Handstitched

A'h yes, scammers don't just love them? NOT!! I can see this thread filling up quickly with so many stories. The latest for me? Business registration scams . I renew mine every 3 years through the proper channels, but yet , I've had two in the mail since March and very " official looking " too ,asking to pay 2-3 times the proper fee . Always rely on your gut I love cash, as in folding money. It doesn't need batteries, or a good signal or recharging, and can't be hacked into , and can still be used even when the power goes off.......AND it doesn't bounce . Cheques are being phased out here in Oz . HS

Got any examples, pics ?

That can be overcome, but with horse rugs being so big, a reverse ( Seiko STW ) is a must, .....for me anyway And yes, I too love vintage machines. I can credit this forum for that ' sobsniff' . The more I read , the more I learn , and the more I appreciate their history . If only these old machines could speak eh? the stories they could tell ? wow !! In fact, I love anything old , even better when it still works and continues to outlast their modern counterparts. HS

What they said The 101. I do horse rug repairs , and medium leathers with a similar machine ( Seiko STW) so it would be ideal for auto upholstery , I've done that too . HS

All the very best Fergie My Mother has one more to go too . At least you can hold a beer now HS

I was able to zoom in a bit and I could just make out the the letter " G" ...or it could be a " C " I think the peddle has ' Singer' on it , but doesn't make it a Singer machine . HS

O'h dear !!!!!!!!! Does that mean all that effort was for nothing? And he's destroyed the hex screw and tool for nothing as well ? Bugger !!! HS

I've cleaned it up a bit

@flora18 Is this of any use ? : http://www.pfaff.com/SiteMedia/PFAFF/Products/Machines/Support-manuals/pfaff_145-manual-EN.PDF

This is a silly question, but you do have the correct needle & thread ? If that happened on my machine, 441 clone, I'd be sweating by now ...and a little nervous. HS

@Frodo from our ATO website : The Medicare levy helps fund some of the costs of Australia's public health system known as Medicare. The Medicare levy is 2% of your taxable income, in addition to the tax you pay on your taxable income. ... Your actual Medicare levy is calculated by us when you lodge your income tax return.Jul 1, 2020 Back on topic. @fredk Thanks for mentioning that. Even though they're cheap enough to buy, they should last a bit longer than that. I'm leaning towards the desk type . HS

In Australia, we have an annual Medicare levy of 2% , so we can go to a public doc or public hospital, get treated....and walk out again...unless you've just broken your leg ...ahem...sorry Meds are discounted if you're on benefits or pension etc. otherwise full price. Private practices are the money munchers . Yes, back on topic: I will have to get my eyes tested again ( for free) , eventually . And how often do you have to change the batteries in those? Perhaps the plug-in desk type might be better after all, but I guess these days you can get rechargable lithium batteries , or get a pair without the lights , decisions decisions . The ' hug light' looks handy. My Mother is always knitting or sewing. HS

@chuck123wapati I think the head band type might be better , but I will have a closer look as to how much space I have on my bench, maybe re-arrange a few things as thats where I spend most of my time. I finished the guitar strap this arvo ....phew, 2 days before the deadline , but my eyes did struggle . @Frodo This may seem like I'm bragging a bit here, and off topic, but I can go to my local GP, then go into a major public hospital, get my eyes done, and walk out with no fees. But I will have to pay full price for any meds . But with private hospitals ..?? ...$$$ plus. I'll focus my attention ( pardon the pun) on head band magnifiers, and go from there. HS

O.K. , so its back to this again....now I'm a little bit older, don't laugh . This belongs in ' Tools' , but anyway. I've been doing a guitar strap recently with a ' Celtic' 5 part braid tooling pattern. I love doing those patterns , they're laboriously time consuming, but so effective when finished. But I find myself with cross eyes & blurry vision, like I've been staring at a TV test pattern for too long. I do take breaks, which is recommended, but when theres a deadline...? ....( its due Monday , 1st Aug) . I did once have the ' cheapy' magnifier glasses from Red Dot ( a discount shop in OZ ), that worked for a while, but I ended up with script glasses. ( my eyes need testing again no doubt) I think I need up the ante for the future projects and get either a desk magnifier with light which I really like, or, as space is limited, I'm leaning towards a head band magnifier. I could get both I guess. Any recommendations? My budget is $120- tops. HS

@RWL2 Just out of general interest, how much did you pay for it? The issue I would have if I tried what you're doing is getting the timing right. One of the many passing thoughts I've had is to get a machine head ( like my STW Seiko) just to learn how to pull it apart and put it back together again ...and get it working, timing and all Hope yours all goes well in the end HS

Sure wish I could put my hands through the screen and show you. You were almost there. But have a look at this: HS

Not sure what happened there, but heres the hat . The leather is called ' Combat', (here in Oz) 1.2mm chrome .A soft-ish leather , good for M/C bags etc. ....and hats, polishes up nicely Thats my first hat btw, I'm still learning.

