UKRay

Alright? That is a seriously nice piece of work by anyone's standards. Congratulations!

Many thanks Chuck - but no historical misconceptions here, check out my 'day job' website: www.history.uk.com. If you look closely you may even find some of my leatherwork! After some more research, I completely agree with your assessment of the optimum temperature for cuir bouilli and I have found references to varnish as far back as the 9th century but my concern was whether they would have had a similar composition to the varnish we know today. I now reckon it was pretty much the same stuff but was it used on scabbards? Heat would certainly harden the leather and you are almost certainly right about needing to use a former of some kind; but I can't entirely agree about no pounding. If you butt joint the long sides of a scabbard and use a curved awl to pierce and stitch through the middle of the leather, surely you need to hammer the stitching flat to get rid of the lumps and bumps and make the seam acceptable? I'm very keen to learn a better way if you know one! So what DID they use to finish the job with? Was it varnish, fish glue or what? Another thing I'm keen to know about is how to get a tight fitting, pre-made solid metal fitting with sharp edges to slide half-way down a rock hard, nicely finished scabbard without damaging the surface. Not impossible I guess, but very tricky - perhaps you can enlighten me about that one too as I'm pretty sure it won't be easy!

Dwight, I use beeswax almost every day when I make up my linen threads for hand-sewing bags. First job when I start is to make up half a dozen or how ever many I need. I make them about 5-6ft long and often around eight or ten strands thick for some heavy jobs. I take a chunk of wax and run it down each thread and then roll them together on my thigh to form a cord. The beeswax sticks all the strands together and helps to keep them waterproof. It makes a horrible mess of your jeans so I tend to use an apron these days! LOL Okay, I guess this isn't so important if you are using man-made fibres but even then it helps a really thick thread slide through the leather without snagging. Hope this helps. Ray

Apologies if this thread is turning into a 'stream of conciousness' thing, but I often find it easier to think things through by writing them down... I think boiling water had something to do with the process but I am confident it is not 'old school' cuir bouilli for a number of reasons, the main one being that the original leather almost certainly wasn't boiled and then 'formed' it was simply cut out, stitched and hammered flat then trimmed to fit the metal mounts. I'm not saying the thing wasn't dunked in boiling water to harden it after it was made but that would have been quite an undertaking for a single scabbard when all water was heated over wood fires. My guess is that if boiling water had been used it was poured over and through the scabbard and the sword inserted as a former - now that is definitely possible. Things against cuir bouilli also include the nature of leather 200+ years ago. We have all experienced that modern leather stretches in very strange and unpredictable ways sometimes - how much worse would it have been all those years ago. How could you gauge how much wet leather would stretch or shrink? Remember also that this leather was pretty consistent in thickness and the stitching was superb which suggests that the guy who made the scabbard was a better than average craftsperson. I can't see them dunking a valuable job in boiling water and taking a chance on it turning out okay. Here is a quick refresher on modern cuir bouilli thinking courtesy of Wikipedia: Basically Cuir Bouilli is a means of making hardened and stiffened leather. Although there is some disagreement among some leatherworkers as to how this is accomplished, there is a significant amount of evidence to think that it was done by molding wet vegetable tanned leather. This leather can be formed into any number of forms, which, on drying, will retain that shape. The wet leather can be set more firmly by drying it under moderate heat, the degree of rigidity obtained being determined by the drying temperature. A faster method, which produces extremely hard and rigid shapes, is to dip the molded leather into boiling water for anywhere from 20 to 120 seconds. This technique causes the partial melting of the fixed tannin aggregates in the leather, making them plastic, causing them to flow and redistribute themselves throughout the fiber network of the leather. On cooling, the fibers become embedded in what can best be called a tough, three-dimensional, polymer network or resin, somewhat similar to the materials made by condensing formaldehyde with substances such as phenol, urea or melamine. Now that sounds distinctly possible so thanks for the clue, Tasha. I still think there is more to this though... The idea that the leather could have boned to a hard finish is interesting and definitely possible but the texture and shape of the surviving bits suggest it was simply cut to size very acurately and then stitched and hammered. There is no smoothing that I would associate with boned leather - Now I could very easily be wrong, scottishshoemaker - but somehow... The next question is how would the scabbard have been finished to retain this hard shell. I have just realised that I haven't told you what sort of sword it is - the sword is almost a twin to the one I posted a week or so ago. A Royal Navy sword that would have been carried by an officer. Not a hacking tool like a cutlass but something a lot more expensive and much lighter. The leather would have been very good quality to survive a life at sea. The metal fittings, the throat and the suspension loop that slung the scabbard from a belt or baldrick - sorry I don't know the technical term for this specific bit of kit - are tight fitting but do not look 'made to measure' therefore this scabbard was almost certainly one of many. Was it mass produced? How did it survive this long? This is where I think Karl's old fish/bone glue comes into play - but is a clear fish glue waterproof? You mention varnish Karl, but was this around 200 years ago so would they have used something like shellac? Remember this was for a Naval officer who couldn't afford an attack of the droops on parade. Ships of the Line (think HMS Victory - http://www.history.uk.com/articles/index.php?archive=50) are nasty damp things that are almost as wet inside as out. Anyone got any more ideas? Thanks for the suggestion of the V&A, Vikti, for anyone who hasn't been there it is an absolute treasure trove of wonderful leathery things. I try to visit every time I'm in London but don't have any contacts in the conservation department. I'll rectify that the first chance I get. Dwight, you have hit on the right method but, I fear not the solution! The wax idea was a good one for at least an hour - but it didn't make the cut... Now mock ups are a different story - I have already made several mock ups - my workroom is littered with 'em - and will make several more to get this right. But you know what they say about a trouble shared? LOL

