Handstitched

Its one of "those" jobs I just wish I never started or agreed to . It been hanging around for about 12-18 months. Floor 'real estate' is at a prime as it is . I'll try the sandbag idea. The 'herring bone'/ baseball ' stitch is quite common on steering wheels ? You're very welcome friend HS

You know, I've been thinking about that since yesterday . That seems to be the only viable idea that just may work . Its that damn arm rest bit thats giving me the s*^ts !! Apply adhesive to just that section of the leather and the arm rest...place leather onto armrest , poke, mold , ,shape, smooth ...etc . and put sand bags on the corner sections , let sit for 12 - 24 hrs or so . Next, carefully glue the rest down ....bit by bit ..stretching , pulling, shaping...you know the drill. I always get the "good " jobs I have yet to check out youtoobaloovian . HS

G'Day, Has anyone tried covering auto door skins with leather? I have a job of doing just that, for a vintage BMW , and its one of 'those' jobs that seem to linger around the workshop , take up space, etc. Theres 4 to do. Whats putting me off is trying to cover the arm rest part of the door skin. I have nice piece of black upholstery leather with a milled grain. Enough to do at least 3 skins. The originals were heat pressed rubber/vinyl . Yuk !! If it wasn't for the arm rest component , I'd have them done long ago , as the rest of the skin is fairly straight forward. Have a look at the pic and tell me what you think ?? With vinyl it can be heated up with heat gun, moulded, shaped glued ...and thats it. I was thinking of making a separate arm rest component out of fibre glass, ( I know fibre glass very well ) using the orig. as a template , and cover that in leather, and then fit the covered piece over the orig ? The very top section has another separate piece goes over the top, that I have already covered, piece of cake that was. thanks HS

No, but happy to try. But I am a dab hand at quesadillas, not the Mexican 'ring burners ',( I have 2 oldies to think of * ) but basically wholemeal wraps, , bacon, leak or onion, capsicum ( red peppers) , and a little garlic, cracked pepper..perhaps any left over pizza meat, ..and lashings of cheese Dear God I love cheese !! Thank God for cows The trout looks so damn good !!!!!!!! We're still using the carcasses from the Christmas turkey & ham for hearty soups. We do our best not to waste food. Craw fish look a bit like the English Langoustine, and similar to Yabbies, Jilgies ( pronounced Joogies) and Koonacs here in Oz . They all taste yummy , no matter what they're called We also have Marron ( fresh water crays ) but are protected, and size regulated, and can only be caught at certain times of the year to maintain numbers. Taste is totally different to sea water crays, more ' earthy' . * I actually love a good stinking hot beef or chicken Vindaloo or madras that almost make me sweat . But when you have two oldies with sensitive tum tums, I have to be careful . I've even had curry with chips ( fries) a ' ye olde english' dish .Dips chips in curry sauce...mmmm . HS

I did try to click on the ' green bar' at the top , but it disappeared quicker than I can say, 'Leatherworker.net' . It was there barely a second. Had my little pointer in position ready to click on it too . Must be losing my touch. Does anyone know what it says?? HS

Good food is good for the soul, that and a nice Shiraz I did get a piece of brisket , that will soon be turned into a slow cooked curry in the next week or so. Had nacho's last night, home made taco seasoning , pretty simple . Smoked paprika, cumin, a bit of salt, and some cajun seasoning . Delish !!! No doubt you have the same issue as we have atm with the price of meat going up...and up ( amongst everything else) , so we have to be a bit careful , and go for the cheaper cuts. We're fairly adaptable , we can pretty much make anything out of nothing and turn it into a meal, so long as it tastes good and fills our bellies. HS *quick update on the Fordson, nearly finished. Carby re-built, a few minor bits & bobs to finish, and then...fill up with water and start it. Fingers crossed

I'm not telling either I've just made a bit of a boo boo tooling a handbag...shhhhhh HS

O'h dear !!! If it was me, Two options....dye it a darker colour, hide the ' mistooks' , but the blotches may still appear. or, as @fredk suggested...start again and learn from the experience . And, so the piece of leather doesn't go to waste...... I'd be covering it in Cane Toad skins...and sell it. But it will be mighty expensive . I've never used daubers. Thats just me . I use large pieces of sheep skin scraps, around 2" square , cut & trimmed for large dying jobs, ....and move quickly & evenly . HS

No worries, go right ahead And thanks to everyone for the feed back . Hopefully some newbies will be inspired to enter the world of leather. HS

The 'green bar' flashes for about 1 second on my screen here in Oz, sometimes it doesn't flash at all. . All good . My jokes were pretty bad anyway HS

