LumpenDoodle2

I used to have green cutting mats the full length of my work/cutting table, until I started using a round knife. I then replaced the mats with a 150cm x 75cm x4mm sheet of HDPE. Best thing I've done, as the round knife doesn't 'grab' anymore, and even my Stanley knife glides easier. I also have a small solid table with a 7" deep, by 18" diameter round of wood on top for using punches. The end on grain protects the punches perfectly. My hubby made a second table for me, upon which I have my little granite slab for stamping. It eould be nice to have a larger slab, but........... Think 'Tiny Homes' and you have an idea of my workshop.

Just a quick mention. As to US and metric introduction and the me hanic, in the UK, we have has BSF(? please correct me on this), Whitworth, and the gods now what other nut/bolt/screw measurement. And that was before wonderful metric was brought in. When I was 11/12 years of age, the UK government brought in decimilisation coinage. I sent a prayer of thanks to every god I knew, and some I didn't, as me and pounds shillings and pence never saw eye to eye.

I prefer using metric, as it makes most sense to me (10 fingers, 10 toes), and reading this forum is a bit confusing re the US oz. I have a printed out conversion card stuck on my workshop wall to work out what 3oz leather is in real money (as we say here in Scotland). The leather suppliers I use measure leather thickness in metric, but hide size in imperial. Saying that, I find myself constantly swopping from imperial to metric and back, even while measuring the same piece of leather. It's just second nature to translate back and forth for me. I have noticed that most UK customers (especially English) order belts in inches, and European customers in metric.

If that is a crinkle paint finish, and has not been repainted, then it dates it to during (or just after) ww2. You should be able to get the model details from the serial number.

Thin veg tan goatskin and papier mache does the job grand. The goatskin molds well with a bone folder, and certainly for the less complicated book covers, the water from the pva glue keeps the leather moist enough for molding. I've never done a big 3D design yet, maybe it's time...... let us know how you get on.

Can't deny, learning to sew while trying to control a clutch motor is a great learning experience. If you can sew with a clutch motor, you can sew with anything. I'm one of the few folk here who use the needle positioner with their servo motor. It sews slow/fast enough for me, and when I hit a tricky bit, I just pedal one stitch at a time, letting the positioner cycle the stitch. Works for me.

What a perfect idea for a one off design stamp. Looking forward to a report on youe 'upgrade'.

Thanks for posting about Instagram, I have to say though, I personally find social media 'likes' driven advertising a bit 'needy' for my liking. I have a facebook account somewhere, a pintrest a count, and a twitter account which is constantly being hacked. And they all nag at me to 'like' things, and 'share' updates to get 'likes'. It all works well for some folk, but it's not the only bar in town, and my world isn't going to end if I don't get involved. And sorry for poking my nose in, but if you stick around, you'll find that JLSleather contributes to this forum in many more ways than sticking his hand in his pocket. Peace and love to all sentient beings. And for the rest of you, just keep banging those rocks together.

That's why the gods invented the interweb :-(). Cool way to wander through time.

So, for us non-techie folk, meths will be ok for diluting the dye? (Sorry, but I alway read about denatured alcohol, and such stuff, etc, and I hear a little 'whoosh' as the words go over my head.)

The badge might help in dating, but Singer also had a habit (at least at Kilbowie) of mass producing stuff, then popping the excess in a warehouse, and using it up as and when. That could sometimes mean that if a special was needed, they would have a rake around their shelves. So the body could be from one run year, and some of the innards from another. I can just imagine an order for SV machines getting the finishing touches, and someone grabbing a handful of spare badges off a dusty shelf.

I have one of those, and agree, it works ok for light leather, and is a bit of a pain if you change the setup. I have both blocks permanently set up, and just swap the blocks over to cut the size I need

Save yoursef some grief, and your marriage, and buy one of those beauty salon electric wax melters. I bought one from fleabay for about £10, and it works fine for melting and mixing wax concoctions.

Having been told off for drooling over the Singer sewing machines on display at Kilbowie, I would have no objections to such info. (Preferably with lots of photos).

