fredk

Years ago I got a clearance lot of maybe 100 belts from a factory closure (no buckles). At the time I was making toy shields so I cut then up to make hand & arm straps on the shields

How long did it last him? My #1 got, at best, an average of 6 months from similar but not so good belts

I had thoughts of you sewing lots of wee discs together to make a pouch, Then I wised up and realised, sew them up inside a pouch

You can pick up some really nice silk

I do it occasionally. I'd say use water-resistant or all-weather PVA glue. Then it won't become glue again at the slightest hint of water. The glue I get is thin enuf it doesn't need any more thinning but I put a small amount of acrylic floor finish (aka Pledge with Future shine or Mop and Glo or whatever its called now) in which helps the water proofing. It will work on chrome tan. ppl aren't putting it on right. You need to clamp up the chrome tan real tight and very close the join, like 1 mm from it. After applying the PVA you need to keep it clamped up until its fully dry. Its not a fast finish but its good for smoothing that awkward c/t edge In all cases I apply it with a #1 multi-purpose digit. I slick it with some beeswax when its dry

I have some polymer clay that after its cooked is like hard rubber. Its near impossible to break anything made with it. I think Sculpey or FIMO make a similar clay + 1 for Christmas ornaments - 1 for hanging from vehicle rear view mirrors, I am totally against anything hanging from the mirrors

Most excellent I used to make some creations in polymer clay. Your wood effect is very good. I especially like it on the round knife handle. Did you use flexible polymer clay for the round knife blade?

@ButtonLady Maybe you could try ironing some. to see if that works out

I wouldn't apply heat from an iron**. I'd lightly dampen the back side, stretch out as best I could and put weights on top and let it dry. That may reduce the wrinkles. In most cases just working with the u/l, making something with it, will reduce the wrinkles ** I've had u/l shrink badly trying that

I've recently bought some paint marker pens for my modelling. I've bought some with a 1mm tip in white, silver, as well as other colours. The white ones are selling for under £3 for 3 on ebay from China. To buy one locally expect at least £4.50 each . The silver ones are under £2 each, ebay, local edited to add; these are not alcohol ink pens like sharpies, they are paint pens, either acrylics or oils. I use them for colouring in the markings on my game boards. The larger tipped ones are aimed at car detailers for colouring the lettering on tyres

Usually, on the back side I don't need the markings to be removable. Or I cut them off. I use an ordinary black biro or on really dark chrome tan leather I use a Tippex type pen

Welcome to the forum You can get well lost in all the sections Very nice work you have there

Resurrecting this old thread I made some changes to my strap cutter, sort of in-life upgrades to suit me 1. the inch scale was awkward to see and use so I added a steel ruler on the top of the bar 2. I disliked the big wing headed bolt so I replaced it with a plastic knob. Being metric I also had to change the t-nut inside. 3. I replaced the bolts and nuts that held the cutting blade. The screw-blade slot was getting worn. I fitted flanged hex drive bolts and brass nuts 4. I used a fine saw to widen the blade gap slightly so I could use skiver blades. They are easier and cheaper to get and this; I spotted this plastic strap cutter on ebay. Price is about 1/2 or 1/3 of a wood one

Today I spotted a woman with what looked like a 'tote' bag of unusual construction. From a distance it looked like a lot of leather 'jigsaw' pieces sewn together. I spoke to the woman and got a slightly better look at the bag - I didn't examine it. Not jigsaw pieces but squares, with rounded corners, of about 3 inches, in the middle of each side was a slot of about 1 inch wide, maybe just 3/4 inch. by about 1/4 to 1/2 inch, too big I thought. Through that slot ran a short strap linking two squares together. All the squares and straps were of different colours. Muted bright colours and mostly no two adjoining pieces were the same colour. There was no sign of anything else fixing the squares together, no rivets, no sewing. They were in fact quite loosely joined. I guess the ends of the straps were joined on the inside of the bag. The bag was lined with a relatively heavy fabric. I didn't really take note of the long grip straps which the lady had over her shoulder It would be a simple matter to have a die made to punch out these squares with their slots

She must be very smart; she chose to live with you!

Nothing to strong or used vigorously. I would try some 'saddle soap' or mild dish washing soap in luke warm water, just to clean it a little I use to have a collection of antique cameras. The oldest was from about 1880 and the youngest were mostly 1930s. 40s & 50s. The bellows were the main problem and I often had to replace them Until they were all stolen

I just had to google that to find out what it is. Very Nice! every day is a learning day

or under ornaments as pads to keep from scratching furniture or; put an assortment of sizes in self-sealing plastic bags and sold to (women) scrap-bookers or greetings card makers, and let them think of how to use them

I use ones of about 4 to 8 mm on the bottoms of game playing pieces. Larger ones, minimum of 10 mm, and upwards can be used as the playing pieces in the game Checkers or Backgammon. Smaller ones can also be used as the playing pieces in Solitaire or Chinese Checkers. Big ones can be used to cover certain round fittings on the insides of things; such as the screw head on a Sam Browne stud can be covered so it wont scratch anything

True shellac, when dried, after applying goes sticky like molasses when heated. It doesn't become a glue again I would not remove the leather and use PVA white glue to stick it down

Let me entertain you with a tale of wedding photos I used to do gypsy weddings. They paid 95% up front with the other 5% plus a bonus on the day A colleague wouldn't touch a gypsy wedding, he was more up-market. His prices were at least 4 times mine, but he was good, better than me at wedding photos. More artistic. He did a wedding of a top doctor with a top surgeon. They were both eminent doctors. The had paid the basic deposit, which he charged everyone to cover expenses. A year later he was still chasing them for the remainder One year became two, became three, then four. He handed it to a debt collecting agency. They got nowhere in the case Time went on. He filed it away as a bad job, the wedding album and negatives were put in storage Then one day a young couple walked in and said they wanted to pay off an old debt. The doctors had got married, had children, divorced, the children grew up, their son had got married and was now standing in my friend's studio want to pay off his parents debt!

I'll throw this in; In the UK it is the legal right for anyone doing repairs or such to set a time limit for collection, failing that they may sell the item, but hold onto the reasonable price raised for a further time limit, after that its theirs. All reasonable attempts to contact the client are to be taken. emails don't count. A judge ruled that basically the more expensive the item the longer the time limit for collection but the time limit to hold on to the money for its sale could be a minimum of 1 month So lets take a saddle as an example. A not too expensive one. Repairs done. Not collected at time agreed. You send or telephone the client over next 6 months. No response from client. You then have the right to sell it. Not for $1, but for $150. You then have to keep those funds for a minimum of 1 month. They can be in your normal bank account but need to be paid on-demand. Still no response from the client? the funds become yours. A year later client comes looking his/her saddle. Sorry chum, its been sold. Client goes to solicitor/lawyer; No case to take, but they try I have had a number of cases taken against me, not in leatherwork, but in other work. We have a 'Small Claims' system for up to about £5000 heard before a judge only. Each time the case has been thrown out, based on above law

I would do a flame test on it first I often use chrome tan to line veg tan bags. No problems Don't stretch the lining leather when sticking it to the veg tan. Just smooth it over and press it down with a wide brayer

I bought one off ebay and it was razor sharp out of the box. It cost me £3.50, and I expected to have to sharpen it but it was not at all needed You takes your chances