fredk

Thats not a leather working clicker. It a garage mechanics press adapted to be a clicker. Garage mechanics use them for pressing bearings into wheel hubs and such jobs. The lever has long since been replaced by a hydraulic ram or on some versions with an air-fed ram using air from a compressor

Sponge wash it all with a solution of oxalic acid

Some good ideas on here. I need to make a new, as in a better, holster for my phone. Its ok, but I want better. My no.1 son says its the 'American' in me that makes me carry a phone in a holster on my belt

What price can you afford? If I had a guide on that I could recommend something

That was a long time ago, maybe 18 plus years ago. I don't need or use pipes anymore. Main thing is, as water is constantly flowing thru the pipe any chlorine getting into that water is very minimal but when you store something in the pipe it allows that chlorine gas to build up and affect what ever is in there over a longer period. How it will affect leather over the long term I cannot say. It may not do any harm to raw veg tan. In fact it may just help prevent mold growth. But on any pre-dyed leather it may bleach the colour.

What is your secret to keeping your work space so organised? I need to sort out my place, yet again, to find something and some space to work

Time to resurrect an old dead thread. Post here those odd thoughts and wonderings which don't really need any answer. Or some silly thought No serious stuff, OK? Just fun stuff Like; how do they stop the chocolate bits in a muffin from melting when they bake the muffin in the oven?

I want to check if you are mixing up your Century with the Years, a common & easily made mistake 18th Century = 1700s 19th Century = 1800s afaik 18th Century / 1700s chaps were very simple and basic whereas 19th Century / 1800s, especially later 1800s Western Chaps had some more fancy leatherwork on them, usually on the belt area In the main the answer is Yes. Its a difference of temper. Chrome tan, ime, is never as stiff as Veg tan. If the chaps are just for costume you could get away using chrome tan but you'd still need veg tan for the belt and fancy tooled panels. If for serious use or wear you need veg tan right through

I can't say what affect it has on leather. But experience is of photos, prints, posters and print-ready artwork being bleached out by the chlorine gassing out of the pipes we stored them in. We used 4 inch diameter waste water pipes to store the above things in a roll. After a few months when we retrieved some items we found them bleached out, progressively from outer to inner. I took the items to a man I knew who worked as a conservator in the national museum. Without telling him, he pronounced that they'd been bleached by chlorine gas. Then the discussion when into detail. Later I took him a piece of pipe and he was able to have the amount of gas coming off measured. Not enough to worry about, but enough to bleach over time. One of my bro-in-law worked for the N.I. Water Board and he told me that they knew of this and certain PVC pipes were only used for waste water and PVC-free pipes used for taking water to a place Later, I had to totally changed my photo negs and slides storage system as the PVC storage pages and boxes were gassing off as well. I had to change to 'museum quality' PVC- free storage.

I'll throw in a late follow-up. Last year my son met up with the board's owners at one of our club events. He was told to pass on a message; that my board is 'world rally winner' board now. The couple had used it in some world vintage car rally which they had won. I patiently await orders to come flooding in from around the world from vintage car rallyists -

The film had three names. 1. The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh, 2. Dr. Syn and 3. Dr. Syn, the Scarecrow of Romney Marsh

If you're for using PVC pipes, be careful what you use. PVC can give off or leech chlorides onto and into what you have in contact with it. This is not theory but knowledge thru actual use. Use PVC water pipes meant for carrying water into a house, but do not use the pipes for waste water

Gotchya, I understand

Just a slight change to the message on the Le Prevo website Stu is retiring after 50 years in business but we are in talks about a take over and hope that Le Prevo will continue under new management. Our shop remains closed but we are taking online orders. We thank you for you patience at this difficult time. And they appear to be still open for orders

That looks real good so it does. A real match for that blade

...

I don't like making things to order. In the past, when I did, I had far too many clients quibbling about things. I prefer to make what I want to make and offer it for sale. When I've been asked 'can you make this for me?' I say 'yes, I can but I won't', Sometimes that ends the request. Sometimes I get asked 'how much for xxx?' I tell them ' you can't afford my prices'. Usually that ends the request but occasionally that ruffles their feathers and they insist on a price so I give them some really outrageous price. On a couple of times that backfired on me and I then took on the job When I was a photographer a few of us in one area did something that was actually illegal. We had a cartel. We fixed all our prices to be similar so that we weren't competing against each other price wise, We did offer different range of services but they were priced according to our agreement. At the time their were loads of non-fulltime photogs out there, all undercutting our prices but they could not undercut or service thus they couldn't really compete with us.

That looks grand

Thanks for that Best of luck with that. My agent wants me to make some to sell. . . . along with all the other stuff he wants

My main hat looks like the one in your first picture but I want to make one like your second picture I bought a pattern from dieselpunk for an 'Indiana Jones Style' hat a few years ago

Looking for a dead-blow mallet I came across a place not too far from no.1 son's work place selling a 1lb, a 2lb and a 3lb dead-blow mallets for £14.99 delivered. Thats £14.99 for all three. Or I can buy a 2lb one for £8.85 mmm, choices, choices . . . .

I've been following this. I reckon I need a heavier maul. I don't as yet do any real decorative stamping. I have an old wood working mallet. Total weight is 16oz. I have a HDPE mallet, total weight is 11.5oz, head only is 9.5oz Do you think a rubber 1.5lb dead-blow mallet would do? I can no longer swing anything much heavier than that oh man, that is so real nice looking. May you have the joy of lots of happy hours using it yeah, they don't like it or understand it. . . . . until they need something fixed and they expect you to have the fixings,

Check this one out; https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vacuum-Valve-Bagging-Composites/dp/B01DL7NGBI

Be prepared for changing the blade often. I find soft leather, especially my chrome tan stuff blunts the blade very quickly. Much more quickly than any veg tan I have