Handstitched

What a job you've taken on Have you tried contacting ' Dux Jetson' themselves? http://www.dux.com/Furniture/armchairs/jetson/ http://www.dux.com/About-DUX/Contact/ They may have a contact to someone that has spares for these chairs? No harm in asking eh? You may have to do a bit of ground work on the 'interwebiverse ' on this one . Or you could do a simple search: ' screw posts 12mm ' ? Good luck HS

G'Day, I have used a few methods, the cotton buds, that ' zuludog' mentioned. I use those for many jobs,they are quite handy, but some are better than others I've noticed. Some hold their shape, some go all ' fluffy' with fluffy bits hanging off. The other method I have used is, sheep skin off-cuts , cut into swabs that I use for all my dying, they are around 2" square, some are bigger. I trim one corner neatly to use for edge dying. Just practice on some scraps first. HS

My bottle of oxalic acid has skull & cross bones on it , as this stuff is toxic. Originally, it used to come from Rhubarb leaves...I hated rhubarb & custard as a kid....still do Like olives & olive oil, rhubarb should be illegal but thats another story for another thread HS

Or I could ' cheat' and and just buy them ? But would take all the fun out of it https://www.birdsall-leather.com.au/LGBILw/Billets-Natural/pd.php HS

G'Day, Are these any good to you? https://www.amazon.co.uk/Completed-Fasteners-Poppers-Buttons-Clothing/dp/B017K4ZJNQ https://www.artisanleather.co.uk/15mm-black-gunmetal-press-studs.html Hope this helps HS

That works for me too HS

The leathers I use are mostly veg-tan/harness ,so I normally use a good piece of 4 or 5mm double butt or shoulder .I also use the same on my other styles of belts too. I don't have the luxury of a press, so cutting the billets & buckle ends out by hand are a bit fiddly. HS

Now now, lets be nice <<< and do this ,..... like I'm doing right now Meanwhile, That sorta along the idea I was using for edge dying large numbers of belts , but I tidied up the tops of the belts after , as some dye dribbled a onto the tops. But all turned out quite good. But never tried burnishing using that method, might try it myself . HS

I have only ever used 277 thread with 180/24 needles, or ' small nails' as I call them, I've pretty much done everything with that set up, but it just depends on your needs, obviously. All the best with your new machine HS

@dikman I had no idea there was a CB supplier in Qld. I just had a quick look on their website. I have the ' Q Stitch Colt' , ( Juki clone) that I got from Q Stitch Capalaba Qld , I don't think they do these machines anymore, but I guess the parts would be the same as the CB 4500? Not that I have ever needed parts for my machine ( touchwood) , apart from needles, but its handy to know . I have bought parts for my Seiko from Sewing Machines Australia before, quite good to deal with. But I hear you about the freight charges ( I'm in WA) . I've often thought about buying equine stock on Alibaba, but I'm just not sure how the process works, freight forwarding, customs charges etc. I'd be better off going through a reputable wholesaler ( just found one) ( this is off topic) . HS

Only on rare occasions have I needed a fur machine . I have sewn sheep skin on my Seiko, but its a pain in the butt as the wool gets tangled around the feet etc. I have seen fur machines in use, you really need to keep your fingers well away from the business end, as always with all machines , but the needle on a fur machine looks almost ...brutal HS

G'Day, This may not be all that helpful, but I just recently finished a large order of belts for a retailer, larger than the work load I would normally do too, and time was a factor. When it came to oiling them and dying the edges , I turned, say for example , 6 belts , onto their edges/ ends, like books, and dyed all 6 edges at the same time . I'm not sure if this principal will work for you, but no harm in trying on a handful of straps. HS

My latest contribution from yesterday? I often re-use butter containers , and before I put stuff in like buckles , etc, I put stab a few air holes in the lid with an awl . stab stab stab.....miss.... stab ...into my finger down to the bone ....*expleeeeeeeetive* HS

G'Day, I generally go in approx 4 to 5mm , (what ever that is in inches? ) I also use a stitch groover, and spacing wheel , makes it look neat. HS

