gary

You'll need to make a type of 'shield' (have a look at http://www.surplusandoutdoors.com/shop/british-militaria/uniform-accessories/fantastic-brass-button-stick-535363.html for an example) to protect the leather while you buff up the brass. I have an old shield but I also make them out of tin, card or plastic if it's for a specific job. Hope that helps. Gary

3 1/8 inch wide in the middle. No idea on coloured leathers apart from DIY. Gary

I use bridle leather a lot and the best edge dye I have found is a powder dye that you make up with water. You can choose the consistency you want and add other substances to it if needed. I did try various types of Fiebings dyes but kept coming back to the powder stuff. Gary

Mike, I've liked all your work that I've seen and your maker's mark always makes me smile. I think the UK fireaarms situation has been done to death in other topics but I'm looking into getting a .410 shotgun or a 22LR just to get rid of some of the pests on our land (mainly hooded crows and rabbits) and it seems that I need to get my application signed in triplicate by the head of the UN before the local authorities will take it seriously. I spent 27 years in the Army and a further 7 in the Police and they still think I'm not capable of safely owning a firearm. There are even plans afoot in parts of the UK to require air gun owners to be licensed and ours are limited to 12 foot pounds for air rifles and 6 foot pounds for air pistols. At the moment, if they're above that they are classed as Section 1 firearms which requires the approval from the Home Secretary (the same level of approval as required for hand grenades and CS gas). Go figure. Gary

Jake - I'd listen to Mike. Mike - Nice holster - wish we had a larger market for gun leather in the UK I'd love an excuse to make stuff like that. Gary

Jake, Is it an overstitch wheel or a British stitch-marking wheel (a.k.a. pricking wheel)? It's that the two are significantly different. You can't use the British one for smoothing out the stitches. Sorry I can't give a definitive answer on stitching but the number of stitches per inch depends on a lot on the leather thickness and the end use of the product and, if it's a strap or belt, the width of the strap. I generally use 8 stitches per inch with 0.8mm thread for things like headcollars and some belts (of 3-4mm thick leather). For some bridle work (3-ish mm thick leather though some parts are thinned) I'll use 10 or 12 spi (sometimes even 14 spi if it's a fine-looking piece) with 0.4mm thread. For finer leather stuff (wallets and such) I'll use 12 or 14 spi. On really chunky stuff (like English saddle girth billets) I'll sometimes use 6 spi. Hope that provides more light than heat on the subject. Gary

Debbie, Seitel it is - try the attachment (a PowerPoint file). Not the best pattern I've made up but the only one I can find at the moment. Gary Pattern XX - Bernese Carting Harness.ppt

Have you tried http://www.abbeyengland.com/Store/tabid/77/CategoryID/31/Category2ID/184/catpageindex/1/Level/2/ProductID/68652/Default.aspx We have Bernese who can pull pretty well and Abbey's spring hooks haven't failed us yet. Gary

Debbie, Seitel or siwash? I can help with the draft seitel type. Gary

I do - I make it the back of the label so they keep the label and, hopefully, also keep my address and contact details which are on the other side. I don't put much specific on it but more basic, general stuff (under the headings of 'Clean, Condition, Polish and Protect') and I mention products generally that they may want to try. If I put too much detail on and they screw up they may want to blame me. It's also a good place for any warnings about dye coming off until broken-in and so on. Gary

Welcome to LW - great place. I've PM'd you with something that may be of use. Gary

It may be worth looking at 'Repair Your Own Saddlery and Harness' by Robert Steinke (ISBN 0851315976) to give you an idea of what may be possible with the tools you have. I have done some repairs and haven't needed any real specialist tools but I've 'vetted' what I have taken on. All the repairs I have done have been hand-stitched and that is usually the most appropriate for smaller repairs. It's worth also getting some books on basic harness so you know the terminology and the different types. My master saddler let me help him on some of the repairs he had but I would be careful; taking on some of the more complex items like collars that are stuffed with straw. A lot of the newer harness I saw was made of synthetic materials rather than leather though many drivers had leather sets for 'best' or show use. Some of the synthetics can be repaired the same as leather but others need different techniques and materials. Saddle repairs vary a lot. I find working on English saddles to be very fiddly at times and you need to be careful about what you take on, particularly if it affects safety. Hope that's of some use. Gary

It depends on what you're making. If you're just stitching scraps for pratice I'd start with leather that is stiff enough to give some resistance as you stitch but not so thick you have to expend a lot of muscle to push the awl through. I usually work with bridle leather or bag hide, so 2mm tp 4mm thick. Gary

Chris, I hope my input helped. Gary

I did a quick bit of research. The clamps you illustrate is/are a French Clamps used by harness-makers. Only one arm is hinged and there is no pressure to hold an item in the jaws apart from leg pressure. I haven't found anyone to take a photo of me but I have hashed out a quick diagram (pardon the quality) that shows how they are held. By using it upright (or nearly upright) I reduce back-ache and can see what I'm doing on both sides of the leather by moving my head a bit without having to reposition the clams to see the back side.

