Handstitched

G'Day, love the idea . Perhaps try a stiffer back board? Can they be fixed to the wall on the corners? Not knowing what the wall is made of, perhaps a small decorative brass screw, nail etc. in each corner ? Or, double sided tape? Just a few ideas. HS

O'h dear !! Have you got any pics? Also, did you try dying in an inconspicuous spot before dying the whole thing? Um....?? I would think that what ever you try might make it worse .Usually once dye goes on, it stays on...sorry. I have to tried ' lighten' dye on the occasional project in the past, only for it to being completely dyed black ( to hide the mess) .....or it ends up in the bin. Any saddlers on here that may be able to help? Welcome to the forum btw , not the nicest of starts for you though. HS

Yeh, and its medium to well done with a side of fries * Sorry chuck , couldn't help myself * chips in Oz HS

@battlemunky I have used the ball on my polished ball peen hammer to slightly thin out leather just around the hole when its just a tad too thick( or the stems are tad too short) when fitting some press studs , not the normal thing to do, but it works HS

Is there a recipe for leather? A BBQ rub or a marinade perhaps? Might make it taste a bit better, and washed down with a beer or a nice cab sav or a pinot ? But no, I haven't done that and never will. I'd be concerned about the chemicals thats in leather. I'll stick with a drop of water from my spray bottle . HS

G'Day, Try here: https://conchos.com/bhn-75-sb/ Hope it helps HS

G'Day and welcome to the forum You're on the right track . As its for ' display only' , I'd be starting with a good dose of oil, it will take a few applications . If you feel brave enough, you may wish to do any minor repairs if there are any parts that look like they're about to fall off. Thats a start Some more experienced saddle makers on here may be able to help you along . $32 bucks is a bargain. If that was in an antique shop here in Oz, they'd be charging $150+ just because it looks 'antique'. HS

@Hasbeencowboy I always use roo lace. This doesn't help you at all, but my supplier here in Oz does sell ' hot pink lace ' . Its in 10 metres to 100 metres , 3 mm or 4.7 mm https://www.birdsall-leather.com.au/LLCL3010w/Classic-Lacing-3mm-10mtr/pd.php While not always needed , I just use a simple polyurethane sealer . I haven't tried dying nat. lace as pink dye is not always available . HS

Why not use a medium/heavy veg tan leather , tool it, dye it , and wax/oil it yourself? You might be surprised at the results . Just a thought ? HS

For cases, I have a bench sander. I sand the edges until they're even all around the case, bevel the edges, apply some dye, and then burnish while the dye is still a bit damp ( using the wood handle of my beveller) , and finish off with bit of boot polish, comes up sweet For belts, I just bevel & burnish using the same wood handle, still comes up sweet HS

When space is a prime, I roll mine, as in d/butts & shoulders . I do like the cardboard tube idea That'll be good for thin hides like roo , goat etc. HS

@KennethM G'Day, I have worked with canvas but not waxed. There are a few ways . As with canvas bags , I have sewn them from the outside ,trim the seams nice & neat, and then turned them out so the seams are not visible, but nice & neat from the outside. . I have also used fell & french seams on some upholstered jobs. Not sure if this is of any help though. HS

@sturdypine Is that some sort of netting you're trying to sew? Just wondering that maybe messing things up and the machine is having difficulty sewing it? Try a piece of thin leather or fabric, , and perhaps a few layers of canvas and see what happens. Process of elimination ? HS

G'Day, Hope this helps: https://bonisparts.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/ownersmanual.pdf Also: https://bonisparts.com/owners-manual/ Theres some contact details as well. HS

@Krys Perhaps a few pics may help to identify what parts are missing ? Maybe source a manual ? https://www.manualslib.com/products/Singer-7-41-9301270.html HS

I have started cleaning/sorting in that "other shed'"...and .....O-M- G !!! Its a mess !! It hasn't been touched for at least 10 years . . What have I done?? ' Forgive me O Lord for I know not what I am doing ' . All this to make my leather workshop a ' happier place/space ' . Its a case of , ' I've made a clean spot now so I'll have to do the rest ' . 'A clean space is a happy space ' , apparently . HS

