Sheilajeanne

Indeed he is! :D

And yes, I need to dust. And sweep. The joys of dog ownership... Edited to add: this is what I started out with, about 2 years ago: https://www.tandyleather.ca/en/product/basic-leathercraft-set It all fitted in a box that was about 12" x 6"x 8" Before the 8 weeks of free lessons that came with the kit were finished, I had to graduate to using a Rubbermaid bin that was about 36" x 24" x 12" deep. Noobies, beware. You have been warned!

Okay, here goes. This is my tiny perfect work station. Underneath the work surface are two of my power tools that I haven't found another storage spot for, plus an old boot that I am planning to salvage the leather from. I may put the shelves up in my dining room one of these days soon. Second picture shows the cupboard next to the work station where I store projects in waiting, dyes and other solutions, and stuff I don't use very often. Third picture shows a kitchen cupboard that has been mostly taken over for storage of leather work items. It contains rolls of leather, books and patterns and some of the larger kits I'm planning to work on.

Okay, just thought I'd share this here... Not me, but I'm sure some of you can relate! I finally got my work space decluttered, and will post photos soon.

Okay, this is driving me nuts! I have a key chain kit from Tandy, and the leather strap is shaped exactly like a belt that narrows in where the holes are. I've tried several different methods of drawing a nice, straight border around the edge of the belt, but things go sideways when I have to do the curved bits. I've been using a stitch groover to draw the line, but have it angled so it won't actually remove any leather, just leave an indentation in it. The darn thing tends to skid out of position on the corners. Suggestions for other tools I could try to do this same task? Between mucking up the border, and not doing a good job on the curves for the Celtic knotwork design I decided to decorate it with, it's really starting to look pretty dreadful!

This site is indeed a gold mine of information! I never would have thought of that!

You can use a leather burning kit: https://www.tandyleather.ca/en/product/leather-burning-tool-set?ip_lookup_country_id=CA&loadedFromCookie=1&session_id_token=fdc3c12121a068a8fecbea6d2e1e622923d2d311 I have a wood burning kit which I inherited from my late husband. I haven't tried it on leather yet, but I think it would probably work just fine, if you'd prefer not to give Tandy any of your money! P.S. - chuckling at your signature! Yes, we do make a mess sometimes, especially when dyes are involved, and scraps certainly come in VERY handy, especially when testing out something new! :D

My SIL made a Roman blind for their living room. She pieced together 3 swathes of upholstery fabric which were left over from recovering one of their couches. The first time I saw it, I told her how beautiful it was and what a wonderful addition to the room it was with the way it matched the couch. She told me I had NO IDEA of the struggles she went through making that blind, and how awful she thought it was. The main problem was the fabric stretched as she was trying to sew it. so the blind turned out uneven. I had to look at it VERY closely to be able to see what she was talking about.

Jayker, please see the video in my post above, which shows a man using this splitter. Hope that helps!

In this case, I have a friend who lives 20 minutes from the guy with the machine, and there's another friend in Detroit who wants a piece of my time too. I also want the seller to show me how to set up the machine and the ABCs of using it. This will be my first leather sewing machine! It also happens I am currently unemployed/semi retired.

You guys are TOO funny!

Yes, it sticks up way too high. I have shortened it, but that isn't the best way of doing things, as it was designed to be much taller. There is only so much wood I can take off and still have it work the way it is supposed to.

Okay, if I am out of the country for more than 48 hours, I can claim goods with a value of $800.00, and not pay duty or taxes. I will only pay duty on the portion that exceeds the $800. If the goods are manufactured in Canada, or covered by NAFTA, duty does not apply.

The machine I'm buying is a used Seiko. I imagine the 'no duty'' rule only applies to machines directly imported from the country of manufacture.

I previously mentioned that I didn't like the conventional stitching horse design, where you were supposed to hold it between your thighs, as that meant I had to back away from my leather working table, and didn't have enough light to see well. I've been browsing E-Bay, and found there are stitching horses designed specifically for table top use: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Beech-Leather-Retaining-Clip-Wood-Tools-Sewing-Stitching-Lacing-Treatments-Craft/292328958964?epid=21009401028&hash=item441029ebf4:g:XMIAAOSwldRaCV1e Sooo, if you're like me, and prefer this design there ya go! (No, I have no link to this seller - this is just FYI.)

I mentioned this to my family when we were together for Christmas, and my brother said there would likely be import duties if i was planning to use the machine for business (i.e. to make money.) If I can convince them my leather working is just a non-profit hobby (which it currently is, but am hoping to change that!) I might be able to get it across without paying duty. Anyway, that was what he told me.

Wow, cool piece! Auctions are tough. Last time I won one was because e-bay crashed just as the auction was expiring, and no one was able to out-bid me!

I am planning to pick up a machine from Ohio as soon as I can get my passport sorted out. What do I need to get it back across the border? (I'm driving, of course, and hoping there won't be any blizzards!)

This is SO interesting! Please keep us posted! Making a pair of shoes is not something I'd ever have the guts to tackle. I draw the line at moccasins, and even those aren't as easy as you'd think. I sometimes go to cons (am interested in writing sci/fi and fantasy) and I have some friends that are into cosplay/anime. Though it's not my thing, I love watching them show off their costumes! You have a machine for stitching the straps, right?

Very true, roo! (Though I don't agree with the double leash method. If a dog is walking properly on the leash, there is no pressure on the collar. If it starts to pull, it corrects itself. As for the prong causing pain, put a prong collar around your wrist, and jerk on it. The sensation is not comfortable, but it's not painful, either. (And we don't have a nice thick fur coat the way a dog does.) Anyway, something else that should be added: prongs absolutely should NEVER be left on the dog when the walk or training session is over. Worst thing you can do is tether a dog using a prong. They can catch a hind foot in it when scratching, and it is also possible for the links to come undone. The ends of the prongs should be smooth, not sharp. Cheap prongs made in China can have sharp burrs on them that will hurt the dog's neck. If you see photos on animal rights sites showing holes in a dog's neck from a prong, that's the sort of prong that was used. I have never, ever seen that sort of damage from a prong, and I've been using them since the 1980's. Most of the people I train with also use them. I have a Herm-Springer prong - paid $50 for it. Quality doesn't come cheap!

I think it may have to do with the lower part of the boot being subject to friction, which would scuff off any waxes used in finishing the leather. Uppers aren't as subject to scuffing, so the waterproof coating lasts longer.

Yep!

Glad to be of help! I was just looking at your photos of the harness. Where /how did the D ring fail? Did the leather break, or did the D actually break? A D ring you use for something like this would have to be a solid piece of metal, with no joins in it. Cheaper D's have a join along the flat part, and will just pull apart under strain. If it was the leather -oops! Even with 3 layers on the centre section of the strap, the D ring attachment still only has 2 layers, so not sure it would hold. Anyway, shortening the middle strap will help the chest strap take a lot of the pressure, and you may be okay with the redesign. Hope so... Plannning to do a leather harness for my younger dog sometime soon, so this has been helpful to me, too. The dog in the photos turns 11 the first week of January and she is still very active and can be a real PITA sometimes!

Ah, okay, hay bag. Should have know it wasn't a cinch, as there would have been a bar at the top to distribute the tension evenly. But still, the COLOURS!!