This past few weeks I have had a few sword scabbards in for restoration. In the main this is complex, time consuming and technically challenging work - which, to be honest, is just how I like it as every one presents its own set of problems and I never get bored working out how to do the jobs. I have now hit a problem that I've never come across before as I need to completely reconstruct a thin leather scabbard (2mm thick leather) for a sword that is almost three feet long. The original (rotten and crumbling) leather looks and feels like veg tan but it is considerably stiffer in texture - in other words the original finished scabbard must have been very rigid - almost solid to the touch. Does anyone know anything about the way scabbard leather might have been treated to make it stiff and hard to the touch? I wondered if it had been painted with shellac? The original surface of the leather I have removed is still fairly rigid even now - both inside and outside - more than 200 years after it was made.. I have tried to reproduce this using all kinds of treatments including neat-lac and a number of similar products but it doesn't feel the same. Remember we are talking about a tube of leather that is three foot long and no more than 3/4" wide so there isn't much room to get in there with a paintbrush. Do you think they painted the inside first and then stitched it up afterwards? Remember that this is a butt jointed job and the stitches have to be buried inside the leather otherwise the sword would chafe through them. It is possibly worth noting that it takes me about two or three hours to hand-stitch one of these things so whatever was painted on would need to remain 'liquid' for that time and cope with the seam being hammered flat and the tube shaped to fit neatly around the sword blade without sticking to the costly and highly decorated and blued metalwork. In addition because the scabbard was part of a uniform it would have had a very presentable finish - so coating with something like tar isn't an option - or is it? Does anyone know how this might have been done? Anyone got any thoughts? It is a fascinating puzzle.

Thanks for all your kindness and help guys. I have been overwhelmed by work and so apologies for the delay in responding. I have been using the machine tonight and can hardly believe how well it stitches. A bit more 'fettling' and I'll be a very happy man indeed! I'll give Siserve a call in the morning! Thanks George. Cheers, Ray

I'm delighted to say that my lovely 29K4 is now squeaky clean and working beautifully. WD40 did the trick combined with an old toothbrush for the tricky bits. Thanks for all the PMs guys and thanks for the kind and helpful comments. Steve, I'm definitely looking forward to seeing your Grandfather's machine and I'd really appreciate a chunk of that belting as that is only bit of the machine that is absolutely shot! I'd like to collect some when we come to visit if that is okay - it should be quite soon. Terry, I have heard about those flat bed tables from Luke - he made one of his own - and would like to get one for myself as it would be invaluable for some of the jobs I do. Could you let me have a picture sometime so I can see how yours is made - or if anyone knows of an original table for sale then do get back to me. I'll gladly pay a fair price plus shipping. Don't worry about the glass raising... already done! Torrbuidhe, thanks muchly for the manual info and the source for a new knob - I'm on it! The only other thing I am hunting right now is some information about bobbins. I only have one and it looks like the one that was supplied with the machine when it was new. I'd like to get a few more but don't know what size to ask for. They apparently come in two sizes - large and small - anyone know which one this might be or how I can tell? Once again, I'm happy to buy used or new bobbins if anyone has some to spare.

