UKRay

I used that pearl glue stuff at school too, Tony. What a pong! (aside: I wasn't much of a woodworker and I'll never forget my old woodwork teacher who was a real character saying: "Damn and blast you boy, be careful with that wood, it doesn't grow on trees you know!") I have a feeling that rabbit glue is going to be along the same lines as pearl glue but I've an idea the stuff now comes as a dry powder that can be mixed with water but needs to be heated before use. Much the same idea as pearl glue but a finer consistency more suited to restoration and museum reproduction work. Anyone used Cascamite as a leather glue? (I hope I got the product right as I believe there is a 'heavy duty' laxative with a very similar name and we wouldn't want to use that now would we? LOL ). Somehow, the idea of bunny boiling for real is almost too good to let go... Ray

I knew I was going to attract abuse... but this time you have it all wrong, Mike. My favorite cousin, Luke Hatley is the man you are thinking of, not me. We actually share the same birthday but I understand he has had one or two more than me. Don't say anything, but I'm almost sure he was the guy who invented rabbit glue though I don't like to ask... LOL I know it is hard to believe, but I did take a look at the web before posting this question because I didn't find anything particularly helpful about how to make the stuff. Boiling rabbit skins - or not - seems a pretty loose set of instructions to me. I want something a tad more definitive. How long do you need to boil your bunny? What does the stuff look like when you have made it? How do you use it? Does it really work and has it got a use in my workshop today? Thanks for your wise words, Jim. Nice to see there is one sensible person on here. Now that was more like it. Unfortunately, living in the UK, I have never heard of Elmer's glue - who is Elmer and what makes his glue special? Are we talking some kind of PVA adhesive here? Anything is better than contact adhesive... although the fumes do tend to give you a nice warm woozy feeling if you use it all afternoon with the windows closed... So - anyone know where can I get ready made rabbit glue? An art shop? Ironmongers/hardware store? Builder's merchant? Where? Ray

As one of two of you may know, I'm interested in the history of leatherworking and using old techniques (sometimes with a modern spin). Right now I'm researching old fashioned glues and pastes. If you have any information and/or recipes I'd be most grateful to know more. I do have a couple of specific questions: Does anyone know how to make old fashioned 'rabbit glue'? I believe it might have been made from rabbit skins but can't imagine how. Is it the same as the 'hot' wood glue used by cabinet makers? Does anyone know what sort of glue or paste was used by book-binders to stick leather to paper? Is there a modern equivalent? Cheers, Ray

Many thanks, Jim and Luke. Most helpful. The machine I've been looking has been 'factory rebuilt' by an Adler mechanic who lives nearby and I believe it to be around 20 years old. I'll investigate further! I won't be phoning Cobra Steve, Ken. You obviously didn't read my profile. He is in the US and I'm in the UK so I'm not about to pay to ship a used machine 2000 transatlantic miles when there is almost certainly one on my doorstep. LOL It is worth mentioning that I do buy needles and bobbins from Steve occasionally and, in the main, I find him very reliable (yes, I'm still waiting for that set-up video you promised to send me, Steve!)... but then I buy stuff from many of the other US dealers too depending on who is offering the best price when I call them up. I would think most folk on here are like me, quite grown up enough to find their own deals without being shoved one way or another. Please leave unsolicited advertising to the dealers, guys - I certainly don't want to see it in the forum. I have looked at the Juki too, Gregg. I had a problem finding anyone local to me who was prepared to service one - but I agree, they are great machines if you get a good 'un. Cheers, Ray

In my search for the perfect sewing machine... yeah, I know, it is never ending LOL... I have finally got to the point where I'm about to buy another one. I need a machine to stitch fine work (like wallets and soft leather pouches) that my other machines won't do. The big Highlead harness machine is great for big fat thick leather jobs and the smaller Highlead works fine for mid-range work. I mostly use it for stitching together two thicknesses of 2mm veg tan. My ancient but very lovely Singer 29k patcher is rarely used these days and is heading for eBay sometime soon if I can't find a good use for it. After a good look around, I have been considering Adler machines and wondered what the general feeling was? Are they as good as folk say? Which one would be best for my purpose? I have tried a post machine without much success. I believe I need a small cylinder arm machine - has anyone got a recommendation or suggestion for me? Has anyone fitted a servo motor to one and did it work out okay? What sort did you fit? Any advice gratefully received. Thanks, Ray

