Handstitched

@PastorBob & @chuck123wapati Thank you very much I modified a brush a long time ago so it only has a few bristles on it to get around lettering and small bits on stuff like this . I couldn't work without it now...or my extra glasses lol I have a sore back from being hunched over and close up doing the lettering on the belt. The sacrifice is worth it ...I think Shame we can't charge extra for physical pain . HS

The last time I made one of these was back in 2014. I don't do brand names like this one too often , out of respect. Leather is 4mm vt DB . Just a light pattern along the edge . The lettering and ' Live To Ride' 3D stamps is bevelled around each one, left natural, not painted (so it will darken in time) , but carefully dyed black around each letter. *Made my eyes go silly and just a few snaps and sturdy buckle. I made a HD tank cover for the same client a while back so I was happy to make a ' HD' keeper. *am I the only one that puts one pair of glasses on top of another? Yeh yeh , I know I need my eyes checked. HS

One of our high school excursions ' back in the day', was a tour of an abattoir, mostly sheep, fair dinkum. I don't know what was going through the minds of our teachers to do that, but anyway, while all the other kids were almost passing out, I was keenly fascinated. Nothing was wasted, every part was used. I loved how they got the brains out, a hand operated gizzmo like a giant nut cracker. I stood there for ages watching that thing , lol . We all had a BBQ that night, with lamb , tasted dam good too . Perhaps vegans need a lesson in reality. I think you have convinced me to keep giving my ol' barby some love. And I agree about the quality of newies. I doubt they would last anywhere near as long as mine. And, quite often they are the most common things to find on a kerbside rubbish collection , says a lot about " quality" Keep eating like a king HS

Good point, you can't fix stupid HS

@chuck123wapati Vegans ( veggo's ) have their place, God Bless them , but this p***es me off. https://au.news.yahoo.com/vegans-confront-aussie-neighbour-over-cooking-meat-makes-us-feel-sick-064558069.html I wasn't sure whether to post this on here, or on the ' jokes ' thread . If that ' vegan' was next to me, I'd be putting the barby on every night. I had BBQ satay Pork skewers recently , and tonight, rump steak, and lamb chops the week earlier...on the barby, the aromas were devine . And Chuck, I had a rare passing thought yesterday ...buy a new barby, God forbid .Not sure how much longer my 'ye olde ' cast iron 4 burner will last . It really is looking its age now . I got it around 1995-ish. All the newies these days have stainless steel burners. I'll make the oldie last a bit longer. HS

Good to hear you have got your truck finished , woo hoo I wish I could say the same about my poor ol' Grey Fergie tractor. It should have been finished ages ago and running by now , but when you have two parents that need my help daily, in between everything else I do it ain't easy . I got the head & manifolds back on. Water pump next. Its like a slow moving jigsaw puzzle, one piece at a time. Man, you have been eating well We're now into casseroles & curries and all the other yummo winter foods . Getting really cold now. A storm about a month ago gave us a few fallen branches etc. for me to cut up for wood. We have about 4-5 bottles of ' cheap' champagne , only 6 bucks a bottle, but it doesn't taste any different to the ex$y fancy stuff , we pop a cork on the odd occasion, yep life can be tough , lol Take care & eat well HS

Same here in the west. We'll be needing a permit to fart next . So love the appearance on the blade . Look forward to seeing the end result HS

I'd love to put a thought bubble above that dogs head with a few expletives in it. I can't say what they are but one starts with the letter ' C ' . Gladly we don't have those here in Oz, but after reading yours & Chucks experiences, my respect for those smelly critters has increased. HS

All the pics I've seen of the 345's don't have that extra black bit with the clip on . Can that be removed? Or get another bench with adjustable height ? It would be quite a tall order to modify the Singer base. HS

I quite like it I did start making simple comb cases a while back just two small pieces of scrap, but they didn't sell. Its hard to know who wants what some days. Perhaps I'll try again but put a cheap comb inside. HS

Here in Oz, you can send a piece of metal through the post without issue, its just a piece of metal , but when theres an edge on it , it becomes a knife . It would then have to be declared as a knife, or a weapon . Got that from a knife maker in my town who gets stuff made over east. Stoopid rulz !!! HS

