Handstitched

From the pics , it doesn't look to bad, condition wise. A bit of surface rust, sure, but that can be cleaned up. Will you give it a new paint job or keep the original patina ? Look forward to seeing the end result. HS

I'm sorry for your loss as well, and thank you for sharing. I feel that the more I talk to people and write about it on here, the slightly better it gets, although my nerves are still a little raw at times. Right now I''m just mentally exhausted . Its been non stop since Wednesday , formalities, paper work, finances, arrangements, lots of phone calls, emails , finalising stuff etc. The weekend will help to clear my head a little . Talk about force of habit, I did a roast chicken last week, and I poured my Mother a glass of wine.... HS

I use a different plate, a holster plate yep, these brute of machines can take up to 20mm .

Yup, I've also used my big 441 clone machine for that as well , mainly when time is of the essence, holes are nice , neat and even . HS

why do you keep finding these barn finds ??? not fair Dry as a bone eh ? A shite load of WD 40 will do the trick Yup, Like 'Pringles' , , ' once you pop, you can't stop ' HS

Mr Sheen perhaps ?? just kidding and where its cracked to buggery ( esp. last pic) , some water based dye , sealer & conditioner . HS

@RockyAussie as silly as it sounds, bunnings do sell 'zenith' brand line 24's ( here in west oz anyway) . They're not too tight or too loose , great for knife cases etc. who would have thought? HS

Do you have any pics ? that would help too This is just a wild crazy suggestion, and not seeing the pics, you could try finishing it off?? " Use the force" ..just sayin' HS

Yeh, different brands/ suppliers work different. Some are loose, and some are just too damn tight. I have tried using up my ' odds & sods' of press stud parts, by mixing & matching, not so bad if its just one project, no good if you have quantities . The punch idea may work though HS

I have many friends that I have made at the craft markets over the years . One of which, her and her hubby are very crafty, she does some pretty fancy hand made quilts, and he does picture framing. We've known each other for years. They have been helping me through these tough times. The more I talk/write about stuff, the ( slightly) easier its becoming, and people on here sharing on here helps too. I still have my difficult moments, but I'm getting through it . So thank you to all for your support HS

@Frodo & @chuck123wapati Thank you so much to you both and for sharing The people in my local community have been very caring and supportive as Mum was very popular and well respected amongst the locals . It was just so unexpected , no warning, no symptoms . Chuck, when I was talking to her and holding her hand , I could feel Mum trying to hold mine, I take great comfort in that, and yes, they can hear your voice . Hearing is one of the last senses to remain. Frodo, it will take a quite a while. My nerves are still very raw. No-one heals completely from loss . And just writing about her and talking about her does help a lot. I went into her sewing room recently, her life is in that room , I stayed in it for about a minute, ...and walked right out again ,couldn't handle it. Too soon . That will take time . Thanks again, HS

In the early hours of Friday morning , June 16th, ( Aust) I lost my Mother, she was 89 . She fell ill Thursday morning, unable to speak, only managing the word ' headache' . Rushed to our local hospital and then she was airlifted to hospital in Perth. What was thought to be a a stroke , turned out to be a massive brain bleed , too dangerous to operate in a dangerous location, , an operation that would have had no benefit, the damage was too great.. So she was made as comfortable as possible . She was heavily sedated , not conscious , and not in any pain . I went to the hospital in Perth (Thursday, ( 3hrs drive) I talked to her, held her hand. Apparently they can hear your voice. I stayed as long as I could, but had to leave and look after my Dad . I got a phone call from the hospital in Perth around 4.15am Friday morning (aust time) to say my Mum was gone. The worst phone call I've ever received. . Thats how quick it was. The shock is huge. She was fine Wednesday night, no symptoms. We were both very close, plus we we did craft markets for the last 18 years. She was my best friend, not just my Mum. Peace HS

Is that Cane Toad leather? the texture looks very similar as I have worked with Cane Toad leather myself . Nice work HS

Off topic : have you ever been tempted to try and play it ? I have an English ' hunting horn' in my collection of ' stuff' . My lungs aren't up to the task of blowing it ..yet. HS

I so love that weave . I googled that, not much luck here in Oz . Thats one stamp you don't want to mess up HS

more info required

What a great idea. Is that an anvil on wheels I see in the background ? ...and you play a trumpet? HS

Is there a model number or pics?

The best gifts are the ones we make ourselves Thats very nicely done. I can't fault that at all . Maybe a matching monogrammed key ring with the same leather perhaps ? HS

Well, this is a first for me, I have never seen a bag made with wood incorporated into the design. I quite like it Perhaps some decorative upholstery nails or screws may also work to attach the leather to the wood, even as an embellishment? . And I guess the wood component could also be used as a template for a leather gusset? Well done @fredk "On this pen case I stamped after it was wet moulded to shape" . I have done that on some knife cases with the mold still inside. HS

All carved in using angled carving blades and the tip of a filigree blade. Every leather worker may do it different, but I start with tracing the designs, same as other carving, but for the small size of the designs, I start bevelling around the inside of the lines instead of outside using the smallest beveller I have , followed by the background tools and a modeling tool for the more fiddly bits including ropes, reins etc. The tools used are in the pic, although not very clear. I used an angled carving blade as well as a fine filigree blade ( not in pic) . A 'B 936' beveller, an A98 backgrounder ( a really old one) , A 104 for larger areas, a modified ground down stamping tool, and an F902 in some areas like mane, tail etc. a modeling tool ( no idea of the number) , a modified trimmed brush with only a few bristles on it and slightly larger one for larger areas...and an extra pair of specs & water based black dye. For those that wish to try this, one word : patience , don't rush it , and good light. Thank you all HS

This is my latest creation, a ' silhouette carved' belt. I haven't done silhouette carving in a quite a long time. The individual pieces are cut-outs, off-cuts from other stuff I make, ...I used up scraps , with a 25mm belt through the centre. This type of carving sure makes you go cross-eyed, fiddly as Good light and a steady hand helps. Apart from the black dye, I used a thinned out mix of 'camel & yellow' to get all pieces to match, although some pieces could have done with another coat . I modified a brush with only a few bristles on it for the black ...and two pairs of glasses . The idea was inspired by Al Stohlman in the ' Belts Galore' book, and the designs came from his book ' Inverted Carving' . Not a bad effort considering I haven't done silhouette carving in quite a while. Theres a few other pieces I did some years earlier , including my camera case on the right, showing the back. HS

I found some pretty good stuff in ' op shops' ( thrift shops) over the years . I've found some really good and unusual belt buckles too. I'm all in favour of re-using, re-purposing . Too much goes into waste. Well done on that HS

Yeh man, just a bit of ' me time' would be great

Yup ...and I've run out of peanuts, doh !! HS