Handstitched

Wanna swap?? ...mmmmnah !! 42C atm, thats about 107 F, harvest bans will be in place about now too , and no machinery movements , and bush fires all over the place, it ain't nice. Stay safe peeps HS

'Tis the season to be drinking' Well it is here in Oz , damn hot now. Already 38+ degs ( over 100) Hope everyone has a safe and Happy Christmas and a Happy Leather Crafting New Year . May all your leather crafting dreams come true HS

Thats a great idea, and put a recipe on the back, ...just kidding . How much scrap leather ( aka money) do we all have ?? HS

I'm sure you can come up with a creative solution, even for a childs belt...with a ' mistook' . Croc leather piece, or coloured leather, or whatever you have in stock, be creative . Or, cut it into 3 pieces, put ' D' rings between each piece and a buckle at one end and a billet at the other , that extends the length . I make 3 piece belts all the time to use up sizable off cuts. I tool them or put studs etc. on them , I can really go a bit silly and have fun on some off cuts . They sell ' Mistooks' help concentrate the mind IMO HS

Yeh, amazing things eh ? ...books I have a possible solution. see pic. Underneath the tooled leather piece is a ' mistook' , so using my creativity, and not wanting to waste a belt, thats what I did . Tooled, dyed and sewed a piece over the ' mistook' . Didn't take long to sell either , and I charged a bit for it to make up for the ' mistook' . Just a thought I have done that a few times to cover up stuff up's . HS

@Klara The customer picked his belts up finally , with correct sizing, but get this, he told me he once did leather work himself as a trade in his earlier days, traveling around various venues selling his wares,so I would have thought he would have known how to measure a belt. ( he's a pest control operator now ) So, I'm guessing he was measuring his belts incorrectly the whole time he was making leather goods ...wha....?? I now feel a sense of ' vindication ' HS

Looks just fine to me I've been wanting to have a ' makers mark' stamp made for sometime , about time I did. I think its the cost that puts me off having one. I don't have a mark of any kind atm. HS

' a breakfast of champions ' Hope theres a beer or two to wash it down ? I did do a champagne breakfast once, first time I ever got drunk ...in the morning. Did our very last event of the year yesterday .. body aches now , .. takeaway, champers to celebrate....boots off..socks off ( steam...smelly lol ) . Time to relax Got my last Christmas order made today.... workshop now closed ...sleep in tomorrow ..woo hoo !!! HS

I have a bottle of champers in the fridge for our last event of the year and I ain't cooking....nup ......takeaway . So tired now . I have one more ' Christmas present ' to make ...and thats it...woo hoo !! We do anywhere around 60 to 70 events per year *sigh* ( with the exception of covid) . WOW!! 6 inches of snow!!! .....and heres me cooking up some BBQ honey pork ribs on the barby yesterday, I used a sun umbrella to cover me from the sun on a warm Summers day. Quite a contrast eh ? Stay safe friend during the cooler months HS

G'Day, This my latest effort. Its for a client. Theres a board game inside. The board is soft/flexible with components & instructions rolled up inside a custom made 'velveteen draw sting bag' . The leather is 3-3.2 mm veg tan, dyed with a whisky antique , and all hand stitched ( complete with sore fingers & hands lol ) and with solid brass hardware. I very rarely make ' round ' stuff, but this turned out alright . I modified an awl. I still need practice using curved needles , my ( sore) fingers just couldn't hold them, I went with straight needles in the end. I also need a bit more practice sewing ' round' things' . I got this done just in time for Christmas. * the blue "thing" in the background is a modified canopy for a boat....but thats another story...' again... just in time for Christmas '* HS

@chuck123wapati just popped my head in to say ' G'day' . Mother Nature has been kind..for now. Its been quite mild , not too hot-ish Is there a phenomena, scientific or otherwise , that causes people to place orders at the last minute at Christmas ? Thats all I've been doing these last few weeks . Just when I think I'm all caught up, the phone goes, and someone needs something made ' as a Christmas gift' . One was a doozy, all hand stitched , my hands are so sore atm . One more market to go this weekend.....and its Hope things are looking good in your part of the universe ...and no more trees through windows eh ?? HS

Thats a great idea. Theres often times when my regular anvils just don't work . I have a ....thingy? not sure what its called actually , but I think it was used a by a smithy that I use. It has a square post that fits into a full size smithy anvil ? Old shoe lasts are handy too. Is that for a loader for a hand gun ? HS

OMG !! I wouldn't have the confidence to do what you have done , just looks great I've worked on old tractors, old landrovers and an old triumph and made them go again,, but not old sewing machines. I think I would have trouble re-setting the timing, but I will be paying attention on here on how you do it. I've always been fascinated by peeps on here doing full restores on old machines. Still reckon the deer emblem will look good in gold against the black, but thats just me, ... or is it ?? Well done HS

One problem I had with some 5mm veg tan that it was a bit shiny, so the dye didn't quite penetrate the way it should have, so I got some fine wet 'n' dry , gave the grain a bit of a light rub and then dyed it, that seemed to have worked. Not saying this will work with your leather, but perhaps try it on some scrap first, see what happens . The dye I use is water based with a little bit of alcohol from Birdsall in NSW Australia . Haven't used your dye before though. HS

Here ya go friend. The view from my window. Harvesting madly going on around my region , and other towns before it gets too hot, cos when it does, there'll be a harvest ban in place .They can sometimes harvest at night if its cooler. A new Holland harvester, and beside it (out of view) is an IH tractor with chaser bin . Been going for the last 3 hrs or so. You can see how dry it is already . Wasn't long ago when it was all green . HS

