Handstitched

Thats a lot of basket weaving , and very well done too . HS

The colours are stunning , goes well with the bass I don't know why I don't do much inlay work myself , looks great. HS

Happy Birthday to her Enjoy your fiesta ....and yes, have a few gut pills on standby ...I do HS

No, theres a bottom in the foam insert, its about 10-15mm thick and quite easily hold the weight of cans or stubbys , but you may need one if you're using foam rubber. HS

I had all my "holiday" plans set, I tidied the workshop, put up some shelves, but I ended up doing a bit of a rush job for a friend...then another customer job came along...and another. So much for my plans.Not knocking the work or the money, but I just like a bit of ' me' time . Its also been damn hot, so hot the front tyre on my grey Fergie exploded . I was in my workshop at the time, scared the crap out of me. I'm not a hunter, but people do hunt roo's , not sure about rules & regs. But I think its a bit of a 'no no' to hunt the 'doe's' in case they're carrying joeys ( babies) . Take care of that ulcer, if it is that. A bit too much spicy food perhaps. I love a bit of spicy food, but makes my belly ache a bit sometimes. I didn't know there are roo farms in the US. I wonder if there are any Emu farms as well. ( pronounced eemyoo) . Emu meat is an acquired taste , strong game flavour. Roo's are all muscle , hardly any fat at all. The big reds are the roo equivalent of a 'condom full of walnuts' . Take care & good health HS

I get my supplies from them too, mostly roo hides, but I also get some lace from them too . But I find Birdsall lace seems to ' sit' or lay down better . They also have both ' classic' ( matt) or glazed lace, but just a quick rub over with some super shene after lacing does the same thing Thats interesting, run by ' Aussie ex-pats perhaps. HS

Yes, I make 'stubby holders' , ' coozies' . I use a polystyrene foam stubby insert to accommodate 375ml cans or stubbies , but they can also be made using foam rubber, similar to what is used in wet suits. Craft shops or leather suppliers may have it. Some may even have an adhesive backing , or use contact adhesive. I have a set measurement for mine , but when cutting the leather piece , allow enough for the thickness of the foam rubber in your measurements so the bottle or can slides in . Hope this helps HS

@Danotriglide Its no good to you , but all my roo lace comes from ' Birdsall Leather' NSW Australia . The freight will be ex$y to the US . But I wonder where US suppliers get their roo lace from,there aren't any kangaroos in the US? HS

We had that as well ....and , a very mild turkey curry( its summer here atm) ...and ham stir fry's etc. HS

Off topic , the ham & turkey left overs are now in the freezer to make soups in winter. HS

I think the company you're referring to is ' Sewing Machines Australia ' in Queensland. They do parts and accessories for just about every industrial machine. They also supply my threads A good used 132k6 is hard to find as they have been snapped up, but SMA supply the newer equivalent of the K6 . HS

Is the needle hitting the needle plate? Leather too thick for the machine? HS

I know currencies are different, but that would be around $750 + in Australia .It looks to be in great condition, and well looked after . I'd snap that up in a second Buy It !!!! Just the machines alone are worth more than that without the stand. HS

Great work , goes great with the background....and the Goldie Were you able to fit a piping foot to your machine? Never had creases as bad as that before. Perhaps stretch the hide somehow, moisten it and put it in a warm ( not hot) sun? Leave it for a day or so?? HS

Howdy friend Hope you're all safe & well in your part of the universe. Sure wish Mother Nature would give us all a break eh ? Floods in the south east ( of Oz) floods in the north west, and north east , the south west has been spared...at this point . Just hot weather. Floods, storms etc. in the US , when will it end? On a much happier note....food Had these tonight: Kangaroo burgers . Tender , juicy, an inch thick . Low in fat for those on low fat diets....not me lol *. Just a bit of cracked pepper and a pinch of salt, and thats it. No fancy herbs or marinades. Buy round, when cooked, they go all ' oval shaped' . Science, physics ?? Don't care , they were delish . Stay safe HS *Roo meat is naturally low in fat, high in protein.

I second chuck & dwight, belt/ disc sander. A bit noisy, but it works and I can still get the drive belts . I use a vintage vacuum cleaner as a dust extractor . And if I can't get the adhesive sanding discs, I make my own. HS

Man, thats so good, very impressive , great detail, I've worked in sheep shearing sheds, and the lines on those horns are spot on I won't go off topic, a discussion for another thread, but hear hear HS

@chuck123wapati thats quite informative Just been reading through the whole thread . Always learning HS

I get a good pair of wire ( side cutters) , carefully & gently get the tips of the blades under the rivet , flat part of the pliers against the leather , and hopefully, cut the rivet. Some on here may use a small drill to carefully drill them out HS

Thats some quality looking hides there, great colours . The things I could make with those . Is that your ' supervisor' giving them the once over ? I'm sure they'll get the 'stamp ' ( paw ) of approval . Get cracking lol HS

I've seen so many restores on this site, just proves nothing is impossible I can't help but notice the remains of what looks like a sump gasket sitting on the bed, and a tube of gasket sealer . Should look quite good when its finished HS

I quite like it too I did something similar with the dye like that on some knife cases , it was actually by mistake, but I liked it so much I kept intentionally making the ' mistake' . I also like the fact you had heart surgery and leather craft is part of your ' healing' . Good health to you HS

I have used Kangaroo leather for watch straps quite a few times Not sure if you have roo hides available where you are though. HS

The extreme cold can be very dangerous, so can heat stroke, as I found out ...again... this afternoon . All the usual symptoms...including almost passing out , disorientated , out of breath etc etc. Not much fun . If I had that beautiful snow in front of me...I would have dived right into it Stay safe HS

To me, and my nostrils, leather doesn't smell like mildew . It smells like...well , leather . I can smell the natural oils in the leather, they are neither strong or pungent .A new side of vt leather has a nice fresh clean smell to it, ( some hardly have a smell at all) there are also ' undertones' of the fact it has come from an animal. . But it gets to a point that I get so used to it, I can no longer smell it. If your leather smells like mildew, then perhaps theres a problem How is your leather stored? And where is it stored? HS