Handstitched

You are very welcome. I'll supply the beer, booze restrictions have been lifted here in the west . Fire restrictions just been lifted too, getting chilly here. We can do both. I do have a gas fired pizza oven . I'm a big fan of meat, pepperoni, ( mild), csabai etc. and LOTS of cheese This is way off topic, but yummy The K6 looks great. Pics are fine, but I would prefer to see it in person, maybe have a bit of a play , check it over etc. And maybe...just maybe, get the price down a bit more...? say $1400- $1500? Not sure about distance etc. but I did drive 4 hrs south of WA for my patcher . HS

I got this tool years ago, not sure where, as people just like giving me ' stuff' . So I just like to confirm my suspicions that its for removing flesh after skinning/tanning small skins like rabbits etc. It has wooden handles, a curved blade on one side and a 'toothed' blade on the other. approx 13- 14" long . No names or numbers. I do have a frame for just that. It looks like an " H" . It has an adjustable clamp at either end with wing nuts to clamp the skin . Thanks for any help, HS

Thank God for the locals. They've kept me in business. One needed a zip replaced on a ute cover, with extra gusset, recently. ( 'pick up' cover to you guys , ute , pronounced 'yoot' ) Not leather I know,but, a job is a job. It was really awkward to sew, but I got it done. You can see I keep my machine well oiled...see the splatter? . I continued to ' shed-ify' my shed today. ' displaying all sorts of old crap' , ha !! I keep seeing the reports in the news about the US , I can only hope & pray that things get better. Peace HS

I dunno, but I keep drifting towards the 132 K6 , a ' multi- purpose machine ', canvas, leather ....your fingers, yeh nah , just kidding...I hope (Sure wish I had a barby fired up right now, with snags, and an esky full of beer ) HS

G'Day, glad it was a little bit of help. I keep looking for any info , Found this : https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/7067-champion-lockstitch-shoe-machine/ Is there a model number? HS

Firstly, welcome to the forum I use ' cova paints' , they are quite good and safe to use, and like HJ said, they are flexible, however, I haven't used other craft paints before, as I don't know if they're suitable for leather, ie . flexibility, durability etc. Also, what is a 'slobber strap' ? HS

@Fognozzle hows that ? all Aussies Talk about 'great minds think alike' . I thought about the 132K6 as well . Never used one, but I know they are a good reliable machine . As for price, you can get them a lot cheaper than $2-3k . Theres also a Seiko SK-2B , similar to the K6 or a SK- 6 F The 132K6 is on my ' bucket list of machines' , that and a post bed 4 down 2 to go . ' One Powerball...." Where they're going to go when I finally get them ? HS

What a beeeauty !!!! Is this of any use to you? : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lie2yVF5_CY I had a quick look around on the webiverse , and found all sorts of weird looking Champion machines. Hope it all goes well, and good luck HS

In this episode of " Keeping Busy During Lockdown" ..... I've had trouble with mice for years, I've almost caught 100 . I set the traps as usual , as soon as I see ' calling cards' on my benches. The trap went off last night alright...but... the * expletive* mouse went walkabout with the trap still attached to the mouse. Its in my workshop......somewhere. So I've just spent the entire day trying to find the mouse with my %$#*ing trap. No luck..yet . I don't want to leave a rotting smelly mouse somewhere in my workshop, as that could attract ants . @Draconias I'm sorry you've lost your job, sadly, its become a common theme these days . But We do our best to look on the bright side . These challenging times really do concentrate the mind and we go back to the hobbies & interests that we once enjoyed, but at the same time wonder why we gave it up in the first place? This thing called ' life' gets in the way I guess. I used to play with & restore vintage valve radios in a past hobbyist life. While looking for my troublesome mouse, I did some tidying, re-arranging, and thought I'd get a few old radios out of one of my other sheds, where they've been in storage for over 20 years . The ones I grabbed worked So good to play with some old ' technology' that will be working displays . I've been trying to ' * shedify ' my workshop for years , looking good so far ( *a word I made up) It will take the next 5 years or more to finish it. * Shed-ify: Noun ; to ' man cave' a workshop, a bar, a meeting place, an old garage, by displaying all sorts of old crap to make it look very ...manly , blokey . HS

The one I use is this: https://www.birdsall-leather.com.au/CTB5in1w/5-in-1-Edge-Beveller/pd.php I use the #3 mainly on heavy leathers . The other sizes are stored inside the handle . It works great. Its always super sharp . I have also learnt to ' regulate' the amount of pressure I apply ( if that makes any sense at all) . The harder I push, the more it removes , and vice versa , saving me having to keep changing sizes when I bevel lighter leathers . The large handle is good , as my hands do get sore on occasion . I do have other branded edgers, that I sometimes use, but I'm happy with this one. I could spend a lot of money on a quality name brand tool, or I could spend less than 40 bucks on a tool ( or in this case, 5 tools) that does that exact same thing with the exact same result. HS

