zuludog

I am currently going back to my youth and listening to a type of Prog Rock - Jazz that is often called 'The Canterbury Scene' as many of the bands originated from there in the 1960s & 70s. It includes Soft Machine; Hatfield And The North; Caravan; and others. Here's a taste -- Caravan - In The Land Of Grey And Pink (Full Album) - YouTube Hatfield and the North - Live at Rainbow Theatre, 1975 - YouTube Soft Machine Alive in Paris 1970 - Out-Bloody-Rageous - YouTube

These might be useful, at least for a start and giving you an idea - https://reenactorsmarket.co.uk Living History societies, associations and reenactors (historic-uk.com)

Search around on t'Net for things like Roman Reenactment Groups, Reenactment Group Directory, and so on; there are loads of them, worldwide, in USA, and Britain; I'm sure they would help you. Here's a start - https://www.romanempire.net I visited Hadrian's Wall a couple of years ago, when there was a Reenactment Group (forgotten which one) giving demonstrations at Vindolandia. They use & make authentic clothing & equipment One of their members was making and showing Roman footwear, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well made, substantial, and modern looking they were. He used modern awls, knives, needles etc, but said that his next stage would be to identify, & source or make leatherworking tools from the Roman period, and then use them to make replica footwear and other leather items in the future Also Search YouTube for 'making roman footwear' ; there are a few videos

I use -- Tandy Craftool Fine Diamond chisels - flat handle & silver finish - 3,5mm between points for fine work & thin leather like wallets Seiwa Diamond chisels 4mm between points for general work like belts, pouches, & small knife sheaths Tandy Craftool Pro Line chisels 4mm - round handle & black finish - for axe covers & heavier knife sheaths. Most diamond stitching chisels are measured between the points of the prongs, but these chisels are measured between the sides, so although described as 4mm, the distance between the points is about 5,25mm So I should imagine that if you can't find Seiwa chisels, then Tandy Craftool Pro Line 3mm would give you a distance between points of about 4mm

That's interesting, I also use those Tandy 3,5mm fine diamond chisels for thin leather, like making wallets. For wider stitching I use Seiwa diamond chisels and Tandy Craftool, with the black finish. I've polished the Seiwa & Tandy Craftool but not the Tandy fine diamond

I wonder, if you don't mind, could you tell us what make they are, and why you chose them? And I've learned something as well --- Americans really do say 'dang' .......and I thought it was just in the cowboy films!

Make the holes with the diamond chisel along the sides right up to the corner; they will automatically slant in the right direction. Then for the hole in the actual corner use a round awl -- which (obviously) doesn't slant in any direction.

MIKE02130 ---I adjust the lengths of the tail and the working length to have a long tail and the length of the working or active thread about 3" longer than that. This gives me enough free working thread to pull the stitches down neatly, and to cast the stitch. It's easy enough to slide the needle along and adjust the working thread to a length that suits you. Or after pulling the thread through the stitching hole you can simply let go of the tail & needle, which will give you the whole of the working length to cast & finish that stitch; but as i said, this relies on the thread being waxy & sticky enough that the needle will not slip off by itself, and I've never had a problem with that. Before I did leather work I repaired tents & rucsacs, plus general sewing like fixing buttons & minor tears, and still do. I never locked on the needle & thread for that, and I wondered why you have to do it for leatherwork?

