Handstitched

from the album ' Brain Salad Surgery' ? I have it on vinyl, plus one other ( triple album) with full version of Fanfare on it ...somewhere. I also have a pair of ' 8 tracks' with a live performance of ELP on them. Remember them? You do realise you've just pressed the ' nostalgia' button ? My first concert was Gene Pitney ....with my parents.....I was a wee lad . So un-rock'n'roll !!! HS

For me, its ' Triple J ' . ( ABC ) . They play stuff the commercial stations haven't got the balls to play and......No Ad's woo hoo !! HS

Yes, they can cause fires . They can generate their own heat if air is not circulating around them. I guess even more so on a hot day. Never had a issue with ink coming off. Its mostly for veg tanned leathers, like belts etc. HS

G'Day, this is what I have. For applying dyes, and sealers , I have some sheep skin off cuts, cut and trimmed into 2-3" squares. I thoroughly brush off all the fluffy/ furry bits before use . Some I can re-use 2-3 times before they go a bit stiff and unusable. I use sheep skin off cuts for applying oils etc. I use old newspapers to cover my dying bench , gets changed every week or depending on how 'dyed' it gets. Someone gave me a box load of (pink) sheep skin off cuts a long time ago, and sometimes my leather supplier will give me off cuts for nothing . For cleaning my hands , my benches , machines etc. and cleaning metal components, I go through a heap of paper towel . For polishing, I re-use our old bed sheets, old T shirts, etc. Apart from paper towel, I've never bought cloths . I also re-use old T towels, bath towels etc. Some cover my machines, some I use to wipe my hands on. I try to re-use as much as I can HS

Is there a particular reason why the back isn't dyed? Unless I intend to add lining, I always dye and seal the back of my belts and collars and various other items. I would think it was quicker to dye the backs than fiddle about taping, and using markers and edge paints. @chuck123wapati You make a good point about the carpenter. I do sometimes see wood workers selling their hand made wares at markets etc. When I see the backs of items unpainted, unvarnished etc. they look unfinished. But thats just me. HS

When I first started, I went to a stone mason , asked for a ' small' piece or an off-cut of granite or marble. " Theres a piece of granite outside you can have for about $20" "You Beauty !!!" WTF ??? It was 13-14" square ....and over 4" thick ......I could barely lift it . Not to be defeated, and no help from stone mason, it was cheap after all, it took me 3 - 4 attempts to get it in the car , huffing and puffing and nearly dropping it between attempts. Damn thing nearly gave me a hernia!!! I now have a nice ( much smaller) piece of marble. HS

@Warhauk this is the stuff I use: https://maclaceleather.com.au/product/seal-shine-1-litre/ It has a nice glossy look and feel to the finished product. I use it on pretty much all dyed products. HS

I have been asked if I make boots, but I would need space twice the size of the workshop I have now to consider it. I have cutting dies for the soles, and shoe lasts, but thats about it. HS

It is a matter of preference. I've always dyed the flesh side of everything , belts and collars. I use a ' seal 'n' shine. I sometimes use a water based lacquer on some projects as neat lac is no longer available , although it did take some testing. HS

I have an 'olde' Malvern Star' with a three speed.It has ' racing' type handle bars' and the gear changer is the hand grip. Its twists , like turning a screw driver. Theres 4 bikes here. I say that as I look down at my belly .....and after eating some brand name fried chicken at the weekend I really should make an effort. In the east and some here in the west, there are ' tip shops' ( dump shops) . Selling all the re-usable stuff that would normally get thrown out smashed up and buried in landfill . Quite often the money, and some of the goods go to charity . Mother Nature can be unkind to so many , floods , fires, storms etc. this is where 'tips shops' can help, to help rebuild peoples lives and give them hope. Hope all goes well with your bike , it may even inspire me to get on mine HS

@chuck123wapati I hear ya on the O/P . My beef is with printer inks. Its cheaper to buy a whole new printer than it is to buy the inks. What is wrong with that picture? I could go on another whinge, but you get the idea. Thats a good find too BTW, and the mud guards are in near perfect condition too. Normally they're all bent and bingled It sucks about not being able to have a bit of a scrounge at tips ( you call em dumps) . I would have thought the operators would appreciate the recycling aspect and be happy for you to ' do your bit for the planet' . But instead, they prefer to have everything smashed up and buried . That ain't right . I prefer to re-use and recycle where ever I can . We have ' kerbside collections' run by the local councils once or twice a tear. Locals can have a good 'ol scrounge with those. HS

Looks quite good, same as my old Seiko and goes through canvas, horse rugs, medium leathers and upholstery quite happily. $500 is cheap....in Oz . I'd buy it HS

Yep, any so called ' savings' are lost on the exchange rate , and at .71 cents....yes, it is a lot !! HS

O'h dear....what have I done??? ' O'h sh*t...its Mr Creosote!! ' Must dash....byeeee HS

Tandy no longer have a presence in Oz . That sucks. We do have suppliers, but theres some things we just can't get. HS

It was a ' Monty Python' reference, and way off topic, well....sort of ........I was just being a bit of a smarty pants I'm a self confessed Monty Python freak , can't you tell? Have a look at my quote. HS

....and they were the " Peoples Front of Judea sewerage workers on the way to a conference" . Sorry , off topic, couldn't help myself.

Yep, as @chuck123wapati said, contact adhesive. I've learnt my lesson when using those clamps. I only use them briefly just to hold the leather together while the adhesive sets, otherwise they will leave marks.They are an extra pair of hands in leather, but I never keep them on for long lengths of time. Looks like your leather was a bit too wet. HS

@globalmetalco You don't have an agent in Australia by any chance? Have a look at my post regarding 'Chain Suppliers Australia' . I prefer to buy Australian, but if I have to buy from O/S I will, but the Oz $$ isn't at all well , putting up the cost of goods coming into Oz and putting up the cost of the end products. HS

@fredk Heres a pic of what I am looking for, chrome & gilt plated, 10-12mm for boot scooting/boot straps, and later, dog leads & horse leads. ( brass chain would be better for horse leads) Sometimes called ' curb' chain' or 'twisted chain'. Our hardware chain, Bunnings ( no pun intended) doesn't supply rolls of the stuff, only small ' hobby' lengths . We do have a haberdashery chain as well, but they only supply soft alloy chain mainly for hobby use. I'll just have to keep searching HS

I had a good look in our hardware chain ( pardon the pun), we have 'Bunnings' , they have some chain , but not the stuff I want . I'll just have to persevere and keep searching thats all. But thanks for the suggestion . HS

Just a quick correction, the chain I use is around 10mm, not the 5-6mm I mentioned before . Might have to put the call out to a few leather suppliers. The alloy stuff simply wouldn't be strong enough for dog & horse leads . HS

In some cases, if oxalic acid doesn't work , its best to dye the whole bag the same colour as the stains, if thats an option . HS

G'Day, I'm on the look out for the type of chain used for making boot scooting/line dancing straps . I can get the aluminium nic or gilt plated stuff , but I'm looking for something stronger, as in the type used for dog & horse leads ( thats another future thought ) . Thats what I've been using, about 5-6mm . There seems to be an increase in boot scooters/ line dancers lately for me , so I'm thinking ahead. Any suppliers in Australia? No doubt there are suppliers O/S, but with the Oz $$$ in the toilet , it would make it a bit ex$y . Thanks HS

Its quite flexible . Quite often I use it before stitching, machine or by hand, it holds everything in place . HS