Sheilajeanne

I inherited a Fiskars cutter from my mom, and decided to use it to cut some stretchy chrome tanned leather. It needed a new blade, but when I snugged the blade up, I noticed it didn't want to rotate any more. Do these cutters need to be lubricated, or is there something wrong with it? Or am I supposed to leave the nut a little bit slack? This is the cutter I have: https://canada.michaels.com/en/fiskars®-comfort-loop-rotary-cutter/10221519.html?r=g&cm_mmc=PLASearch-_-google-_-MICH_Shopping_CA_N_Craft+%26+Hobbies_N_Smart_BOPIS_N-_-Generic&kpid=go_cmp-12650001316_adg-125437386172_ad-511040951018_pla-981059439317_dev-c_ext-_prd-10221519&gclid=CjwKCAjw-sqKBhBjEiwAVaQ9a3fRLZ_w43W9nnzFkAJ-5YRVvCXN3heA6GR-TesyLY0r2WOfWjGjQhoCIaQQAvD_BwE

I think I will just keep the set that is the most complete, which is the vanadium chrome. My handyman says he managed to break both types of wrenches when doing work for me!

Am sorting through some wrenches I have, and one set is chrome plated Vanadium, another drop-forged steel. Which is considered better quality? I thought it would be the Vanadium, but the 3/4 inch wrench has a piece broken off it!

TEDIOUS?? You call THAT tedious? Um, have you ever done basketweave? Now, THAT'S tedious! (Which is why i refuse to do it.) For a first attempt, I'd call that awesome! Great work!

NL machines: Thanks for getting me to do my homework! It always pays off!

Thanks to those of you who have identified the machine. I'm not knowledgeable enough to do that without seeing a machine number. BUT what gives it away is the tag in one of the photos, which I hadn't noticed before - looks like the machine came from Taiwan, and the model number is 15NL. Bob, even separated from the base, those machines weigh about 90 lbs. I'm female, and not young anymore, and my back hurts more every day. Nope, nope, nope! The patcher was about a 3 hour's drive away, and I would have had to take someone with me who could handle that sort of weight, as there was no one on the seller's end who could help. Just wasn't going to happen, I'm afraid, though I did seriously think about it, especially after the seller dropped the price from $500!

kgg, if you're talking machines that will REALLY sew leather, like patchers, of course, I'd expect to pay a good price for them. But the ones I'm seeing are strictly domestic machines, though some of the more powerful ones would sew lightweight leather or canvas. Could have had a nice used patcher for $300 earlier this year, but it would have been just too hard to transport it without help. I still haven't gotten around to buying that marvelous gizmo Ferg has for getting the old cast iron machines up and down stairs!

The seller in this case confesses he/she has no idea what it's worth, and just picked that figure at random because it's 1234. But I guess this machine will sell for a pretty decent price because it's been professionally restored, and is really pretty! I have to confess I'm tempted myself, but I'd have to get the machine for free or next to nothing before I'd bite. And of course, that means it would likely need some work!

A friend I used to ride with many years ago was from Germany. Her husband owned a painting business. The same rules applied to go into that business, and the apprenticeship was quite long!

I don't know if there's someone out there willing to pay this sort of money, but this is a beautiful machine, and judging by the prices I'm seeing on the local Buy and Sell pages, they are highly collectible! I wonder if there are people who still want them because they know how to use a foot treadle, or if it's just the nostalgia factor. I know the one time I tried to use my aunt's treadle machine, I made a TERRIBLE mess! Anyway, looks like there's enough of a market for these machines that someone who enjoyed restoring them could make themselves a few bucks! According to the poster, their mother purchased this beautifully restored machine for $675 in 2000. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/551624489415948/?ref=browse_tab&referral_code=marketplace_top_picks&referral_story_type=top_picks&tracking={"qid"%3A"-7713944053134917084"%2C"mf_story_key"%3A"925710107827506016"%2C"commerce_rank_obj"%3A"{\"target_id\"%3A925710107827506016%2C\"target_type\"%3A6%2C\"primary_position\"%3A0%2C\"ranking_signature\"%3A8443488340489011200%2C\"commerce_channel\"%3A501%2C\"value\"%3A0%2C\"upsell_type\"%3A21%2C\"grouping_info\"%3Anull}"}

Taking the grandkids for a ride!

