UKRay

I'm watching you now, Ed, 'cos i bet you do make another one - or even several more! LOL So tell us how you made this thing. Is that leather sandwiched between MDF or plywood or something similar? What do you do with your mauls? How do you stop them rolling off the bench? What about edge shaves and all the 'handled' tools? What do you do with those? Ray

Try living in the UK if you want strange gun laws... Just owning a saddle like that is probably enough to get you arrested over here LOL. Mind you, I can see a lot of business for the guys who made this thing in Birmingham where, apparently, there are more 'drive by' shootings than anywhere else in the country. Nice work though. Ray

This is one of my favourite reference threads and I think it is about time it had some new pictures! I'm now on tool rack number... who knows or cares but I still haven't got it right. Has anyone got any new ideas? Ray

I went to see the Mary Rose in Portsmouth recently and took a few cheeky photos of leatherwork recovered from the wreck. Sadly the low lighting, lack of flash and a cheapo camera didn't help the images much, but enough for you to get an idea what leather stuff looked like in Tudor times. I should mention that many of the artefacts recovered were, unusually, the property of ordinary sailors and the ship's craftsmen - not rich people. Check out the reproduction doublet - not an original but beautiful work all the same. Anyone know who made this? The leather bottle is poorly stitched. Was this a 'second' or simply an old bottle that was repaired? Check out the stamping on the scabbard. Hope you enjoy the history. Ray

Welcome to the forum, Greybeard - there are plenty of people from the UK on here so you won't lack for company! If you have any questions do feel free to ask as everyone is very helpful. The wealth of leatherworking information amassed here is almost unbelievable so do spend time browsing the archives. Enjoy, Ray

Nice work, Bentley. Getting that lining right is harder than it looks! LOL Ray

Thanks so much for the offer, John. I've been looking at the price of tickets to China. How far are you from Hong King as I can get a special deal on a flight a bit later in the year? I'm serious. I'd love to see your set-up and don't worry, I'm never going to become a cue case maker - I'm not even sure how to use a cue. LOL! Okay, I'm on a roll here. Where else can I go? Is there anyone in the UK, Europe or Scandinavia who might spare me an hour or so? I'd very much like to meet up with a knife sheath maker or two and anyone who makes replica medieval pouches would be high on my list. I've already spoken to Andy in Northumberland about a leather moulding session - I'm hoping to get there in a month or two. I'll be in York 2nd week of April if anyone is in that area. Any invitations would be very welcome! Ray

I suppose this is the best I can expect from you two... Doh! LOL Fortunately young Jim doesn't know about this machine (he is still in Australia) or I'll bet he'd be kicking off about me selling it too... Ray

This is my own well maintained and much loved 29k. It comes on its original cast iron treadle stand, has a new leather drive belt and a new bobbin winder rubber 'tyre'. I'll also include my collection of 29K ephemera including manual, spares, needles, belting etc. The ONLY reason it is for sale is because I just use it for repairs and I really need the space for another motor powered flatbed production machine (which is arriving in the next few weeks). The 29K58 comes complete with plenty of spare needles, spare bobbins and casings in original packaging. It has an original Singer wooden table to make sewing flat stuff easier. This sits on the stand and converts the machine from a cylinder arm to a flatbed. This machine is a true workhorse and I sell it secure in the knowledge that it will satisfy the most discerning buyer. PM me for my telephone number. I'm happy to discuss offers. Sorry I'm not interested in selling bits and pieces. All or nothing guys! Ray

Nice work, Vikefan. Stacking those layers is a painstaking process and getting the stitching neat is difficult. I like the inlay work a lot but somehow I would have preferred to see a leather strap rather than that ugly metal clip. Just my opinion and worth what you paid for it! LOL Do post more pictures of your work, I'd really like to see the other stuff you make! Ray

This week, I went back to school. I spent a couple of days with one of the UK's top historical shoemakers, Sarah Juniper , learning how to make medieval turnshoes. Sarah is a superb craftsperson and has a thorough and intuitive understanding of shoemaking. I feel privileged to have spent time in her workshop, sharing ideas, leatherworking knowledge and exchanging skills. But the process didn't stop as I walked out to my car and drove home. I spent the rest of the week researching aspects of leatherwork that I wasn't even aware existed and have learned far more than I thought possible from the experience. I should point out that I had no intention of making turnshoes when I started, I just wanted to understand the processes involved. Instead I have come back with a wealth of ideas, new skills and a huge amount of inspiration that has pushed my day-to-day leatherwork much further than I thought possible. This has been a really positive experience and I'm keen to repeat it with other leatherworkers and leather craftspeople. Who should I visit next? Do you know a specialist craftsperson who might be prepared to show me what they do? I'm happy to travel almost anywhere. Have you got any suggestions? I'm always open to invitations LOL! Ray

