celticleather

I've sent you a pm with the Singer 29K62 Manual attached. Have fun!

There's a 29k Feeder Foot on eBay - Item No 390033998672 - which looks to be new, and at a good price. I won't get into thread weights, because I'm sure our UK threads use different descriptions from those of other countries, although I've seen No 69 mentioned in a US publication.

I've been asked to renovate a 1970s leather jacket that's been lanquishing in a wardrobe for about twenty years. I have no problem with restoring the colour (black), or re-stitching pockets, seams and buttons. What worries me is that the leather has dried out to the point where it 'crackles' like building-gauge plastic sheet, and almost stands up unsupported! It hasn't quite reached the point where it becomes brittle, but it's not far off. What is the best way to restore some suppleness to the leather? My thoughts are leaning towards leather balm (Lexol or similar), hide food, or possibly some mixture of neatsfoot oil and spirit (which may leave a greasy residue). If anyone has had experience in this area, I'd be glad to hear from you before I do anything irreversible!

Spring is just beginning to happen here in the UK. The pic is a corner of our garden this morning. It has been known to snow here in late April, and I remember in 1976 it snowed on 3rd June, so I won't get too complacent about it just yet! Nice to feel a bit of warmth from the sun.

Seems to be a case of 'sell as little as possible for as much as possible'! Some folk can be duped into paying way over the odds for goods, just because they're expensive. The description says 'The belt expands with use and needs suitably wide waist-loops'. Do they mean that it stretches (not a sign of good leather), or does it have a hidden elastic somewhere? Just for the record, I never stitch across the width of belts. I often get cheap belts brought into the shop for repair, and many of them have split across a stitch-line.

It's handy when your pants are on fire!

I've been seeeking a supplier for particular type of quick-release buckle, but so far I've had no success in the UK. Perhaps if I put it out to the wider community, maybe someone, somewhere will have seen it in a catalogue . . ? I'd love to know!

Take a look at http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?s...amp;#entry76119

England Terry

Hi David Yes - Capel Manor teach the Cordwainers' Diploma - and they have an amazing collection of tools and equipment! I was taught by a Belgian/Japanese girl called Eva Ishida, but I can't remember the name of the Head of Department - I think she may have been South African. I think Eva has now fulfilled her ambition of opening a saddlery, in Belgium at http://www.liniacsaddlery.com/. Terry

One of the best saddlery schools in the UK is the London School of Saddlery at Capel Manor, just to the north of London. I studied there for a short refresher course a few years ago, and the teaching and the environment were excellent. Details can be found at http://www.capel.ac.uk/saddlery/

Hey - if you could get the back wheels off the ground as well, it'd be a hovercraft!

The thread about mixing dye with neatsfoot oil is here http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?s...amp;#entry89246

Ray It's probably a bit unpatriotic for me to admit that the best round knife I've ever used is my old Osborne. The blade has a beautiful 'ping', and it holds its edge for ages. Abbey have a couple of sizes of Osbornes for £40.00+. The new Dixon knives have a bit of a cheap-and-nasty look to them - which is perhaps why they're only priced at about £17.00. If you need it in a hurry, and don't mind paying the price, I'd recommend the Osborne. Terry

It's the same the whole world over It's the poor what gets the blame; It's the rich what gets the gravy Ain't it all a bleeding shame?

Here's Bill Gomer . . . http://www.billgomer.com/index.html

Excellent sheath, Karl. That's a really rich colour. Did you keep track of the proportions of dye:neatsfoot, or was it a 'trial and error' exercise? The shoulder I bought from Baker's is the best piece of leather I've used for years . . . I've never used their veg-tan before. I haven't started to use the bridle butt yet, but I have itchy fingers! Terry

Excellent pics Karl . . . I can almost smell the leather! Terry

I'll second and third all that Karl and Ray have said - Steve's hospitality was superb, and it was extremely kind of him to give up his afternoon to show us around. We are also most grateful to Andrew Parr, MD of Baker's Tannery at Colyton (http://www.jfjbaker.co.uk/), who sacrificed several hours to show us around the amazing sights, sounds and smells of the last oak bark tannery in Britain. We all went away laden with butts, shoulders and bellies that will keep us happy for many hours! A couple of pics below, of Steve's wonderful works in Devon (and us!), and Andrew Parr demonstrating the enormous - and pretty scary - leather rolling machine at the tannery. Terry

Take a look at the tutorials here - http://www.bowstock.co.uk/tutorials.html. They are an excellent introduction to the proper (or should I say traditional) methods of stitching.

Guess you've already started, just by arriving here! Welcome to the forum - the most knowledgeable leatherworking site on the Internet! Browse the topics, use the search facility and ask questions . . . there will almost always be someone who has the answer, and everyone is pleased to share information. Enjoy your time here!

I remember bluing some steel objects many years ago in the school engineering workshop. This was achieved by heating the article until it was a dull red, and then quenching in oil or rubbing with an oil-soaked rag. It created a bit of smoke, but was quite effective. I have since used this method to blue the business end of my homemade stamps, and I have found that it prevents them from rusting or leaving a black mark on cased leather. I'm not sure whether it would be effective on brass or other non-ferrous metals, but it may be worth a try!

I'm curious about this, too. The only Bick's I'm aware of is hamburger relish . . . surely not . . ?

Ray Cheapest supplier I know for these is http://www.tcolledgeandson.com/. Not much different from Abbey, but I'm ordering from them today (Fri) and could save you a delivery charge. I've dropped you a pm. Terry Edit: Blimey - just saw the Attleborough price - what a rip-off! They say that they're pre-waxed, but they ain't, and never have been!

Excellent job! And unless I'm mistaken, those are a pair of original UK-made DMs.