@Tbushard Heres a hat I made. While I had all of the pieces on the bench before assembly, I gave them a good dose of N/F oil, then gave them a buff up with some good ol' black ' brand name' Parade shine' boot polish . That would be enough water proofing. HS

@fredk I'll make a pink wallet and see what happens I have some pink roo skin. I have some light green & yellow too I think .I'll make a green & yellow one as well , and I'll tell you who buys them . Not sure why I bought them, impulse buy I guess. Either that, or I was just getting in touch with my feminine side, gawd !! HS

Not sure where to put this to be honest, but as its in context to the thread, I'll put it here. Post lockdown: economic recovery...and my whinge. Here in Western Australia we're doing quite well , compared to other states in the east . Victoria are in deep s...t atm . NSW , ACT. and maybe Queensland are a little nervous right now. And I am grateful that I am now just as busy now as I was before the ' proverbial hit the fan . I've have orders coming in , custom belts, cases etc and a custom guitar strap,and some mods to 54 mtrs of garden netting ( not leather, obviously ) The pollies ( here in Oz) talk about the economic recovery, getting people back into jobs, stimulus packages post covid etc. Thats fine, no issue, we really need it . But what frustrates me is that all the ' traditional' trades, like what a lot of us do for a living don't get a single mention, here in Oz anyway. Surely theres a place for ol' leather workers like myself in the big wide world of commerce? *sigh* I guess I'll just be confined to a ' niche market' and ' quaint little markets ' @dikman I had every intention of taking a pic of my stall here in my town as you suggested, as I bought a new wiz bang deluxe gazebo, on special, woo hoo !! I even took my camera with me .....but I forgot to take a pic. I remembered after I packed it up?......bugger !! Next time Stay safe HS

G'Day from a fellow Aussie All of the stuff I make is pretty much ' gender neutral ' . I have made an assortment of items including wallets and card cases, but I haven't made them specifically for a bloke or a woman , either can use them and either have bought them , some plain, some with carving etc. My wallets & cases are just of simple construction, enough for say 6 or 8 cards and some folding cash . Some are mostly for cards, with some cash & coin, some are just for cards , or just cash, and so on. I've also made the simplest of ( minimalist) wallets/ cases , just a few pockets...and thats it, both men & women have bought them , it depends on the customer I guess. I've had customers, women & blokes, asking me to make ' wallets' that hold a gazzilion cards, " and a pocket for this , a pocket for that, 'and a thing-a-me bit' in the middle that goes 'kerplonk' " , everything but the kitchen sink...... I don't do those , go to Red Dot or get a hand bag. . By the time its filled with coin, folding money, cards etc....and the ' kitchen sink', it'll be 2" thick . I've made carved belts with flowers, roses etc. Now you would think they would be ladies belts ? .... but nup , they were for blokes. HS

@Geotech1 G'day, in all honesty I'm a bit worried about googling 'leather suspenders' , not sure what I'll end up with, just kidding I assume you mean leather braces? I did find this: https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/125960120801409707/ Theres also this: https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/10714-leather-suspenders/ hope it points you in the right direction . Are you from Perth Scotland or Perth Western Australia ? HS

Thats a shame, sorry things didn't quite work out for you. I guess covid didn't help . What will you do now? Whatever you do, I wish you the best . HS

A bit of ' brute force & ignorance ' works for me on copper rivets @Constabulary Is that yours ? Just wondering what the rounded device is in the background? Looks like something a milliner would use, an ' expanding' ....thingy? . Curious HS

No bother whatsoever , I had a quick look around, no luck in my neck of the woods , Australia However, I agree with Greenwood regarding price. Have a look at this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pearson-6-Harness-Leather-Stitcher-Sewing-Machine-British-United-Shoe-Machinery-/264403734733 That makes it around $4500- $5000 Australian WOW !!! HS