UKRay

I'm entirely with you on this one, Bob. Nice looking knife and I want one! Let me know what you want for your J. Cook - we don't see many of those this side of the pond. Ray

Well, I read everything y'all had to say and did my first patch today. The reality was a whole lot easier than I imagined. It took a couple of minutes and everyone went away happy. The thing that made it easy was being prepared and having the confidence to do the job. I had all the questions ready - do you mind if I stitch through the lining? I had glue to hand and double sided tape at my side. I had the machine ready - bobbin full and ready to roar. The job was a breeze and he is coming back with two more hairy biker mates at the weekend. Thanks guys you really helped. Ray

Thanks for all the kind thoughts, guys. It is very much appreciated. Right now the jury is out. If healthcare was the only issue I now think I'd be inclined not to worry too much as long as I had some insurance in place (so thanks for the very useful advice) but there are other factors that still have to be weighed up, not the least that my parents are still alive and getting older and, although the temptation is to convince them to come with me, I definitely couldn't afford four lots of insurance! 12 months can make a lot of difference and so as soon as the house sells I'm still going to try for the house in Tn. If nothing else it will be a great place for holidays for a couple of years and those fish can only get bigger.... Light the BBQ, Dave. I'll be over shortly... Best invite Luke too. I'll bring the beer and three legged stools...

...and remelting the beeswax blocks occasionally -when they get all shredded up and manky! I must remember to drop a bit of resin in next time. Just got an amazing cast iron double cauldron... hubble bubble... sorry, where was I? Get a stove Ed. Take it outside and boil up your lead somewhere where the stove can't topple over and you won't kick it. It doesn't take long and probably won't kill you any faster than living in New York. Just don't breath the nasties. Oh yes, do scrape the crud off the top of the pot or you'll have a rough surface to your lead block. No problem. Nice and easy. Now go and mug a plumber like everyone over here does. Shipping lead from California, indeed - Doh! I can see I'm just going to have to come over there and do it for you! <grin!>

Johanna's been having good ideas for years - check the date on the original post! <grin!>

Another item from the archive that is worth some consideration. Short but succinct!

This apparently didn't attract much attention at the time but I just found it extremely useful as I put together the terms and conditions of business for my new website. Well worth a look. Thanks Johanna.

As I said, lots of reasons to go and lots to stay. Thanks for your honesty guys. I had a feeling things weren't going to be easy where this was concerned. Right now I'm disgustingly fit and well but, well, tempus fugit and all that... This business of health care is a tricky one if your income fluctuates wildly. All the crafts and leather folk I know say this business is either feast or famine. One day you get orders and the money rolls in and the next - nothing. How can you afford healthcare insurance with an income stream like that? Okay, I'm lucky and have several sources of income but all depend on me being fit and well enough to work long hard hours. Over here if I am ill I simply go to the doctor and if I need treatment I go to a state run hospital and receive a very high standard of treatment. Sure the NHS (National Health Service) has its detractors and sometimes things do go horribly wrong - but show me a private hospital that never has problems and I'll show you a bunch of liars. In the main things are fine and thousands of people are treated every day. Yes, many of our hospitals are antiquated, desperately in need of a facelift and losing staff because of poor wages but, IMHO those who remain are fiercely loyal and work way beyond the call of duty to deliver health care that is second to none. Sure, the waiting lists can sometimes be long but the treatment always happens in the end. People with serious conditions are given priority - as they should be - and folks retain the right to pay for immediate treatment if they want to. Privately funded treatment is freely available and clears the way for others who don't have the money. (Okay - this is simplistic but I'm an enthusiast!) A brief anecdote may explain my huge respect for the NHS - Some years back I had the misfortune to pick up schistosomiasis, this was compounded by malaria and a baaaaaaaad unidentifiable tummy bug and, having arrived back in the UK very sick I eventually ended up as a guest of the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in London. I went in there on a blue light and didn't know what was going on for the first few days but I can tell you there was always someone there whenever I woke up and everything I needed was right where it should be. It took three weeks before they finally threw me out and I can't explain how much affection I developed for the folks who work there. I was an outpatient for two years... Total cost - zilch. On my last visit I even had a brief chat with Princess Anne! I would miss it if I moved to the US. But maybe the benefits outweigh the disadvantages of paying for treatment? Can you really get treatment when you want it? Do your hospitals have waiting lists? Is everything in the fee paying world rosy? Edit due to taking so long to write this that there were loads more posts by the time i finally pressed the button, Doh! Thanks for the offer of a house check, Johanna. Especially as I think Tn is a bit of a long way from you isn't it? Okay guys - I won't go until after the show... Paul - you have better get a shift on matie. Pedal harder! Mike - no more than I expected. How does it feel to be so predictable? LOL

...but what happens if I get sick? The time has almost come to bite the bullet. I have finally found a property I really like (and can afford) in the Smokey Mountains, I'm right on the edge of putting my house on the market and I'm getting mentally prepared to pack up my workshop and move halfway round the world (okay, maybe not halfway but you know what I mean...). There are all kinds of reasons why this would be a great idea and almost the same number that make me think I should sit tight and wait a while. One of the biggest worries I have is that, being here in the UK with free healthcare has made me complacent. I don't understand how healthcare works in the US and I can't get any unbiased information about health care insurance and I'd like to tie this up nice and early. What is this going to cost for two people and is there any insurance company which would be better than any other? How do things change as you get older - do insurance costs rise? What are the implications of not having insurance? - Do you simply not get treated? - Suppose you don't have any money (not in my plans, but hey, who knows what might happen in this crazy world)? This is a very real issue and I'd appreciate some genuine advice. Thanks guys.