@toxo O'h goody !! a new toy Bet you can't wait to get sewing ? I now how that feels. But after carrying it up the stairs, you may need a chiropractor . I hear ya on the restrictions on movement. I want get some equine stock from my wholesale supplier, over 2hrs away, but I can't pick it up . I can get a courier to pick it up, but it will cost a lot more than a tank of fuel , and fuel is cheap as right now, below $1 ltr. But restrictions will be relaxed...slowly .......soon(?) so I'm hoping regional border restrictions are is of them , fingers crossed eh ? Thankfully my leather supplier can deliver state wide for orders $100 + , I can't pick & choose doing that, but I know I can trust them. Good luck with your machine, have fun HS

@zuludog So I guess your new ' skill' with the fluff would have to be, ' belly button ping pong' or ' tummy tennis' , you may have created a 'new' online sensation , you'll be famous I'm sure HS

I hope all is getting better in your part of the universe. Here in West Oz, the amount of confirmed virus cases are now in the single digits, we had just one new case recently , after going down to zero a few days ago , and some restrictions are sort of slowly being lifted , albeit cautiously. So far , I've managed to get through quite a few unfinished projects, and when I've finally finished these unfinished projects, I'll take a pic of them all. I've had some business coming through the gate, thanks to a regular customer , God bless her She gave us a free 2kg leg of lamb a few weeks back, I marinated & BBQ'ed it , sooooo delish!! I cooked it thats why ,lol, Peace HS

Its is lovely piece of ( working) history, I'd buy it , even for the historical value . It may even inspire ' bryan4christ' to get into harness making or some other form of heavy leather sewing. Love to see it in operation , but would hate to get my fingers in the way though Hope he buys it HS

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the leather is a blue hide, or sometimes known as ' wet- blue hide' , where the tanning process is incomplete. The blue comes from chromium salts, chromium 3 , I think. HS

" O'h what a beauty... I've never seen one as big as that before.." ( a silly old song) Check this out, not sure if its of any interest: https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/72483-getting-a-landis-1-going/ http://www.hurherald.com/cgi-bin/db_scripts/articles?Action=user_view&db=hurheral_articles&id=1213 It does reference the machine. May well be worth looking into further HS

One little trick I've used ( depending on the fabric) is to seal the inside of the fabric with a sealer used to seal paper, drawings etc. , let dry and then apply the adhesive. I have had adhesive go through the fabric before, making a mess and looking ugly, so this trick seems to work. HS

Yes I see what you mean , you wouldn't see it at all. But despite that little " oops I broke it " moment , its still looks great HS

@Gregg From Keystone Sewing Oops, sorry Theres only one company in NSW , the east of Oz that sells them . Even one of the biggest industrial sewing machine specialists in Qld doesn't have a listing or a reference for them, unless they're under a different name. HS

Maybe it wouldn't hurt too much to braze that last bit ? , or fill it, perhaps just enough to cover the crack, sand it down , and paint it the same colour as the machine? At least you can use the machine now until you can find a replacement HS

@iron1951 Very well done on the restore, the paint job looks great but pity about the take up lever, . If you can't find one, would welding be an option, if they can be welded ? Good luck HS

@Marievee I know I'm biased, but I have a well serviced 54 year old Seiko STW 28B, ever reliable, I mostly do horse rug repairs, but also light/ medium leathers .Never heard of ' Jack' machines before until now . @chrisash they are belt driven . I've never had to do it , and hope I never will, but to change a belt, I guess it would be like changing the timing belt on a car engine , don't dare get the teeth in the wrong place, or " clunk ka- ping !!" HS

How about a boot patcher? Just a thought?

@Grindaur You've done quite well considering you haven't done it for a while. I'll be pulling out a few unfinished projects, some that have been staring at me on my bench for the last 6 months, but mainly the ones I threw in the ' too hard' basket ,and um...threw across the workshop( one is 16 years old) .... and a few that I simply didn't have time for . I normally do markets ( that have been canned) so I've been advertising locally a fair bit , and also sending texts to my ( horse rug) regulars letting them know that their repairs can still be done as the cooler months approach . I don't do FB, but a friend of mine has kindly offered to put my leather business on FB for me. While restrictions are still in place, a lot of the panic & hysteria seems to have calmed down here in Oz. Theres a few 'pin heads' that ignore restrictions but apart from that, everyone is doing the right thing, with 'tentative' positive results . Stay safe all HS

G'Day, You went on a cruise? ....and lived?? What a legend When was the last time you did any leather work? Those straps look quite nice. Well done. I did think about ' re-visiting' an old past time myself.. ....exercise ...mmnah !! ...I'll stick to leather work . I've just been doing a heap of tidying up, re-arranging etc. to turn my meagre workshop space into a "shop" ..of sorts , but at the same time leaving enough room for me to work. It was never meant to be a " shop shop" , as most of my business is done at various markets etc. but I have to make do and get creative these days . Things are looking a 'little bit brighter' as far as the virus goes here in Oz , but restrictions are still in place for the foreseeable future , here, they're talking 6 months . Stay safe HS