to look that up). Kevin

I got thread from a grab bag deal once and after I pulled off the exposed layer, it was stronger underneath. But it was cotten so I'll never use it anyway. It should have been thrown away, not sold. Hey, anybody need 5 lb.s of seafoam green pre-wound bobbins? I should have known better... Kevin

Very nice, I especially like the mechanism. Kevin

I "walk" the backgrounder just like a beveler. I don't know if it's right or not, but it seems to work most of the time for me. Kevin

Cool book, thanks. One thing I would add though, is that if you use a steel hook, it may turn your nice white linen thread grey. I wrap it around a piece of hard wood held in a vise. Kevin

I asked Slim Berg, who used to build Barstow Pro Rodeo's saddles and he said they used to paint the flesh side with benzoine several times, case the leather, and then compress it between the rollers on their splitter, then stitch it. He hasn't built any for almost ten years and the rules may have changed though. When he was building bare back rigs, they were rawhide centered and that's not allowed anymore. Kevin

Ohio Travel Bag has a pretty good selection of zippers. Kevin

I think what we want to call "Genuine Leather" is now designated Top Grain Leather, and no consumer has the slightest idea what that means. I don't know how our tanneries get to call leather English Bridle Leather, when it is nothing like English Bridle Leather. In the latest issue of Shop Talk, there is an article about making a rolled throat strap, which he says is English Bridle Leather, if it is, it's the sorriest looking piece I've ever seen and I've never seen a halter made from English Bridle Leather in 30 years and in the last 16 years I've had at least 250 go through my hands per year conservatively. Sorry, some things catch in my craw. When did a half gallon of ice cream become 3 pints? A quart of mayo is only 30 ozs. and the last time I bought a pint of milk at a convenience store it was only 12 ozs. What were we talking about? Oh yeah, and soft serve is not ice cream or frozen custard, it's just ice milk. Kevin

Whoops, Too bad, I'll bet that they are made in either Taiwan or China. Kevin

How about if you just make the belt from beaver tail? I can't remember off hand who has it, but it is available (maybe Leather Unlimited?). You'd have to splice it and line it, but it would be cool. Kevin

Weaver's did have them. Kevin

Siegel of California has some and Windmill Saddlery Supply did carry some. Kevin

You don't say what machine you have, but the feed dog height itself is adjustable on some machines. Kevin

Also found at Pattern Studio, HP211 Peaked Panache, again no snap, but looks adaptable. ("Dammit Ethyl, Where's my mod a go go stretch elastic pants?") My curiosity is piqued, I'm going to look some more, Kevin

I just did a quick search and found Vogue V8309, it's sort of like that without the snap. Since that stuff was popular in the '70s, I'm sure more patterns exist out there somewhere. Good luck, Kevin

I got one of those aluminum bouncers for somebody once and that thing was rough as a cob, I was embarrassed to make them pay for it, but I sure couldn't use it. They use them a lot in stuffing English saddle panels, I never felt the need myself, nor does the guy who does our saddle work now. In the end, I made a whacker, a wooden paddle with some weight to it and covered with leather and she loved it. Kevin

Try making one. I think they are pretty much hand made and must have some kind of heat treatment, because I bought some that were only about $35, and they each had broken teeth within a month and I promise I'm not hard on them. If you sew enough, it's actually a pretty cheap investment. (Then why don't I have more?) Kevin

I think the old ones were made with veg tan leather, but good luck finding something thin and flexible. You might try book binding leather. I just use the thinnest chap leather I can find. Good luck, Kevin

I may be wrong, but I think you're probably looking at pig printed on cow. Wickett & Craig may do that for you. I have the impression that the old pigskin saddles were pig glued and stitched to cow with the back bone in the center of the seat and the rest on the skirts and flaps. At least that's the only way I've seen them. Good Luck, Kevin

In my lazy manner, I use alphabet Craftaids for exercise. No muss no fuss, small and not very easy, your work goes into cutting, not finding a pattern and having to trace it out. Kevin

If you're not an Osborne collector and just like the cast punches, Dixon still makes them and Siegel sells some of them. Kevin

I haven't ever used a 29-3, but I use a 29-4 almost everyday. I don't see anything in the pictures that should cause your problem unless that collar is holding everything up. On the 4 there is a thumb screw on top that controls the pressure on the leaf spring (not the wing nut in the picture, a round knurled one), which in turn controls the presser foot pressure. Sounds like this is causing the problem to me. As far as leaving marks, I've used heat shrink tubing on the foot, I've wrapped it with masking tape, or you can just grind the serrations off, but of course this is what feeds your material. If I'm going through old holes, I remove most of the pressure and feed the work myself. Hope that helps, Kevin

I've removed it accidentally with ammonia and water, but it was a moldy old shotgun case I really couldn't hurt. The embossing is put on with heat, so you will probably see where it was anyway. One method I use is to put a leather patch over it and a brass plate on top of that, that way it looks like it's supposed to be there. Good luck, Kevin

I believe bo ho is Bohemian, as in something that looks trashed, not as in Hamm's beer. Modern beatnick, man. Kevin

I was doing a search for Siegel once and misspelled it and got a pattern for what I can only describe as a leather net to hang a whole person in. Like a great big Chinese finger cuff. Kevin