UKRay

If this thread has taught me anything, it is that discussion makes things so much clearer. I am now resolved to take my bits of cardboard with holes in 'em and sit quiet in a corner for a few months until I have something sensible to add to this conversation. (I wish!) Thanks to all of you for the great advice. I have a pile of new books to read, a heap of lace to cut and a lot of cussin' and spittin' to do so I'll go now... ...see you in the spring! <grin!>

Luke, they used brewers pitch as Mike said. Hope you are feeling better - you would have been really sick if you had stood around in the cold at that castle all day... The lady on the leather bottle stand was absolutely freezing - t'was not much fun for her I think. Tom, you would be very welcome in Ludlow - just let me know when you are coming. I'll pick you up at Birmingham airport! Didn't see any glass or plastic liners but I did see a pottery bottle liner that looked excellent and very much like a period item. Most impressive use of materials - I just wish I had got a picture of it but the guy had it full of hot punch and was using it as an alcoholic hot water bottle inside his shirt. Brilliant idea IMHO!

Thanks David, I should have said does anywhere else have this sort of CHRISTMAS event but somehow 'twixt brain and fingers there was a glitch... It was very atmospheric being inside the castle at an event like this but it was absolutely freezing cold. Those old stone walls really draw the heat out of you! Check out http://www.history.uk.com/listings/listing.php?iD=20901 if you are interested in the history of the castle.

Most helpful thanks, Ken. Your tutorials were especially useful and the tip about practicing on card makes good sense too. The hole v slit debate is interesting for someone new to lacing. I was looking for some kind of indicator - in other words: slits are used for cases and holes are used for garments but it doesn't work like that does it? Ken obviously uses holes all the time for everything and by the sound of it Marlon always uses slits - is this all about ease of use or the way you were taught or what?

I took a few pictures of the leatherwork booths at the annual Medieval Fayre held inside Ludlow Castle this weekend. There was some lovely stuff on display and I came away with plenty of good ideas for next season. The hobby horses were made of leather with a goatskin mane and looked superb - the picture doesn't do them justice. The guy selling the games had a huge range of games with leather playing boards that rolled up and went inside tubes along with the playing pieces. Does anywhere else have this kind of event?

Just wondered what temperature your oil is when you apply it? Far too many years ago I was taught to heat it up a tad (warm not hot) before slathering it onto working harness as it soaks in faster that way - anyone got any thoughts about the best temperature to apply neatsfoot?

From a practical perspective I would completely agree with you, Luke. But IMHO that peg board stuff is aesthetically deficient. Sure, the fittings are very efficient but they just don't do it for me. Personally, I'd rather see most of my tools put away out of sight and tidy in drawers than on the wall but that is just MHO! I actually shelled out for a mechanics roll along tool chest a while back and haven't regretted it yet - but the trouble is I now need another one... LOL Will it ever end? Will we ever have enough toys?

Its all very well having lots of great tools but storing them can be a problem. How do you guys suggest we store a bunch of tools so they are easily accessible?

Just jump on that plane cousin - you can stay as long as you like! The tool collecting bug is a real problem though. After reading this thread I have been through all the drawers, boxes and hiding places in the workshop and have pulled out a whole raft of tools I have never used but feel sure they will be useful someday... I have even got a weird machine that I can't work out what it it is for - but I love it regardless and can't bring myself to put it back on eBay. I had no idea the problem was this serious! LOL

Washer cutters are a great idea, Tom - here is a picture to show you what the two sorts look like. I have a double washer cutter and it works really well - best of all you can slip the second blade out and use it for simple circles. It does leave a 'dimple' in the centre of the leather though - but I always find a reason to wack that with an embossing stamp LOL.

I prefer a plough gauge for cutting straps Luke. I use a round knife for mostly everything else apart from fine work and then I use the little yellow handled Swan Morton craft knives. You definitely NEED a plough Gauge - preferably an old Joseph Dixon and I am still looking for one! My problem is machines... I can't resist them. Creasing, strap cutting, hole punching, leather cutting, gold blocking, embossing, roller embossing - the list is almost endless and they have all found their way into my workroom. Any more and I won't be able to get in there! LOL

As Luke says, that really is a great book, but you might also find a copy of 'The Gunfighters' - part of the Time Life 'Old West' series - useful as the pictures (a huge collection of genuine photographs) are, IMHO invaluable from an historical perspective.

Welcome to the forum - Now that is a really neat job. Love that filligree work on the footprints - what a great idea!

I have recently imported a small consignment of Skidmore's Restoration Cream direct from Wyoming, USA so it is now available in the UK. I have been using this amazing stuff for the past 6 months on all kinds of projects and have been thoroughly impressed with the finish it gives my new leatherwork and the way it brings old leather and wood back to life. Application couldn't be easier - I just use a bit of soft cotton rag (T-shirt fabric is ideal) or directly, using the heat of my fingers to work the cream into the surface of the leather. It smells great and buffs to a soft glowing finish. I'd be very pleased if you would check out my website: www.barefootleather.co.uk Any questions please drop me a PM - I will be delighted to donate a percentage of each sale to help keep this incredible site going. Cheers, Ray

I'll gladly run it through some UK bookfinders websites for you, Denise - drop me a PM with the title, author etc. No promises but it may be worth a try. I don't use any in the US so have no idea where to suggest.

