Handstitched

There are many opinions regarding sealers. I'm in Australia, The one I use mostly is called Top Coat , a water based sealer. Another is ' Seal & Shine' , a chemical polyurethane sealer, leaves a nice shine and feel. I prefer to seal my projects as I don't wish for any dye to come off onto clothes, like on belts . Sealers give a nice finish too I use paints on carved patterns , makes flowers etc. really stand out . HS

I had to google that name we call them ' clip seal bags' , but thats a great idea . One other idea I had in mind was an archive box/file thingy, I might combine both ideas . I know it sounds over the top, but this is my fave book and I don't want anything to happen to it. I've had some old leather books damaged in the past, so you can understand my added caution . Thanks HS

Thank you. Perhaps I should have phrased that a bit better My workshop can get a bit messy and dusty, and a bit cluttered , despite my best efforts to keep it clean. HS

One thing I have used is the left over bits of boot polish that have gone a bit hard in the tin . I use them fill any marks etc. , ...or holes , on hard leathers , mostly black, , sort of like a ' body filler' , and being polish they finish up quite good . I guess a bit of hard bees wax might work too . Hope this helps a bit HS

I just have to chime in here . I used to do weight lifting/ power lifting in my younger days, I still have my old belt, ( I won't tell you the size) cost me a small fortune back then. . But the pic of the blue belt is just so striking, such a beautiful colour. Blue really is my absolute favorite colour, has been since I was a kid. The white stitching really makes it stand out. I was once told that the belts give stability, spine etc. and help prevent your guts from exploding, especially the ' man tubes' down stairs . Not sure if theres a market for WL belts here in Oz . I should do some research.Or, make one and put it on display on my stall and gauge the response . HS

@Northmount @fredk I saw that same vendor at my regular market at the weekend, I was soooo tempted to tell him the value of the Ed Bohlin book that he sold me, but I weakened , I didn't have the heart to tell him. Not sure if I should . I do have a bit if a grudge against him though , some years ago, he was next to us at a market, our stall got damaged during some wild weather one year, a table went over nearly injuring my Mother, and a lot of my stock ended up on the ground, but he never lifted a finger to help* . * Its good etiquette ( and good karma) to help each other at markets, especially newbies. I'm now looking at ways to best store the book, knowing its value, now. HS

@noobleather Packers Leather, but you have to be on their ' specials' mailing list You can't buy them online, you either walk in or order over the phone, like I did, but you have to be quick. HS

G'Day, Just recently received some white roo skins that I ordered from Queensland. They're imperfect, factory 2nd's , some with marks & scratches etc. all the usual marks you'd expect from 2nd's.Some will take a dye and get used for linings, some with a milled grain , and many are in near perfect condition, hard to spot the flaws . I also bought some lovely calf skin 2nd's , but you wouldn't know it, they're very dark brown. Price? They were $20 Au. per bundle, 10 in each bundle, I got 2 , 20 skins, in total, thats $2- per skin . The calf skin 2nd's were $15 Au. ea , I got 3 . , and some 3mm hanks of assorted coloured lacing. Freight works out to be less than $3 per skin. *the first pic is a bit dull, oops , the 2nd pic shows the colours better HS

This is my very first attempt at air brushing, this bag was just a test. Nowhere near as nice as the card case you've made, that looks really nice. . All I used was ' whisky antique ' as the base colour, and black air brushing around the edge. I sprayed the sealer on using a ' touch up gun'. Looks more black/ brown than 'sunburst. ' I have used a few coats of yellow as my base colour, as well as thinned out saddle tan, and black air brushing before. I'm still learning HS

@Klara Thats exactly what I did, made my own, 2 different jaw sizes . I bought my first one,a bit ex$y I thought, but then soon realised how simple they are to make out of a few off cuts of wood in my shed and a few screws with wing nuts. I put some pieces of leather on the tips to protect the projects. For larger items, I use a saddlers clamp....that I got S/H from a clearing sale. @mike02130 Good quality S/H leather tools etc. can be found , markets, antique shops etc. on-line , if people are prepared too put in some effort...and are patient It also helps to keep costs down if budget is tight . HS