Within the ISMAC site is listed (almost) every model made, with serial numbers, origins, uses, etc, and is a joy to read. Because Singer would make 'one off' machines, it is possible to find a hybrid machines that is completely unknown, even to Singer. Can I suggest if anyone does own, or knows of one of these machines, they pass the info onto ISMAC to be documented.

About 4 days before Xmas about 6 or so years ago, I was standing at the till of a local supermarket, trolly overflowing with Xmas cheer. My card was declined, an extremely embarrassing experience in front of a full shop. Luckily, I had another card on me to pay, or we would have been eating the cat food for the foreseeable future. I got home and called my bank, which is when I discovered that my card had been used for a transaction in Australia. Because of the holidays, I didn't get a new card until January, but at least it was sorted out. What annoys me is that the people who do these crimes, don't care who they inconvenience or hurt. In fact most seem to consider it a victimless crime.

Looks good, and it was obviously meant for you. I'm sure the machine appreciates the effort you have gone to. I had never heard of Claes until your posting. Another machine for me to look out for.

I've just bought myself a Juki ls-341, which had been serviced only in someone's imagination. Among many problems was one of the machine sort of seizing up as the needle was coming down. I finally traced it to, of all thing, a loose screw on the reverse lever. The lever was moving slightly out of position, and stopping the whole machine. Once I set its postion and tightened the screws, all was well. (Only took a day to work that problem out, I must be getting good at this :-()).

Sounds good, I for one look forward to seeing the machine. I take it you walked the machine home? If so, well done. I have difficulty getting some customers to walk a mile to collect their package from a collection point.

Wiz is spot on as usual, especially regarding the quality of the bobbin. You would be surprised how 'out of true' a new bobbin can be, and it will affect you machines stitch performance. That, and winding you bobbins too loosely.

I've had a couple of requests for pancake holsters, so many thanks for your patterns. More importantly, many thanks for your 101 stuff. I shall attempt to remember to take and upload pictures of the finished holsters. Thanks again. Maureen

Aussie conditioner? It's the leather equivalent of the elixir of life.

There is (was?) someone in Eastern Europe on ebay selling the 4" Tandy skiver for a lot cheaper than Tandy was. I know it's a smaller blade, but it due to costs I find it does me for the moment. I would have little hesitation to buying the Chinese 6" skiver, as long as I was happy with the quality of the blade. Maybe I've been lucky, but I have been mainly pleasantly surprised at the quality of a lot of the higher end Chinese tools.

I would say it's probibly chrome tanned (looking at it with my inexperienced eye), but that doesn't mean it's any less usable than veg tanned leather. The chrome tan is perfect for bags, covers, and general projects. You can't stamp it or wet form it, but you can certainly keep yourself busy with it. As to tools, I have been waiting for a year for a round/head knife to pop up at a decent price. An old Dixon knife in poor condition finally hoved into view. It has taken a month of on/off work sharpening it, and it isn't quite right yet (I'm new at this sharpening thing, and still learning), but I am now happy to use it for every day work. If I had bought it a year ago when I started looking, it might have put me off for life. It was certainly a learning curve for me. All my tools started as cheap and chearfull, and as I have worked out what I'm doing, I am slowly upgrading. I think I appreciate them more now too because of that.

Hello. The best way to get a 'taste' of what you might need is to wander over to youtube and see the different types of leather (chrome and veg tan), and see the different applications and tools used. Do you know what type of leather you have? If it's upholstery/chrome leather, you might get away with using it as an edging, because of its flexibility. If it's vegetable tanned, then keep it for better projects, like your cover, and get some thin upholstery leather to bind the rug. As to tools, get yourself a cutting board (green self heal), a straight edge/ruler, and a good quality stanley knife (and replacement blades). Now we come to the sewing. You can pick up a reel of decent (not great) thread (including needles) from eBay, and an awl. That will get you started. After that project, you will probibly throw the tools into a drawer and go out and spend decent money to buy what you will now know you really need. Read this forum, watch the recommended youtube vids, and you will soon start to work it all out. Just to add, personally I prefer Le Provo for my stuff, so have a look there too.