Handstitched

HS

Some cases that I have done , I soak the vt leather, mold , shape etc. and then put them out in the sun , or near our wood heater if its cold outside. They come out quite stiff Then cut , shape, dye, seal etc. Just a thought. HS

Thankfully I have a good rapport with my (repeat) customers but I do try to keep my workshop tidy , not just for my own benefit and appearances, but also for safety for myself and customers HS

My apologies , but I actually thought it was upholstery fabric, so love the design . Can't say I've ever seen that here in Oz. It'll be quite an attractive bag when finished HS

Pretty typical for ' Australia Post' , lol Its takes around 10-12 days for stuff to arrive from the east ( or anywhere else) to my town . A line in a movie ' ' O Brother Where Art Thou?' " Aint this a geological oddity, two weeks from anywhere" , I'm thinking, yep, that sounds like Australia Post , lol HS

The only pics I have. These were like antique....-ish . It had a galvanised metal retainer, and well made apart from the vinyl material. I replaced it with a piece of roo hide. The last one I did ( no pics ) was very cheaply made, very thin metal , the vinyl melted, and had a alloy retainer, difficult to rebuild. But yet, sold online for much more than I expected. I also used a piece of roo hide. Couldn't help but think that it would have been cheaper to buy another one. HS

I think this will be one of those threads that will get the " Hot " tag Same here My workshop is around 30-40 feet away from my back door and is listed on our insurance papers as a ' small business' , we also have public liability ins. . I have customers dropping off and picking up all the time. I also have market stall insurance (with another company) public liability ins. up to $10mil. But thats another story. Our premiums go up each and every year due to the endless storms, bushfires , floods etc.mostly in the eastern states, but its us ,here in the west, that cops the huge increases. HS

Very unique, and so damn nice HS

Very well done I have done the BW going in one direction on a belt, but not in both directions like you have done on the wallet. Well done . HS

Thank you very much I have also done a few bee smokers as well . My apologies to @Chux for hijacking his thread . HS

Never heard of it. Its not made of mushrooms by any chance?

Here ya go friend: The red looking bellows are the ones I've just finished. I think they may have been like a souvenir for the tourist market as they were not very well made and didn't work very well. . Vinyl, not leather. I had a hard time getting the brass nozzle straightened , they were almost squashed. The rough looking ones , far right will be my next project. They've been on display in my workshop for the last few years, they're in poor shape. The ones at the bottom were for a customer some years ago . They were a complete wreck . I think thats where my interest on bellows started. I did a good job on those, even if I say so myself HS

Thats strange, some people prefer a dash of milk and sugar Seems like USPS has got worse since I last received a parcel . It was some years ago now, but I ordered some stock from a wholesaler in Pennsylvania ( the parcel had ' USPS' labels on it) , it arrived quicker than our own postal service could deliver, from PA to WA in 2 weeks. Won't be ordering from OS for a while , not until our Oz $$ goes back up , its in the toilet ATM HS

Same here. We ( as kids) were never bothered by the hot weather, ran amok, rode our bikes , ran through sprinklers, we were fine. I know the climate has changed, but these days, nup, can't stand it HS

Great minds think alike Alternatively, do what some of us on here do, have more than one machine, if space and $$ allow. I have x 4 machines. They all do what I want and each one is set just the way I want. The one thing I don't want to be doing and wasting time on is fiddling about , re-adjusting etc etc etc .. Perhaps someone should do a time study : Actual work done V's Fiddling about. HS

Yep, took a while to find the pic I took of it, as was taken in 2006. But here it is. Its not very clear, but you'll get the idea HS

One piece of VT leather I was given was so stiff it could double as a card table . Too good to throw out, I made a handbag out of it. I oiled it, bent it worked it etc etc . Then I carved a pattern onto it. Although I had to belt the living daylights out of my tools, I Laced it etc. Looked quite good once I finished. So, as a bit of a joke , I put it in our local country show. Blow me over, I got the 'Blue Ribbon' Best in Section' I sold it within a week, HA !!! So if that is possible....?? HS

Wouldn't it just be easier to get a machine that does all those things? just sayin' HS

That looks familiar. My machine is also ( originally) a twin needle. So just wondering if a bobbin case from a Seiko will fit as well? HS

Burnt leather smells horrific Reading this thread, its has inspired me to change tact. With the scraps , I've been making little key rings( or dingle dangles) that some like to hang off a bag, zipper tag etc. , using small wad punches around 20 -25 mm. Quickly & simply stamped,Dyed assorted colours I sell them for a just $2 ea . Sold quite a few. Small key rings are cheap by the 100 . But I've decided to make them random shapes. Not everything has to be nice neat and round. An old ' Ye Old English' saying " theres brass in muck " HS

For us here in West Oz, we've had the complete opposite . For the last two weeks + we've had 40 - 45C ( around 112 F) higher in some places. Its been relentless. Too damn hot in my workshop, around 38C , even with fans on. And just last week, ...the power went off on Tuesday due to a summer storm . The power finally came back on late Wednesday arvo . Thank God for our generator that kept our fans going and our fridge & freezer. Its been a political sh**t storm , pardon the pun. Wanna swap?? HS

Looks like a cheese dip I once had Although I wouldn't want to eat it. HS

Theres been so many helpful ideas, but yep , but here in Oz, we call it ' grease proof' paper, different names for the same thing. Works a treat HS

Nice neat and tidy, and yes, that colour really stands out HS

We're also here to help 'The impossible we can do, miracles take a little longer' . Not sure where I heard that. Thats the one thing that working with leather has taught me, patience . Its been quite a long time since I threw something across my workshop HS