Handstitched

I am pretty sure that pic is ' Pasadena' , perhaps the Rose Parade as @sheathmaker pointed out, thanks for that. Heres a link from wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_Parade Is that ' Sunset Boulevard ' ? I scoured a lot of pics of Pasadena in the 50's & 60's ,and a some of them did feature a lot of palm trees, quite tall ones too . So we're getting closer . Thanks for your help , HS

Thats music to our ears

Here in Oz, a 'crescent wrench ', as you call it , or an adjustable spanner, as we call it, is also called an ' AFS' " any f*&^ing size " . This is going a bit off topic , unless of course you're trying to use a 'crescent wrench' or an ' adjustable spanner' to open a drum of dye ? HS

Just a quick update. In the last month or so, I have found a supplier,only a few hours away , that are happy to sell me equine stock , as the helpful assistant said to me after a quick briefing on my previous hassles " we don't discriminate, we'll sell to anybody" . Although they are a retailer, she offered me a wholesale account . I order on-line , , and when my order is ready, a quick phone call from them, I go and pick it up. I do have the option of postage, but it gives me an excuse to have a browse at some bargains that are not listed online. So now, incrementally ( in baby steps) , I'm buying the stock I've wanted for yonks. The 3rd part of my business is now finally starting to grow. And this weekend, theres an equestrian event coming up in my town , perfect timing HS

I put both measurements on the price tags of my belts, both inches & centimetres. I work in both, for example, a 38" belt is 97 cm , 37" is 94 cm , and so on. A lot of my customers are either or neither and can't make their damn minds up !!! "You like potato and I like potahto You like tomato and I like tomahto Potato, potahto, tomato, tomahto Let's call the whole thing off " HS

G'Day, I've just come across this interesting video on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Jr8S6CAaks I bought a hat pattern from this guy, it turned out quite good I actually thought he was in Ireland, boy did I get that sooo wrong, .....he's in Romania . OOPS !!! I never was any good at geography....or those 'dot' thingys at the end of a web address But anyway, have a look. It simple but effective . I have put veg tan leather out in the weather for a day or two in moderate temps to give it a sun tan and to ' age' it . HS

I had no idea what I was doing once upon a time, and now I have a small business. It looks like you've got the beveller around the wrong way at one point but soon got the hang of it , but you have got the veiner right though . And where the veiner points join, you could experiment with a seeder, or a 'camouflage' (or a cammo) between the joins . Experiment with your tools, have some fun with them , emphasis on fun . Thats what I did. I just messed around with a heap of scraps. With the help of the very few books I had at the time , I soon made my first key ring , and then a book mark , and then a belt, and it grew from there. Youtube do have a great deal of vids to help with tooling. As for casing, everyone is different. I use a spray bottle. I saturate the leather, wait for it to go back to original colour, then stamp away. We are here to help . We all had to start somewhere. Welcome to the world of leathercraft btw But just to let you know...its addictive HS

G'Day, just thought I'd share this. I begrudged having to buy staples for my Craftool leather stapler just from Tandy's . I use them for the keepers on belts. So I searched around a bit . Long story short, I found a hardware ( here in Oz, @Rockoboy knows them , ' M10' ? ) that had a wide range of staples for a variety of tools & uses. You have to remember that unlike the US , stuff in Oz for our trade isn't always easy to find, especially in my part of the planet. Anyway, I took my stapler with me to match the staples up. CT staples are 10mm x 10mm , but , not all 10 x 10's fit the stapler, as I found out in the hardware. I tried one brand of 10 x 10's , but didn't fit, and another etc. still didn't fit. Out of all the staples I tried , I found these 10 x 10's :https://tolsen.com.ph/products/1000-pcs-staples-all-size-6-to-12mm?variant=12972806307939 that suited my Craftool stapler perfectly . On the shelf, the price was $2.00 per 1000....so I grabbed 4 pkts ( all the others $13 to $25 per 1000 ) . got to the checkout, ........ ..80 cents per 1000 .....woo hoo! Can't guarantee they'll be that price in your part of the world. How much are Tandy's ? $10 au per 900? + P & P . A saving is a saving . Needless to say I'll be going back to that hardware soon HS

