celticleather

If you're looking for the best leather in the UK, try http://www.jfjbaker.co.uk/ It's the only oak-tanning tannery left in the UK, and although the leather is by no means cheap, there's nothing I've ever found that matches it in quality. The tannery is a ramshackle old place in Colyton, Devon, and well worth a visit if you're ever in the area. J T Batchelor in Islington also have a good range, and the guys there are very helpful when it comes to selecting a leather for a particular purpose.

Cricket - The Rules You have two sides, one out in the field and one in. Each man that's in the side that's in, goes out, and when he's out, he comes in and the next man goes in until he's out. When they are all out the side that's out comes in and the side that's been in goes out and tries to get those coming in out. Sometimes you get men still in and not out. When both sides have been in and out including the not-outs, that's the end of the game. Rugby A hooligans' game, played by gentlemen. Football (Soccer) A gentlemen's game played by hooligans. Hope that clears everything up!

In that case, you'd better take one of the 'l's out of 'travelling'! Two nations . . .

Ray . . . You're English, the word is 'programme'. You are clearly being subverted by spending too much time on the forum!

Blackberry and apple crumble comes a close second, so we stopped off and picked some blackberries on the way home . . . something to look forward to next week!

What a great Sunday! Some of the finest t-shirt weather we've had all year. We went off to a local water-mill where there was a 'steam weekend' . . . wonderful to see steam ploughing, sawing and threshing, and Shire horses ploughing. Spent a pleasant morning there, and then off to the pub and met two of my daughters for a traditional roast beef and Yorkshire pudding dinner, followed by spotted dick and custard. Really set me up for a busy week!

My father owned a Morris Traveller, and they were described by Dame Edna Everage as 'half-timbered' cars - presumably for people who live in half-timbered houses! I was once commissioned to make a pair of leather suspenders for a guy in the States . . . it took a while for me to realise that he wanted a pair of what we call 'braces' to hold up his trousers (not pants)! Our definition of suspenders would have been inappropriate! And as for 'Time Team' . . . I've followed the programme for the last 15 years, and finally this year I was invited to take part in some of their digs, but they're not due for broadcast until January 2009. They'll probably take a lot longer to reach the US! This is a fascinating thread, and reinforces George Bernard Shaw's observation that the USA and Britain are 'two nations divided by a common language'!

Here in the UK, the great annual build-up to Christmas began quietly around mid-August, with a few Christmassy items creeping almost unnoticed onto the supermarket shelves. It's now in full swing, with whole sections of stores devoted to the great extravagance, and pubs and restaurants begging to be chosen as the venue for the Christmas lunch or office party. I'm curious to know whether this is a peculiarly British phenomenon, or does the Christmas overkill start as early (or earlier!) in other parts of the world? For my part - as a Grumpy Old Man - I find that I get Christmassed up to the gills by mid-November, and when December 25th finally arrives, it seems to be two days of anticlimax, followed by several weeks of January sales. We have a fairly eclectic mix of nationalities here on the forum, and I'd be interested to hear other people's views.

No disrespect intended, but . . . 'When America sneezes, the world catches a cold'.

Take a look here http://www.proleptic.net/products/index/15?page=28 Some of these lots (414-417) have a really good range of tools, at a really low price. If you bought more than you need, or get any duplicates, they would probably shift on eBay, and give you more money to spend on even more tools!

But on a serious note . . . there are so many noxious and often downright unpleasant substances used in the production of leathers - from the tanning right down to the colouring - that a rattle, which may be chewed or sucked, would not seem to be a good idea.

My equally bad thought was 'Fill with dried peas and shake gently'!

I agree with UKRay in every respect! I've been making belts and things for over 30 years, using either cast brass or nickel-plated brass buckles and fittings, and I've never had an instance of a buckle or ring wearing out or breaking. The old stuff is always best (in my opinion)!

Try here . . . http://www.tipking.co.uk/tip/4798.html The old ways are often the best!

I know some folk who'd probably appreciate some advice on saggy seats and bellies!

I believe that the families of those who are executed in China are sent a bill for the bullet . . . no expense to the state whatever!

If it's any comfort at all, last week I saw this very classy boat in the harbour at Puerto Pollensa in Majorca. I couldn't resist the picture! Perhaps it shows that the fat cats don't always get their own way? Or is he selling it to buy a bigger one?

Unfortunately many of the fat cats - both from the US and the UK - are already in the Bahamas, watching the faint glow on the horizon as the wreckage burns!

I can't imagine that vinegaroon would work on rawhide (although I haven't tried it!). The process works by causing a chemical reaction between the iron oxide dissolved in the vinegar and the tannins in the leather. Rawhide hasn't been tanned, so presumably won't contain the tannins that are necessary for the chemical reaction.

I think Noah had a Landis machine on the ark . . . not sure whether for ballast or as an anchor! Manuals for machines of this type can sometimes be found on the Smithsonian website as free downloads, but it may take a bit of searching. The Sutton machine is an insole stitcher, for attaching soles from the inside of the shoe (as you say, like a moccasin). I think they used a fairly crude chain-stitch. I have a similar British-made machine in my shop, and it's still performing fairly well.

I keep looking at my workshop and trying the raise the courage to post a picture . . . but I can't . . . the embarrassment would be too much!

Don't know how far afield you want to shop for buckles, but there are a number of suppliers in the UK who have English-made cast brass buckles. Some that I have used . . . http://www.leprevo.co.uk/index.html http://www.abbeysaddlery.co.uk/ http://www.berbo.co.uk/page3.html . . . Berbo are situated just north of London, and actually make cast buckles on their premises, but they may only supply in large quantities. I guess shipping and taxes may bump up the prices, but they may be worth a try!

Don't ever give up on a 29K machine - they're almost indestructible! You probably need to check through all the adjustments, and reset where necessary. You can buy a manual from http://www.sewingmanuals.net/singer-294--2...machine-ma.html for about $11.90. You can get one for free if you join a UK forum at http://www.shoerepairer.info/index.php where there is a download section that contains an instruction manual for the 29K machines (it's too big to attach to a forum message here). There are also many posts that deal with problems relating to these machines. The people on the forum are a very helpful bunch, and will no doubt be able to help.

I just copied this from a description on an e-Bay item (No 290177683318) . . . sounds as if it might fit the bill . . . 'Eco-Flo Cova Color is a water based, low V.O.C., acrylic paints for use on natural veg-tanned tooling leather. Colors are opaque when used full strength, but may be thinned with water to reduce intensity. If enough water is added, Cova Colors will become very transparent and can be used as a wash to tint large or small areas. Colors may be mixed to form many different hues.' It's available in the UK from http://www.theidentitystore.co.uk/

Here are a couple of tools I made years ago, by filing down the heads of 4-inch nails. The stems are just freehand, using a single creaser. They have become my favourite tools, and I use them - in the different sizes - on all sorts of bags, purses, keycases etc.