The clams are held vertically between the legs. This means that the leather is held vertically. You can lean the clams to one side or the other by about 40 dgrees. I see in the picture that one of the jaws folds but I presume this is not to change the angle of the clams in use but to allow one jaw to move relative to the other so that they will open and close. I would say from the photograph that, if I was using those clams, I would sit on a higher chair so that the clams are vertical. I do not always need to see the stitch holes as I use a stitch pricker and can usually feel where the next stitch is to be. The position that chap is in looks awfully uncomfortable. I will try and find someone to take a photo of me using my clams so you can see what I mean. Gary

Chris, I use a saddler's clam (or clams or clamps or clamp - depends who you talk to). They are used with the base on the floor and the jaws are held between the legs with one jaw to left and one to the right. The leather is held in the jaws vertically so you have to stab and stitch horizontally left to right (or vice versa). You'll need to sit on a high chair or stool to get the leather at a comfortable working height. I'm not sure about the set you are looking at but traditionally, saddler's clams were made of barrel staves - hence the shape - and are held together at the base ('1' in the attached photo) by a bolt. There is a bolt with a wing nut part way up the clams (at '2') that allows adjustment of the jaws' tension. At '3' there may be a staple on the inside of the jaw to which an adjustable strap may be attached and passed through a corresponding hole at '4' and then down to a stirrup which allows you to adjust jaw tension with your foot and can keep the clam more stable. I keep a stack of odd-shaped bits of wood, plastic and foam nearby so I can put them inside anything I'm sewing that isn't a plain, flat shape which helps hold them in the jaws. You can also make or buy additional smaller clams that fit inside the jaws to allow you to sew rounds or keepers. You may want to dress the inside of the jaws so they don't mark any leather you are sewing. Hope that's of some help. Gary

Ray, You missed the main type of snow we have here - according to the railways and highway maintenance whenever there is a delay/road closure -'...the wrong kind of snow...' You would think that in a country at the same latitude as Minsk and Hudson Bay we would expect a wee bit of the white stuff even though it seems recently we have failed to pay our dues for the Gulf Stream which now appears to prefer the coasts of Iceland and Greenland Gary

I was taught pop-stitching using one needle and one thread. It's just a running stitch - in, out. Sort of half saddle stitch, if you get my meaning. the stitch length could be quite long, e.g. only 2 or 3 stitches per inch. It was sometimes used to hold pieces of leather together to keep them in place while the proper, finished, stitching was completed. The other place it was used was to attach the saddle panels to the seat and tree assembly on English saddles. In the last instance a curved needle with thick thread (1.4mm) was used. Hope that helps. Gary

Sorry I don't know of anywhere in the USA but David May at Hunter Saddlery does a nice set (http://www.saddlerycourses.com/other/tools.htm). I've used my set quite a lot (which is a pity as I hate reflocking saddles) and they are good. Hope that helps. Gary

Hi Chavez, Welcome to LW and leathercraft. I'm also in Scotland but hidden away on the west coast. A good book, in parallel with Al Stohlman's, is Valerie Michael's Leathercraft Handbook (or similar title). She covers some things which AS does not. She also goes into bridle and other leathers that you may find useful, particularly if you're ordering over the web or phone. Her book also has a list of UK suppliers at the back which should prove useful as well. This is probably a bit out of date by now but a quick Google should show if they still exist or trade. The suppliers I use for leather and sundries are mainly Abbey and Le Prevo. There are others out there but I've always found both helpful on the phone even if I'm being a complete moron. Le Prevo will send out swatches of leather for you to choose from as well. When ordering from Abbey, always be clear on what you what. Neither company minds small orders. If I can be of any direct help, just PM me. Gary

It's called a 'pippin' hole punch over here. You can get away with a round hole and a slit as TwinOaks says. I don't know about suppliers over there but Abbey in the UK do them. Gary

Irish linen was the ultimate in linen, as thread or as finished articles, and was much sought after. It remains available, not as common as it used to be and is quite expensive compared to other types due to that fact. I bought some linen articles in Ireland some time ago and the shopkeepers said that they held few Irish linen articles because of the price; much of their stock was from Vietnam! I did have a few bobbins of Barbour linen thread that was good stuff - don't know if they make it any more. Sorry this isn't much help to you but thought I would add to general enlightenment. Gary

You can get stuff called orthopaedic felt which is made for use inside hard casts of plaster or fibreglass and is designed to be as comfortable as possible if worn for long periods - I mean, casts can be on for 6 weeks or more. Ordinary felt would probably be too 'firm'. Medical suppliers should stock it - it came in sheets about 1' x 2' and in different thicknesses. May be what you're looking for. Gary

Hello Handyann, Good to see you here. Gary