I use Sharpies for intricate work and have no problems; however, like JesseJean I'm not a fan of the Paint Markers. Ray

So what sort of earring should be considered 'acceptable'? I know a guy who wears a real feather, another who has a small silver ring and another who wears a small silver cone type earring. FYI: and in no particular order, one is gay, one is a police officer and the other is a well respected local business man! Ray

Funny how things have changed, isn't it. Nowadays the 'gay' thing doesn't seem to apply over here in the UK, but I tend to believe that, in most places around the world, having an earring is not regarded as wholly 'respectable' (unless you work in 'media' LOL, or are big enough to defend your right to do as you please!). Tattoos also seem to have their own (unfortunately mainly negative) cultural implications. I guess this is the same the world over - except, maybe, in New Zealand where I believe Maori tattoos are an important part of the cultural tradition. Do any other countries have a positive tattoo tradition? I don't have an earring or tattoo, but have often wondered if my life would have been different if I'd made the decision to do so. Ray

I am surprised at the response to this topic. From my discussions with people around the world I would have thought it would have provoked more vehement support or loathing. It seems that most people don't actually give a rats ass - I like that! Freedom to express yourself is rare enough in this world. An earring is one of the few ways to do it, but obviously you have to live and work in an environment where it would be considered acceptable. What is the stigma attached to earring wearing? I'd be interested to know if the same people who are anti-earring are also anti anything else? I know a number of UK Police Officers who wear earrings when they are not at work, and I know several British Police Officers with tattoos - often Navy or other military tats. Is this the same the world over or do tattoos carry the same sort of stigma as earrings? Also: does being a law enforcement officer or holding other 'public' post tend to exclude a person from wearing an earring when off duty? Ray

Today I took delivery of a shiny new (okay, factory reconditioned) 20 ton Atom clicking press - see pictures below. I'm not exaggerating when I say I'm still amazed it happened at all, let alone had a happy outcome. It all started at 6am when I saw the early weather forecast - torrential rain and high winds were predicted at precisely the time my machine was booked to arrive. At 8-30am the Hi-Ab lorry arrived, but I had struck lucky. The driver/operator was a great guy with a very dry sense of humour and amazing crane operating skills but the real luck was that the rain stopped falling and the wind stopped blowing. We decided to make a quick start and get things moving. By 9.15am my very old (and very lovely) treadle operated clicking press had been lifted out of my workshop and was poked into a waiting van. By 9.30 it was being driven away by its new owners. A real result! Meanwhile the two engineers from Hawkes Technical (see: www.hawkestechnical.com ) sent to install the new press had turned up with the machine, carefully wrapped in plastic sheeting, on the back of their truck. It was the work of minutes to hook up the crane, lift the thing twenty foot into the air, swing it over my fence and onto a waiting (steel re-inforced) pallet bridge that spanned the door step and provided a route for the pallet ruck to run on. Minutes later the guys hauled the new press, physically, in through the workshop door. At that point the wind and rain started up again and it has got progressively worse as the day has gone on. I didn't care, we were under cover. First job was to install the three phase converter to change my ordinary domestic supply and make it work with the three phase motor on the clicking press. On advice, i had purchased a brand new unit from a company called Motorun in Teddington Middlesex - see www.motorun.co.uk Suffice to say it wasn't quite powerful enough for the clicking press 2hp motor and made some weird clicking noises of its own. I called the owner, Dave, and explained the problem and he talked the engineers through a temporary fix but promised to exchange the unit for a more powerful one asap. Great service and a good man to do business with. The engineers spent a good hour with me showing me how to get the best from the machine and telling me which bits to keep an eye on and how to get out of trouble if I got into any - only a matter of time really... By 2pm everything was in place so I called Sara Underwood, the managing director at Hawkes Technical, to tell her everything was working as it should and to make the final money transfer. From start to finish the whole process had taken just seven days. Now that is what I call service! With the engineers out of the way, I set to and cut up a huge box of scrap as I rapidly learned how to use the machine properly. By 5pm I was confident that it was all going to be fine but I'm now absolutely exhausted. I hadn't realised how stressful the process was going to be and hadn't allowed for the fact that I had almost no control over events once they started happening. I just had to ride the wave and see where it went. Not at all easy for a confirmed control freak like me LOL! Has anyone else had a delivery day to remember? Ray

