fredk

For the last 16/17 years I've been using a 2nd-hand compressor which came in a ladies spray tanning out fit. It cost me all of £7.50. I can adjust the air pressure up and down a bit but as there is no gauge I don't know what the actual pressure is. I just adjust it until it sprays well. Over time I replaced the original vinyl hose with a fabric covered rubber one and gave it and my airbrushes quick-release fittings. Just easier to take the airbrush off for a strip-down cleaning

and as usual, I'm contrary. I think it looks good the way it is

I re-bottle the dye and wash the tray. I bought some empty HDPE bottles at a cost of about 50p /50c each for a 500ml bottle. A few large funnels helps get the liquid into the bottles. Much easier to store labelled bottles than trays of dye. Also means you only need a few trays. I have four, but only really only use one at a time. Trays can then be stored on edge somewhere, no need to keep them flat taking up valuable storage or working surfaces

Turin is the base for Fiat, Fiat built Ferraris, Abarth and so many other specialised car builders I'd suggest your leather is water buffalo from North Africa

You chaps know your firearms far, far better than I know but if I may throw this into the conversation; About 16 years ago I was shown a 14th Century sword which had been stored in a woolie lined scabbard. The sword was definitely 14th C, the age of the scabbard was unknown but at least over 150 years old. The sword/scabbard was found in a blocked up small storage room in an old Irish castle. The room had been filled with cast off items and the doorway built over. It was known that this was done in 1854. The wool of the scabbard still had lanolin in it. It had degraded to a yellow wax but was still slick. The sword blade had very minimal corrosion on it, most of this was at the hilt end where the blade had minimal protection. Would not even the smoothest of cotton canvas be too coarse on a gun's finish?

What make of Italian car? That would help find where the leather came from. Eg, Ferrari only uses Swedish leather as the Swedes do not use barbed wire fencing, there are no animal ticks there so their leather is always much cleaner of imperfections and more even in look. Maserati uses Italian and Egyptian leathers. Fiat uses Italian, other European and Libyan leathers

Acetone, for really contaminated surfaces, or for removing a prior top finish only. Alcohol is much better. Then wet the leather a little bit before dyeing

Feibings standard dye thinned with water & alcohol (methylated spirits) I wet the leather a little bit first

It looks like a picture framers groove/rebate maker. For cutting or marking wood strips for the rebate which takes the glass and picture in picture frames. Some picture framers use a cabinet makers rebate, aka rabbit, plane

Here is a true story; Once there was a horse race, one of many at one of the many horse racing events. There were about 10 starters listed, but one by one they dropped out until there was only one horse left to run. Of course it came in 1st. But the judges gave it 4th place. Just outside the money. The judges gave it 4th place because, they said, the jockey did not try hard enough, just because it was on its own there was no excuse for not trying hard and the timing the horse took over the course would have put it about 5th or 6th in a proper field.

Wrong steel wool. Woolies for dish washing have soap and rust inhibitors on them. Get pads from a DIY or hardware store. Use neat distilled white vinegar diluted with some water. Allow air to get to the wool in the vinegar solution

For a real basic stand you can get a stand to take a standard hand-held electric drill. Then you get a faulty / non-working drill at a car boot sale and fit it into the stand. A drill stand costs about £10 to £20 and about £3 to £5 for the non-working drill. You have the advantage of the drill chuck etc. You can change the drill to a working one at any time. It can all be packed away easier too eg, one of these; https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134182405632?hash=item1f3de50600:g:vNIAAOSwZlVi39Az

Use a round point awl, aka a 'scratch awl' to poke round holes through the leather first then use a # 001 (JJ Needles) or a 00 or 000 (Osborne) Glovers Needle with 0.6 to 0.8mm waxed thread to sew up

Draw a grid to match the 9 spi chisels that you have

Draw a grid to suit the 9 point spi ?

Double wrap and pack orders. #1 company wraps hides inside each other and with heavy duty wrapping paper integral to the roll. This is wrapped in a corrugated card wrap. Then this is put into a plastic tube bag of heavy industrial plastic, then this is put into another bag of the same. Small items such as buckles have been bagged and put into the centre of the roll. Never any damage to anything upon arrival. #2 company rolled 3 hides individually, with a piece of lightweight brown wrapping paper around each. These were put into a not very substantial card box and one piece of parcel tape to keep each end of the box closed. A bag of buckles, conchos etc was just placed in one end of the box. One end of the box burst partially open during transit. Fortunately not the end with the bag of fittings. But on a previous occasion it had been and the supplier had to send me the fittings again.

The main problem I encounter (not too often though) is suppliers not keeping their stock records up-to-date and I put in my order only to be told days, or even weeks, later that what I've ordered is out of stock, and was when I ordered it. And even after that the supplier still lists that leather as 'in stock', available to order On the other hand; one supplier, which I've used for a long time, will send me small samples, about 2 inches square, of leathers, foc, when I've asked for samples

I would; take the flat leather lace through the button, through a spacer, through the trousers and through the patch. I would use a small dab of glue to hold the flat lace to the leather patch and sew the lace to the patch with a few stitches. I would splay the ends of the flat lace to either side of the hole in the patch which they come through Then a small dab of glue to hold the patch in place and sew it to the trousers. I would use a glovers needle, a straight one for sewing the lace to the patch, but a curved glovers needle to sew the patch to the trousers. You can make any straight needle into a curved one by heating its centre up red hot and bending it By using the curved needle you can go through the patch, the inner layer of the trousers and come back out through the patch again

Goat would be good, but I'd suggest Sheep Nappa That's if the OP wants to just recover the box with any new leather

That appears to be easy-peasy to hand sew and not easy with a sewing machine Pull the flat leather lace through the button (I would put a leather spacer between the button and the trousers), through the waistband and sew to a leather patch, then sew the leather patch to the trousers. A fiddly bit of sewing but easily done

Some folk will buy it KNC Syndrome Anyone remember the leather American style lunch bag a few years ago? Based on the standard paper lunch bag as used by 90% of US moms to put kiddies lunches in but made in leather for executives. That was selling in the $150 - $500 range

Not necessarily. HMRC is a law unto themselves. They'll add any postage paid to your goods order and will charge you import duty plus 20% on top of that, irrespective of the value of the order, i.e. it won't matter if its below the £135 or not. Then the courier will add a fee of between £10 and £25 on top of that for paying the customs fees on your behalf OR. . . a small parcel might just escape their notice and you'll not be charged at all. (info acquired on a modelling forum; buyers experiences of buying models from Japan)

You don't say where you are but a working 99k can be picked up for as low as £25. About £50 - £80 is average, £125 plus for a serviced one from a s/m dealer. I got a mint, low used, fully serviced one with a 1 year guarantee and 1 year of servicing for about £200

I find washing down leather with cellulose thinners not only removes waxes, other finishes, some dyes and also stiffens the leather

Yes, look carefully at the size & colour example bottom left. You can just make out the nicks on the tube. Having seen that, look at the smallest gold and nickel ones and you can just make out the nicks http://www.leprevo.co.uk/photos/eyelet.html