Handstitched

@sonnyboone I love it nothing wrong with the colours . The green is very striking, quite impressed with that . I often say to myself if I'm doing something different, " be bold & be brave" . You never know if you don't give it a go . I recently received some roo skins, check these beauties out: https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/92181-christmas-came-early/ I'm pretty anxious to get started on them , I'll be thinking outside my regular square Well done

G'Day, I don't normally post on here, but here goes. The lighter is a Vintage ' Jumbo' Table Lighter. Quite heavy, and works fine. The client wanted it covered in Cane Toad skin. It was a delicate job , mainly removing the old , hard, dried out leather covering. I stopped it from breaking up using clear adhesive tape , as you can see, it was so fragile. It just took some thought...and some creativity, to cover it in Cane Toad skin. Toad skins are an odd shape, they take a bit of shaping, trimming and using some off-cuts to fill in any gaps . It was fiddly, but I am quite happy with it I took ' before, during & after pics ' . HS

G'Day , I ordered some roo skins about 2 weeks ago, and they finally arrived this morning from Queensland .I was like a kid on Christmas Day . Now, theres x2 bundles of 10 bright fluoro , and x 4 blue, and x4 dark grey . A total of 28 skins. The pics don't do any justice, but the blue & grey match quite nicely. They were on special They might have a few imperfections here & there, but for what I paid for them , it doesn't matter. They have a few creases from being transported, but they will flatten out. By the time I'made an item , they won't be visible. I'm always making bags, wallets etc. in earthy tones, black, brown etc. so I'm going to a take a plunge , and make some bright wallets, bags etc. Never worked with fluoro colours before, and I don't know what the reaction will be, but stuff it , I'm going for it Ladies love bright colours, and perhaps some blokes too. HS

Except Australia . Its a pity they they don't have a Tandy here in Australia, not any more, they closed it. But they were competing against other well established leather outlets , mostly in the east in NSW, South Australia, Victoria, & Queensland . I'm in the west, theres one outlet .........and thats it . They supply my hides and some hardware etc, like they have been for may years, but the don't have everything. HS

Take the end cap off, undo the two screws , remove the bobbin case, check for any bits of thread, and then try and turn it , by hand . If it still doesn't turn...O'h dear . Have a look inside the inspection plate to the right. But I wouldn't keep forcing it in case you are doing any damage . That sort of thing would make me sweat, ... and you no doubt . HS

Long time no post on this thread. Just briefly on covid, , we , here in Western Australia, have opened up to the rest of the Australia..in Nov. . with conditions. Our Covid numbers are really low compared to the rest of the world, thats why we can freely go anywhere we like, almost . We're the ' envy of the rest of the world' , apparently For me , business has been quite brisk, and EFT has increased quite a bit. Anyway, you're right, I've been meaning to do just that, take a pic of my stall. I keep forgetting to take my camera every time I do a stall, but today, I took my camera....but I forgot to take a f*** pic !! DOH !!! I didn't remember until after I packed up.... aarrgh!! Head like a sieve !! I promise you , I will take a pic , one day Stay safe HS

@Zac G'day from west Oz I too use roo hide for wallets etc., best leather for wallets imo , but I also use roo hide for making or repairing hand bag handles etc. I haven't had much luck cutting thin leathers with a strap cutter either. To cut those, I simply use a metre ruler ( or 1/2 mtr) pressing down as hard as I can , and my knife is super sharp . You could also use a sharp rotary cutter, which is probably best...I just never got around to getting one myself ...old habits HS

@Auden One of my first books I got was ' Al Stohlman Projects & Designs' . For a beginner that I was back then, it s was pure gold . Its has simple to complex designs . Many of which I made over the years. Then I got ' Lucky Seven & Lucky Eight ' ...and so on. Never looked back Hardrada summed it up nicely. HS

G'Day, I've only seen these oilers on the CB 4500's for when the needle gets hot , after extended use on really thick leather jobs no doubt. https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/79774-using-wax-lube-pot-on-a-441/ I've never had the use for one, but now I know what the extra screw holes on the top of my machine are for. HS

@CraigL Welcome to the forum take heart, you're not the only one that has left something out However, after learning from my mistakes, and,... having to fit rivets etc. ....after assembly, I came up with an idea. I have a long piece of Jarrah ( an aussie type of hard wood) approx 18" long. I clamp that tightly to my bench, its then sorta like a long wooden anvil . Slide the item onto the 'long anvil' ', I fiddle about ( while cursing) trying to get hardware to go in the holes, and hopefully , fingers crossed, fit the 'missed out' hardware, with enough space to use hammers, setters etc. Its is fiddly , and a PITA ( Pain in the a**** ) but it works Not sure if this helping any . HS

I did take a few pics of those dyes. One is white, and the other is green , not turquoise as I thought. Made by ' Hidemaster' ' Western Leathercraft' ( Western Australia) back in the 80's....late 70's ? The price was $2.95 a bottle . Once they're gone, .........they're gone. HS

