UKRay

That is a really cute bag, Art, and beautifully made - although, to be honest, I was quite surprised to see it. I hadn't got you down as a shiny pink leather man myself... LOL Ray

Nice looking work broncobuster. This kind of job does come up quite often so I'd be interested to know what you felt you learned from it and how you might do it differently next time. Are there any tips you could give to anyone doing something like this for the first time? What sort of canvas/zippers/thread did you use? What about leather re-enforcing on the corners where the canvas touches the frame? Cheers, Ray

This sounds like very good advice to me - I'd also suggest you take a walk to your local pet store and scope out what they have on sale... obvious, but worth saying. Then check out online photographs of dogs that are obliged to be muzzled in public places to get some idea what is already being made. I make quite a bit of dog equipment and can't see this as a particularly lucrative sideline, but good luck anyway! Ray

I have recently had two scammers try the 'it wasn't delivered' routine so now I always get a signature. As Mike says, the buyer pays shipping costs so make it clear that this is part of your trading policy. I always send First Class Mail plus recorded delivery. This serves three purposes as it makes it less likely that the package will be 'lost' by the post office, provides me with basic tracking on the package and stops the customer from saying it hasn't been delivered - it works for me. It costs me basic postage plus 75p - just over $1 extra to get the signature on delivery. I would imagine that those charges are similar in the US. Hope this helps, it has saved me a lot of expense... Ray

Hi Marcel, Glad the Skidmore's Leather Cream worked out well for you. Its amazing stuff. How did the hole work out? Did you manage to make it vanish? Ray

It looked to me as though you might be able to use the thing as a catapult if you run out of shells... I wonder how it works? Ray

This ought to be 'required reading' for anyone starting out in the leather business. I just wish I'd had a copy thirty years ago - I might have stuck a bit harder to the leather! Still, it got me back on track in the end. A great book and well worth the $s. You might also want to take a look at http://knol.google.com/k/ray-hatley/the-ba...uhfjt5pdr2mt/2# - yes the URL is a bit long winded but the information might be useful. There are a few more of these in case you get interested. Ray

Hi Emma, I have exactly what you need and have used them on a number of cloaks. Drop me a PM with a phone number and I'll gladly give you a call. Ray

A suggestion: Rather than using someone else's pattern why not nip to the local flooring shop and blag an old book of flooring samples. These can be used to 'mock up' ideas and develop patterns. Soft vinyl flooring responds in a similar way to leather and can even be stitched and riveted. It cuts easily with any sharp knife and will save you a fortune in ruined leather. Ray

I thought I'd seen some incredible gadgets but human ingenuity never fails to amaze me... Is this the weirdest skinning device you have ever seen? Ray edit due to incoherence...

It certainly looks like the sort of thing I had in mind, Terry. I'm glad those are standard rivets, Steve, I'll put an offer on the thing then... Thanks guys.

The machine works with a rotary action – in other words the press is treadled by pressing the pedal up and down. The connecting rod attached to the foot pedal turns the big black flywheel which turns the big cogwheel inside the circular top casing. The cogwheel then turns the offset cam which powers the ram – this means the ram is constantly going up and down as long as the flywheel is turning so fingers need to be kept out of the way. You adjust the height of the cut by turning the platen (check out the heavy duty thread) and locking it off with the big knurled screw on the side of the casing. When the big flywheel is turning it sounds really cool – a very slight chatter of cog teeth, the whirr of the wheel and the sound of greased metal coming together and parting. It is almost silent. It takes around 1/2 minute to stop turning after you stop treadling... Kate, given that it looks like a prop from a Steampunk movie, I guess I was kinda looking for a Victorian sounding name, tho Thumper is pretty cool!

It really depends on what you want to get back from your investment. If you want to run an e-commerce website that will allow online transactions or you want an 'image heavy' website that is beautifully crafted with all the bells and whistles then I would suggest you have a long chat with Johanna. If, like me, you need a website that acts as a brochure and don't have much money to play with then investigate www.blogger.com as this will give you a completely free web presence. It won't be full of exciting gizmos and flash presentations but it will steer people towards you. I get around twenty percent of my business from my Blogger pages - okay, I now have an e-commerce website as well but that is a recent addition. I was doing pretty well without it. Everyone has different requirements from a website. IMHO If you can identify what you want to achieve then you will have gone a long way towards finding out what sort of site you need and who you need to talk to. Ray

Having had a couple of days to play with the new press I'm even more pleased with it. I'm glad it seems to meet with people's approval. It is an uncommon thing isn't it? Steve, I can well believe it would cut out soles but it would probably take a fair bit of energy on the treadle to build up enough momentum to deal with something that tough under the press. If your grandfather was getting on in years I can well understand that he would rather use a knife - but I don't have to agree with him! Thanks for all the kind words guys - I'm exceedingly pleased with the beastie but has anyone got any ideas for a good name for it? Ray

I just found one for sale, Steve, and wondered if it was still possible to get bits for it. The guy may be a little 'flakey' and I wouldn't be surprised if he got the name wrong. There are a couple of other H/duty riveters on eBay at present that I'm tempted to have a go for. They apparently take standard sized No. 9 OOH rivets - have you ever heard of these? Would you know where to get them from? Ray

I'd go with Mike, Marcel. Just wet the leather and squeeze and flex the sides of the hole together. When it is all back in place give it a 'gentle' tap with a shoemaker's hammer and you should find the hole vanishes. Good luck, Ray

The story is that it was removed from a shoe manufacturing company that closed down about three years ago, It had been purchased new by the company in or around 1895. The machine is in fabulous condition with all original paint intact - apart from some obvious signs of wear. There is a manufacturer's plate on the front that says: ' The Standard Engineering Company' Leicester, England' . Standard started in 1894 as a Leicester based family engineering business, manufacturing a wide range of shoe making equipment. In the 1970’s it was purchased by Halma plc which is now based in Kettering. I just wondered if anyone had seen anything like it before. From experience I would guess it exerts a pressure of around 6-8 tons as my strip knives crack though 3.5mm thick leather like butter. A side benefit: it is akin to a gymnasium machine as when you have finished cutting out your leather you feel like you have had a workout! I love using it so much I may lose weight... Nah - only kidding! This afternoon I cut thirty dog collars in fifteen minutes without really trying. It is pretty fast as well as powerful.

Just bought myself a new toy. Towed it 200 miles home and had to crane it over the fence... got it stuck in the doorway but eventually got it into place. it works like a dream! Anyone know how old it is? Ray

I love the way good steampunk stuff is built. Here is something you won't see everyday: http://englishrussia.com/?p=3780

I have recently modified an old foot press to fit 3D stamps and I have to say this is the best solution I've found to date. It allows me to use both hands to put the work in the perfect position under the stamp and use exactly the right amount of pressure on the stamp. Ray

Apparently haggis is not a Scottish delicacy at all - although I was perfectly happy to let them keep it - filthy stuff! http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8180791.stm

I'll drop them an email - thanks Terry.

Llangarron is the dark side of the Brecon Beacons isn't it? last time I was down that way there was no TV, radio or phone reception and lots of people with huge boots and automatic weapons... hmmmm.

I'm hunting a pattern for a pair of turnshoe high 'boots' - can anyone help here? I guess I could extend the shoe pattern I'm already using (thanks Terry) but to be honest I haven't been hugely successful with it. The shoes look okay but are always the wrong size! There must be a trick to making these things so they fit. I think it is probably getting a good range of patterns together and making up a range of sizes to find the ones that fit best. I look at those boots and shoes you make, Doug, and drool... Ray