fredk

If you were, or indeed are, in the UK or even Europe and you use 'stock' photos or someone else's photos of their work areas to represent your workspace you'll be in mighty big trouble with UK Advertising Standards Get your work area sorted out and get a professional photographer in

I dunno if they have a special name but I come across them as 'Sam Browne Studs with Ring', or 'Chicago Studs with Ring' and various other descriptive names, eg: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10pcs-Brass-Nail-Rivet-Chicago-Stud-Screw-Round-Head-Ring-Button-Leathercraft-SG/303672380645?hash=item46b448cce5:g:zIwAAOSwwYpaqNiT

There is a section called 'How do I that?' https://leatherworker.net/forum/forum/36-how-do-i-do-that/ I'm working from page 339 (the oldest) forwards and from page 1 (the most recent) reading bits as the mood takes me. Lots of good info in there

Welcome to the mad-house. You'll get plenty of info on here. Nice stuff for your (motor?)bike

umm, you've not being doing this lark very long have you ? (thats a joke btw) A bit off topic; when my local library was open, over a year ago now, the librarian used to order in any new leatherwork books which came up on the system. Then she kept said books aside for me. In just one occasion she had 10 new books. I / we went through them. All the books followed the same format - lots of pages on tools and explanations of leather. Then, basically, all the books had the same projects in them, the only variations were in construction or style, and only one book was really different. The author did all the projects on an industrial sewing machine and he insisted that you needed an industrial leather sewing machine to do his projects (umm, no, they were standard projects which could be sewn by hand). Who, just starting out, is going to spend over £2500 on his type of sewing machine for a few 'home' projects ?. Other than this book, not one, not a single one, explained how to use a sewing awl, choice of needles and why, or even how to sew. None of the books explained how to fit a 'snap' - it was just eg 'Stage 5, fit the snap' imo, Someone needs to take the best of Al Stohlman's instructions, up date them and add them to some thought provoking interesting projects. Skip the 34 pages of showing tools and variations of leather and get right to the casing of veg tan for tooling. enuf waffle

Fairly even. And with saddle stitching any small difference was covered by the thread. If I was to do these now I would use a wing-divider to mark the spacing. Plus; I would go to my local woods and look for a big branch or wood log for my former. (There are NO wood turners left in N.I. !! for me to get a piece of wood turned for a former)

I don't know if this will influence your thinking; When I used to make the occasional archery arm bracer for my medieval display team I got a 2L cola bottle and cut the top off, then I filled it with plaster to make a form. Mostly the bracers I made were lined with thick suede, about 2 - 2.5mm thick. A bracer only needed to be about 2/3 round the bottle form but I wrapped the suede all the way round. I used double-sided adhesive tape to hold an over-size piece of suede to the bottle, then I glued on the padding, if requested, then glued the outer leather over that. With good contact adhesive it was all glued up in minutes, no need for clamping. Whilst the bracer was still on the bottle I ran a gouge along the edges, about 3mm or 4mm in, for a sewing line then I used a scratch awl to mark my sewing points. These marks were quite deep, almost all the way through. Then I took the bracer off the form and sewed it all up. When that was done I trimmed the suede and finished off the edges. Most of my bracers were held to the arm by lacing so the holes for this lacing was punched towards the finish. If buckle straps were requested they were prepared and glued in place at the time of gluing on the padding

A most excellent book. I have it and I can recommend it

My version of M&G is cinnamon scented. But the scent goes away very quickly. Very quickly indeedy

Here, in UK, I buy snaps, aka 'poppers' or 'Press studs' here by the diameter of the head which is also usually the same as the spring part of the snap I erred in my statement above. I put the screw part of the Chicago Screw (hereafter just CS) through the part which has the spring. In this photo we have, from left, what I call a proper CS, pure brass and heavy duty, then next, to the right, is a light weight one, still brass but not as heavy, then next right, a CS type with a fancy head and finally a screw part from the fancy CS inserted into a snap. Its just held there by a bit of bluetac. The snap is 15mm diameter. I have a few 'Line something-or-other' snaps from Tandy but I've classified them as 12mm diameter and have them stored as such afair the parts of the proper CS fitted into an 18mm diameter snap but I rarely go that size * some people say the part with the spring is the top. To me it doesn't matter which is top or bottom. It works either as top or bottom.