Just dye it a dark colour. If I stuff something up, I dye it dark brown or black , fixes, er....hides everything. HS

Same here. Nearly all of my business is word of mouth , and from attending numerous markets. I have advertised in papers etc. with very little response. If a customer buys a lot of stuff, say a belt, a knife case and a few other things, I might give a little discount . On large quantity orders, I'll try to reduce the price a little, especially if it mean repeat business. HS

Can't fault you there. We have them here too....*sigh* . I bet the attacker feels quite foolish now . But we Aussies are sometimes known for doing the complete opposite , or doing things a little backwards or being sarcastic . So when these nutty activists are doing their protest thing near the meat section in a supermarket or outside a butcher , what do we do? We just buy and eat even more meat In the words of ' Rimmer' Red Dwarf, " the world loves a bastard" HS

Yes, and I'm enjoying it too .And I have no doubt that it will be solved , thanks to the help from the good peeps on this website . @jasj I also wonder if Tom Lay attended the ' Rose Parade' in the b/w pic in his early days ? Perhaps he took the photograph ? I will have to have a word from the vendor that I bought it from for more info, as he still attends some of the markets I attend. I guess the other question I would like answered, however irrelevant , how much would the book be worth...now...as I only paid $10 ( Australian ) at S/H market stall . But whatever it is worth in $$ it will never be sold, I think the history or its ' provenance ' is priceless to me now HS

@jasj WOW !!! wow wow wow !!! OMG !! What a revelation !!!! Yes, its been a great help. Thank you so much Check this out: this is from the show results from ' Perth Royal Show' 2012 ( Western Australia) a show that I have Judged at, in recent years, the leatherwork section of course https://www.perthroyalshow.com.au/wp-content/results/2012/index.php?file=CREATIVE_CRAFT.html In the list of results , it mentions ' Thomas Lay ' 0151:SCARECROW.First- Thomas Lay 0152:HANDBAG.Second- Thomas L further down the list: 0160:ANY OTHER ARTICLE.First- Thomas Lay this can't be a coincidence , ..........surely ?? HS

Snap !! Great minds thinking alike here, because thats exactly what I did this arvo on a holster . Just wondering if clear PVC hose ( not fuel hose) is what you're thinking of ? Great idea . HS

It won't do any harm to re- assess my workshop space I guess. Put my 'thinking cap ' on and see what space can be utilised better. There is one part of my workshop that I actually hate, ( I'll take a pic, although it will be embarrassing to even show it ) But thanks HS

G'Day, I had a similar issue . so I used these: https://www.birdsall-leather.com.au/ADDw/Durable-Dots-Long-and-Short/pd.php The stem is 8mm. I use them on most of my belts. It does save having to skive the ends of the belts. HS

@Dwight thats a fantastic idea , fairly simple to make too . Unfortunately I don't have the space even for that . Although I do try to keep my belt blanks hanging up wherever I can , otherwise they'll have the bad case of the ' curly wurlys ' ( as I call it, all curled up, not lying flat ) . " One Powerball"....I could double...triple the size of my workshop, I would have all the space I need.

Yep, how can we forget that ? Or am I an old fart like you ? Quite a nice drop too ,these days I just buy whatever is in the " bargain bin" ...and tastes nice She was a ...' Smurfette', but also prayed while you slowly got s*** faced !! HS

@TreesnerI hear ya loud and clear !! I used to work from my Mothers sewing room in the ' early days', not much bigger than a 3 x 3 gazebo space wise. . With her materials and my rolls of leather in the same room, , it was getting a bit cramped. Rolled up was the only way to store them . However, even that idea had its limits. So, we ' bit the bullet' , and built a small 20 x 20 ' workshop on the property . I got myself some old heavy desks etc from a local S/H seller for work benches, modified them, joined them together, made shelves , racks etc. to take all my rolls.. .....& rolls of leather. Even now, I still have difficulty storing rolls of leather , go figure ? My workshop is a perpetual mess,.... and so is my Mums !!!!!! Every Monday is " Tidy Up Day " for me. . But rolling your hides etc. is probably best for storage . HS