Sheilajeanne

Klara, wait until you get into doing it properly - tooling the leather, skiving and burnishing the edges, and lining the flesh side! That takes time, a LOT of time, especially if you are hand sewing the lining! And yes, if you read the account of how the two-person stitching was done, it definitely must have been a saddle stitch. The guy teaching them was a master harness maker - what else would it have been?

Rannoch, it wasn't the stitching that made the boat waterproof so much as it was the lanolin the hides were dressed with. I looked it up, out of curiosity: http://www.leathersmithe.com/the-brendan-voyage-select.html The boat was made from 57 oak-tanned ox hides, tanned using traditional methods that take nearly a year to complete! The thread they used was hand-spun flax, treated with black wax. Hides were overlapped by an inch or more, and double stitched for strength. One of Ireland's top harness makers oversaw the stitching, and taught them how to do both the traditional saddle stitch and a back stitch. He was a hard taskmaster, and would ruthlessly rip out someone's whole day's work if it wasn't up to his standards. Because of the size of the hides, the saddle stitch required 2 people, one working inside the hull of the boat and the other outside! Strongly recommend the above link - it's not a long read, and it's FASCINATING!

Klara, fortunately craft knives aren't expensive! I blew big bucks on a good quality round knife, only to find it's not the right tool for me! It also doesn't fit my hand. ARgh. If anyone wants one, feel free to PM me!

Fred, that's a great idea! The main problem with Stohlman is a lot of the stamps he used are no longer available. However, most of us who have been doing this awhile know how to find substitutes, and could update his patterns.

Ooooh, going to put this on my birthday wish list!

Yes, Hidepounder did some amazing stuff. He hasn't been around in quite awhile, though. This is a 12 year old post!

You're welcome!

Yes, that's one of it's main uses! It should be diluted 50/50 with water first. Make sure any dye is completely dry first, or you may get streaking.

I've had this happen with my saddle. I had it professionally done, but it believe it was just a matter of undoing the stitching to the left of the pocket so you can get to the leather's underneath side. These saddles are made so you can open them up and adjust the amount of stuffing to help it fit the horse better. So, restitch the pocket from the inside, sew the saddle back up, and you're good to go!

Okay, I also posted this on the Canadian Leatherworker FB page, and one of the posters there decided it needed to be made into a stamp! Way to go, Darryl! Good job!

You're right, sbrownn, that's the upper thread. The lower thread is black

Wow! That's a very ambitious project for a first-timer! I'm in awe!

I know the person that originally wrote this can't be a leathercrafter, because there's no mention of 'blood'!

Found this on FB today...

If anyone is looking for some cheap practice leather to sharpen their tooling skills, Tandy currently has veg bellies on sale for $17.59 Canadian! Going to take advantage of this, and thought others might like to as well.

I am very jealous of that little skiving machine he has for doing the edges! I really can't imagine being able to skive leather that thin without something like that. Even then, he says 'guess how many times I did that?' (goofed up).

Hardrada, that is an EXCELLENT video! Thanks for posting! Maybe a short strap, like the wrist strap women have on clutch purses (only smaller) would help with taking it in and out of his pocket. Oops, Hardrada suggested that already...

Wow, that's HORRIBLE! Doesn't even look like leather!

This is why I always shop for leather at Tandy's in person...

(Checking out the photo on Etsy...) Wow, that is AWESOME, and very unique!

Rahere, the powder has to be dissolved in water, and the quills have to be simmered over low heat for about 15 minutes to help them absorb it.

Chuck, Kool Aide would certainly be the cheapest, but have been in touch with two people who work with quills, and they say Rit is the way to go! One uses the powder, one the liquid, so may buy some of each, and see which works best. This is going to be a learning experience for sure!

Does anyone on the forum have experience with Rit fabric dye? I am planning to dye some porcupine quills to use on moccasins, and there are 2 types of Rit - the traditional powdered dye, plus a liquid dye. The liquid is much cheaper and comes in a wider range of colours. Not sure which one would be best for bulk dyeing some quills. https://canada.michaels.com/en/rit-all-purpose-liquid-dye/M20001556.html https://canada.michaels.com/en/rit-all-purpose-powder-dye/M20001557.html

Yeah, I thought of that, but my supply of corks is extremely low, as most wines are now screw cap!

Thanks, Paloma! And now I see where one of the reviewers says "Wish I'd bought more than five"!