celticleather

Do you have a favourite Internet time-waster? I have a couple that I visit from time to time, perhaps if I'm waiting for a download to complete or somesuch. This one gives me a very small sense of achievement if I beat the computer http://www.stickpage.com/bowmangameplay.shtml Arachnophobics beware! This one is completely pointless, but I admire the work that must have gone into its creation - obviously by someone who wastes time creatively! http://www.onemotion.com/flash/spider/ Let's see some of yours . . . if you'll admit to having them!

We have a 'designer' bag shop just around the corner from us, and it has proved to be a good source of repair work! We are forever replacing rivets, studs and buckles, and re-stitching seams. I think the owner of the shop has given up on sending the bags back to the manufacturers . . . she either sends the customers to us, or brings the bags in herself. I was in Rome recently, and took this picture on the Spanish Steps. The place was littered with 'designer' goods shops which disappeared like morning mist when the polizia walked by!

I bought the Wickes PVA that I'm currently using in April 2005, and it's still working fine! I bought it to seal and prime some fresh plaster when I was re-tiling our kitchen, but I bought far too much. I then realised its potential as a replacement for the more expensive UniBond, and I've been using it ever since. I usually decant it from the 10-litre tub into a smaller jar, which I keep on the workbench. Occasionally a thin layer of water settles out on the top of the glue in the tub, but this reabsorbs with a quick stir.

I wonder if we've uncovered some kind of cultural/traditional difference here between the UK and the USA. I was always taught that sharpening and polishing one's awls and knives was part of the job - much like twisting and waxing thread. I can't think of any UK saddlers or leatherworkers who would even think of buying pre-polished awls - even if they were available over here (although it's not a subject that has ever come up for discussion, so I may be wrong!). I've never been particularly impassioned about awls. I see them as just a necessary part of the toolkit, which occasionally - and quite annoyingly - get broken, usually through misuse! I always keep a spare blade sharpened and polished . . . experience has proved that they never get broken except in the middle of a job! Perhaps we don't have a Bob Douglas over here (or do we?), but I've been sharpening and polishing my awls for the past 30+ years, so I'd find it difficult to change now. So long as my awls produce neat, perfectly diamond-shaped holes, without too much effort, I'm happy. I've been flattening out one side of my awls hafts for the same number of years. It helps to prevent them from rolling off the bench, and also acts as a reference point in the hand, to keep the blade at the correct angle.

I've never had $100 to spend on an awl! I buy mostly Dixons awls, and although they make some of the finest saddlery tools in the world, they seldom supply awls or knives that are sharpened or polished to a craftsman's finish. They seem to prefer that people put their own finish on their tools, and that suits me fine. A Dixons awl blade costs about $4.50, and takes about 15 minutes to polish.

I don't think I've ever had a new awl that didn't need sharpening and polishing. If you can see the grinder marks that result from the manufacturing, then it needs polishing . . . I aim to get a mirror finish on the flat sides of the awl.

Have a read through this tutorial. It's vitally important that the awl blade should be sharp, and have a high polish, to ensure that it doesn't meet too much resistance when it slides into - and in your case, out of - the leather. http://www.bowstock.co.uk/saa.html

Maybe terret rings would fit the bill . . . although they may be too rigid. Abbey Saddlery have them at http://www.abbeysaddlery.co.uk/product_listing.cfm.

Ed I sometimes use the one-surface method, but I find that the coating needs to be a bit thicker, and the surfaces need to be put together while the adhesive is still wet. This extends the drying time a bit . . . but the bond is still good. If the Bostik trail runs out, the PVA adhesive that I used to use is UniBond . . . it's pretty much the same as the Wickes PVA, but more costly. It's made by a company called Henkel, and I think they also sell it in the US, but perhaps under a different name. May be worth a try if all else fails. They have a web presence at http://www.henkel.com/cps/rde/xchg/henkel_...s.xsl/index.htm Terry

Ed The Wickes PVA is white, and dries clear. I usually thinly coat both surfaces to be glued, and wait until the coating is tacky - only a couple of minutes. Then press the parts together. They can be stitched almost immediately. Terry

Ed I had a look at the US Home Depot and Lowes websites, and I can't see an equivalent product . . . but I'm sure there must be one somewhere! There seems to be a difference in definition in the US between PVA and latex. I think PVA may be called 'synthetic latex' on your side of the pond - but you're right - the Wickes product is builders' adhesive. Terry

That's the dangerous part!

Tom Not sure what's wrong here, but I would recommend fully unscrewing the presser foot pressure screw before you investigate. The presser foot is held down by a pretty hefty spring, and if it suddenly released with a finger in the way, things could get very painful and messy! Terry

If you download Google Earth (http://earth.google.com/), you can click on the little ruler in the top toolbar. This will enable you to draw a line of any length (inches, yards, miles, kilometers etc). Click on your starting point, and extend the line to however many miles you want in any direction, and see where it gets you! Alternatively, you can use the 'path' tab to start at a point, and create a path by following roads. The total mileage is calculated each time you click on a point on the road. I don't know if you can do these things with Yahoo Maps or Mapquest, but I know it works with Google Earth!

I used Unibond PVA for many years, and then found that Wickes' own brand worked just as well, for half the price!

There's nowt worse than a grumpy Badger! Cheer up, sunshine . . . things can only get better! Best wishes for a rapid improvement in your demeanour (and your health)! Terry

Le Prevo in the UK has them in solid brass (http://www.leprevo.co.uk/).

A 5" Dixon plough gauge, bought direct from Abbey Saddlery in the UK is £287.43 (AUS$591.00, US$470.00) plus shipping. Surely it would be better to buy direct, than pay this enormous mark-up? Abbey are quite happy to ship overseas.

I just bought 6 of these screws from http://www.college-sewing.co.uk. The part number is 662 Screw Singer. They also have the bobbin springs, part number 8604 BOBBIN SINGER 29K. The screws were 28p each and the springs were 40p each. I now have 6 usable bobbins - what a luxury!

Take a look here . . . http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?s...057&hl=foam . . . may be what you're looking for.

When all else fails, you can't beat the needles and bits of string!

Karl Does it have an attachment to fit on the Singer/Seiko? Terry

Karl I should think the best place to start in the UK would be http://www.college-sewing.co.uk/acatalog/index.html or Bogod Machine Co (who don't seem to have a website). Terry

Likewise . . . I have four different sizes of oval punches which I use all the time!

A Kentish Celt? . . . no way! Hertfordshire - home of Boudica! Death by slobberation . . . sounds different!