Hang in there, Tom. Hope things improve soon. Ray

Tough looking bags, Jordan. The bike will save you from wearing out those sandals!

Yup, me too! LOL

This week I was approached by three very, very large and exceptionally hairy bikers who want me to stitch patches on their leather jackets. Individually they are impressive, as a set they are outstanding - they are also extremely funny and we spent an hilarious couple of hours over a few beers before doing the deal. Most importantly, these guys have lots of friends and there isn't anyone else offering this service for miles. I could do with the extra business. Before I start work I just thought I'd run this one past the gang to learn what can go wrong, what I need to make sure I do and how to guarantee a successful job. The leathers look expensive and I really don't want to screw up just because I didn't ask y'all. Bree - this is definitely one for you, but anyone else's opinion would be gratefully received. I plan on using my trusty 29K4 with UK #40 thread. Where do I start and finish - to stick or not to stick; and what do I stick 'em with? Over to you guys...

Nice job, Tom. I'd like to try making one of these when I get the time. Are there any tricks to stitching the zipper into the liner? Ray

Great idea - I just wish I understood what Facebook is supposed to achieve? Left alone, I can waste hours on it...

Ouch - from a man with no tattoos at all... but after all these years is still thinking about it!

Interesting stuff, Jim. I hadn't heard of this before but it kinda makes sense. How do you combine the two substances? Melt and stir? Heat and squish? What is the best combination percentage wise? Ray

Lovely work. That stitching is sooooo much harder than it looks! Ray

Bob, many thanks for the suggestion. I already use double cap rivets on most jobs and, as you say ,they are perfectly adequate. I'd simply like to change 'adequate' for 'special' even if the customer isn't aware of the difference - which throws up a whole load more questions about how far we should take this issue. Without going down the 'edge finishing techniques' route, I'm generally pretty happy with the way I finish my edges and have a range of products that suit me well. The Italian stuff sounds worth exploring and I have already made several calls to Italy and Germany. I'll report back if I get any success. Terry - what can I say? I placed an order and hope they live up to expectations. Mind you, I had to take out another mortgage to pay for the things! Wonder who makes 'em?

This is something I have wondered about for a while especially when I have been writing eBay descriptions. The truth is that Luke is right - it is simply a play on words designed to add 'value' to an item. As a passionate marketeer I can't help but admire the spirit behind the action but the fact remains, it doesn't really matter whether you call something hand made or hand crafted because whatever distinctions they may have had in the past have been swamped by cheap, shoddy imported goods being given the same descriptors. At this point I started looking around for an alternative way of saying the same thing; and then realised I was simply perpetuating the nonsense... Call it what you will, generally speaking, people recognise something of quality. If they don't recognise your work as being high quality then it is time to educate them. Just remember that some people will never understand...

Good point, Seth. Sadly solid brass and nickel plated brass rivets aren't freely available over here in the UK, or if they are, then will someone please tell me where to get them from! I'd like to find a 'machine set' solid brass rivet - anyone know where they can be obtained or what sort of machine they need to set them? Ray

You made a heck of a lot of very good points, Seth. I really dislike seeing a creased border that wobbles around the place and those hand stamped edges that don't quite meet properly are irritating - but sometimes those things just happen when you are making something. Do you scrap the hours of work you have put into a job and walk away or do you try to salvage the work? I'm interested in your comments about not using inks. I'm not altogether sure what you mean by 'inks' can you explain please - do you mean edge dye? Like you I try to pay close attention to edges as they are the first bit a customer takes hold of. The trouble is that spending so much time on them isn't commercially sensible - or is it? Stitching that is meant to be white should be white - couldn't agree more. How do you stop yours from getting grubby during the finishing process? Roller stamped perfection eh? Man you'd be a hard guy to live with but I'd like to re-sell your stuff. Cheers, Ray

Leaving aside the complexities of covering the helmet, I would be inclined to make sure that the glue you propose to use doesn't cause the helmet material to break down. Most modern helmets are pretty intolerant of glues and are often weakened by them. If that works out and your glue is safe to use then cover your helmet in sarran wrap - cling film for the Brits - and start laying on strips of duct tape. Put a second layer at 90 degrees to the first, trim around the base of the helmet and then lift the whole lot off the helmet in one piece. This will give you a 3D pattern that can be cut into manageable segments or sections. Transfer the segment shapes onto your leather. Carefully cut out your shapes and stitch or glue them into place (preferably both). Finish by boning the joints until they sit nicely. Trim the edge as appropriate. Job done. Sounds so easy doesn't it... Ray

Why do you want to do that? Ray