If the Aussie dollar was in better shape, I'd buy some of that myself. For me to buy that now , it would be at least double the $$ . But that looks sooo cool The stuff I could make with that, wow !!! Love the blue HS

Have you used a sealer like Resolene ? Or perhaps another sealer suitable for Fiebings dyes ? I use a water based polyurethane sealer on my belts and various other projects to prevent dye coming out onto clothing etc. I never use dye without a sealer . HS

One other thing I have learnt about that ' clacking' sound ' , is when the very tip of the needle is just the slightest bit blunt, perhaps after hitting.... something , is that it does make that ' clacking ' sound'..... and makes me sweat a bit. Put a new needle in, and its all sweet. I wouldn't have thought that such a big heavy machine would be affected by a little blunt needle, but there you go HS

G'Day, thats a great idea toxo, I never thought about putting a piece of tape where I'm going to cut.I don't use this stuff very often, as you can tell. I'll check out your link later , thanks @Rockoboy yes, thats what I needed for sure, and not forgetting I am some hours away from the Big B . But if I get another job like it ( hope not) , I'll invest in a few decent tools, I'm a bit over due for some newies. And I checked on those , they're not that expensive either . If I ask my local hardware shop, I'm sure they could get some in for me, they're pretty good in that regard, ya typical country hardware. @mikesc those ' drop bears' are unpredictable, they come out from ...well, ..anywhere !! I did try an angle grinder, but it just frayed the ends badly. Although I didn't use a diamond disc. Thanks to all HS

G'Day, I had to make x2 M/C tool bags this week( you know, front fork jobs) , straight forward, laced, plain black, nothing fancy....but, the customer wanted a wire core to go through the attaching straps ( to the bike) to prevent some 'undesirable' stealing his tool bags ( all the good that will do ) . This is what I call a PITA job, a ( ' Pain In The A.....' ) job . I couldn't find woven wire ribbon, so, I improvised. I got some 2mm galvanised wire rope ...stuff . The straps are 4mm veg tan 20mm wide and I used a groover on the inside glued the wire in, then covered with layer of 1.2mm glued on , dyed, and machine stitched...albeit precariously , as you can see, there wasn't much room for the needle to go between the edge and the wire. It took me yonks just to cut the *&^%# wire, my wire cutters went blunt in the process. There must be a better way, but then again, , I hope I don't get another job like it I'll post a the finished product later. HS

G'Day, About a year ago, I got this totally mind blowing book from one of the many markets I attend. I bought it for just $10- . Its got a little bit of wear but otherwise in great condition. The quality, precision, and saddles that are just o'h so beautiful , and with soooo much history . But , when I opened it up for the first time I noticed something quite special . It was autographed by ' James Nottage' . The inscription inside reads: " For Tom, I'm glad you are keeping leather work alive in Australia , Best Wishes from your friend the author, James Nottage" I'm guessing its worth a bit more than $10 bucks now? I don't know who Tom is , and the bloke I bought it off wasn't a leather worker. I don't buy books too often , but this is the best book I have every bought 'But wait, theres more', inside the book was a photo, which is a total mystery.On the back it reads: Roar ( Roa ?) Parade L.A. I've brightened it up a bit. Anyone know what & where this is, and perhaps what year? Or recognise the location or building in the background ? The horses seemed to be elegantly decorated. I can't quite see what the street sign says in the background . It looks around 1970's as the photo is on a very early format. Thanks for any help on that one HS

Bingo !!!! HS

Count me in too kgg & fredk . The moment you start having a crack at the very people that are trying to help, you've totally lost the..." inquiry" . HS

...or cutting the very tips of your fingers off...like I did No blood, but the tips of my fingers were nice and square, you could call it the 'leathermans manicure' @Vinito Welcome to the world of leather I didn't know a thing about leather when I started...me and just about everyone else on here.I just dabbled and doodled with tools on scraps etc. When it came to dying leather ... I used boot polish . Looked great ...but then I found this stuff called........dye HS