I found this. Quite baffling , and damn funny too. https://au.news.yahoo.com/jersey-baffled-mountain-cooked-pasta-184611713.html "Another user added: “Lead suspect is a guy named Al Dente,” another commented. That totally cracked me up . I guess someone would have to pasta shell out' a lot of money to clean it up. But I think this story is rigged- atoni . Obviously the offender is no ' Angel ' hair pasta and a bit of a ' noodle head ' Perhaps the offender should ' Man icotti up . All we need now is 1/2 ton of pasta sauce, 1/4 ton of garlic bread and a few cases of red wine Anyone from New Jersey on here ?? Fill us in ?? HS

I'm quite partial to a nice Shiraz, or Cab-Sav , or a nice Merlot, when I'm feeling brave. Merlot has a kick like a mule. ( btw we don't have corks any more, , except champers, mostly all screw tops. Kinda spoils the fun, and the flavour. ) Apart from a few things I would do a bit different, I am quite proud of it , thank you Basically anything that is round, and it fits, and needs to be looked after, other than wine Thank you y'all 18 years ago when I first started leather, this never would have entered my head to even attempt it...but now . Nice to see I've progressed quite a bit , but still learning HS

I got a bit further on the second one today . It won't be quite as fancy as the first, but still nice. HS

Thank you for all your comments I did all the tooling myself, its not an AS pattern . Thats the spine , where its all joined .. I decided to run a little dark dye over where the edges meet. Perhaps its a little too dark . It would be perfect

Man, that is so versatile

They would have to wear bio suits to skin them lol

That might explain why I have never seen any ' skunk leather' items on here , yikes ...and besides, they'll never sell. HS

My latest creation. It took forever to make , in between this thing called 'life'. But finally got it finished today . The leather is 3mm VT with 5mm on the cap & bottom . Carved design, dyed with ' brandy antique' sealed with ' Seal 'n' Shine' , fitted with brass hardware. Theres also neoprene foam rubber insulation inside. It takes a standard 750ml bottle ( Aust.) Theres a few things I would do different next time , like the stitching on the spine. Herringbone or ' X' stitching would have been better. I put the foam rubber a bit too high inside, near the inside ' lip' causing it to " bulge" a little bit where the cap goes on, that makes it just a wee bit tight getting the bottle out, that may stretch in time. The most fiddly bits were with the hinge and the mounts for the ' D' rings. I may also consider making a detachable strap and include a short carry handle. Undecided atm. This may also be utilised for a telescope or camera lens, It is padded inside after all. I do have more pieces cut out for another, but it will just be plain, or with a simple stamped pattern , and with air brushing. Otherwise I am quite happy with the result HS

That tune is pretty catchy, I have to admit, probably start singing that myself I dare anyone to pick up those skunks Smell like burnt rubber....apparently All we get is ' dead roo's in the middle of the road' and the occasional Wallaby or Emu . However, a decent sized roo can right off a car.

If your Mum farts in the car, do you keep you mouth shut, or risk death by saying a smart a**se comment ......while casually winding the window down ? Or, you could say , " OMG, there must be a chicken farm nearby " ....even though you're in the CBD Or " There must be sewerage works somewhere"....... while getting an evil look HS

One of the very first belts I made 18 years ago , I am still wearing as I type. It shows signs of regular daily use, the holes are a bit stretched, but its still in one piece & holds my dacks up ...and holds my gut in , lol Thats a good indication of how long stuff should last. The heavier stuff should last a lot longer than that. Its a bit harder for dog collars or horse gear , as animals are unpredictable and break stuff a lot. HS

I just use a Kingchrome folding knife and a pair of kitchen shears, and few other pairs of scissors. The folding knife fits in my hand just nicely , my hands are small . Its strong , sturdy. Blades are easy to change*. I also sharpen them on a stone to extend their life. HS * I also use it ( with a new blade) to score the skin on a piece of Pork, true

Perhaps similar designs or materials can be utilised for breast plates for hunting dogs ( wild bore etc.) I have refused to make breast plates( or any other protective gear) as I simply don't want to be responsible for someones dog if something goes wrong, let alone the legal implications. HS

Just about every man would shed a tear or two at the sight of their ' manhood' being gored OUCH!!! Hernia is bad enough HS