Handstitched

I agree, and As @Northmount touched on,, I use sheep skin ( with fleece) for applying dyes, and oils as an alternative to daubers . Sheep skin off cuts often come free when I go to my leather supplier . But the other sheep skin leather, nappa, quite soft, can be used for an assortment of leather goods. Sheep skins , with fleece on, are often used for many other uses as well, like ugg boots, slippers , seat covers, floor rugs etc. HS

It might need a wash & polish as well. Just take your time it'll work out just fine. . I'm still working on my ol Grey Fergy TEA 20 tractor. Had to postpone completion for a while, but back onto it now. I think I described it as a 'slow moving jigsaw puzzle' , once piece at a time. Good luck , you'll get there This is where I so love Mother Nature. I pay close attention to the changing of the seasons. Its just starting to warm up just a little bit here , and I guess its will start to cool down over there. HS

The soft stuff could be used for gloves, hats, and assorted accessories etc. HS

Its very sweet, more like a liqueur than a spirit . Some bourbons have honey and /or spices mixed in, they too can be very sweet. Original recipes are my palate HS

@Frodo The pic bottom right, looks like something I have done with binding on horse rugs( I don't have a binder) . Sew the edges together on the inside, fold right over and sew outside. Whatever you've done, it looks very neat As for 'what is this called'....dunno....binding? Nice colours too. HS

O'h dear

Quite a good find for $6.00 HS

@stevoo Have you thought about buying another one (if at all available) just for parts? A ' wrecker', if you can find one There are a few (old) threads on here regarding Junker & Ruh SD28 parts but are now closed. Is this of any use: http://www.supermanuals.com/downloadmanual.php?lang=en&iddocument=D8pdq6qshe& It references Junker & Ruh SD28. Good luck in your search. HS

I've nailed it After fiddling about with a template using a martingale as a guide , I realised I could utilise cutting dies ..with a large hammer. It was a ' DUH ' moment. So much easier and quicker too. I can use any cutting die I want, make the ' curves' any shape I want, as far apart or as close as I want, and I can round off the edges on the sander, simple. The first belts I made I kept simple until I was confident about making the blanks, didn't want to use ex$y concho's just yet.Not bad for a first attempt . HS

I do these quite a bit. They are fiddly, but they can be stitched back into place. Glue is useless, especially if the tack is satched in NF oil . I slot the end of the keeper back in place , ( open it up , if need be) and put a few stitches in, not just one side, but both sides. Otherwise, guaranteed the other side will fail shortly after . HS

Today I made a few scalloped belts with concho's , don't look to bad either, and....I found a brilliant way of making the curvy bits , after messing around with a template...it was a ' duh , why didn't I think of that before' moment. I had to get the labour time down. I'll put together a few pics tomorrow While you can feel the difference, it does hold its shape, but since pieces have been cut out, it won't be as strong as a normal straight belt , if that makes sense. HS

... 1 HP and they have 4 on the floor , Ha !! You could compromise and make the straps removable? Just a thought. HS

....and all washed down with a nice dark ale, and I don't care what time of day it is I have a good rapport with the local supermarket owner, I have done leather stuff for him in the past. Every so often he'll give me a new beer to try out, a freebie ...or two from a supplier, and I give him a nice ale or two at Christmas Only this time he gave me a whole bottle of peanut whisky . Its delish, but a little sweet for my palate, so I added some dry ginger ale to it , Whacko !!! The last ale he gave me was a nice dark chocolate ale, just one 600ml can almost had me on my a***se HS

I started the template for these belts today , and while the template was easy, using the curves of a ' martingale' , the actual making of the blank was fiddly . Found some suitable conchos for the first one, don't want to use ex$y concho's just yet until I get it right. . Updates soon The idea of using a piece of corrugated iron,isn't a bad one. I do have some in my paddock. HS

If its in and out of the scabbard frequently, then no straps. If it only gets used occasionally, then yes, put straps on . My 2 cents worth + tax HS

I've always wanted to go on a trip on a few trains, one is called ' The Ghan' , goes from Adelaide to Darwin , and the other is ' The Indian Pacific' , goes to Sydney from Perth , I prefer first class Haven't seen much of Oz, but this is the perfect way to do it, no driving and no stress. One day.... Something special about riding on trains . I used to go to school daily on trains, on ' old diesel clunkers' as I called them. Modern trains look nice, but have no character . I have briefly mentioned these before, but heres a few pics of my ' Landy's' Chuck. I actually worked on the ' 62 this afternoon . Its the most likely one to start, run & drive. Just needs a bit of work on the clutch master cylinder. All orig, even the points & Champion spark plugs, and has only 53000 miles on it , mostly farm work. Theres no reason why the 68 won't run, its all there except the carby ,I also have spare parts if I need them . Was my regular drive once, I drove that everywhere back in the day . The ex military is all orig, does run, but very rough on 3 cyl's . The last time I drove it was to do the fire breaks,some years ago, the old plough is still hooked up. HS

Just noticed, they both have ' pony tails' HS

I'll be going back into the workshop...to work , this week, I've been on a bit of a hiatus. Time to get 'back on the horse'.First thing I'll be working on is a few templates for scalloped belts. HS

And even if the motor itself is at fault, you may wish to get it repaired . But after having a quick look around, you may be in luck in finding a replacement . HS

Forgive me for chiming in. Now theres something new I just learnt . On my 28B ( twin needle) theres only one button on the left , stitch length adjustment( that I have used) , and no clutch re-engage button on the right and theres also an extra hole just below the inspection plate in the centre where I can see a whole bunch of numbers next to the drive belt. I assume that has something to do with the stitch length? HS

That made me laugh. Unless you make a gun look like a banana . " Go ahead....make my ...smoothie" HS

I do have a belt sander, its an old ' GMC' , but works fine. When I finally get back into the workshop, I'll do photo shoot of how I will be doing them, might be helpful for anyone else wanting to do scalloped belts . I should still have the original template for those martingales. Might use that . I do have some large wad punches that I bought back in May: https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/107878-wad-punches/ I may be able to utilise one of them to get the shape for a smaller, closer ' curve' . Thanks for your input people HS

Quite a good kit. Its very similar to my set up . I have a double action air brush , press down and pull back . I had no idea what I was doing, so I just fiddled around with it to get some practice on scraps, cardboard etc. . A regulator and water trap helps . As for the touch up gun, I use that for larger areas but mainly for sealers, but... I put acetone through it immediately after use, otherwise it will clog up quickly . But they are easy to pull apart and clean . HS

That was the thinking behind it. Too much time wasted looking for tools. Great minds think alike friend I much prefer to re-use than throw away, even the old rotten back board I might keep....just in case @kgg thank you very much HS