Too funny!

If you buy a beginner's kit from Tandy, you will be eligible for 8 weeks of in-person instruction. They limit the size of these groups so everyone gets some one-on-one help from the teacher. That's how I got my start. My teacher was top-notch. He was also the store's go-to person for any difficult questions I had about the craft once the classes were finished. I was fortunate to live close enough to a store to make this a realistic option. As for taking skills to the next level, there doesn't seem to be a good option other than online videos. The best ones, like Jim Linnell are pay-per-view, but these are people who are absolutely tops in their field.

Wow. Always nice to hear that a company has stepped up to the plate like that!

Whenever I buy any sort of dye or liquid from the Barrie Tandy store, IN PERSON, the first thing they do at the sales desk is tighten the cap, then put it in a ziplock bag. Can't believe a seller would be SO DUMB!!

Wow. How dumb can you get! I didn't think I'd have to mention this, but of course, in addition to the cardboard sheath, the guy that shipped mine also wrapped it in bubble wrap, and put it in a bubble envelope to make sure it was well-padded!

If you're shipping anything by the U.S. postal service, it SUCKS big time! I've shipped a few things via Canada Post in the last year, and they got there very quickly. USPS took close to THREE MONTHS to get two small packages to two people in the eastern U.S! Ordered a book from Amazon. It arrived from the States in less than a week, but they used a courier company, not the post.

Yep, the Stohlman round knife is made from very cheap steel and will not hold an edge! When I purchased a used round knife the seller was smart enough to make a sheathe for it out of cardboard and duct tape. Wow, sorry that happened!

Well, wouldn't hurt to e-mail him and find out.

I assume you mean 'holly'? The stuff with the red berries? If you scroll down far enough, you'll see a holly border: https://www.newcreationleathercraft.com/santa_stamps.htm I know nothing about this seller, or how reliable they are.

Yup, it sure does... No such thing as 'too many tools' in this hobby!

And it's DONE! Yesterday my tenant and his 2 sons installed the new pipe. A retired master plumber who is a good friend of W's was here to supervise and make sure everything was done properly. The new pipe was checked frequently before gluing to make sure it had the correct slope. We're going to leave everything uncovered for a few days to make sure there are no leaks, and everything is working properly. Then, the area will have to be backfilled, and a whole bunch of new patio stones installed. I need to find some clean fill to bring the area up level with the other section of the patio, as the cement was 6 to 8 inches thick, while the patio stones are only 1". W. left the section of old pipe which went under the oil tank as it would have been a really bad idea to dig out the earth supporting the tank. Also, unlike whoever installed the original plumbing, we were THINKING AHEAD to possibly having to replace or repair the line at some point in the future...

I don't know how well it would work on leather, but goldenrod can be used to dye yarn and cloth yellow. It's a very common roadside weed here in most of North America. Unfortunately, it's become an invasive species in other countries, so I doubt it would be welcome in Iran! https://www.cedardelldesigns.com/blog/goldenrod-dye

Klara, as someone who rode a lot in the past (and cleaned and oiled a lot of tack) I found that very interesting! I have noticed neatsfoot oil will partially solidify at low temperatures. Does that happen with the purer NFO, or with the mixes? I know NFO with petroleum additives will rot stitching after awhile, and is thinner (and therefore easier to apply!) than the stuff that's supposed to be pure. With the 'pure' NFO, I found I'd often have to warm the tack with my hands to get it to sink into the leather. Edit: any cook will tell you that vegetable oil eventually goes rancid. I would never use it on leather. Yes, it may be in commercial leather preparations, but they have added preservatives to prevent it from breaking down.

Yes, hides are pickled so they can be stored. It also gets them ready for tanning: https://www.vandykestaxidermy.com/Pickling-W49.aspx#:~:text=The pickle helps dissolve the,salt water and acid pickles.&text=What a pickle will do,cannot get it right way.