Handstitched

Can you send some to Oz?? lol They won't last long in my house. Its about time someone invented ' 'smellevision' . Getting your tractor bogged is never a good thing , from experience HS

I have a similar machine that I use for horse rugs, some canvas work small upholstery jobs etc. I use a 40 thread, looks like a domestic thread but strong as. Its also a Poly UV rated thread. I also use the same thread on an old Pfaff 60 that I use for wallets and thin leather jobs etc . I used to use a gutermann upholstery thread when I first started leather work, but was hard to find in bulk. HS

They look tasty I have tried using a Weber BBQ kettle to smoke a piece of beef using the slow ' snake' technique with the BBQ coals. It didn't go well. I could have soled my shoes with the meat. Perhaps the piece of meat was too small. I'm a big fan of beef jerky, goes well with beer . HS

I so love the designs , they are great . Reminds me of the Celtic designs I enjoy doing .The choice of buckle goes well too. My very first piece I had to Judge at my very first Judging job at the Perth Royal Show one year was a lovely belt, beautiful carved Oak leaf design...but ...no holes. One of the many criteria is, it must have function . But these are great, but prefer the buckle to be interchangeable. HS

Yup, done that, just at the very tips of my fingers, my tips were very straight. What I hate, is when I'd be dying or sealing a case or whatever, and I drop it on the floor....I pick it up, and drop something else....3-4 times. I get the ' dropsies' . DOH !! HS

All too often I see people in the media getting into all sorts of serious sh*t because of social media , and, end up on the wrong side of the law and their reputations and careers are destroyed , all at the press of a button. This is the only forum I go on. Its a place of fellowship and learning HS

I watched the second clip for the dog collar , a bit shorter. The rounding blocks is what I figured. I just need to make some now. The second pic is exactly what I had in mind. I'll try to machine sew them ( have a 441 clone).. I also have just the perfect ' round tool' . Its a brass milliners tool for making hats with a round ball at the end . Its been staring at me all these years on my bench, its now actually going to get used. Thanks to you both I now have a much better understanding of how its done. HS

Yeh, just responded to this post on the other thread, using a bit of toluene in an inconspicuous spot first, see what happens.

My first thought was toluene , thats a thinner for contact adhesive, but I'm not sure what that would do to the leather underneath. Acetone 'may' work but that might take the colour out of the leather . The other stuff I thought of is ' Eucalyptus ' oil' but might not be strong enough. It may not be available where you are. Perhaps try a little bit of toluene in an inconspicuous spot first HS

How is the ' raised' part made? Is it similar to making rounds? A rounded wood mold, moistened leather , and suitable hammer , and leather molded into shape? Just thought I'd adapt the same method for making dog collars. I made a collar with a raised part this arvo,, its good enough for sale, but the method needs refining. This may even become a foray into making tack . I did do a search before I posted, without success. Thanks HS

Yup, I second that . Why use snaps on valet trays? HS

Bingo !! I'd be interested how the screw came so loose and ' disappear' in the first place. HS

Unfortunately I do, I have two cats . If my memory is correct, this has come up once before somewhere on here. Can't remember what method was used to eradicate the smell. Where it was stored and how it was stored may be a factor as well . HS

I had a good look at one of these machines up close in our local museum , owned and run by a good friend of mine. Its amazing what you find when you look around your own ' back yard' . I recognized it straight away after reading about it on here. HS

I have some ' Carp' fish skins that look similar

The way I read it, its the tension screw on the side of the bobbin, so I would be surprised if a hardware shop would have a screw that small and such a fine thread. HS

And maybe tighten up the top stitch a little bit, but otherwise, looks good. HS

I love that , and basket weave, one of my most challenging patterns . The colours are great as well with the buckle Almost looks like a ' bag within a bag' . HS

You're actually talking about my ideal lifestyle . I'd love to go walkabout through the bush, and live off the land . I think I have mentioned in the past my ' yearn' to go bush . One day HS

@Gezzer The first thing that came to mind was roses, even just a few roses , and, to keep them longer , a little cup of water at the bottom for them to sit in, and maybe a carved design ...of roses, on the leather , or your fave flower. Its actually a great idea, I like it HS

I'd be surprised if a hardware shop would have a screw that small and with same type of fine thread, no harm in asking. Have you got any old radios or other electronics that you can pull apart for the screws? Plenty of odd size screws in old radios with fine threads, I did those as a hobby in another life. Just a thought. HS

Thats a very real thing, its also true of the shepherds in the early UK . When they died, they had a piece of fleece placed on their coffin to show God that they were shepherds. Going down memory lane here. When I was in first year high school, year 8, we went on a school camp, in Albany, WA . One of the ' excursions' was at the Albany abattoir where sheep were processed( not there any more) . What in Gods name were our teachers thinking ??? ( Most school excursions are at places of interest etc .) While all the other kids were almost passing out , I was just fascinated how the whole process was done and not bothered by the sight . The sheep go in at the beginning, have their 'deeds' done, and come out in meat packs . The most interesting part was how the brains were extracted, its was like a giant nut cracker with a levered blade, split the skull open, and the brain comes out undamaged. ( hope your Wife doesn't read this , lol ) . But no part of the sheep was wasted, everything was used. Needless to say we had lamb on the BBQ that night . Never tried sheep nuts, but I am a big fan of ' black pudding' ( aka blood pudding or blood sausage) . Its one of those excursions, or pieces of reality that kids need to see these days . I've also been in abattoirs where cattle are processed. A bit of irony that I now work with leather. Those shearing pens need to be preserved, as well as the wagon, they are a connection to our past. Theres a few old shearing sheds scattered about the wheatbelt, that are around the 80- 100 year old mark, some are being used still . HS

The first one doesn't look too bad at all, some surface rust on the second machine, but that can be cleaned up . I quite like the ' aged' look , gives the machine a bit of character, but thats just me . If it was me, I get them both up and running, there are advantages to having two machines. Well done HS

True here, in shearing sheds, a ' rousy' picks up the 'bellies and tops' , they get thrown into separate wool sacks , and they also pick up the whole fleece straight after the shearer has finished, theres a knack to it , starting with the 'last leg' so it can be thrown onto the ( round rotating) skirting table the top side up, but I never got it right, while at the same time the wool classer works out the grade/ quality of fleece for commercial purposes.. Its then up to the rousy to clean the board ( floor) very quickly, before the shearer starts shearing the next sheep . All the pieces, off cuts etc. get separated into other wool sacks . The rousy also puts the whole skirted fleece into the hydraulic baler . This all happens real quick . The day starts at 7.30am sharp and finishes 5.30pm . Every shearer and rousy earns every cent. Its hot, messy and smelly work , sometimes dangerous , and not for the faint hearted. So glad I took up leather work Man, your job was just as dangerous, you're lucky you didn't get hypothermia in those extreme temps. I guess in hindsight, a hip flask...or two would have been handy. Hope you got danger money for that ? HS

$150.00 is a bargain, $75 ea , thats great . While I can't help you with the throat plate, some pics would be good HS