G'Day, You could also consider second hand, books, tools etc. For tooling & stamping, I started with a ' basic 7piece set' , that helped me learn. I then looked out for good S/H tools. I ended up with some quality S/H ' Craftool USA ' brand tools without blowing my budget , and it went from there, the more I learnt, the more engaged I became...and the better I got , only then, I decided to invest in some new quality tools.....16 years later....... You could spend a small fortune on quality tools but then later decide that leather work is not your preferred vocation, just a thought HS

G'Day, I'd be going with a Cowboy 4500 or Techsew 5100 , or other 441 variant. 277 M10 is what I and many others on here use for the heavy stuff . Have a chat with 'Wizcrafts' . HS

@Northmount I had a look, thats incredible . $460 US would equate to around $600- Australian . Perhaps I should tell the vendor how much the book that he sold for $10 is actually worth....now .....mmmmnah !!! I would never sell it anyway . I'm just in awe of the beauty of the saddles Ed Bohlin created. But they must be so heavy on the poor ol' horses back . I've had a few experiences like that in the past, sellers not actually knowing what items are really worth. HS

@fredk What ??? Holy boot patcher Batman !!!!! Are you serious?? I only paid $10 for mine at a local market. It 's also signed by the author James Nottage on the inside. I wonder what thats worth now?? Edit: Holy Moly , you're right, I just checked, I wonder if mine is considered ' collectable'? HS

@fredk I found a book you might like , if you can find it on Amazon: https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/86967-edward-h-bohlin/?tab=comments#comment-592783 ' Saddle Maker to the Stars' Ed Bohlin , by James Nottage. I have a great appreciation for all of the books I have collected over the years, they have taught me so much, patterns, ' how to ' etc. but this book blew my mind , one of my prized books. HS

@tsunkasapa I think its in reference to ' not shiny' , dull. HS

A'h yes, red dye....yikes !! Mine is water based. Thats the one particular colour I have issues with too. It bleeds in all the wrong places, and like you said, no matter how much sealer I put on, it still bleeds, other colours are fine. It must be the way red is made I guess. So I decided to think outside the square. HS

Never had to do that before, except on swimming pool molds , I had arms like Arnie . Have you tried using a hand held buffer like you would use on a car? You may wish to experiment first . Perhaps make a buffing pad using a piece of canvas? Just a thought. Some of the more experienced leather workers on here may have a better idea. HS

Thanks Theres no 3ph power in my street . Just waiting for my lottery numbers to come up, and I'll buy a beefy generator, that could run the whole workshop , including the clicker. Good luck with yours HS

I have tried oil based dyes in the past, but I had no end of issues with dye rubbing off, that why I now use water based dyes. @fredk I might try that. We have slate tiles in our house and they need sealing periodically, might try that sealer in place of Neatlac . The Neatlac variants can't be shipped from the east by air here in Oz and freight by road is ex$$$y . So instead, I've been using a water based varnish on some specific jobs, works fine . We learn something new every day on here eh? HS

These guys have already answered this,, but not knowing your location, here in Oz , we have ' Glen 20' disinfectant spray. HS

Looks pretty good to me, thats how my sewing looks You're going to get some marks at least. I don't dare touch the presser adjustment screw anymore than I have in case it goes through the roof , I really have no idea how much pressure there is on the spring, I'm not going to risk it. When my machines are working fine I leave them as they are . Nice work tho HS

Here in Oz, I use a water based polyurethane sealer on my belts etc. nearly no fumes , and no dye rub off with water based dyes. I also use a water based ' super shene' sealer , depends on the project/job. HS

@switchleatherco G'Day, I had a quick look around, and all I could find was this: https://vimeo.com/471566377 This was the info that goes with it: Pedersen 270M-460: - Used Hydraulic Clicker Press - 16 Ton - With Manual Die Height Adjustment - Polypropylene Cutting Pad - Cutting Area: 18” x 36” - Beam width: 18” With Manual Die Height Adjustment ?? There must be an adjustment somewhere? Whats are those adjusters at the front? One must be the cutting depth, and the one on the right? Try it and see, you may see the swing arm go up and down. . Hope this helps a bit. I have a USM 20 press, but nothing to power it with...yet. Its 3ph. HS

Its sometimes difficult to tell, Wallabies are sometimes brindled, depending on the breed, they are from the same family, but I'm leaning toward a small red kangaroo , they're mostly from up north . Fully grown, they're like the hulk, .... don't ever p.... them off !! We have western greys in our area. That skin looks like it got wet at some point @Rahere btw, I'm from Suffolk HS