I'll be seriously be thinking about getting one of these myself. I enjoy doing secret plaits .All I've been using is a home made scratch gauge set at different widths , and the leather is very carefully cut with a really sharp blade. HS

G'Day, My New Year's resolutions are not to make any , it's worked for me thus far . I have tried making resolutions before only to get side tracked , or life throws a spanner in the works, something always comes up that messes things up . So instead, I just do the jobs that just have to be done. In this case, while I have the very rare spare time, I have to tidy up my workshop,and, make space in another shed to store excess 'stuff' to make space in my workshop for stock that has piled up these last few months. It gets a pretty messy, not a good look when customers visit. Anyway, May you fulfill your resolutions and lets all hope that 2021 brings us all happiness & hope, ....and new leather projects and creative ideas , of course. I still have some fluorescent roo skins that I'm itching to work with. Peace HS

@Retswerb toxo is still in first place atm (Sorry mods, this is off topic ) HS

Yeh, the last thing you want is moisture getting into the watch . Just make a mould the same size & shape. I have some pine off-cuts that I use , and some MDF like fredk said. I put a coating of oil on the wood so it doesn't get affected by the moisture. HS

@chuck123wapati thanks for the link, otherwise I would have no idea what they were. I thought that it was something more.......' intrusive' ...eek !! No reason why they wouldn't work. Might be handy for filigree carving . Could be worth a try? @toxo I might start a competition for the worlds biggest link?? Bets please !! HS

@jshep I have a Pfaff 60, very similar to the Pfaff 6 . Its a domestic, but a strong one , an no, its not a walking foot. Its a compound feed. The light is on the inside, not the outside ( like a a Singer) It's a straight stitch with reverse. My Mother used to sew our clothes on it when we're kids, she bought it from new , but now I use it to sew thin leathers, have been for over 15 years . Mine is quite capable to sew 2-3 layers of upholstery leather or roo hide,goat /pig skin, but not much heavier .I've used it to sew different components for wallets etc. Quite easily sews with M40 industrial threads . The brushes for the motor can be changed without taking the motor apart, just remove a screw, but that maybe on the 60. The only thing that has broken are needles, of course, and the occasional rubber belt. The belt is easily bought from any haberdashery . I think the one on mine now is for a ' Husqvarna ' . Bobbins are easy to find, metal or plastic. I'm lucky to have all the original accessories that came with it, including the metal pedal ( some were plastic, maybe bakelite) . Bobbin winder is pretty simple.The metal machine tops comes off for servicing. And like all my machines, I keep it well oiled and serviced . It runs like clockwork and its reliable HS

G'Day, theres a mulitude of ways of burnishing, as this thread points out: https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/67637-cant-get-the-edges-to-burnish-like-glass/ And this is a good thread too: https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/93052-help-with-edges/?tab=comments#comment-635302 Hope this helps I too get ' burnish arm' so I am hoping to ' motorise' my burnishing as I have a few old twin shaft electric fan motors ( from old drum drive computers) in my shed with the intention of using one of them for a burnisher......if only I could find them...they're in a box...in a box HS

I use Coats thread 277 M10 Heres a bit of info: https://www.coats.com/en/Products/Threads-and-Yarns/Dabond/Dabond Also , ' Serafil' M40 , industrial strength, nice and soft, but a good range of colours from my supplier, and goes through domestics. And M40, also industrial strength, from another company that supplies ' Ultimo' threads, but sometimes out of stock of the basic colours ** Both threads are polyester, the Serafil is soft, but the Ultimo is stiff. I use them on horse rug repairs, but also wallets bags etc. ** it pays to have more than on supplier . @kgg My Mother uses thread from China on her domestic machine, its rubbish. I've been getting her to use my M40's . Well at least the cursing & swearing has reduced HS

G'Day, @hsontag I haven't used one of these, but I did do a quick search. https://leatherworker.net/forum/search/?&q=TechSew SK-4 skiver&search_and_or=or There might be something in these posts that may help. Theres also a quite a few youtube vids. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0ZpIZ6UxN8 Sorry I can't be more helpful that at this point HS