Some do some don't . Heres one without and one with a horn . ( sample pics) . I also have 3 hanging up on display ( w/out horns) in my workshop. Might use one as a reference. But after a closer look at mine this afternoon , I can't see any evidence of a horn . Either way, I look forward to getting stuck into it and learn from the experience HS

I reckon I'll be doing just that. Great minds think alike Yeh, thanks Unlike many areas of the US, where I live there aren't any saddle makers I can refer to . There was one, he's gone now, but when I asked him if he could show me how to simply repair a saddle, he wasn't the least bit interested. Its not like I was ever going to take his trade away, he had 30- 40 years ahead of me for goodness sake. That was quite disheartening. But , like the old saying goes , 'the only way to get a job done is to do it yourself' . But I have this thread to refer to But I think once I get the pommel section and knee pads sorted , thats the bits that are missing, hopefully the rest should be , possibly be easy-ish ...maybe. It sure is a great way to learn about saddle construction . HS

Thats OK, I doubt you're the only one.And I guess I should have mentioned , this particular customer has bought from me in the past, I made custom belts for him with business name on them, and when I made his belts...way back when, I used a tape measure to measure his waist , and, like I have told him and countless customers , ' all measurements go from the 3rd hole back or centre hole. '. I wish I had a dollar for every time I said it, and I guess after almost 18 years, I'd have quite a bit saved up by now , almost enough to retire on...maybe Retire?? Give up leather work???....mmmmnah Also, my Mother, being a seamstress by trade since I was a kid , also knows all about taking measurements . HS

I currently have a customer that ordered some belts, two for himself and one with 'wording' as a Christmas present. I asked him the measurements ( you can see where this is heading) , and he told me. I made the belts , I sent them , he received . He then phones me up to say they are too long. WTF ??? I made them exactly according to the measurements that were given ( and exactly how I was taught). I asked him how he got the measurements. From an old belt...tip to tip , buckle to the pointy end I told him that is the incorrect way to measure a belt, but he argued the point, " but I've always measured my belts that way" . This went on for a while, back & forth . I then sent him a text with a pic from one of Al Stohlmans books on how to correctly measure for a belt, to the centre hole. I also explained that this is how leather workers like myself all over the world measure a belt for correct and comfortable fitting, and also making allowances for trophy type buckles etc etc. I explained all this ...nup, still wouldn't have it. I feel a bit insulted. Everything I have learned is down to the many books I have read by other master craftsmen and of course master craftsmen like Al & Anne Stohlman, and indeed from the many helpful people on this site. To my annoyance, I'll be making them again, but he'll be returning the others . Only THIS time, he got a tape measure and measured his waist.....the correct way. Thank f***k for that !!!!!! Wonders will never cease !! HS

G'Day, The stuff you find at markets. At my regular market this morning, I found this seller selling....this ..thing ? . The remains of an Australian stock saddle . The seller didn't know much about it, who owned it previous , or why it was in bits ...total mystery I mentioned it might have been " an unfinished project" , or owner salvaging the tree ?? Most components are all there, all mostly complete all except the horn section etc. The ( fibreglass ) tree itself, just needs a bit of TLC. I can't find a makers mark either, at least not yet. If it was a motorcycle, it would be classed as ' basket case' . The onus is on the buyer to put it all back together . I've always wanted to learn how to assemble/make a saddle, now is my chance eh? Give it 6 months or 6 years ...lol . (I still have an Australian military saddle tree thats been waiting for restration for ...um .... *cough cough* years) And the price I hear you ask??? Just $30* - The hardware alone is worth more than that . I'll wave the white flag if I need any help . HS *I got quite a few odd look s while going back to my own stall. I looked a bit like Mario Brega in GBU with both stirrups straps draped across my shoulders , Ha !!

Thats makes perfect sense.....not. Thats like having wind ' jenny's' in my town but supplying a totally different town... wha...?? Glad you're all OK ...and warm Did some satay pork belly skewers on the barby for din dins....damn good they were too . Time to give my ol' faithful a clean & full service ready for Christmas . Be good HS

I hear ya . Theres so many factors that would cause a leather crafter or hobbyist to be put off , cost and the efficiency of freight . Our " express post" , used to be just that, but that can't be relied upon any more. Theres only one leather supplier in Perth now ( the one I use) 2 1/2 hrs away ..and thats it. They're an agent for an eastern states wholesaler. They also do hardware, dyes etc. , but compared to my suppliers in the east, they ain't cheap, almost double the price compared to the eastern suppliers, even after freight . And, to my knowledge, there are no tanneries in my part of the universe. All tanneries are in the east. HS

The only thing I can think of , is cost of buying leather supplies etc. They have increased quite a bit these last few years , the pandemic may have something to do with it too. I have a small business, in regional West Oz , and although I can absorb and /or adjust to the increases , those that are doing it just as a hobby may think its just not worth it. The other possible factor is cost of freight ....Holy cow !! A lot of the leather supplies come from over east . Its often a bit hit and miss as well. I either get my stuff within ten days, (standard post)......or up to a month...or it goes missing. HS

Holy shite ! Man, thats some serious wind, thats around 100k's per hour . Hope no one was hurt. Must have made one helluva mess inside your kitchen . Hope you're all safe. HS

Sure hope you get your tools. Just another *PITA we could do without. I had a similar issue with our postal service , Australia Post . I ordered a simple small order of dye & hardware. Normally takes 10 -14 days standard post. I kept waiting ....etc., and like you, I contacted supplier. Had to get Oz post to investigate. Over a month past, still no delivery. After supplier got involved in the investigation, ....my parcel suddenly turns up at the post office. for the supplier. Oz post used to be quite good, but standards have dropped. ' Express Post' used be just that, ' next day ' delivery....not any more its not. Good luck. HS * Pain In The A.....s