Handstitched

Yes they can . I have an old, but albeit strong Seiko STW 28B walking foot machine that I repair horse rugs with ( as well as sew medium leathers, wallets, upholstery etc.) , and the threads I use are a #40 bonded poly UV . Its an industrial thread, very strong, it can also go through a domestic machine . Serafil threads are really good too , another thread I use. HS

@Sangrati You may also find that many of us, myself included, have more than one machine for different applications, assembly processes and leather thicknesses . Perhaps find a machine thats suits your needs in the immediate sense, what it is you want to sew now? , and maybe later, if another machine comes up in the future , you may wish to get another one. BTW, hate to scare ya, but it literally took me months to finally settle on a machine,but this forum may help to speed things up, .......I now have 4 machines...choices choices Good luck in your search , 'all good things come to those who wait' . I think thats how it goes HS

@RockyAussie Theres about 40mm in the the veg tan, with backing, ( out of view) you can only just see it in the first pic, after a bit of ' jiggery pokery ' , sanding etc. I would love a few more of those, , but, croc is so ex$Y ( ' one powerball ' ) . Even those cost me a bit , so I didn't waste too much. The supplier gave me the off cuts as well , so I turned them into key rings etc. HS

Well, thats quite interesting, thanks for sharing I got some Croc back straps from Cairns QLD some years ago , however, the straps were a tad short,so, I put my thinking cap on , voila, <Uncle Fester 2.0 . I made them into Ranger belts with veg tan ' embellishments' . HS

@Antonella It does sound like theres an obstruction, but, maybe just double check your needle size. I have a similar machine and the needles should just ' slide' right in . BTW, theres no such thing as a 'stupid question' on here. The answer you'll get may save you a lot of frustration , and maybe $$ This forum has helped me and so many others on countless occasions. Welcome to the forum HS

@artigiano This brings back memories. I have a USM Hytronic 20 ton press. It weighs 1 ton . It had to be lifted off the back of a 8x4 trailer , onto the ground using a forklift, and then onto a pallet ( not me driving it) , and then into my workshop. . But...the forklift was too big to fit right inside my workshop, it could only be placed just inside the roller door...so....I knew someone with a 1 ton pallet lifter ( like supermarkets etc. use) . We then maneuvered the press , pallet and all into position into my workshop ( and without getting a hernia ) . I have put extra metal supports under the feet at the front to take the weight to be sure. It sits a little high, but thats fine with me. The thinking behind putting it on a pallet , was so it can be moved about the workshop in the future, and also forklifts don't fit inside my workshop We evenly spaced the forks directly under the machine, the forklift could only just lift it up, the rear wheels were starting to lift...oops !! HS

I have found that using contact glue is like having an extra pair of hands, especially during sewing, hand or machine. Also, I often use cotton buds/tips or ' Q ' tips instead of a brush so I can apply the glue precisely where I want it and to avoid any excess. They're so cheap & disposable . Brushes are great for large applications, but they do need to be kept in acetone, so the bristles don't go hard and they need to be cleaned every time. HS

@Rockoboy Thanks mate, I have heard of them, but didn't know they had an outlet in Bibra Lake, I'll look further. @mikesc I have a supplier here in the east in Adelaide Australia. http://www.adelaideleather.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;products_id=7522 I do use Serafil thread on horse rugs, its softer than the other 40 threads I use, but so strong and with a good range of colours. That too can go through domestic machines. I'm trying to encourage my ' good ol' Mum to use them on her crafts as the cheap & nasty threads she gets from large 'X ' haberdashery retailer keep breaking, and are just , well, crap ...and , like me , she swears when stuff goes wrong ......shes a bad influence on me HS

Well, good luck with that. I had a quick look around , none in your area that I could see . Although theres one or two in Oz I noticed. Too far for you though. I am also looking for Camel hides here in Oz , I'd be happy with just a few off-cuts. We have heaps of wild camels in Oz that are culled because they are a pest in some parts. They sell the meat & milk, but I can never find out where the hides go , O/S I guess and come back as ex$y handbags . The hides are quite soft..... apparently Good luck in your search . HS