@chuck123wapati & @battlemunky Thank you very much . A few faves in there. I do really enjoy the ' Celtic' designs. Fiddly, and take a while, make you go ' cross-eyed ' but the love the end result, and, the studded collars, (basically, anything with lots of studs) You can really go to town with a lot of chrome & studs & spots* . They're just great fun and you're only limited by your imagination, and get a lot of attention at my stall . * I have a pair of high platform " goth" boots in my workshop that I bought for $5 at a charity shop. TBS.....'to be started', but they will be radical HS

You may not enjoy making small goods, but I do like the basket weave . Great work For me, they are fiddly, but , they are the pieces that a lot of my customers look for when they enter my stall. I use mostly kangaroo hide. HS

One of our locals sometimes has her mini ponies pulling a small cart through the town...and parks it/them next to the cars in the carpark , attracting a lot of odd and admiring looks You have done some great work there HS

'Goof Off' . I had to google that . So far, I haven't had the needle gum up, yet. But I do keep a good supply of acetone and a lot of Q tips ( ear buds) , but thats a good idea. Thanks HS

Its a lot to read . I'm not an upholsterer, but I used both ' felled seams & french seams ' when doing any upholstery . And while you can't pin leather or vinyl like you would with fabric, canvas etc. to hold seams in place, I use a basting tape when doing large jobs. . Thin double sided tape with a strong adhesive on both sides. Ideally for thin leather or vinyl. I tap/fold the seams down with a flat hammer . HS

Thank you very much .Yes, I agree . And each piece is also unique for the client or buyer , and also unique for those making them . I think I can say I'm getting a bit better with the air brush . I have a sheath on the bench ( 'TBF'....to be finished) I used the air brush on it. . I want to spend more time using the air brush to learn more. Thank you I have some pieces in an old shoe box under my bench . My earliest....not so good 'learning' examples. When I look at those compared to what I can make now , I think ' holy crap.....look how far I have come !! ' . I am a lot more confident today than I was back then , 17 years ago. The studded collars ? I make those purely for the fun & enjoyment of leather....and because I can....now . If they don't sell, it doesn't matter. They make good advertising pieces But I sold them LOL HS

Going through my files , theres a heap of stuff I forgot I made. I click on and think " yeh, I remember that" . Anyone else have that experience ? I think its important to take pics of you're work. It's a good reference, good for promotion/ advertising/ showing off, and perhaps helps to look for any mistakes and learn from them . I've spotted at least one on the sheath. Theres a few more in those pics I'm sure . Theres another on one of the stubby holders, in fact theres two. Enjoy the pics HS

I think you're right. Quite some years ago, a late friend of mine showed me a belt that he used at his gun club. On the (your) right side of the belt , it was reinforced . It had a thin (?) piece of metal , so he told me , sandwiched & sewn between two pieces of leather , to take the weight of the gun & holster I guess. But thinking back, it may well have been Kydex or similar material , because it had to be flexible. HS

Yep, looking closer at the pic, it looks water damaged .

I quite like it too Basket weave can be tricky, but that looks great. Just did a sheath with basket weave, I can safely say, I have improved quite a bit However , I have yet to master tri-weave. HS

I am very sorry to hear what you're both going through . It puts a lot of stress on your shoulders. This reminds me of what I may go through with my Father in years to come. He's 91 with dementia, and has a pace maker.He had a blood clot in his lung as well. He's survived cancer, and most recently, COVID . I am resisting putting him into care . He's hard work, and can drive us nuts, he can get around...slowly, but I just can't bring myself to putting him into care. We're just going by what the medical professionals tell us . My Mother is 88, and while her mental faculties are OK at this point, its her physical condition . She can walk short distances, but I'm close to getting her a wheel chair as walking is becoming difficult, often out of breath and her joints can be painful. I can only wish the very best for you both . Peace HS

@Hypomelanistic Can't help you with the oil tubes unfortunately , thats totally foreign to me. Are you going to restore the old table, or get a new one? HS

I had the same issue . I went for the 441 clone. Never looked back. As for noise, I can hardly hear mine , and yes, parts are readily available , thats the bit I looked at when choosing. Theres not too many industrial machine dealers where I am . My supplier is in Queensland Oz. When you find a good one, stick to it . HS

Yeh, same here. I enjoy most threads, but I really enjoy the ' How Do Do That', I learn a lot from that thread happy to help too , I'm still a 'learner' myself, that and and the sewing machines thread, especially those that are doing a restore / rebuild on an old piece of iron . I also love food HS

A lovely looking flower. Does it have a sweet scent?