deadringer

Hi there Hydrated lime is what I use when dehairing hides . Cheers Chris

Hi tazzman, You should try to get hold of some of Ron edwards books on braiding the instructions in them are a lot easier to follow than Grants books . he has a lot of projects for beginners. hope this helps . Cheers Chris Barr

G'day Timothy, I have used No.3 for most of the quirts that I have made. Something you might like to think about is to do a 4 plait loop with 2 strings in the core the same length and width as the strings going over them .So in effect you end up with 6 strings either side then incorparate these 2 strings in your main braided body to give you a 12 string body. This will also help give your loop more substance. The moisture content is probably the hardest thing to gauge it is more of a 'feel" thing than anything else. Your string don't want to be that moist that they will stretch a little bit when you are braiding but they should not be that dry that they don't bend or flex easily. Also if they are starting to get dry you can kind of hear them rustle while you are working with them. I always have a small mist spray bottle sitting beside me so that I can give them a quick squirt then put the whole project in a plastic bag and let it case for a little while then start braiding again. Hope this helps. Cheers Chris

G'day there, Same here I don't change the lime bath as you want the bacteria to build up this is what causes the hair to slip. Try starting the lime bath by using warm water about 22 degrees celsius this will get the bacteria working quicker. The shorter the hide is in the lime the better.make sure you wash the hide thoroughly after the lime before you neutralise it . Vinegar is great for neutralising after liming, I use about 1 litre vinegar to every 50 litres of water and leave stand over night stirring a couple of times. cheers Chris

G'day Hilly, You may just need to strop your blade more than what you have been so you get a good polished edge. Cheers Chris

G'day Willey Thanks for the info will give it a try shortly let you know the results I do some of my own rawhide roo not so much now because they are not as plentiful as where I was 12 months ago .Best results I had was dehairing them with hot water .They came out almost transparent. Have used some bought hides lately from Packer leather.. You can't beat rawhide roo for fine work ,you don't really want to work with it over 3mm because it so thin. I have used leather dye to dye my hides before but only when they are still wet straight from dehairing. Will have to try some test strips with the bought stuff and see if it works. I found that it always darkened considerable after it had dried when using the water based Dye. Thanks for the tips Cheers Mate Chris

Hi BadLoveLeather The best source for all roo hide is Packer Leather they are the biggest tanners of All types of Kangaroo in all colours They supply just About everybody world wide you can www.packerleather.com or phone there factory outlet Phone no. 61 7 3203 1323 . I would not get Kangaroo hide anywhere else. Leanne in the shop will be only to happy to help. Cheers Chris

Hi Travis, I have a small peice of grey/silver more grey than silver roo hide here could cut some lace for you. How much lace are you chasing and how soon do you need it ?? Cheers Chris

G'day there Yes I'm with you on this one barra it does a good job . The + terminal is attached to the scrap metal and the - terminal is attached to the tool you want to clean ,making sure that the terminals are not in contact with the water itself . Also add 1/4 cup of washing soda (used to soften water)to a gallon of water, I think this is to assist with the electolysis. Best to use a peice of steel rod as the scrap so the end can stick out of the water. Cheers Chris

Thanks KAW Will have to start saving my coffee grounds. Do you have any trouble with the rawhide taking to much moisture and swelling when it is cut in strings and dyed . I mainly use rawhide roo and the strings are really fine so may have to adjust the time that they stay in the paste. Thanks very much for the reply. Once again nice work mate never get tired of looking at fine work. Cheers Chris

Hi Linda No Mate the enamel badges cannot be bought anymore. Gee that was a while ago when they were made, sold out pretty quick if I remember. We are looking into getting some more belt buckles done maybe we could get some more badges done at the same time. The one I had got stolen so I'd lke to get another. There are still plenty of cloth badges left though. Have to bring that up at the next meeting. I hope you will renew your subscription to the APWA this year. Cheers Chris

Hi kanga Yes, I have taken over the role as editor of the mag. It is the one thing that keeps the APWA going. A lot of people were worried that the Association would fold with Ron's passing but we already had things set in place to keep it going and growing .One of which is the new website www.apwa.org.au . We have a whole new Excecutive committee that are all looking forward to keep things moving. Cheers mate Chris

G'day CharlieR, I usaully hold every thing in a vise that is lined with thick felt (about 1/2 in thick so it does not damage the leather) that is attached to a bench or table .This helps stop your work from twisting around while your plaiting .,helps with keeping your seams straight also. Try not to get to far away from the point where your work is secured, no more than 2-3 feet. If the reins you are making are romals you can start braiding in the middle so you don't have so much string to pull through. makes things a bit quicker . Try to let everthing lie straight once it is braided otherwise it will look like it has kinks in it when finished.Even leather has a memory hope this helps Cheers Chris

Yes thanks barra Will remember that for future reference cheers Chris

Hi there I never did get to like Edge Kote much always trying to get things finished & start on the next project. So made up my own using what ever color spirit based dye and a few drops of a hi-shine sealer then to get it to dry a little quicker add a little metholated spirits (touch dry in about 1 minute). This can be buffed to a good sheen and if need be give it a second coat . Works well when you have to handle small parts . Cheers Chris