Quite right, cousin - and not too many years either, but I'll have to do a bit more work on the whiskers... LOL

Best build a higher bench then... LOL

Fabulous job. It looks better than many museum exhibits I've seen...

Have you got a make on that motor, Karl - I'm still looking!

What would I do without you guys - now I understand why you need the fid... its to open the hole up to poke the needle through. Obvious to everyone in the world but me. I somehow thought I had to 'sew' with the thing and was tugging away like an idiot and breaking the lace every couple of minutes. Cheers, Mike! I have ordered the book, Marlon. Hopefully it will get me on track quickly as I don't cope well with failure! LOL

Karl, check out your local DIY/timber store. They usually sell pegboard with the rest of the sheet material or will know where to get it from. The fittings are freely available on ebay often for pennies when somebody closes a shop - we ought to seee a raft of fittings coming up for auction over the next few months... The Axminster stuff OutbackP mentioned is okay but quite expensive for a small area of pegboard. A whole 8x4 sheet costs less than that although you will need to make a frame to mount it on - I have used 2x2 (both prepared or sawn timber) with success in the past. Drop me a PM if there is anything else I can do to help.

More good, helpful advice - thank you kindly Pete, Marlon and Johanna. The trouble is each answer raises more questions so I hope you still have some patience left. I definitely like the idea of starting at the back (or bottom I guess?) - every time I have started out there is an ugly tangled mess at the beginning as I try to stop the thong pulling through the hole by 'backstitching' or simply tying a knot - this can't be right, so how should I start out a run of lacing? Is there a 'best' way to do this? I use a three pronged thonging chisel, Johanna, and I do put the prong in the last hole as you suggest but it gets very difficult going round corners. I have a single tine punch but no matter how careful I am, my spacing doesn't seem to match the fork. Is this just a lack of practice or is there a trick to getting this right? Although I had looked a lot of thong laced work before starting this project I hadn't realised just how many variables there are. I simply put a line of lacing holes along the edge of my belt and got stuck in - I didn't realise that the holes/slots could have been angled, smaller than the lace, punched holes or whatever - I just assumed it was a straightforward process... I won't be doing that again any time soon... This whole needle business is a bit of a bother to me too. I now have a two pronged needle, which as Marlon so rightly says, makes it easier to keep the thong where it belongs. The trick of punching the holes with a scratch awl works well too, so thanks for that one. I have tried using the hollow needle and it works - up to a point. Which makes me think I'm still doing something wrong. To start with, it is much harder to push the hollow needle through the slits than the two pronged needle. Having said that, I noticed that you sharpen your needles, Johanna. Do you literally have at them with a file and take them to a point or is this a more subtle thing? The other issue I have with the hollow needle is that the thonging does pull out of the hollow end very easily. I have twisted it round and round till my fingers are sore but can't seem to make a connection with the threaded bit... any thoughts? I wondered if it would work better if the thonging was wet but that doesn't seem to make any difference. Splicing is another fun sounding exercise... do you literally skive the leather and then glue the thinned ends together? What glue works best?

This sounds like a really great marketing idea - and a good 'extra' use for a makers stamp.

Thanks again for the help guys, although it seems like I'm getting some conflicting advice here - but unless I'm mistaken, holes versus slits may be something of a personal decision. Marlon, I think I agree with the whole look thing but does anyone think it might be easier to learn to lace using holes - I can maybe progress to slits later? I have two sorts of lacing needle - one sort is the hook and eye lacing needle from Tandy and the other is a Perma-Lok tubular brass needle which is what I think 8thsinner is suggesting I use . I have been using the hook and eye sort with my slits. This would appear to be wrong and I have to say, I struggle to keep the thong in the needle for long - does two hooks (prongs) improve the situation appreciably? One more question has occured to me whilst I'm writing this - how far from the edge of the leather should I be putting my slits/holes and how far apart should they be. My lacing currently looks very 'sparse' almost as though I have used lace that is too thin - I have simply used standard width Tandy lace and the spacing that the slit cutter gives me. Has anyone got any words of wisdom here? Is there some kind of magic formulae for this? Fid - No fid? Metal - wood? Anyone else got any suggestions?

Thanks muchly for the good advice guys - yes I punched all the holes (slots would be a better description) first. They are just about the same width as the lace which looks to be about 1/8" wide - standard Tandy purchased on a reel lace. I punched them with a three pronged lacing chisel. I wondered if I should have made round holes but the picture I found easiest to follow - yeah, right... had slots so I did it that way. Which are best/easiest - slots or round holes? Does it matter? I noticed that the Tandy kits all have holes... there is probably a reason for this...