Sheilajeanne

The nylon webbing is ugly, unevenly sewn and has a rough, raveling piece at the end. I took 2 years of Home Ec. in junior High. That edge binding would get a failing grade from my Home Ec. teacher! A nice, burnished edge on leatherwork is professional and pleasing to look at. Jeez, have you NO desire to improve your work? Guess not...

NV, just wanted to say I appreciate the constructive criticism you tried to give this guy in your post above, even if HE doesn't!

Rustic, the video you posted shows how rough edges can be fixed by sanding and burnishing. Sure, it takes time, but it's not a difficult skill to learn. I don't understand why you don't adopt some of the techniques shown in this (and other) videos, or described by the more experienced leatherworkers here! Hiding rough, uneven edges with roughly sewn on braid is NOT the way to go!

Sheila, Yes, this is the book I mentioned. Magnificent book! So, uh...hint, hint...if anyone wants to try doing this, the book is on sale right now! I've used Stohlman's Figure Carving Finesse books with excellent results, and am definitely going to download this book, too! And re. artistic talent, I just want to say this. I am e-friends with someone who could make her living as a professional artist. Her main craft is writing books, though. She does enter her paintings in art shows at conventions such as DragonCon, WorldCon, etc. and has won major awards, including best in show. Over the years, she has seen many artists with skills and ability superior to hers fall by the wayside and disappear. The key, she said, is to KEEP ON TRYING! Don't give up! As she says in her tips for aspiring artists: I used to do sketches of my favourite movie, TV and rock stars when I was in my teens, and some of them turned out pretty well, though it took me hours to get them right. She once posted one of HER first sketches from her teen years. (She didn't leave it up for long, as she was ashamed of it.) Heck, MY stuff, even my not-so-good stuff was WAY better! It was a great encouragement to me to keep on trying. I didn't really enjoy the sketching once I got older, but the leather carving is different, as I am doing something that is both useful and has artistic value. There. That's my sermon for the day!

Way to go, Turves! Did you cut them so the horizontal parts of the T's are offset from each other? Keep up the good work!

Here's some of his work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgIKA36rIPc It speaks for itself.

Gosh, I learn SO much from this site! And as was said in the above link by MarkCdub: Thank you all so much. I know the same questions are asked repeatedly, and I appreciate y'alls patience and willingness to help without being condescending ie. "Use the search function!".

AB Handmade, I saw this book on special on Tandy's download site. Is that one of the books you use as a reference? I know you mentioned Stohlman's figure carving books as one of your inspirations! https://www.leathercraftlibrary.com/product/1124/the-art-of-embossing-leather-by-al-and-ann-stohlman

Yeah, I was wondering why they didn't just use a proper leather mallet?

The leather may be beyond saving, but neatsfoot oil is my go-to remedy for restoring dried out leather. It will darken the leather, though. I'd apply it on both the flesh and grain side to get good penetration.

That's some mighty fine work by Kate! Thanks for the link!

Wow! So, just plain beeswax for finishing edges, and giving the case a final protective coating? [Notices bandage on the finger of the guy cutting out the holes... ]

Here's what horses can do to blankets: https://www.wideopenpets.com/14-blanket-destroying-horses-play-little-rough/

I see the point about liability, but it doesn't take a lot of knowledge about horses to understand what parts of the tack are going to take a lot of stress. Lead shank breaks - you either remove the broken bit, and reposition the snap on undamaged leather, or cut a brand new shank. You do NOT try to splice in a new piece, not when you are trying to control a 1500 lb. animal! Also, anyone who has been stitching leather for any length of time knows what sort of thread and stitching to use on something that is going to be exposed to sweat, dirt and the elements. If they don't, it's easy to look up. Same goes for the type of leather: it's called BRIDLE leather for a reason! Latigo will do as well. Most halters and bridles can be repaired by comparing the broken bits with the unbroken bits, and copying how they've been done: stitching, type of leather, amount of skiving on buckle ends, etc. Well, maybe I'm overestimating how much common sense there is out there...

Yes, olive oil is a very heavy oil, and tends to go solid at room temperature, so would not absorb into the leather well. Neatsfoot or a neatsfoot blend intended for tack is the way to go!

Yup, horse blankets get VERY dirty! Horses like to roll while wearing them, so you will be dealing with both mud and horse poop. If you are planning to machine sew horse tack, you will likely need something that can handle at least 10 to 11 oz. leather. I did a search on the forums here, and some posts even talk of leather up to 15 oz. Don't forget, tack items are frequently lined to prevent the grain side from absorbing sweat, so that increases the thickness you are sewing.

Some horses are very tough on blankets, so you will likely be patching a lot of holes, rips and tears in heavyweight nylon. Blankets can also be made of cotton, canvas or wool. Some are lined with artificial fleece for warmth or may have a quilted lining. Most blankets these days do not have leather straps. The straps will be tough nylon webbing, and will sometimes need buckles re-sewn or torn straps mended. I don't yet know enough about sewing machines to say what type of machine will be up to the task, but I think a patcher would likely do the trick. As for tack, you will be mending a LOT of straps: halters, bridles, lead shanks, stirrup leathers. You'll need a good skiver and strap cutter for sure!

What are those screws called? I'm familiar with Chicago screws, but have never seen them with recessed heads before. Very nice work!

My thoughts are the fact he's repairing and selling some of the machines doesn't mean he's NOT a hoarder. When I saw his 'showroom' I thought no one who's seriously interested in selling machines would let someone/anyone sit down and sew with them. Treadle machines take a fair bit of skill and practice to sew with, and you can mess them up pretty badly if you don't know what you're doing! (Yeah, speaking from experience here... ) Also, he mentions the show room isn't open yet. Um, he's been doing this for over 2 years, and the show room isn't open?? He can't be very serious about selling the machines, if that's the case!

If you listen to the video, he talks about it taking two or three machines to repair one. He also said the Singers with the 'nice de-cals' (never heard it pronounced THAT way!) were sold. So, he's more than just a hoarder.

Doesn't hurt to experiment! But here is Hidepounder's method (Bob Parks). He makes some VERRRY nice stuff!

Hidepounder says gum trag prevents dye and edge coat from penetrating the edge, so he uses glycerine saddle soap instead and follows with a final coat of paraffin after dyeing. The gum trag could be what's causing the problem. And yeah, I am finding the same thing about the leather quality. Now working on my second bag, which is a much better quality leather than the first, and the edges burnish super easily with just a little rubbing!

I am planning to bind the edge of my current WIP. I am also going to line the bag with fabric, which means I'm going to need a needle with both a sharp point and a large eye to sew the binding in place. Where can I find such a needle, and what would it be called? I have also thought of trying to sharpen a couple of handstitching needles. I have quite a few from the Tandy kits I've worked on!

I had to read that more than once, but I think I understand. You use the cloth to burnish the edge. The leather does not move, but stays flat on the slab. Be careful to only rub the edge of the leather and not the whole piece. Burnishing thin pieces of leather is tricky. This is an interesting way of doing it, one I've never heard of before. Definitely worth trying! And yes, I will say it again: You are very talented!

Okay, so the edge of the pockets is just cut and burnished, right? How do you finish your edges? (I'm planning to put card pockets in my most recent project, that's why I'm asking all these questions!) :D The edge is not turned over. I'm not strong in this yet Really?? Could have fooled me! You are VERY talented!