I can only repeat what our ever succinct Ferret said - IMHO it is a complete waste of money that takes up valuable space in your toolbox. There must be thousands of these things out there as plenty of folk buy them when they start out and then chuck them aside in disgust when they realise how useless they are. If you insist on owning one then don't buy it new - most second hand ones are just like new as they have never been used! LOL I have not used a speedy stitcher - I haven't even seen them for sale in the UK but my advice is to invest in a decent awl and a couple of needles.

If I made any contribution at all, it was dissuading you from making it in papier mache! I'm replying to your email asap but have been very hectic...

What sort of a lining do you have in mind, Raven? I have lined a few with thin leather and am currently experimenting with making cloth liners with pockets in them that are stitched to the 'mouth' of the bag and 'hang' loosely inside.

Monticore, I'm assuming you could be talking about the 'face' of the leather - in other words not the cut edge - The crinkling you talk about is a pretty normal occurrence and easily rectified. When you have finished your stitching just wet the leather slightly (do not dunk!) and lightly tap the stitches (and the edge) edge down flat with a flat faced steel hammer (a nicely polished, very slightly convex shoemakers/harness maker's hammer is ideal). This will bed your stitches into the leather and if you have used a groover to cut a channel for your stitching it will sink the thread into the channel nicely. I was taught to hammer stitching flat as a general thing when making working harness as it cuts down the chafe and wear and makes the kit last longer. Getting rid of the wrinklies was a welcome by-product! If you are getting a crinkle on the cut edge - like a cookie cutter effect - then you may be slightly too close to the edge when you punch your stitch holes or you may need to explore other ways of making your holes as Tasha and Tony have suggested. One last thing - if you haul up your thread really tight, you can create ruckles in the leather too. Your stitching needs to be firm and tight enough to make a good job but not excessively tight so the work is spoiled. Ray

Chris, I have a small collection of original 1920s and 1930s British made brass and steel tools that look very much like these. I haven't seen any for sale for ages but eBay is a good bet if you don't mind paying top dollar. These also remind me a lot of the tools that people made in the 1970s from old nails and the like. Can I ask what your interest is?

I always learn something new from you, Marlon! I hadn't been bevelling the border and it never looked right... Thanks!

Have you posted a picture of that hat band yet, Luke - if not then could you please drop one in here so folks will know what I'm talking about? I'd be grateful. I'll drop Don101 a PM right away. A picture of the tool would be handy too, if your camera is close by!!!

I was shown a very elegant hat band recently (nice job Luke!). It had a very delicate, decorative rolled 'crease' that really made it look very special. The crease was applied with an old fashioned 'wheel tool' but I can't find a source for them. Can anyone help please?

Thanks for the kind words chaps, most appreciated. Tony, that was a really good question! Both swords were very different. The Naval sword was the trickiest as the original leather was 'glued' to the metalwork with what looked like pitch or some kind of hard glue (I call it horse glue as it was made from hoofs and stuff). You can see traces of it on the long pointy bit of crumbling leather. I haven't used any glue on the restoration as the leather is gripped fairly well by the decorative edges of the metalwork - I have just nipped it in slightly to hold it in place. To be honest, I'm not sure how the metalwork would have been fixed originally on this model of sword although pitch does seem like a possible answer and would be in keeping with a sword intended for Naval use - Having said that, I'm not wholly convinced that the pitch or 'horse glue' I found when I took the job to pieces was original as it seemed to have been poked down the sides of the metalwork rather than applied evenly. I suspect this was done as the original leather lost it's 'body' and so the metalwork became loose. Has anyone any thoughts on this? I could do with a real expert in arms and armour to give me a clue. To glue or not to glue - that is the question (with apologies to the Bard!). The French sword was simply a matter of inserting a leather 'collar' (stiffened with two strips of very thin steel) inside the rotten piece and re-attaching the metal chape. I glued it both sides with a powerful concoction of my own making - a very secret recipe that would almost qualify as alchemy... I'm still working on the base metal to gold thing though...

I finished both scabbards tonight and thought you might like to see how they came out: As you can see from the bits I removed, the leather was completely rotten so I was forced to make a whole new scabbard for the Navy sword. I made the new scabbard out of 2mm thick veg tan. The 'tube' was butt jointed and hand stitched through the centre of the leather so none of the thread came into contact with the sword blade. The really tricky bit was getting the right taper on the scabbard so that it 'looked right'. Te stitches never look right until they have been hammered. I use a steel bar inside the scabbard to hammer against. It takes a while to get them flat and looking respectable. The scabbard is finished with Skidmore's Restoration Cream - mainly because it seals the leather really well and doesn't give a high gloss which would be out of place. A beeswax finish kinda feels right on a piece like this. edit: I forgot a picture!

