LumpenDoodle2

I use walnut dye a lot, and really like the look. I have also used it diluted to great effect.

We live in a world where opinion counts more than fact. False news is taken as true, and so called documentaries are based on speculation only. The world iis oversimplified to black and white, where if you do not share our opinion, you must be against us. And yet a simple picture illustrates it all. (Bloomin'' eck! That was a bit deep.- ed)

Ditto

I refuse to hand sew belts on the principle that I have a life (somewhere). I have no objection to hand sewing holsters, but belts............ I admire those with the patience to do so, though.

Sadly (and obviously completely unfounded), a female leathercrafter is not seen by some as capable of producing anything other than twee frippery . This erroneous attitude, and preconception, can lead to websites being skipped over, unviewed by the buyer. Their loss (IMHO).

If I bought another machine, there would be 'ructions' in this household. I did show the hubby your pictures, but...........

If you buy a blue gun for one specific job, you could alway try to recoup your costs over a bit of time. Bang together some simple, but nice holsters, and put them up on something like ebay. Better than pushing the costs onto the one customer, IMHO.

Get in line.

My workshop is tiny, I mean, really small, as in "dear god, Maureen, how do you fit in all that 'stuff'!" Tiny. Realising I haven't used my 29K for at least 6 months, I think the time has come to see her getting a new, and kind owner, who can get more of a use out of her than me. I would also prefer her to go to someone on here than a complete stranger. Knowing that the prices of the 29Ks have gone a bit silly of late, I figure a good, and realistic price would be £260, and that includes spare bobbins, needles, and a proper threader. She is not perfect, the stand has a bit rust here and there, and the decals are now silver, instead of gold, But she works, and has always stitched well. She is missing the little metal spoon shaped thing that covers the thread as it emerges out of the head. That broke many a decades ago, but I have never had problems with it, and actually have 5 replacements that I bought, and never got around to fitting, so they are included in the sale. When I got her, I planned a full tear down restoration, but she stitched so well, so I never got round to it. You can tell I'm reluctant to sell, so if she doesn't go, then I won't get upset, but I will probibly have to stick her on ebay or gumtree later on in the year (be strong Maueen, you need the space). Here are a few pictures of the dear thing, and if anyone does want her, but is a bit stuck at this time of year, I am happy to hang on to her until the end of the month.

Having got mine for Xmas, there is a little stubborn Lumpen inside me determined not to give up on it

I've been looking for a bit of advice on sharpening clicker knife blades. I love my new clicker knife, but would be happier to be able to get a bit extra life out of each blade. Having difficulty sharpening, as my technique is garbage. :-(

Everyone should have a 3D printer, and learn about cad drawing, and g code. The fun of drawing out a neccessary 'thing', then printing it out yourself is just so much fun.

I do a little bit of upholstery myself, and just to say that getting horsehair (really horsehair and 'other' animal hair) for stuffing isn't too difficult, but not cheap. Coir, and/or nylon synthetic does the job as good, if not better, lasts longer, and is a cheaper, but 'authentic' upholstery alternative.

And all said sensibly, with no threats or abuse. I salute you, and agree with you. But whether anyone finds the idea palatable or not, I honestly do not see where the harm or threat lies to this forum by letting folk know about it.

Calling someone a ponce is a bit rude, isn't it? As to forums, I belong to at least 10 metal detecting forums, and most actually happily rub along, and I constantly bump into members from other forums. All I'm saying is stop getting all upset over something which even the mods are cool about. I've reviewed Definition of forum 1. a meeting or medium where ideas and views on a particular issue can be exchanged. "we hope these pages act as a forum for debate" synonyms: meeting, assembly, gathering, conference, seminar, convention, colloquy, convocation, congress, rally, council, symposium, conclave, congregation, synod, diet;

Hi, having moved from fabric to leather myself, I would definately say that leather is a bit more unforgiving. It can feel similar to sewing a satin (but a very thick satin), as every mistake shows, and it can creep about under the presser foot, so a walking foot of any kind does make life easier. It's also easier to glue, or use double sided tape to keep layers under control, and yes, a flatbed can be awkward, but depending on the thickness and tightness of the cuff, not impossible. I've used a domestic sewing machine on thin leather in the past, and it let me shape the shoulders, etc fine, but it will kill a modern domestic machine fairly quickly, and I've also only used a flatbed (and swore a lot). But as they say, any old port in a storm, and you can make almost anything work, if space/money/resources are limited. Best compromise to me would be a cylinder arm, with a flat bed conversion attachment, homemade or bought. oh, and yes, grab the leather off an old sofa to practice with.

An important thing has been missed out here. A sound system of some kind. I use my ipad (I listen to mainly drama), and it is set up within easy reach. It also gives me instant access to customers' emails, pictures, and the interweb.

That's just a wee bit nasty. If this site's moderators say it's ok for him to post this, then the proper thing to do is to scroll on by, not threaten a boycott, and be personally insulting. Chill, and please cut the aggression. I admire your loyalty, and I love this forum too, but why attack someone for trying to make leathercrafting more accessable. I'm sure this site is strong enough to cope, after all, it's a big enough interweb out there for us all to live in peace.

Typical, I turn my back for a minute, and miss the thing I've been looking out for, for ages.

I can vouch for rule 1.5, and would add the additional sub clause 1.5.3, that all floors, however tidy and uncluttered, will immediatly swallow any, and all screws/spindles/vital componant, whatever size or shape. Never to be seen again, until you have just paid for a replacement. As to Uwe's vid on changing broken tension release bits, I have successfully replaced the thread tension release guide on my Juki, no probs. All due to this vid.

Old machines sound just wonderful. I have threarened to record ans use the soubd of my 29K as a ringtone.

Where? Stop toying with us and give us the pictures A lovely machine, and so glad you have it working, and as to the decals, well, better working than decoration says I. ah! There they are!

Before I started this leather thing last year, I was self employed in a totally different business. At one point I employed 5 chaps, and can say hand on heart, not one of them was worth the wage I paid them. Sounds cruel? Not really, I ruined my health (and bank balance) trying to get my job finished, to then drive around the other jobs getting them off their backsides to try and do a good enough job, in a short enough time, to allow me to make any money from it. After a year, got rid of them all, it was just not worth the hassle. Anyhoo, back on thread. What do I call myself? Bloomin' lucky to be able to do something which allows me to earn money from something I enjoy doing, while paying my bills, and working from home. Ok, the semi-retired thing hasn't worked, too many orders have come in (not that I'm complaining), but I love being able to look out my kitchen window of a morning, and watch my neighbors all heading off to work.

Whiskey dyed leather wallet. Now, there's a tag line. Shall we have a bet on how long before such a product appears on etsy?

Sorry to say that isn't my machine, I just uploaded it for comparison, but I would love to have the space to own one. I do have several Singers, and every one of them gleams, even the 29K whick spent 50 years sitting untouched, in an old garage at a farm. Maybe I should consider selling my 29K and buying a 45K.