OK, another couple of comments -- By not locking the needle & thread you rely on the fact that waxed thread creates enough friction that the needle will not slide off the end of the thread if you let go of the needle. This means you must use needles with a small eye for the thread As you use up the thread in the saddle stitch, by shortening the tail you are moving the fold over along the thread, thus you don't get a weak or worn spot on the fold over at the eye

If I knew how to make a video, I would; but let's try with words I've just measured one of my fold - over knife sheaths, and the total length of the line of stitching is 8 inches. I use 5 X that length to calculate the total amount of thread I will need = 40" That will give me enough to thread the needle and some backstitching So there will be 20" thread on each side of the seam. As mentioned, I'm not locking the thread, just passing it through the eye, so the fold over could be anywhere along that length of 20" If you just fold over to leave a 2" tail emerging from the eye, you will have a working length of 18". When you start to sew you will pull the 18" working length plus the 2" tail through the stitch hole....but the 2" will come through with the 18", so the total distance you need to pull is 18" But if you have a tail of 9" then the working length is 20 - 9 = 11", which means you only need to pull 11" through the stitching hole, as the tail will come with it Thus by making the tail fairly long you don't have to pull as much thread through the stitching hole....and as the length of the single strand/working length is reduced as you sew, you slide the needle along a bit so you still have the longest tail you can get away with..... which means, as Sheilajeanne states, there is less chance of the needle sliding off the end of the thread Hmmm....if anyone understands what I'm trying to explain, and thinks they can do it better, please do!

I use an old George Barnsley cobbler's hammer that I got from the secondhand tool stall at my local market. I cleaned & polished the head with a Dremel type tool & abrasive paper, and fitted a new handle, also from the tool stall. Total cost was about £7 = $10? Before that I used the hide mallet that I use for punches & stitching chisels. I've heard that many people use a ball peen hammer, but polish the face if necessary, and round off the edges of the face so it doesn't leave circular marks on the leather

No doubt Chrisash will respond in due course, but for me, it means that instead of only having 2 or 3 inches of thread passed through the eye, I pull a lot more, so that the thread is almost completely folded back on itself, with only a few inches of single thread forming the actual saddle stitch. Then as you work and use up the thread, just keep moving the needles along, constantly shortening the tail This method only works if the thread is free and unlocked

I've been watching this Thread (no pun intended) for a while, and you seem to have answered it well enough; nevertheless, here are my comments I tried the standard traditional method of piercing the thread with the needles and locking it on when I started doing leatherwork, but very soon I didn't bother as my stitching was about the same whichever I did I've settled on a method which is a sort of combination of those by Chrisash and Toxo -- depending on the thickness of the leather I use JJ L3912 /002 or JJ L3912 /004 , or Tandy Big Eye needles ; and linen or synthetic 0,45mm or 0,6mm or 0,8 to 1,0mm thread; either ready waxed or DIY waxed 0,6mm and 0,8 to 1,0mm thread is usually a tight enough fit in the appropriate needle that I don't need to lock it on. I use 0,45mm thread in JJ L3912/ 004 needles, and that's usually OK if I give it an extra waxing. Waxing usually means there is enough friction that the needle doesn't fall off by itself; I start with a long tail but it's still easy enough to move the needle along as the thread is used up, which, as mentioned, prevents a wear point on the thread I've never used Vinymo #8 MBT thread, but I see that it's 0,43mm diameter. Why not try waxing it yourself, and see how you go on without piercing/locking on? I've just re-read the replies, especially by MattS. I realise that without thinking about it I have always pulled the thread by the needle at first, just enough to reveal enough thread so that you can let go of the needle and do all the rest of the pulling on the thread itself - it just seems logical, to reduce the wear point where the thread passes through the eye; I also think it gives me more control over the tension, and how tight I can pull the tread.

I don't make holsters, but I do make belts, knife sheaths, and axe covers from 3mm to 4mm leather, and I use waxed thread, either bought ready waxed or I do it myself, or give ready waxed an extra rub if I feel like it. I think that as a general rule you should always use waxed thread for sewing leather, both linen and synthetic, unless there is a specific reason why not.

For belts, belt pouches, and knife sheaths I cut out the pieces.....then dye...... then sew up the pieces.......then do the edges.....then treat with leather grease/treatment I don't use a stitching groover, I use dividers to mark the line of the stitching, so they just make a slight mark or depression in the leather, they don't cut into it For wallets I usually buy ready dyed/coloured leather in the first place I don't use water soluble/eco dye, I only use Fiebings spirit/oil/professional dye, or whatever they're calling it this week, which means that I can wet form an item without the dye bleeding out.

