Handstitched

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

Thats very well made. Have you thought about marketing that in kit form? Might be worth thinking about. I just use a folding knife and a steel ruler, ........and pray to God that I miss my fingers HS

G'Day, To state the obvious, this one year we'd all love to forget. But it has helped to concentrate the mind and come up with new leather ideas. I still have an assortment of fluorescent coloured kangaroo hides I've been busting to get stuck into, and to think outside my usual leatherworking square , but I've been busy filling orders doing repairs etc. Certainly can't complain and I'm very grateful. I've been lucky by comparison as sadly, so many businesses didn't survive this year . Anyway, stay safe, and hope all your leather crafting wishes come true Merry Christmas and heres to a Happy and a much better 2021 HS

I've done the occasional hand held bellows before,( even a bee-smoker ) but love to restore a blacksmiths bellows one day. WOW, what lovely job that would be eh?

I have an off-cut piece of 2" marble approx 14 x 12" , with a piece of foam/rubber carpet under-lay approx 1/2 thick, folded over . You could always check for any vibrations, or screws etc . on the bench that may need to be tightened, if any ? just a thought . HS

I mostly use kangaroo hide for wallets now . I tried making wallets with thicker leathers , but ran into problems, apart from the practical issues . By the time peeps put cash, cards and the kitchen sink into the wallet, its like having a ' brick' in their back pocket. You may wish to try pre-punching the leather first. But you'll have to make sure all the holes line up . Try it on some scraps first. HS

I've had mine since 2005, I have nothing but nice things to say about these machines. Look after it, it will look after you But like with anything to do with leather, tools, machines etc. it all takes time and practice. HS

I second that and then flatten the rivet once its ' open' and then put a piece of roo skin or goat skin over it? .....and put this down to a learning experience I do have a 15" piece of 2 x 1 Jarrah ( Aussie hard wood) along with a small setter & anvil for such occasions , as well as a few.....(um ...about a doz or more) ' shoe lasts' that I can put inside cases etc. in case I stuff up .....er .....' miscalculate my decision making process' . Nice holster though HS

G'day, I have used a number of stitches for different applications, fel seams , french seams, etc. But one of the stitches I have used for strength, is the herringbone, aka "baseball stitch" using a heavy/ coarse thread, or Mox thread, a woven thread, around 0.8 mm & 1.0mm . If its strong enough for a baseball, that gets whacked frequently, its strong enough for other applications . HS

..........apart from the fact that it gets a little expensive. Depending on the project, I sometimes use a piece of chalk to mark out where stuff has to go so things line up. It doesn't do any damage and it rubs off . I have also learnt that what looks fine on a paper or cardboard template, doesn't always work with leather. I also do horse rug repairs and I use chalk a lot to mark out where parts have to go. Do go putting yourself down, we've all made some silly mistakes at some point , perhaps a lot more than I / we care to admit HS

The mask looks pretty cool too. While not ' PPE', it could still be used by bikers etc. to protect them from a smack in the mouth from bugs ...yuk !! HS

I'm not a ' TwitFace' user either . I like Tony's patterns Thanks for the link HS

Yes it is, and I just use a cheapy $100 GMC* compressor. (* not around anymore) . I clean it thoroughly immediately after use, otherwise the sealer will go hard inside the gun. HS

I have used an air brush, albeit, quite a while ago. But this is what I use. The air brush is self explanatory, but the other gun is what I use for the sealer. Brands of sealer differ , obviously, but what I use is ' Top Coat' from Birdsall Leather NSW. Its a water based polyurethane sealer,but I thin it out for spraying, apply around two coats, , let dry completely.... I don't touch it !!! and flush the gun out immediately after use. The small bag is just a simple example. Antique, with dark brown graduation . HS

I started looking for dyes very soon after I was using different colours of boot polish on some ' learning projects' , as it rubs off onto clothing. That was almost 16 years ago I now use ' Birdsall Leather Dyes' . Mostly water based, but with a little bit of alcohol to aid drying. Never looked back . HS

@magdy have a look at this : https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/31788-rubberlike-edge-coating-what-is-it/ I can't say that this is what you're after, but it might help . HS

Apart from bridles, halters etc. I've been doing these repairs over the years. Many of which are for horse owners that participate in horse & pony clubs. In these clubs all the saddles , tack etc. have to pass what they call ' gear check' , to make sure all the gear is safe to use, otherwise they can't ride . When a saddle comes in to have the girth straps replaced ( maybe because it failed gear check) , I sometimes find that the original leather girth straps , even on some expensive saddles , is of poor quality , or sometimes too thin,...and not discounting the possibility that they weren't properly cared for. Some saddles have two or three straps. I replace all them, not just the one , or two that are damaged. HS