If that is the sort of thing you are looking for; I can put the screw head, the slotted bit, of a cheap Chicago Screw thru the center hole of the snap base (as in the photo above) and then screw the counter part to it thru the leather

I have been known to staple pieces together before sewing. On soft leather drawstring bags I staple along the sewing line then try to get my thread spacing so it goes through the staple holes. On some other items, I cut the leather oversize by about 6mm, staple in that excess, sew the item, then cut off the excess with the staples

You can make a belt end any shape you want just using a knife. I've cut belt ends just square, an off-set V shape, off-set C shape, full V or blunted V as well as 'English' point

a thought, an idea. Use belly leather, wet it through to turn outside-out, stuff it tight with a lots of newspaper, or better still a block of wood made to shape, then dry quickly with warm air. The belly leather will stiffen up, but it'll shrink too though

I don't think there is a veg tan suede If regular suede won't do turn a piece of regular veg tan over and use the flesh side out-ways

Double up the thickness with a piece of compressed cardboard in between. That is a very old way of stiffening leather and still used even on expensive items

Its what you in the colonies call a 'snap'

If you have space and its not going to make you have to sleep out with the dogs; keep what you can then dispose of what you think is useless at your leisure. Nowt worse than seeing old stuff being dumped by the unknowledgeable before any of us can inspect and assess it

Thats a good effort for a first piece. You'll get better with each item you make. Next, you'll need to look at 'slicking' the edges You'll be seeing how easy veg tan leather can be marked by fingernails and such. When you get them, dampen the surface of the leather and 'burnish' it with the back of a spoon.

I'd clean the old unused leather with Saddle Soap, then give it a feed of neetsfoot oil. To check if its veg tanned, snip off a piece, wet it and try stamping it with something. If it takes a good deep impression then its veg tan, chrome tan doesn't take impressions good. Old harness etc is good for patterns and show-how, as long its holding together.

I don't have any of their paint but I do have some of their dye and its very much excellent

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The main problem we have is that there are good leatherworking tools out there and there is crap sold as good quality. Sorting the good from the bad really only comes with experience of buying them. For honest-to-goodness quality you need to buy from the likes of Barry King. Some on here have got quality from a Japanese place. I've bought tools and have had a good experience of them whilst others on here have bought the same tools from the same seller and found the tools to be crap. Over 20 plus years I've bought and dumped a fair number of tools until I've finally found a quality tool. Price does not always equal quality; eg I bought a French skive, a top make, cost me over £25, the metal was twisted and loose in a cracked handle. Back it went. I've bought two from China, expecting poor quality at £3.50 each. Both are excellent and hold an edge well. Start with a Stanley knife for most cutting. Replace the blade for every new project. In time you could graduate to a half-moon round knife, from a top maker. I have a bird's-head knife but rarely use it. Buy individual round and oval hole punches. Not a set of them, they are often poor quality, I've found that even highly priced sets aren't any good. Buy the punches as you need them. Buying individually, if you find one is rubbish you're only out the price of one You'll need an awl, an edger, maybe a groover, a set of pricking irons or sewing hole chisels, a mallet - like the one in the photo is good, a slicker - the carrot shape is common but I mostly use a piece of beech wood with a groove in it, a skiver - the Super Skiver is good, and a beveller (Safety Beveller) is useful - both take the same blade, replace for every new project. (replace replaceable blades until you get good at stropping the blades), a set of wing-dividers, a scratch awl, a few basic design stamps - a wee bit of decoration looks good, a steel or aluminium straight edge or long ruler and a metal try-square - like a roofer's square Who to buy these from for a beginner? Buy from a place or someone who will take back their rubbish or will stand over their tools. Tandy is the first stop, but the quality of their tools can be hit-or-miss. As you are in USA I'll let your locals advise on other sellers that they know.

Tools were made to be used. I have several 1920s / 1930s Austin 7 cars. Over the years I've accumulated a load of old tools to work on them. Some are standard tools, some were specially made for working on the cars, some tools were made by famous tool makers and those tools are very collectible. As tools I use them as they are needed for what they were intended to do Use those tools. Thats what they were meant for

In my experience, no matter what the item is, a tool, a bowl, a glass ornament, if it has a maker's name or mark on it it will always fetch more money than an unmarked item. Rarely, an unmarked item but recognisable as from a certain maker will fetch more money than a similar marked piece. How much they fetch or are desired is simply down to the collector or end user, not often based on how famous the maker is or was.