I make mostly belts, wallets, and knife sheaths, using a range of leather thickness from just over 1mm to about 3,5mm, and I've never needed to measure the exact thickness, you just get a feel for it. If you buy from a decent supplier the figures they give you are consistent But if you're keen you could just get a cheap micrometer, or something like this https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/802904466/leathercraft-thickness-gauge?ref=shop_home_active_9&frs=1 This might be useful; there are several similar charts on t'Net Leather Thickness and Leather Ounces Guide (weaverleathersupply.com) Search YouTube for Measuring Leather Thickness; Choosing Leather Thickness, and so on; there are several videos

We're in danger of going OT here, but yes, he is; also watch videos by JH Leather. She uses pricking iron + awl for most of her sewing, and she's excellent. IMO her video on doing the saddle stitch is one of the best

Besides all the previous comments, your clamps are too strong and have too narrow a surface area. Have a look at this video. You can see that Ian has used less powerful clamps, and also wrapped them in thinner leather to cushion them Or you could try clothes pegs/clothes pins But there's something I do -- the plastic clothes hangers for ladies' skirts often have clips or clamps on them to hold the skirt, and those clamps have a larger surface area; I just saw them off with a junior hacksaw, and use those Making a Leather Knife Sheath - YouTube

For knife sheaths I use 2,5 to about 3,2mm, depending on the size & weight of the knife

OK, as far as I can tell, Lollipop = British and Popsicle = American for the same thing, but I'm willing to be corrected

I have sharpened the prongs of stitching chisels. I used #2 cut Vallorbe needle files, but only for a brief and first go, as I thought that even those might be too coarse or rough, and I didn't want to risk damaging the prongs by doing more harm than good So I made up some files or wands by gluing wet & dry paper to lollipop sticks - 400, 600, and 1,000 grit, and work through the grades. You could use slivers of aluminium sheet or stiff plastic instead of lollipop sticks I expect you could make a similar, miniature strop; I used green chromium dioxide compound just on the wood, with no leather, but I found the 1,000 grit paper was fine enough It's a bit of a tedious job, but as with sharpening a head knife, you only need to do it once, then occasionally on the fine grade or strop as required There are a few YouTube videos about polishing stitching chisels

Search YT for 'how to disable childproof caps'; there are a few methods Many bottles have the same standard thread, so if you have a bottle with a child proof cap, try using a cap from a fizzy drinks bottle, or just pour the liquid from a childproof cap bottle into a plain cap bottle, but make sure you remove or thoroughly obscure the label

Hah! Fear Not! After a quick Search on YouTube I've found an answer -- 1) Remove the cap by the intended press & twist method 2) Insert a slim screwdriver into the upturned cap, between the inner & outer parts, and prise out the inner cap 3) Just carry on using the inner cap on its own, as an ordinary cap

One of my pet hates is the childproof caps where you have to press down as well as turn to open, such as those on Fiebings dye Sometimes I pour the dye into old jam or pickle jars, but I don't have any for my latest delivery So, please, does anyone know how to glue, jam, or otherwise fix those lids so that they can be opened simply, just by turning? I have a similar problem with bottles of model plane glue, but I solved that by buying Japanese glue, which have ordinary caps

Well, I've been in touch with a couple of military charities and neither of them are interested Help For Heroes say they no longer take goods, and Forces Support say they only take goods in good condition so they can sell them, they don't do any practical or therapeutic sessions. And of course mine won't be as they are what I've accumulated and have been using........perhaps I should rephrase that.......it is in good condition, but has obviously been used, and so less easy to sell I'll see if there is a community craft workshop somewhere; failing that I'm on a UK Facebook page for leatherwork, and it can go on that. There are often beginners asking for tools & advice, so they should appreciate it