Not sure if they still do, but I think Tandy sell that material . @Leather20 you could also add a concho in place of tooling, but it may add little bit of ' bulk' to the end product, unless its sorta flat-ish, if that makes sense. Love to see the end product. HS

@Leather20 A leather plaque is a separate piece of 2.5 or 3mm veg tan leather, either round , square or whatever, that is thick enough to be tooled/ carved, but allow enough room for stitching. Put it on before assembling the wallet. BTW, Theres no such thing as a silly question on here. All good . We're all here to help HS

Well, alternatively , you could try using a 1.2mm veg tan , however, you won't be able to carve a pattern into it, but you may be able to stamp a pattern into it, or a friends name, but you have to be so careful that you don't hit the tools so hard that its cuts the leather right through . Try putting a piece of 3-4mm scrap underneath where you're stamping to avoid that..its has worked.....sometimes.....practice first. And perhaps make a wallet inner with say , roo hide, goat hide , pig skin , or whatever you have available, then glue & stitch . HS

This has come up before: I do have a white dye, but its from the 80's.... It was given to me ....by...someone. People often give me stuff . Its a small bottle, but I use it very sparingly because once its gone....it gone. I also have a turquoise of the same stuff. Its sorta like a white wash, dries quickly. I'll take a pic of it when I can . I also found this: https://www.ebay.com/p/1129803792 As for oxalic acid, I've mainly used it to clean any grease stains etc. from leather, on rare occasions . Its toxic stuff. It was originally made from rhubarb leaves, amongst other green leafy thingys . I have a ' skull & X bones' on my bottle Hope this helps, HS

Bingo!! Very rarely do I get someone that knows the difference. Quite often I have to point it out. @WannaBe So I guess by now you have enough ( perhaps too much) info on the topic to make your head spin . But you do whats best for you. Welcome to the world of leather btw HS

@Leather20 Not sure if kangaroo leather is available where you are, but thats what I often use for making simple wallets. Easy to cut and easy to sew by hand or machine. ( I've just ordered some more) Or alternatively, I have used goat skins. Similar in thickness , and come in many colours. A simple wallet is all that people want a lot of the time . I've seen customers wallets as thick as a paving bricks , and so badly out of shape . Hope all goes well for you HS

@WannaBe I forgot to answer your last question. I am quite happy as to when I bought my first machine, but I just wish the process was easier, so many machines to choose from , I couldn't make my mind up . So I had to focus on what it was I'm going to sew, in the present and in the future , and narrow them down. But all I can say is, take your time, choose carefully . HS

G'Day, @WannaBe I'd already started my business before deciding to get my first machine. I handstitched everything, but I needed to speed things up . It was a long process before finally deciding which machine to get. But I now have 4 machines I still hand stitch, but its hard on my hands these days . HS

G'Day, This is no help but I found this as a reference: https://books.google.com.au/books/about/How_to_Make_Leather_Animals.html?id=EJTAIwAACAAJ&redir_esc=y and this: https://www.amazon.com/How-Make-Leather-Animals-Stohlman/dp/B00K894CK2 So people knows what it looks like at least. Perhaps someone on here might be good enough to send you a copy, or look for a download? HS

It finally has a permanent home in my workshop after much tidying and re-arranging .Prior to that, it just got moved whenever I needed to use it....it got a bit heavy It now sits next to ' Brutus' . Quite a juxtaposition, the old & the new sitting next to each other. The rubber mat prevents it from sliding about on the laminex bench. I just need an extra light . HS

G'Day, This is what I use: https://maclaceleather.com.au/product/seal-shine-1-litre/ https://www.birdsall-leather.com.au/DTC/Top-Coat-Leather-Finish/pd.php HS

G'Day @PALeatherArt, yes , unfortunately you will get marks, not matter how well your machine is adjusted. Uwe summed it up very well. Every piece of leather is different. I'm always making sheaths, various leather cases, for knives, tools , ' ' Leathermans' etc. So what I have learn't to do is use a huge 5mm ' D' ring, ' O' ring or a ' Square' ring to rub out the marks . ( the corners help) It does work, but just takes a bit of ' elbow grease' . I'm petrified about adjusting that any further , in case it gets some air time and makes a hole in my workshop roof , I may never be able to get it back in again. Everything on ' Brutus' ( my 441 clone) is adjusted just fine I don't dare touch it. HS

G'Day...from Aussie land You may have some difficulty there. Perhaps you could try that on some scraps first? I would think that the sealer wouldn't adhere . Check this out, it may help: https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/91870-dyed-leather-bleeding/ HS

G"day, I had a lot of trouble in the early days using oil based dyes on belts, so frustrating . No matter how many coats of sealer I apply, the dye still came through . I now use water based dyes , that have just little bit of alcohol to aid drying. I also use regular water based polyurethane sealers, and hi shine sealers, (some of which are chemical based) . But, no more rub-offs . The belts still come out just as nice HS