Yeh, I did that on my mallet with a bit of 4mm veg tan when it got a bit worn , but my mallet is a rubber mallet . And believe it or not, its childs size, I found it in the toy section of a 'red dot' years ago, but its just the right size and weight . HS

G'Day, I'm only going to echo what has already been said. You can't just suddenly pick up a few tools with the expectation of making money , thats not how it goes. It can take years to accumulate knowledge, .........and years of making mistakes too! I've spent the last 15 years with my head buried in ' Al Stohlman ' and various leather books , and the last 6 or 7 years on here, and I still have my " L " plates on. I am not just a leather worker, I also have to be a wood worker to make my own moulds ( for wet moulding) , I also have to be good at drawing & designing to make templates and patterns . As for " smart phones" , all I can say is, good luck with that. By the time you've made a pattern or a mould, the phone you're making it for is obsolete, or the size or shape has changed , or..... some damn thing on it has changed ! So you could potentially end up with a heap of leather cases for ' smart phones' that are obsolete Thats why I make phone cases to order to avoid having ' obsolete' stock . HS

G'Day, I use antiques on veg tanned all the time. Works best on tooled leather. I've used antiques on ' untooled ( plain) leather' before but the effect I want is much harder to achieve . I oil the leather first, let soak in, and then coat tooled leather in antique dye, and using a damp cloth, I wipe off the excess, leaving dye in all the right places .I learnt that from this site The example of the stitching in that pic looks great, but each to their own I guess, it looks just fine to me . And basket weave........" mmmmbasket weave" , says Homer . And those holes for the belt look so neat too. They look pressed out. I would have put a small seeder where each cammo point joins...but thats just me Lovely colour too btw HS

G'Day, Heres what I do from start to finish. Cut the project / job out , for eg, a belt, cut it out, holes etc. Bevel it , tool it, or carve it oil it etc. Then I do all the dying after, apply sealers and then fit hardware etc. With a plain belt, once again, cut it out, bevel it etc. apply oils, ...and then dye it. I dye at the end. But everyone is different . You do whatever suits you. Whats important is the end result. HS

@JLSleather Yeh , I noticed that. They are nice belts, but I'm wondering about the belt at the top of the pic. Is that meant to say ' Satans Saddler, Satan Saddler, or Satan's Adler ' ? I read that as the latter Does Satan own an Adler sewing machine ? I didn't quite see him as a Janome type of guy Does piece work in his spare time eh ? HS

G'Day G'Day, from ' upside down land' aka Australia and Welkom van een Australische leerbewerker . Hope I got that right ( God bless Google ) I think I can safely say on behalf of all of us on here that we all look forward to seeing some of your work . HS

Just a quick update. The 'competitor ' wasn't at the regular market today, why? I don't know & I don't care , suits me fine. However, I am still going ahead with leather demo's in the next month or so. I got the go- ahead from the organiser today He seemed quite supportive of it actually , it is a ' craft market' after all . I just need to get my demo stuff together . But this entire subject has been a good learning experience for me . Its helped me to look at my business from a different perspective, and perhaps help me to lift my game in some areas. Thanks to all HS

For us leather workers in ' upside down land' . @Rockoboy You may already know about this company, https://www.sewingmachinesaustralia.com.au/shop/buy-accessories/sewing-threads I have ordered parts and needles from them before and seem quite good to deal with, online and over the phone . They seem to have increased their selection of threads since the last time I dealt with them . I've been looking for 277 M10 in red & blue ( in Oz) for a while , without success, but they have them in stock now I find their web site is easy to use as well with an extensive range of machines & parts . I have also asked for a quote on some threads from https://www.paskal.com.au/ . Just waiting for a reply. I also do business with http://www.adelaideleather.com.au/ . I've get a lot of my supplies from AL . Apart from leather supplies, they also sell threads, and sometimes clearance & discontinued lines. HS