Handstitched

@RockoboyDogs are very ' fashion conscious' these days, with their ' chai lattes' , " does this breast plate make my bum look big?" This is waaaaay off topic: At the markets, I once saw a small dog dressed like a ballerina with bows on its head, and being pushed in a fancy pram covered in lace, by some....' hi class/maintenance lady ' in some really flash clothes . Fair dinkum!!! Needless to say, that made our day, had us in stitches we get to see the nicest of people at the markets, .....but we also see the silliest HS

I don't always get it right either. But have to agree with battlemunky , they are really well made . Off topic...I have a heap of 12 oz loom state left over from a restoration job, haven't quite worked out what to do with it, but these lovely bags inspire me . But the loom state is cream in colour ( it will dirty easily ) . Love to combine a leather design with loom state...somehow. HS

Well, this thread was just about extending a belt, but its turned into something else. So, about the belts. I usually extend the belt at the buckle end. However, the other type of extension I have done, at the clients request , is, cut the belt in the middle, but make the extension look like its part of the belt and make it look like it was meant to be there. Another way of doing it, is based on a similar principal to a hobble belt or a stockman belt. I do make 3 piece belts . A buckle end , a middle piece, and billet end. Have a look at the belt on the left as an example. This way I use up lengthy off-cuts of belt leather , apart from making your creative mind work a little harder Just a thought. Now, onto the repairs. I have often done repairs & alterations to tack( as well as horse rug repairs) , as there are horse & pony clubs in my town, and many horse owners. I am also the only leather worker around that can do it.. But I also know, from experience, if a particular piece of tack is too far gone and beyond repair and needs to be replaced, as it won't pass ' gear check' at the clubs......and it will fall back on me if it fails.....(and my reputation is in the toilet) . Hence the important comment : About 80% of my repairs are replacing the girth straps on saddles. The holes may have torn through due to poor quality leather, poor maintenance, or they are cheap PVC . The rest are alterations & minor repairs to bridles, halters that are too long etc. Or the thread has simply worn through and needs to be re-stitched. But sewing old & dried leather on tack is a definite no no . And besides, the thread simply 'cuts' through the old leather. I agree, but we should also know the limits of our experience . Don't take on more than our experiences allow. Or simply put, ' don't bite off more than you can chew' . @Rockoboy I never make breast plates for pig dogs for obvious legal reasons. HS

Zips can go around corners as tight as that. It looks like theres two layers of leather and the fabric of the zip is in between the two layers and a beading to hide the edge. You don't have to stretch the leather at all. HS

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