Thanks, Mike. I'm ahead of you here as I have gathered a motley collection of old and battered pewter tankards that are destined to turn into buckles sometime very soon. I also experienced 'flying metal' whilst pouring lead into a 'not quite dry' baking tin to make a punching block... a very impressive spatter of liquid lead almost put me off any more experimentation! LOL Ray

I'm not sure I understand you, Ken. Want to explain? Ray

T'is one of the joys of becoming an old codger, Ferg! I find soaking my hands in very hot water before starting work helps a bit... there is probably more than a touch of wishful thinking about this though. I started playing the guitar when old Arthur started his nonsense, and I have to agree, moving the fingers keeps 'em going. Sadly I'm still a lousy guitar player! I find the single finger pressure required when carving most difficult. I have quite recently started losing the strength in my fingers so even tooling is becoming harder - and my tools fly all over the workshop on bad days! LOL Ray

It rather depends on how you categorise 'native' skills. Do you mean specifically the cultures you list? As far as I'm aware, leather linking and lacing has been around since pre-history and is a part of every world culture. Ray

This is a really interesting question, mainly because my arthritis means I find carving letters very difficult (and painful) so I don't have the inclination to carve. I dislike stamped lettering because with commercially produced letter stamps the kerning is so poor (the gaps between the letters) but find myself forced to use stamps to make a saleable job. I suspect my problem is mostly because I'm trying to produce a low cost commercial product. In addition, the standard Tandy Leather Factory letter stamps all have the same problem with the Letter I being too wide in comparison with the rest of the set and I can't find an answer other than grinding off the edges of the I stamp to reduce the width. I'm now using some very old sets of letter stamps (which I seem to remember hand filing to size around thirty years odd ago) that include a rustic style that looks like it is made up from logs, an Old English style that is mostly curlicues and flourishes plus a set of standard Tandy plain, squared sided stamps that I like best. None of them are a truly satisfactory solution... Ray

I've just watched a DVD called 'Fancy Leather Lacing' with Chan Geer that was very informative and easy to understand - it might help if you have any problems. I believe I purchased it from Hidecrafters in Fort Worth, Tx. Ray

Lovely job as usual, John. It is always a pleasure to see your work. Ray

I've got the reference books you mention, Al, and appreciate your advice more than you can know - particularly the tilted work surface. What a sensible idea... I do a little silversmithing so have the wherewithall to melt 'hot' metal but have no practical experience of casting metal as yet. It is one of those 'projects' that I've been meaning to do for ages but never got around to. This year I'm going to give it a try. The soapstone mould idea sounds like a good one, but the 'synthetic material' moulds look a whole lot easier! Lots of food for thought. Thanks. Ray

Okay folks, thanks to Mr Siegel's generosity (many thanks for the opportunity Steve!) I'm now in a position to pass constructive comments on the hide he sent me. First off: The side is very big and slightly darker in colour than I am used to seeing (veg tan over here in the UK tends to be pale coloured). The extra length is extremely useful for making strap goods and I'm in no doubt, having started to work with the leather, that this is a quality product. It cuts very well with a plough gauge, the rather stiff texture helps the cut. It has a number of fairly superficial surface marks that are of no consequence - in fact, IMHO, they tend to add character to the leather. If I were to be picky, I'd say there are a lot more marks on this hide than the ones I purchase from my UK supplier but this is entirely in keeping with its story - we have already been told it was dragged, but lets not get carried away with this. The marks are small and inconsequential and the leather, IMHO, is completely suitable for purpose. I have worked with it this afternoon and it is good to use. Compared with the British leather I have been using recently, this leather tools exceptionally well. It is dryer than my regular British tanned leather and soaks up the casing water like a sponge but takes an embossed impression very well indeed. The leather also dyes and finishes well. I gave it 2 x coats of Leather Balm and Atom Wax and it looks great! Jim's question about enzyme activity and longevity will take quite a while to prove or disprove, but to be honest, on the surface I can't see any reason why this leather won't last just as long as any other leather. If I didn't know its history I wouldn't question it for a minute. For anyone in Europe considering buying this leather, the price compares extremely well with UK suppliers but as you might expect, shipping a single hide from the US, at around 60 dollars, is a tad too high for me to feel entirely comfortable. I suspect shipping a larger quantity will bring the price down considerably. Right now, I can't see any reason not to buy 'Happy Cow' leather and if you have the gumption to come up with a good sales pitch you may find you can expand your market. I'm certainly going to try. I'm happy to answer questions about the way this leather handles and cuts so fire away. If I don't have an answer I'll tell you! Ray

Thanks, George - most useful! Ray

I'm looking to re-create historic buckles and fittings, Ken. The sort of thing that was used in medieval times on belts, pouches and other leathergoods. Ray

Has anyone ever tried casting buckles in lead-free pewter? Apparently it isn't too difficult but I'd like to hear from anyone who has actually done this and hopefully see some of the results. Also brass, bronze and any other metal - pictures would be greatly appreciated especially of the casting process. Ray