celticleather

Woodware Repetitions sold off most of the George Barnsley stock to Hale & Co in the US, who have an extensive catalogue on their website (http://haleandco.com/). They now sell most of the products on eBay. Woodware Repetitions have started making a limited range of the old Barnsley products, but they don't have a website. Check out this thread for full information: http://leatherworker...=1entry141469

Here's another method that you may like to consider . . .

Welcome, John. Fancy meeting you here! We often send people your way when they've busted their leathers, and all we ever get back is praise for what you've done for them. Keep it up! Terry (Shoe Box, Letchworth)

Ray Have you thought about http://www.specsavers.co.uk/? Perhaps if we both went together, we could get a discount? Terry

I've restored many sets of fire bellows, and in my experience it's essential that you use veg-tanned leather. One of the final stages of restoration is to draw the leather into the 'concertina' shape around the internal springs, and for this to work, the leather needs to be thoroughly wetted. Chrome-tanned leather is very difficult to soak, and does not tend to hold its shape when dried in the same way that veg-tanned leather does. I use 1-1½mm natural calf or 2mm goatskin, depending on the size of the bellows, and I dye it before fitting to the bellows. If it's any help, I've attached a pdf of the various stages I go through in bellows restorations. Terry Bellows3.pdf Bellows3.pdf

Here's a pdf of one that I made many moons ago! It's not 100% accurate, but OK for most purposes. I printed it onto clear film, and cut it off along the top line. I guess it would work equally well if pasted onto a piece of thin card. Having made it, I still tend to use the dividers method! Terry Centre.pdf Centre.pdf

I use a mix of three parts Fiebing's Edge Dye (not Edge-Kote!) and one part gum arabic on my edges. The edge dye is a good dense black, and the gum arabic gives a good shine when burnished. I've never had any problem with rub-off.

Ray It's a channel cutter - used for making a 45-degree channel in the bottom of a leather sole. The outsole stitching is then placed in the bottom of the channel, and the flap is glued and hammered back in place (see pic). The cut should be almost invisible when the sole is finished. I had one for many years, but it disappeared a few years ago. I'd hoped it would turn up when we moved the shop last year, but no such luck! Woodware Repetitions (Hale & Co in US) have them for sale . . . eBay number 280414713984. Terry

I get all my Fiebing's products from Abbey Saddlery, here in the UK. http://www.abbeysadd...&attr1=PURP0001 Have you tried contacting Fiebing's to find the nearest supplier that stocks the full range?

I use Fiebings purple spirit dye regularly . . . it's a really good, strong colour!

Abbey Saddlery have brass triangles with a ring attached, but they don't specify the size - just 'small' or 'standard' . . . may be worth a call if they're what you're looking for.

Nice one, Ray! I love working on rocking horses . . . it's a pity there are so few of them left!

Thank you, gentlemen! I bought my Tippmann five years ago, direct from the factory, so I guess the manual may have changed since then. I'd never thought about looping around both tensioners, but I'm certainly going to give it a try!

I'm slightly puzzled by the recommendation that the thread on a Tippmann Boss should loop around both tensioners. I've checked the manual, and it definitely says that it should pass through the back side of the secondary tensioner, and once clockwise around the primary tensioner (pic attached). This is shown both on the illustration, and stated in the text. Has the manual changed? Is there a benefit in passing the thread around both tensioners? I have occasionally noticed that the thread can slip out from between the secondary tensioner discs . . . perhaps looping around the tensioner would stop this happening? Any thoughts . . ?

Welcome to the Forum, Karen! Dive in and have a good rummage around . . . there's all sorts of (mostly!) useful stuff here, and the answers to many questions are only a shout away! Terry

Ray If you're using open-ended (single-cap) tubular rivets, its helpful to use the rivet anvils that have an upstanding projection in the centre. It's easy to feel when the rivet bottom settles over the projecting nipple. Similarly, when using double-capped rivets, I find that using a bottom anvil with the same concavity as the top punch, helps to locate the bottom of the rivet accurately. It also prevents the rivets from skewing off sideways when pressure is applied. If you're using a mechanical rivet setter, it's obviously important to ensure that the top punch descends perfectly in line with the bottom anvil. The pic of my hand-setter shows the nipples on the interchangeable bottom anvils. Terry

Ray I think you've reached the correct conclusion! I use rivet setters in three different sizes, according to the size of cap. Ideally, the diameter of the tool should be just a bee's knee larger than the rivet head. I also think it's important to use a bottom anvil of the same size (for double-capped rivets) or with the central projection for single-capped. Terry

I often agonise over the throwaway society that we have become, but it's not easy to make an effective stand against it.In my shop I have to sell goods that appeal to all pockets, which means I have horrible cheap Chinese-made belts, with a thin leather lining and a plastic front, hanging beside hand-made bridle leather belts that I guarantee for life. Some people just want a cheapie belt for a particular pair of trousers, and although I gently steer them towards the better quality, if their budget won't allow, it's not worth making a big thing of it. I always point out that some of the cheap belts won't last long, and some folk then opt for the better quality. Others will see the price of the hand-made belts, and say that they'll come back after pay-day, and buy something that will last a lifetime.I take a little comfort in remembering John Ruskin's observation:"There is nothing in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and he who considers price only is that man's lawful prey."

When I've wanted to get a raised contour, as in your pictures, I've sometimes used a piece of cheap chrome-tanned leather of the right thickness (up to 2mm), with square-cut edges. Just cut it a fraction smaller than the shape you want raised, glue it to the back piece, and glue the front piece over the top before stitching. I've often seen thick cardboard used for the same purpose, but usually only on poor-quality imported belts.

Welcome to the Forum, Chris. That's a pretty comprehensive shopping list! Can't think of much else that you'll need, except practise . . . which money can't buy! I'm sure the folks on here will be happy to chip in with anything else that you need to know that's not covered in the books. On second thoughts, you may need something for sore fingers . . !

I guess you've finally seen the light!

An interesting difference here, between Ray's method and my own. I always roll my tooling hides grain side out (rough side in). I once found that rolling with grain inside caused the grain to compress, making it to go 'loose' when unrolled. I figured that rolling with the grain out tends to put the surface of the leather under slight tension, helping to keep it flatter when unrolled. The leather should obviously not be rolled too tightly, whichever method is used, and rolling with grain out requires more care when protecting from sunlight or soiling. There's no question that storing flat is best, but this can be a space-hungry method. Any further thoughts on this . . ? Terry

Gill Amen to all of the above! If you're looking for intense colour, the little tins are not going to deliver. They seem OK for subtle pastel shades (from my experiments), but don't give an even coverage. Also, if you're looking for repeatable colours, be cautious . . . I'm pretty sure the little tins (cold water dyes) have been discontinued. They've been replaced by 'hand dye', but the colour range is different from the old cold water dyes. As for using salt as a mordant, I've never tried it, but I could imagine that salt staining (such as occurs on shoes in snowy weather) could be a possibility when used on leather. The salt has to go somewhere, and as the moisture in the dye dries out, the salt may precipitate on the surface of the leather. Terry

Hmm . . . that's what I call lateral thinking!

We use Renia Tek 95 for rubber soles (or rubber solution would work), and Bostik PA5050 for polyurethane or plastic soles. The cyanoacrylate family of glues are mostly the 'superglue' types, and whilst they will stick to the sole material, they will probably solidify the leather and make it liable to cracking.