fredk

yes, I bought some pattern of etsy. Cut them out, punched the sewing holes where the pattern said. Impossible to sew up

Although we adopted the metric system we still buy fresh food by the pound & ounces. Pre-packaged foods are in kilograms and grams. Fuel and most other liquids are in litres, but down in pub you buy a pint. We're bi-lingual Last week I asked my butcher for about 1/2 a kilogram of mince beef. He gave me a blank stare. I said - about 500 grams. Blank stare. Give me a pound of mince. Instant action

I was of a generation that changed how our school did things. We boys campaigned and won the right to do Home Ec and for girls to do Engineering. An older sister taught me how to sew when I was 9. An older bro-in-law who had been in the army showed me a special way to sew on buttons. So when I went into the RAF training at 12 I knew how to sew, polish shoes to a high shine, how to get a knife-edge crease in my trousers, how to open tins without a tin opener and more. It gave me instant promotion, and a position of training other cadets

I used to get timber at certain builder merchants. You had to order the timber by the 'metric foot' (= 30cm) so you/I always ordered slightly more than needed to make up for the lost 5mm. But when the office worked out the bill it was always in imperial feet!

mea culpa I'm colour blind. Honestly

Now that is blue! What blue did you use? If you want to keep the brim flat or curved the way you want it; sew a thin strip of leather to the edge of the brim and over it, then slip a 2mm aluminium wire in it

Yes, but only specialists and you'll pay a great deal for one

Alcohol will thin both water based and alcohol based but not oil based. Oil dyes are usually marked so on the front of the container. Alcohol thinning will speed up the drying whilst water thinning will slow it It a single action gravity fed Chinese clone. With a changeable reservoir, it comes with one 14ml metal one and two larger ones, most suitable for large area dyeing. It has a universal screw thread fitting to the compressor and I can change the supplied airbrush to any of my other single- or double- action ones. Shopping around you can buy the unit for as little as $20. If going on ebay to look search under 'nail art' in the beauty section, its cheaper there

I'd like a bobbin winder for the Tippmann Boss bobbins. Its incredible that you pay $1000 for a machine and they give you an aluminium bar to use in your hand drill with the bobbins. I know that due the way the machine works you can't have a machine mountable the way you can with other machines. Even if they offered a winder as an extra it would be worth buying mmmmm, I wonder if a small fixed spool fishing reel can be adapted??

imo sewing is one of those life-skills that is no longer taught, either at home or in school

Warning Deviation; if you don't have an airbrush and are looking to buy one I recommend this type. It has a small rechargeable compressor attached and thus its hose and cable free. The compressor time lasts as long as, or longer than, most jobs need. I have one and find it more useful than my other four regular airbrushes

This was dyed with Light Blue. Applied by paint bush on very light, almost white, leather

I've used both. For me Royal Blue is a strong blue but comes out very dark, almost black. Light Blue is lighter but not as light as a pale blue, it comes out for me as you would expect a blue item to look. I'll see if I have any photos

Since Harland & Wolff closed you can only buy 'diagonal steam traps' 2nd hand and they fetch enormous prices. A cheaper one would be welcome

Over the years I have owned or driven several hundred motor vehicles. I drove 'professionally' as a postman. Thus I use the make of vehicle, the type and its registration number for my passwords. BUT I mix them up, like this; Honda Swift VCZ9621, comes from three different vehicles, and I change the order too And I keep a little black book with them all written down

An automatic, or any, bobbin winder for Tippmann Boss bobbins Even something fashioned along the lines of a fishing line spool winder - the type for fixed spool reels

Lately I bought two new sewing machines Two music boxes Pull the drawer out on each and they play. On the first the foot pedal goes up and down, and on both the spool on the top goes around, the hand-wheel goes around and the needle bar goes up & down. The windup is on the side you can't see They are much bigger than they look The 'Singer' is 17 cm tall and ''The Boss' is 21 cm I bought the first cos it looks like a Singer and the second cos it sort of resembles 'The Boss' . I haven't figured out what tune they play. I may be able to change the roller and keys in each to play something recognizable

They don't degrade the leather or do it any harm. But they're not suitable for heavy use, only for the likes of a wrist-strap on a purse I use these and I find I have to replace the screw with a longer one and use a plastic washer under the screw

Interesting project Are the creatures in Jelling style

Excellento

Its been raining today. Not very heavy. I put vaseline on the pieces again and put them out One piece after about 1 hour. Seems the rain is soaking in at the edges. The water is being repelled on the surface Another piece after 1 1/2 hours. The rain has soaked in but its also being repelled on the surface On its own and in one coat its not good at waterproofing but I think multiple coats, each allowed to soak in and be absorbed before the next coat is put on may be a decent waterproofer I don't think I have anything to try out my thoughts. It would need a leather hat or a shoulder bag and I don't have anything like that made

You can buy curved needles but you can also make your own very simply 1. take a straight needle of your choice 2. hold it in a pair of pliers 3. using a cigarette lighter, apply the flame to the centre of the needle until it glows red 4. whilst it glows red push it gently against a hard surface, such as the edge of a desk 5. the needle will bend into a curve Its quicker to do than to read how to

Here are a few to watch;

Bruce bought them new when they were first published