Handstitched

Theres another you could add: With a hat and a fat cigar, and the voice of Winston Churchill : " we will fight them in the hills and on the beaches and in our gardens, those pesky lawn chair pads are invading our territory and must be stopped " HS

@chuck123wapati Theres a common saying here in Oz: 'DILLIGAF ? ' = " Do I look like I give a f**k ?? " HS

Theres a nerd in all of us I'm sure

I've experienced that as well. People would give their jean size, or measure their old belt( they measure that wrong too) . I ask them to measure their waist with a ( tailors) tape measure that I carry with me to markets etc.When they measure their own waist , they're surprised how big their waist really is . A lot of the time I know what waist size they are just by looking at them. Theres been occasions where their waist size has increased since they placed the order. O'h dear. The biggest I've done is a 56" belt. I do keep a few long belts on the rack, just in case. I also have a handful of short belts for kids and people with tiny waist lines. I try to cater for all sizes the best I can. ( Off topic: I've lost count the amount of people that have tried to put a dog collar around their waist, brightens my day that does, hate to think what they eat for dinner . ) HS

Don't you just love it when the seller has no idea what they're selling ? Perhaps carefully sharpen them yourself? round files, jewellers files ? What a bargain HS

When I read the OP, I was of the understanding that this thread was about the affordability of the craft, for the newbies, beginners , budget conscious , keeping costs down etc. 'Making do' with what we already have in our sheds, adapting tools for use with leather, the very basic tools and materials to get started , sharing ideas , just as I have, .....and so on..... I have completely & totally missed the point of this thread . HS

We call these ' brow bands' in Oz, same diff HS

You've done an excellent job restoring that, well done , love to see the old become new again I have had difficulties in the past trying to set rivets on ' round' projects . So on some projects I have used a small piece of steel pipe around the same size, fit the rivet post through the hole, , slide the pipe in gently, put the cap on, and use it as an anvil . HS

@mason1800 It pays to know your own market.In the early days, most of my belts were around the 34 - 36" mark, but these days, my belts are much bigger, waist lines have grown...and grown. I still do the small belts, but my biggest seller for my market is around the 38 - 42" . I do assorted sizes, up to 45" , sometimes bigger than that. The colour that sells the most for my market, is black. Black goes with everything. I sell browns, tans etc, but they hang around for a long time. It may be different in your part of the world HS

@Kent79 You could always contact them? Get some info, send them some pics? http://www.pedersen-spares.com/ The logo looks the same on their company name ? HS

For standard belts , I have 100mm from the tip of the belt to the first hole, then 30mm apart thereafter . I always do 6 holes*.I use a # 5 hole (rotary) punch , not too big, not too small, also good for some 'trophy buckle' pins . Any others are custom made and according to the buckle specs. The measurement is taken from the the 3rd hole back. ( centre hole, Al Stohlman method) *I did put only 5 holes in once , but quite often the customer would ask for an extra hole, so 6 holes stayed. HS

Yep, that'll work My next purchase is a pair of good quality high leverage side cutters, less brute force...and swearing HS

I have had issues with old tube rivets before on old leather repairs, projects etc. Depending on the job,a nice sharp drill can be used...carefully, as already mentioned, but if you wish to speed things up a bit, I have also used a pair of sharp wire cutters , and in this case , to get in between the shell holders and the belt and cut them . It may take a bit of brute force ...and a few curse words, but they will cut. When you finally cut through, a piece of the rivet might ' ping' across the work bench, so mind your eyes. I have also noticed the using just the tips of the wire cutter blades and cutting the rivet about half way does help a bit. Good luck. HS

OOPS! My bad, don't always believe what you read I guess.( the heading) HS

I like that The 'herringbone' stitch adds a nice touch . Love the templates in the background (Don't worry about dyed hands, most days my hands are covered in black dye. My nails make me look like a 'goth' ) HS

Try this: https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/8B-Cylinder-Bed-double-needle-industrial_60780182111.html?spm=a2700.7724857.normal_offer.d_title.49002730KKgqx6 Have a look at the pic, second from the left. It may well be a copy of a .....?? Look familiar? HS

@Constabulary The bottom half looks like a Pfaff, but the top left half is identical to my Seiko STW 28 B , guides , tensioners etc. . Strange. I'll keep looking HS

G'Day Frodo, I just had a look around myself, under the headings, ' Sam Browne Posts' , vintage military holsters, vintage bag clasps, military bag closures , but no luck . The Sam browne post comes up, but not the other bit. Perhaps modify a hand bag clasp? Or get a piece of brass plate, and make one? HS

G'Day, I've used this tool quite a few times now, its becoming quite handy, not just a ' museum piece' in my workshop. It fits snuggly and comfortably in the palm of my hand ( as the name suggests) and I've got small hands too , a good buy that HS

What size are the off cuts? I have made belts with off cuts of belt leather , make a billet & buckle end, attach each piece in between with ' D rings' to make a full length belt , some skiving may be invoked to fold the ends over. Perhaps decorate with concho's, spots , spikes, etc ? Ladies sometimes like the thin belts, blokes sometimes like the wider ones. Another idea, I have made one piece knife cases with belt off cuts too, with some thin leather on both sides to make an ' expandable' gusset. Machine sew or by hand. Sold heaps. I'll have to take a pic. HS

Aaaaaaanyway...... Back to the OP........again. @fredk You took me on a trip down memory lane. I also used a ( non retractable) ' Stanley' knife from my old fibreglass pool days ( still covered in f/glass) ) still have it, and use it. For my leather sewing awl....( don't laugh) I used a large hand sewing needle, but covered the 'eye' end with padded leather to help push it through leather , and not my fingers, but, it worked. Still have it. I too bought thread on those ' wee cards' ....still have those too, geez In one of my old leather books from the 70's , you can make stamping tools with old large nails. Carefully grind a pattern of choice on the head,cut the point off, and hey presto, stamping tool . Get an old flat head screw driver , modify it, sharpen it to use a carving knife. Very 70's 'retro' , but, it works. For the newbies that are budget conscious, its not necessary to buy brand new tools. HS

What a laborious looking piece, but so well done . I still have trouble doing eyes on horses, but you've got it just perfect HS

Thats quite a good looking job, nice grain too . It must be heaps more comfy, surely? I keep wanting to ' upgrade' the appearance of my boring ol' 70's - 80's office chair. Its got daggy worn out looking fabric atm , after seeing that, might have a crack at my ol' seat. HS

I agree, my ol' Pfaff 60 does sew thin leather quite well, I also make Kangaroo leather wallets on it. I do have a ' Necchi Supernova' machine in one of my sheds, all complete, with full box of accessories and cam...thingys for different and fancy stitches, but I haven't tried sewing thin leather on it, guess I should, its quite a nice machine. I bought it for about $10 at a charity shop, and found another next to a skip bin, mostly complete. HS