Handstitched

I rarely bevel the flesh side unless it's heavy leather like 5mm harness vt. I regularly bevel the grain side on most projects ,and fancy belts, but i dont bevel the plain belts as there are so many . HS

Beautiful pics Well , things are progressing . Dads op site is pretty much healed up. No more dressing changes. Yey ! Just some lanolin to maintain the area. Just his skin graft area on his thigh is taking a bit longer to heal, i have to change that dressing every 2 days now, makes a change from visiting the local hospital every 2 days. We know nearly all the staff now by name , been there that many times. Still have the occasional video conference with major hospital in Perth. Hope all is well with your daughter and recovering well , and you're looking after yourself as well, taking care of our loved ones can be 'challenging ' . Take care friend HS

It took me a while to spot it too. Only a leather worker would pick it up, but I 'd think the average person wouldn't see it. But as suggested, antiquing might do the trick . HS Nice work BTW

They are fantastic , the cat especially. Incredible talent HS

@fredk re: vintage radios, I have a shed with my collection of valve radios in . Along with parts, valves etc. It was a hobby in another life . Some are / were in working condition, some restored, table models and floor models ,but I have nowhere to display them in my house, no room The one that zapped me is a Philips (I think) single valve wood bee hive cabinet. When unplugged, it put out 95 volts ⚡️ . HS

@mbnaegle totally off topic, but i was working on a vintage radio and got zapped, it was unplugged. Capacitors didn't bleed off before I worked on it. But I hear ya . USM motors are so good . Finger is not quite healed , yet. What I read in your post made me feel the pain as I was reading it , ouch ! I wonder how many leather workers on here are now paying (more) attention to what they are doing after reading this thread ? It's so easy to get get distracted 🙄

@chuck123wapati you did real well on those pots , and don't forget to scratch your name and date on the bottom in the wet clay , they may become sentimental items in the future 😀

@AlZilla I did a smple test whilst sewing today .I turned the machine on , let it run for a bit, then turn it off and hit the pedal without thread, the machine turned for almost 10 seconds after it was turned off. So I would still need to be careful after its turned off . I made absolutely sure my fingers were well away from the business end and kept my foot away from the pedal when adjusting , refilling bobbins etc. Lesson learnt HS

Yeh, it's a clutch motor, and runs real sweet, touchwood 😀 HS

@chuck123wapati i was changing his dressings frequently before his cancer op, but post op at the local hospital they use specialised medicated dressings that aid healing, and they work too. Good to hear you're progressing well with your pottery , and just like leather, the sky's the limit 👌 The pot of soup is delish, there's a few more meals yet to go . God bless Mum for teaching me how to cook . I have yet to make her home made pickle, I found her 'secret ' recipe in her mountain of cook books. HS

Even after the machine is turned off, the motor continues to turn and takes a long time to comes to a complete stop, that's how good these motors are. My finger is still a little sore but getting better . However, I did knock it while collecting fire wood, , I didn't even swear, much . I was extra cautious when sewing today. It was just a lapse in concentration that caused my silly injury , it happens . HS

My middle finger on my right hand is now sporting a few layers of band aids after getting my finger caught up at the business end. I was putting a fresh bobbin into my Seiko stw, and I have no idea how I did it, but I hit the pedal and crushed the nail. Blood poured out , that and a few choice words. Just glad it wasn't the big leather machine, I would have passed out from the pain . My mother on her machine , Pfaff 60, the needle went straight through her finger , dad had to unscrew the needle and pull it out with a pair of pliers I we both nearly passed out . Be safe peeps HS

When making belts, I use inches, but I also use millimetres and centimetres for a lot of other things I make , I'm just weird . In the 'olden days' going from one country town to the next would be a ' 2 can or 3 can trip, ..... as in beer lol , can't do that these days @Northmount not sure what that plant is but it looks lovely . i was born in the uk and it snowed every christmas as a kid, i miss that . our summers here in Oz at the peak are often around the high 40's , and even tops 50 degrees c on occasion , as in Celsius

@chuck123wapati I do hope things are improving for you and yours and your daughter is getting better 👍 I take dad to the local hospital every 2 days to get his dressings changed, and the nurses keep telling me his op site continues to improve. Being in the bush ,We have a video conference with plastic reconstruction nurse at the major hospital in Perth every 2 weeks , and is looking (cautiously) optimistic for him . Just about to make a pot of soup using ham bone leftovers , it's really cold here atm , You take care friend , HS

Bingo ! we all learn something new every day . HS

The tool in the centre looks a bit like a rivet setter as I can see a notch in the middle ? HS

My cooking skills are a lot better these days than they used to be ,so I'm pretty happy 😊 Peace ✌️ HS

My old 49 Massey Ferguson tractor is literally right outside my workshop, unfinished, i walk past it every day. I even have a few pics of my late mother sitting on it. One day....I'll finish it

@fredk Those goth boots I spoke about a looooong time ago? I've done them. They're lethal . They get a lot of looks at the markets. I just need to work out how to up load a pic on here using a hand held device . I'll figure it out eventually . HS

Thanks heaps to all at LW HS

We have 240v in Oz and 415v 3 phase. @Northmount I have reported it but some nut job has totally trashed the site

No I can't, technically, but in the 20 odd years that I have been doing leather, I have never been visited by the cops to check if I have bullet casings in my workshop nor have i had cops looking for bullet casings in my car. HS

@Sheilajeanne it was be a shame that so much was thrown away. A lot of it would be of value to other crafters, i would rather give stuff away than throw it away. My Mother's sewing room is exactly how she left it , messy ,but she knew where everything was, I rarely go in there perhaps for an occasional piece of material . @chuck123wapati I'm sure you can get your creative juices going to combine leather and clay , I reckon they will go well together. I had my first bbq in almost 3 years yesterday. I have a cheapie wood fired brazier that has a bbq plate . After a good clean and re-seasoned , I cooked up few lamb chops and a few snags, cooked up really well. My ye'olde gas bbq that i bought back in the mid 90's is really looking its age now rusty af. I did think about buying a newie, heaven forbid. There's only me a Dad, not worth buying a newie just for two of us. The oldie has cast iron burners and cast iron plates,quite rare these days. Just needs TLC HS

My late Mother made and taught pottery for many years.Her work is everywhere around the house .The oldest piece was made in 1977, she named and dated most of her work. Apart from gas fired kilns,she also used a technique called 'raku' , a wood fired kiln . A lot of her tools, glazes etc.are still in one of our sheds, as well as her wheel. Have fun chuck, 👍 😁

@dikman I do have a few bullet casings that a friend gave me to use as templates, technically i'm not allowed to have those . I just hate 'flying blind " , as I call it , to make a custom item , I don't wish to deal with complaints later, I like to do things right the first time ,preferably . @fredk the customer lives to far away and I can only assume he has a licence . HS