Handstitched

' The game is a foot' , or in this case , financial trouble ' is afoot' . This may have absolutely no bearing on whats happening,.... or has it? https://www.marketbeat.com/stocks/NASDAQ/TLF/ (As of 05/10/2020 07:02 AM ET) Its all gobbledygook to me !! HS

In that case, make some pendants or some simple key rings with your logo etc. , and just put a hole in them ,no hardware ( keep costs down) and give them to your fellow students to ' advertise' . I'm sure they can find something to hang them with and somewhere to hang them? My gut instincts are telling me that they will come to you to have something made, just a thought? *Book marks perhaps? All students have books ? HS *p.s. make sure they are very well sealed, you don't want dye coming out onto expensive books.

That rang a bell. I think I have an old book from that period that does have those fashions in it, skirts , waist coats , etc. . I need to double check that. Leather craft was the ' in thing' in 70's . I have made gaskets for the carby on my old Fordson tractor. I made them out of thin veg tan scraps and a craft knife. Works just fine . Kept my ol' 51 going for bit longer HS

I'm not just good looking after all * polishes fingers on shirt* Just kidding. I just hope it helps, not just ' shoepatcher' but anyone else thats been on the hunt for a period of time. I downloaded it myself. And what a beautiful machine it is . HS

Theres a multitude of projects you can make if you're willing to take the time to make them. Small round or square pieces; fridge magnets or key rings , stamped, carved, or maybe with your logo on them to give away with each sale you make? Some even smaller pieces can be used for ear rings, I have had wood crafters buy odd veg tan scraps from me to turn into really nicely turned pens, or for an embellishment to a wood project . Long pieces; book marks, key rings , I've turned long pieces into ' secret plait key rings' . slightly longer pieces; attach each piece to make a belt using rivets or rings. Soft leathers; little dingly dangly thingies for tassles, for a purse, key ring or handbag. I could go on. Or, if you don't have the time, donate them to a school or charity where they can turn them into small projects, perhaps as a fund raiser? I'd rather give them away than throw them out. Hope this helps a bit

@shoepatcher I found this: https://www.victoriansweatshop.com/post/singer-ufa-pre294-manual-9660944 You may have to create an account? I hope its operations, not parts, fingers crossed eh? HS

Not a manual, but I did spot this: https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/78162-a-singer-patcher-but-not-a-29k/ HS

Here in Oz, they were too expensive and I didn't like having to apply for ' club prices' , and I never applied, I simply went somewhere else where it was just cheaper , and trying to get wholesale , as in B2B , was like getting blood out of a stone . When I once spoke to the manager for wholesale pricing, he wasn't very helpful , unlike their established competitor , down the road, that were very accommodating. Needless to say TL in Australia didn't last . But I do think its a dying art . But then again, I would have thought more people would be interested in leather during these challenging times, but money is tight for many atm . Hope they can find a way out of this mess and keep trading, it won't affect me, but it will affect the thousands of leather crafters across the US and perhaps around the world . Watch this space I guess HS

I follow the Al Stohlman technique , billet & buckle end hand stitched , but with a rivet in between the keepers. I should take a few pics . HS

@Sheilajeanne would a foot massager/vibrator be of any use? they are supposed help with blood circulation, swelling , etc. Massage your feet while you work. Put one under your bench.( or even mix a tin of paint on it....just kidding) No doubt there'll be varying views on these gizmos, but just a thought? Although not as cheap as foot rest. HS

Unfortunately , Tandy in Oz, closed down quite a while ago.I did buy a few things from them at the time, but only when stuff was on special , otherwise they were too ex$y. No wonder they didn't last . I've just found out about the law suits: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/02/04/1979378/0/en/Lawsuit-for-Investors-in-Tandy-Leather-Factory-Inc-NASDAQ-TLF-announced-by-Shareholders-Foundation.html O'h dear !! HS

Law suits? Sounds messy. Sounds like Tandy are in a lot of trouble. This is an old report: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/01/29/1707221/0/en/Tandy-Leather-Factory-Reports-Q4-18-Sales-Up-1-0-Over-Prior-Year-4th-Quarter-Announces-Three-Store-Closures-and-Schedules-Earnings-Announcement-and-Conference-Call.html It does reference Texas HS

@RockyAussie Well I'll be buggered !!!! Thats exactly what it is . So I was right after all. Thanks mate I have no idea how old mine is . I've had it for at least 10 years, but I doubt its hardly an ' antique'. No more than 25-30 years old ? Birdsall's have tanning chemicals. I guess I should give it a go at least once in my leather working life eh? ......now that I have the stretching frame & knife. I bought a stock whip from GG Saddlery just last year , so good to deal with. It had a personalised note from GG inside the package . I kept that. HS

Thanks for that. After over 14 years of doing leather, bridle repairs etc. , thats the first time I've seen them. Obviously more common in the US than here in Oz. HS

I'm still no closer to confirming what the wood-handled tool is, either for wood or tanning. Its has a curved blade on one side and teeth on the other. I have tried all sorts of search words. 'Draw blades,( for both wood & skins) skinning knives , fleshing knives etc. I can understand the curved blade, but what about the 'toothed' blade ? I haven't seen anything like it on the web. HS

I still get emails from Tandy, but not from Oz, I could ' unsubscribe' I guess. . Haven't ordered from Tandy since they shut up shop last year . It obviously didn't work . The postal system here in Oz is messed up atm due to the virus. What once took 10-14 days for stuff to arrive from the east, now takes up to a month. So I can guess that what ever I order from Tandy ( US) would take nearly twice that . HS

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