Handstitched

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

@Spyros Thats pretty much what I use, sometimes Kwik Grip Gel, but both types work just the same. Can't say I've tried the water based version though. The other brand is called ' Parfix Fast Grip' same thing. I can't get the adhesives (and some sealers) that I want either because they can't be shipped by air , and road freight is too ex$y , so I just have to improvise. They seem to do the job OK, and I've used them for years. If they go off a bit in the tin, I use some toluene to soften it up . HS

These days there are quite a few varieties of contact adhesive for different applications, for construction use for example , some of which are flexible like PVA . I think I have tried PVA in my early days of leather, but it just didn't quite hold . I now use contact adhesive, its like an extra pair of hands . We have ' Clag' here in Oz, a brand thats been around for eons , a white gloopy stuff . Brings back memories, mostly messy ones HS

Can you borrow a set from someone ? , or, buy a set, and sell it on ( to someone on here perhaps ? ) to at least get your money back , just a thought . HS

Once upon a time, I never knew that an old sewing machine could be a thing of beauty , that was until I got into leather , and on this site . Now I have so much appreciation for them now, I guess in the same way that people love old cars, bikes engines etc. Hope Alan Rundell is able to find one HS

Theres a set at Birdsall , Australia...not much help for you though, sorry. They are quite pricey, and the freight even more. https://www.birdsall-leather.com.au/Y8145_dash_00w/Alphabet-Set-3_or_4In-Leather-Art/pd.php Is there a Tandy near you? HS

@Alan RUNDELL I found this: https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/73271-cast-iron-again-pearson-bennion-busmc-a1/ Just thought a pic may help . HS

The few times I have needed quality concho's , I have bought from these guys: https://conchos.com/. They have a good range . They don't just do concho's . I'd love to get some more, but the Oz $$ is in the toilet atm , making them really e$xy to ship to Oz. HS

This is pretty much answered, but I have a setter that has a small hole in it at one end, about the same size as the post. I put the post in,put the setter on the tiny bit sticking out, and with a firm hit with hammer, I can depress the leather around the post giving it more length, I sometimes moisten the leather . And as mentioned , they come in different lengths HS

I checked my collection of magazines, but mine only go back as far as 1960.Damn, stuff was cheap back then . What of, a hand bag?? "Wow!! look at the pair of brass 'D' rings on that !!" Ahem. Sorry . HS