Lippy

Valerie Michael has her own stitching clams that sell for £59 or about $88. I've only seen the images in her book and talked with her via email. She said they are about 45" long and 2.75" wide. Hers are made from laminated beech. They would be easy to make if you know how to steam bend wood. Perhaps somebody can tell us how to do it. Cheers, Lippy

Rgerbitz, This may be a stupid question, but why the diagonal cut in the large rod?

Barra, Thanks for the clam information. I'll get back to you as soon as I locate our veggie steamer!

Barra showed images of Saddlers Clams. What would be the advantage of a clam vs. a stitching horse? Towards the end of this video about the making of a Hermes leather bag it shows clams in use. Once you get past the sales "fluff" the video shows some really fast hand saddle stitching too by folks who look like they've done it many times before. Vergez Blanchard shows a clamp online. http://www.vergez-blanchard.fr/boutique_us...lg_us&num=2 Likewise, Abbey Saddlery has this one. http://www.abbeysaddlery.co.uk/product_detail.cfm?id=FS025 Do you know of any other companies who make the clams or has anyone seen plans to build your own?

Try both a left hand and right hand twist. I'm not sure about the physics, but right hand twist works for me. The individual cords tend to twist apart when pulling the thread tight using a left hand twist. You should try to read all of Jim Saddler's posts about hand sewing and threads. I'd love to watch him sew. From what I've read he's done a bit of hand sewing. Here's one of his posts. http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?s...amp;#entry51922 Cheers!

Sheridan Leather is owned by Vandy Douglas. Bob is her father. And yes . . . Bob's awl blades and haft are the best made.

I'm not sure what thread weight you are looking for, but bookbinding supply firms seem to carry smaller quantities of waxed and un-waxed linen thread. Have a look at this link. http://www.hollanders.com/supplies/BrowseC...e0-b59817669dc6 Cheers.

The "Barbour Flax" shoe thread states on it's red box that it is made in the U.S.A. The Irish Barbour thread label says it comes from Lisburn, N. Ireland. Some of these threads are $40+ dollars each for a one pound spool. Some have got to be better than others. I'm just trying to do some research before spending buckets of money on thread. Nothing against TLF stores, but they don't carry No. 4 harness needles and their un-waxed thread selection is limited.

You can also find the Versa Groover at Sheridan Leather Outfitters (307-647-6679). They sell the whole line of Douglas tools. Cheers.

Just a couple of hand stitching questions. Is there any difference between harness needle brands. I think we're talking "John James" vs. "Osborne". I haven't seen any other brands on the "WWW". Do you have a favorite? Now . . . do you have a favorite un-waxed linen thread brand? Is there a real difference between Barbour's (USA, red & black package) vs Barbour's Irish linen thread? Are there other Irish linen thread brands available in the U.S.? Lastly, do you have a preference for thread size and needle size combinations. To start . . . I've found using a No. 4 John James needle with a six cord linen thread is a nice combination for general use. It's a six chord thread from Sheridan Leather Outfitters, but it looks slightly smaller than the Barbour's (USA) 18/5 cord. When it comes to messin' with leather I'm a happy novice who's just trying to master hand stitching before moving on to more complex tasks. Cheers and thank you for all for making this a great forum.

Here are a few articles on stitching that are really worth reading. They're written by a shoemaker/gunleather guy who's handle is "The Capgun Kid". If only he had a working email address. I'd really like to thank him for his entertaining and very helpful tutorials! http://www.gunfighter.com/cgi-bin/bbs/cowb....cgi?read=38276 http://www.gunfighter.com/cgi-bin/bbs/cowb....cgi?read=39449 http://www.gunfighter.com/cgi-bin/bbs/cowb....cgi?read=39815 http://www.gunfighter.com/cgi-bin/bbs/cowb....cgi?read=40851 http://www.gunfighter.com/cgi-bin/bbs/cowb....cgi?read=38679 Have fun reading!

Just had a look at your tutorial. Perfect. As you've shown, pre-punching the stitch holes makes everything work. Can you tell us a little more about the thread type and needle size. I'm still trying to improve my hand stitching so any additional tips you can give will be appreciated. Cheers and well done!

Very nice! What's your trick for holding the edges together for stitching? Please tell us more. Thanks.

Very cool! Do you have a website where we can see more of your work?

Is this a good starter set? What type of stamping can be done with just these tools. Which tools would you add to make up a good "beginner's" stamping set? Please help as I know nothing about leather stamping and would like to learn more. Cheers!