Okay, this is a serious question which could be a tad contentious, but I'm happy with that. I have been talking to a large number of people (over 50) here in the UK, in Australia and NZ and also in the US who appear to think that men probably shouldn't wear earrings. To be fair, a good number said they felt men can do whatever they like, but the majority appear to think that the 'day of the male earring' is dead and gone. What are your views on earrings for men? Yes? No? Which ear? What sort? Ray

Sold - thanks for all the interest! Ray

A real piece of leatherworking history, this amazing press was made around 1890 and has been my main cutting press for the past year and a half. I have now got to the point where I need to purchase a hydraulic press. I can't have both as I'm really pushed for space so this beauty has to go. Don't be mislead by the elegance as this is a real workhorse.It weighs around 1/2 a ton - maybe a tad more although I have never weighed it. It stands 6ft high and is made from cast iron and is entirely treadle operated - and you don't get greener than that. It has plenty of cutting power. I have used it with strip cutters, embossing plates and even to press leaves into the surface of leather as a decoration. It is a truly amazing tool with plenty of life in it - heck, it will almost certainly last longer than you! The press is in good working order (the fly wheel goes round and round and the press goes up and down and rumbles 'impressively') but the screw operated 'fine adjustment' of the pressure plate - the thread you can see on the front of the picture - can be a tad temperamental. I'm not an engineer and don't profess to know a thing about engineering so please don't ask me technical questions. It may be an easy fix but I'm mentioning it anyway. I should also mention that the press was used to cut out 500 pieces last week and didn't give me a minute's worry. Buyer needs to collect from Ludlow in Shropshire within the next week. If you can arrive at the same time as my new hydraulic press (9am Thursday November 11) my hi-ab driver will load it for you for free.. You simply provide the flat-bed vehicle/trailer/whatever. If not then bring many very strong friends - and I do mean lots! I'm looking around £450 but will accept a trade - what do you have to offer? See eBay listing number: 220692815327 Please contact me on 01584 873633 between 9am and 5pm or email ray@barefootleather.co.uk Ray Picture follows:

So sad. A good bloke. Ray

Nah - just straight Rizlas, cousin. However, I do believe the wide ones would fit nicely too... LOL Nice job on the tank bib pocket Spinner. I had a look at your Etsy site too - very nice work! I was thinking of making a 'playing card pack sized' piece of wood and wet forming the 'pockets' around it. I'm hoping the same pouch can be tweaked to accommodate several different items. Anyone ever made a multi-use pouch and customised it by wet forming different shapes into it? Ray Pic is of the same pouch but snapped shut. The leather is neatsfoot oil finished and polished in a pocket... the scuff will vanish with a drop more oil.

Y'know Spinner, that was close to where I got to. I even pulled a pattern together for a case but when I made it up I couldn't get it to look right. The one good thing about it was it held a packet of tobacco just right and still had room for some rolling papers, filters and a lighter. LOL Seriously, I'm wondering if the design brief needs to be a little more flexible. Maybe I need to look again at a single piece case like the one in the picture. It wouldn't be too difficult to make it fit quite snugly especially if I were to wet form it. Anyone got any thoughts on this? Ray See picture:

I may have missed mentioning the bit about me nearly dying of goat allergy... Much as I'd like to oblige, I'm not about to get them out of the sealed plastic bag again and take pictures! LOL FYI: Goat skins are generally between 6 to 9 square foot in size. These are a good mixture of sizes. They are direct from the tannery so some have a couple of small flaying holes that may need to be patched. Most are pretty fine skins. The price generally depends on size and quality. It costs around £25 each to get a goatskin tanned to this quality. Right now I'd be happy to get the tanning fee back in my pocket. There are 16 skins total and I'm wide open to sensible offers. The machine is listed on my website www.barefootleather.co.uk - you are very welcome to take a look. Ray

Has anyone ever made a pair of spec frames for medieval re-enactment? What are the issues and answers? I have seen a few pairs at events but it would be good to see a few more if anyone has any pictures. Hope you can help! Ray