As Tom said, a good clean and very elegant looking job, Luke. Your top stitching always looks so good. I see you only punched a straight hole in the strap - in other words there is no slit. Is that to take one of those 'locking' buttons? If so, do you mind sharing what size hole you used as I've never done one of those before?

There are 25 pieces in a set of Elder Futhark rune stones including a blank one - I guess that means there should be 24 stamps.

I got a call a week or two back asking if I would restore a couple of sword scabbards. I wasn't expecting the parcel that arrived this morning. Inside packed in bubble wrap was a very heavy and solid looking French sword that had lost the chape off its scabbard. I thought about that one for a minute or two as these are never particularly easy. Pretty much the only reason the chape falls off is because the leather is crumbling badly. The longest part of the job was picking all the old crumbly leather out of the metal chape and making a new leather collar to join the two parts together again. I also inserted a very thin steel plate (shim) between the layers of leather to stiffen the job and stop the chape from flapping about. A couple of hours later it was all back together again and ready for display. Very satisfying. I opened the other bubble wrapped package to find a Royal Navy Captain's sword from the time of the Battle of Trafalgar. This isn't the best example I've ever seen but it is the first of its kind to find its way onto my bench for repairs. As you can see from the pictures, the scabbard is currently in three pieces. I'm about to start work on the restoration so wish me luck! edit - I forgot to mention that both swords are absolutely razor sharp. I sliced up two leather collars trying to get a decent fit! LOL

Welcome Ian! Our fellow Brits (and my good mates), Terry and Karl, have already said all the right things. Drop me a PM if there is anything I can do to help you. best wishes, Ray

Have you been peeking? LOL Hugely good advice, Bree. The more routes to market you can develop the better chance you have of surviving if one goes bad on you.

There is something very special about beautiful old machinery. Not just the fact that a machine still works after all these years but more that it carries memories, traditions and culture along with it. It now seems likely that my machine was made in or around 1898. It is a wonder that it survived this long but what a testimony to a geat design.The only obvious damage to the machine is the wooden hand wheel knob - has anyone got one they could spare? I'm happy to pay a fair price plus shipping. If not then I gues I'll find a local wood turner to make one for me - but it would be very nice to use an original.I assume that somewhere there must be a workshop manual for this machine? Has anyone ever seen one? Luke has been kind enough to send me a PDF of a user guide but the service manual and parts list would be a real help.I've checked all the castings, Bree. I can't find any cracks or damage at all. Hopefully I've been lucky. The decals all seem in reasonable order too - especially when you think how long they have been on the machine. Apparently it came from a shoerepairers in Walsall and stood in a corner as their spare machine for many years - hence the good condition I guess.At first glance the insides seem perfectly clean and swimming in oil. in fact, I wondered if there was too much... but when you turn the handle the machine moves really smoothly and makes a really slick noise. The stand seems to be in perfect working order and even had a belt in situ that crumbled to dust when turned the handwheel. The treadle mechanism works perfectly too. When I work out what the rocker arm and needle bar assembly are I promise to clean them thoroughly... LOL Are the parts interchangable between these machines, Bree? You said you have a few of them, are they all 29-4s? Thanks for the tips, Karl - I'll definitely be back for more engineering know-how as I need it!

I have just rescued an old Singer 29K4 from under a pile of saddlebags and old junk in a biker's workshop. It is absolutely covered in grease and oil but surprisingly worked first time when I threaded it up and turned the handle. The stitch tension probably needs a tiny bit of adjustment but it seems to be in working order. Right now I'm wondering what to do next. Normally if something appears to work okay I leave it alone until it needs fixing but this machine is absolutely filthy and although I've brushed off the worst of the clag it is still too disgusting to take into my workroom. How should I set about cleaning it? - I'm a demon with a paintbrush and a can of de-greaser - would that be a good start or could I cause damage? I'd also really like to know how old it is. Any thoughts chaps?

Tex, I forgot to say how much I like the saddlebags on your website. Is there any chance you might post a few bigger pictures so the rest of the gang can see the high quality work you do? Ray