Sheilajeanne

I got a wheeled portable kitchen caddy for $40. The top is removable and solid granite: 15x 24 inches. Not as good a deal as some of you got, but still not bad! https://www.amazon.ca/Linon-Kitchen-Island-Granite-Top/dp/B002USUK3M/ref=asc_df_B002USUK3M/?tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=292950412048&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1691166827291722255&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9104883&hvtargid=pla-384934210009&psc=1

I've been following the TV show, Digging For Britain, and one of their episodes featured a cavalry re-enactment group. It was amazing to see the lengths to which this group went to make everything absolutely authentic! They travel around Britain, doing re-enactments for different events. You can see a video below. The re-enactment group begins its thing at about 44:35, though there are interesting bits about the group and the Roman cavalry's gear interspersed throughout the whole video. The archaeologists digging up forts that had a large cavalry presence had a hard time figuring out just how the horses and soldiers were quartered. Eventually the figured out the soldiers slept in the stable, with their horses! There were pits in the floor to help deal with the horse urine and drain it away! Having worked in a riding stable, and knowing how foul the stable smells first thing in the morning before being mucked out, I don't envy them! Edit: there's a section specifically on Vindolanda that begins about 35 minutes in.

Ohh, I remember that now! They even found written papyrus records that had been preserved!

Nice! Saw a few of those when researching Roman sandals for the statue. Because Vindolanda was so wet, I think it's produced more well preserved Roman shoes than any other dig! But that green shoe, the one you posted the modern duplicate of, is definitely the prettiest I've seen. It was found at a Roman fort in Saalburg, Germany

Yes, prices have been CRAZY lately! I'm sure it's the nostalgia factor, plus, of course, Christmas madness.

Mike, having a long tail on the thread greatly lessens the chance of you pulling the thread off the needle.

Following, and wondering if VT buffalo is any good for tooling...

I have a couple of the same ones you bought - the silver coloured ones, not the black - but the spacing wasn't quite right for this project. Tines were too close together.

I bought the ones recommended to me in this thread: https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/97548-tandy-pro-stitching-chisels/ They arrived quite promptly, and I've been using them for this project. They work really well, and I'm using a piece of REALLY thick (12 oz!) belly leather underneath my project to protect them from damage. So far, very pleased with them! Good use for a piece of belly - as belly goes, this was a really nice one, and I've actually been using it to practice my tooling and swivel knife work.

Found this: Scale slip is when a scale is loosen or detached from the skin. This is usually caused by bad preservation. http://www.rojeleather.com/crocodile-skin-grading/ So yeah, that is not a high quality skin.

Alligators shed their scales in order to grow: http://www.alligatorleather.net/alligator-skin-shedding/ That's what you're seeing here. Having never worked with alligator, I can't comment on how to deal with this. Hopefully someone else will chime in!

Yep, been there, done that!

Yeah, walnut hulls are great. They dye your hands, too, if you're the one that has to dehusk the nuts! We don't have hazelnuts here, but there are lots of black walnuts, so I'd try that first if I wanted something free. Many local homeowners would be happy for a free removal service in the fall.

kgg, need a heavier thread to sew the pockets. This is a tool roll, and some of these wrenches are pretty big. Leather is a golden color, like gold deer hide.

Okay, called the store, and they have 8 oz. spools and 16 oz. (1 pound) spools. Those are both pretty big spools, and I'm not sure I will be using this color (gold) again once this project is done. I have some artificial sinew in the color I need, and have been hand-sewing so far, but the sinew begins to separate as you sew, and becomes a real PITA to work with. Because it splits, piercing it with the needle to keep the thread from pulling out of the eye doesn't work. And I still have 20 compartments to sew... sigh!

Thanks, Legion! Those look like pretty big spools though. Any idea how many yards are on them? One thing I like about that thread is it's the first time I've seen exactly the colour I'm looking for!

Thanks, Spyros and kgg!

Speaking of thread, Tandy sells exactly THREE colours of machine thread! That SUCKS! Where can I get a wider variety of colours for a leather sewing machine?

I'm Canadian - we use both 'chalk and cheese' and 'apples and oranges'. No doubt there's more of a British influence here - the Queen is still on our currency! I also have never had a problem erasing the Tandy marker pen from veg-tan.

I got a couple of modelling tools at 1/3 off. They were right opposite the cash register. I managed to refrain from going any further into the store... And of course, now, just 2 days later, I find I forgot to look for sewing thread to match my current project!

I use my Tandy marker A LOT! Helps me cut straight lines, mark stitching lines for either hand sewing or machine sewing, etc. etc!

Gotcha, Fred. So in that case it COULD be some fancy leather tooling, just not as pronounced as the statue shows. Back to Monty Python: Sorry, couldn't resist:

Okay, my knowledge of Monty Python is mostly from The Holy Grail! If you'd mentioned a shrubbery or 'it's only a flesh wound' I would have gotten it right away!

Ummm...WHAT?? Spyros, you got THAT right!

Ferg is one of the older members here, and confesses he's slowing down a bit with age. He doesn't post often, but when he does, he's always helpful.