Handstitched

Hope it wasn't too painful. Might consider that for a meal next week, love nacho's . Hard to find un-flavoured corn chips here, only flavoured types...but still tasty, with lashings of romano cheese and sour cream and a few fresh herbs on top , yummo +++ BTW, I prefer butter on my pop corn, and sometimes a little salt....mmmmm . By now I'm making everyone hungry, .. am I sorry??? NUP !!! HS

I'm a big fan of cashew nuts, been my fave since I was a kid. Might try a few spice recipes and roast them in the oven next time I get some, but they are a bit ex$y here in Oz . I don't eat too many though , they can make me...um...go Sure glad I got all my fire breaks done early, we've just been hit with a huge storm today , it was almost cyclonic at one point. Still raining heavily as I type. No damage, & all good . This is what I love about Mother Nature so much , its starting to warm up here( despite a storm atm) , but its cooling down where you are . In a few months time, our a***ses are going to get scorched , as you'll be having snow. Its the changing of the seasons that I love and a huge respect for Mother Nature HS

If theres a needle in it, perhaps try a piece of scrap leather that you intend to sew, put it under the foot turn the machine by hand and see what happens, listen for anything out of the ordinary ? It would be good if the owner has some thread to try out, but that might be a big ask. HS

I had to google that, chic peas.Sounds delish, and morish HS

Osbourne have some good range of fixed blade leather knives, but they ain't cheap, but they are designed to last. HS

Looks like it was hastily painted . So what do you intend to sew? Looks like it would sew thin leathers like wallets etc. If it suits your needs, go for it HS

Geez, I'm onto my second box Its now becoming ' hand made vs mass produced' HS

@Webicons It looks similar to a 153 or 133k8 If you are able to get in contact, see if you can try it out, if possible. Some of the more experienced on here may help you regarding parts and servicing. It seems to be in good condition . Not bad for a few hundred . HS

I have some mixed nuts if you like them lol

Popcorn on stand-by HS

Yes. Not sure what you call them in your part of the world, but I use ' Easy Snaps' . Google that. They are a four piece. They come in two sizes, assorted colours etc. and you may need a setter. I use them on Kangaroo leather wallets , kangaroo being a thin leather. Might just be what you're looking for. HS

Sunflowers are awesome . Don't know much about them , I know the seeds get eaten, but think the petals can be eaten as well ? used as garnish, as a herb or in salads? All my firebreaks are nearly done. Just one little bit to go . Slashing isn't compulsory , but I do it anyway for my own peace of mind. Bushfires are getting worse lately. My ol' Fordson E 27 has performed beautifully HS

Granted. But this is about certain individuals selling products as " leather" when its actually vinyl, or some other synthetic material. There are people out there getting duped, conned, 'taken advantage of' , or whatever by people that don't have a conscience . It could also serve to give the experienced leather workers a bad name that make and sell the genuine product. I've lost count the amount of people that ' sniff' my belts checking to see if its genuine leather, I have to wonder where they get their sceptcism from? Perhaps from people that the OP has mentioned. In my world, honesty is the best policy HS P.S. Nice to see Johanna make a rare appearance

Yeh, like actual experienced leather worker folk like ourselves I could have a few words to say about someone calling himself a ' craftsman' , but I won't. HS

The round bales are used a lot down here. When theres a huge paddock full of them , they remind me of cheese. ( thinking with my stomach ...again) The huge square bales are also used, mainly for export. You're one lucky man indeed . We look back at the things that has happened to us over the years and wonder how we ever survived it. The really dumb things I've done, OMG , I'm lucky to be here . Someone was looking over us I'm sure HS

Yeh man, its right at the end, the fob watch is playing a tune , and the ' when the music stops, ' its all on . You get a good look at 'Indios' hand . And even his nails on other fingers are all nice clean & even...and not a single speck of dirt, no calluses, no grease or grime from the guns. And ' Mortimer' rides off into the sunset , as ' Manco' ( Clint) grabs the bag of cash stuck in the tree....with a wagon full of dead bodies. You could always fast forward to the end? Even in ' Hang Em' High' Bruce Derns teeth are perfect .Were dentists that good in the ' wild west' ?... .. hmmmm? Just the silly things I notice . Maybe I'm just a bit too observant ?? HS

G'Day friend. The silly things I notice. I watched ' Fistful of Dollars & ' For a Few Dollars More' for the umpteenth time yesterday, my faves, I never get bored with them, but one of the things I noticed, especially in For A few Dollars More, is when ' Indio' & Colonel Mortimer ( Van Cleef) are having a stand off, I noticed 'Indio' had a manicure, not even a speck of dirt on his nails . I didn't know bandits had manicures , LOL . I love watching these westerns, especially love the rigs they have. I think Clint used the same rig in every early western he's done. HS

Like pretty much all of us, I also use solvents. I use acetone every day, that has a flash point of 25 degrees C . And toluene that I use to thin down contact adhesive also has a low flash point. Used to work with these nasties , and a few others every day making fibreglass pools long ago . The most dangerous time was hot Summers, the whole place becomes a lot more volatile . A mix of resin mixed with MEKP ( catalyst) left in a pot can self combust if left long enough. Thats how fibreglass factories go up. And static can also be deadly . I also worked in petrol stations a long time ago, seems all my life I've worked with dangerous substances . Off topic : Lately, here in Oz, people throwing batteries out in the rubbish, causing fires in the back of the trucks. OOPS!! HS

@fredk This is what I do when I make a boo boo on a belt. Too good & ex$y to waste. On this occasion, correct initials, wrong leather . First you see it , and then you don't I make a piece to go over the top...and charge a little extra, of course. I have done this a few times in the past, they don't take long to sell either. HS

Try doing that with a 4ltr tin of acetone,pouring into a smaller tin . Even with a funnel, the acetone just runs down the side of the tin and not into the funnel making a dangerous and ex$y mess all over my bench. I can't even find a pouring attachment for the tin at any hardware shop. @fredk in my case, it will be a scene from ' Bullet' Steve McQueen, when the petrol station blows up . HS

I might share a little trick I use in the event I stuff up on a belt . I'll put it in the ' How Do I Do That ' thread. HS

Thats a bonus

We'll all be showing our scars next , lol HS

or misspelling when doing monograms etc. The air goes rather ' blue' . HS