celticleather

Have a read through this thread before you decide . . . http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=56163&hl=%2Bdraw+%2Bgauge

J T Batchelor (http://jtbatchelor.co.uk/) have these in brass, in three sizes. The 38mm width is No 0662, the 45mm is No 0663 and the 50mm is No 0664. Their website is not very helpful, so it's best to phone and speak to Ted or Rocky.

Those clips are actually intended for attaching small shoe buckles. The loops fit around the centre bar, either side of the tongue, and the rivet attaches the clip to the shoe upper. Seen lots of them on shoes, but I've no idea where to source them. Try searching for 'shoe buckle clips' or something similar. Edit . . . just found it! Ohio Travel Bag Catalog, page 200. Comes with buckle!

Try this . . . http://leatherworksproducts.com/

I've been using my wooden Pro Strap Cutter for about 38 years with no problem, and I regularly use it to cut 16oz oak-tanned bridle butt. I have a metal draw gauge, but there's too much blade showing for my liking! And Gump is right . . . compared to the Pro cutter, I think the Tandy version is rubbish. I bought one as part of a job-lot of tools, and soon found that the blade angle was wrong, leading to some expensive mishaps!

Abbey England (www.abbeyengland.com) have a fair range of solid brass case fittings and locks. Navigate through to their Liston Locks & Fittings page (http://www.abbeyengland.com/Store/tabid/77/CategoryID/201/Category2ID/110/Level/2/List/1/language/en-GB/Default.aspx). They are not cheap, but the quality is good.

That's why you melt the end of the thread!

This method works for me . . . http://www.bowstock.co.uk/tan_win.html You can always melt the end of the thread if it becomes untwisted.

See http://www.bowstock.co.uk/acatalog/Linen.html for an explanation of the UK thread sizing system. I find that 18/3 Linen is the best for most medium-weight work.

The sites below refer to 'two-needle' stitching used by the Roman Legion for stitching together the panels of goatskin tents. Remains of these tents have been found at the Roman military site of Vindolanda, close to Hadrian's Wall in northern England, and the stitching methods have been closely studied. This would seem to push the use of the saddle stitch back to at least 2000 years ago! http://legioneromana.altervista.org/it/node/31?language=en http://www.kingsmerecrafts.com/page44.html http://www.larp.com/legioxx/leather.html

Some years ago a friend of mine bought 200 leather hats at a ridiculously low price, from a manufacturer in India. The hats arrived, stacked one inside the other, and shrink-wrapped in polythene. When the polythene was stripped off, a slight smell began emanating from the stack, and got worse as the day warmed up. Eventually the smell was so pungent that the hats were consigned to a spare room in his house, and he had to tape up the edges of the door to keep the smell from escaping. He subsequently discovered that the Indian tanning process had involved the use of doggy-do, and despite trying everything he could think of, including hanging them outdoors, the smell remained, and got worse if the leather was warm or wet. He didn't dare to try selling the hats, and after about 12 months he dumped the lot in the local land-fill. Not much of a bargain!

The Bakers oak-tanned leather is the best that I have used in over 35 years of leatherworking! It cuts like cheese, polishes up like glass, and has an amazing smell that completely fills the workshop. It's not cheap to buy, but I've found that there's a niche market for products made from the finest quality leather. I actually feel a degree of excitement when fresh hides arrive from the tannery . . . every one is unique!

The attached pdf may help to shed some light on George Barnsley (now Woodware Repetitions) . . . barnsley.pdf

A couple of short videos, made at the tannery where I buy my leather . . . http://www.bbc.co.uk...ctures-14442109 and http://s1132.photobu...ent=Tannery.mp4

You can buy natural russet (undyed) butts from J & F J Baker in Colyton, Devon (http://www.jfjbaker.co.uk/). Their leather is top-of-the-range, and pretty expensive, but the quality is unbeatable! A cheaper alternative would be J T Batchelor in Islington (http://jtbatchelor.co.uk/) . . . speak to Ted or Rocky, both very helpful! You can also use shoulders for belts, but the length of belt would be a little more restricted. Be sure to ask for natural russet veg tan, 4-4.5mm. In my experience, Tandy leathers are best avoided . . . they seem to be cheaply produced and expensive to buy!

These are footman loops. Ohio Travel Bag have them . . . page 51 of their catalogue. I guess many other suppliers also have them.

Best to remember that the mist cloud created by spirit dyes is explosive in the presence of a naked flame! This includes pilot lights in heating boilers, etc.

You can get an excellent product from http://www.devoniaproducts.co.uk/

Next time you're in town, why not call in at Le Prevo's shop and see if they have any offcuts of veg-tan tooling leather that you can buy? They're usually pretty helpful. http://www.leprevo.co.uk/contact.htm

Not really sure, but there's no harm in asking . . . give them a ring.

Charles Birch of Leeds and Essex (https://www.charlesbirch.com/) have all nails and wooden pegs, and Algeos (http://www.algeos.com/) certainly have all the nails you could wish for. T Colledge (http://www.tcolledgeandson.com/) of Bristol also have all nails and wooden pegs.

Repousse may work better!

Abbey England have traditional stitching clams for £63.00, which is about $103.00, but shipping would be extra. http://www.abbeyengl...GB/Default.aspx

It's a broguing machine. Not an easy thing to find these days, probably made in Italy.

How are you taking the thread off the spool? If you are taking it from the top (see green arrow on pic), this can sometimes put a twist into the thread. Try altering things around so that the thread feeds off the spool from the side, causing the spool to rotate (see red arrow on pic). This doesn't work every time, but it's surprising what a difference it can make!