I use 277 on my ' Brutus' machine , but colours outside natural colours , like blues, greens reds etc. are hard to get here in Oz . @Rockoboy This might be helpful to you. This is one wholesale company in Oz I get some of my threads from: https://mrecht.com.au/haberdashery/sewing-thread/ . I have used their T8 , 277/M10 equivalent on my machine , but, the thread is so tightly wound onto the spool, this does affect the tension on the machine.I have to unwind a few metres of thread by hand , and then re-wind it back on to loosen it up . But I also still buy Coats thread though. The T40 is what use I for horse rugs, a very strong thread and can also be used in domestic machines. HS

G'Day, type this in the search engine thingy: " fanny pack design template " Quite a few came up when I did a quick search . Making a separate bag & belt would be a good idea. The belt could be tooled/carved etc. so it could have two purposes, for fashion, and for support either with or without the bag . I have a bum bag that I use for markets etc. but my belly got big , I had difficulty seeing inside, so I made a shoulder strap for it and wear it on my side. Don't know why they call them ' bum bags' when they're used around the front ? Maybe theres a reason they're called fanny packs eh? HS

Theres a natural dye, its a bright orange-ish- yellow , I use it in cooking, Turmeric . It stains just about everything it comes in contact with , kitchen work benches, ......clothes. Theres no harm in experimenting with it or mixing it with other dyes to get the colour you want. HS

Hey RB, long time no hear I agree, in my own words," you need eyes in your bum when when operating a market stall " Thankfully, I have my ' good ol' Mum' that helps me on my stall , she sells her locally made handicrafts with me , all her colourful crafts attract peeps to my stall , also my 'stall neighbor' is a good friend. We keep a look out on each other's stall and arrange bookings at shows etc. so we are together . And after doing markets for over 15 years, which roughly equates to around 1100-1200 assorted markets, shows etc. I have also become 'market stall savvy' . Arranging the stall for easy access, presentation, and security ...and keep my EFTPOS *gizmo out of view *That really is its name, ' Gizmo' . A nice handstitched leather carry-all case is on the cards . HS

@Allotment17 What I have done in my workshop , is keep my dying bench well away from the tooling & cutting bench to avoid any.... expensive accidents ...hmmm?? It can be so easy to accidentally knock over a bottle of dye ruining hours of work ( words of experience there ) . Even if your space is limited , you may wish to separate the tooling/ cutting area from the dying area, just a thought . Hope all goes well HS

Each to their own I guess. When hand stitching, I back stitch a few stitches first then forwards, and back stitch a few stitches at the end. In machine stitching, pretty much the same, I reverse first then go forward, and reverse 2-3 stitches at the end, and as chiefjason said, melt the ends. Just makes a nice neat job HS

G'Day, My gratitude & respect to all that have contributed to this topic This is just a bit of an update. At the market where all this developed, I was outside in my gazebo and in earshot of the ' competitor' . I was outside because the hall I would normally be in was going to be worked on, repairs etc. ( politics & bureaucracy & BS have now delayed that work until next year) Moving on... Next market, I'll be back inside. This had me thinking , at another market I once attended, as I mentioned before, I did do leather craft demo's ,fast forward... I now see opportunity From all those demo's , I have a bag full of leathercraft samples. Carved , stamped, silhouetted , dyed ( at home) , handstitched etc. Now this sort of touches on what JDT said " Have some unfinished projects that you can work on at your stand in front of people to explain how you do things, why they make a difference, and shows the quality of your work" . So I'll put those samples on display, and maybe start doing demo's again . I'll also show samples of different leather, thicknesses etc. as suggested. HS

Congratulations on receiving a lovely gift I have had this issue myself. I have around 300 stamps, and while I use most of my ' fave tools' frequently, they don't get rusty, but there are also heaps of tools that I haven't used in yonks. And while they don't get rusty, they do get quite ' tarnished ', perhaps a little surface rust. I have avoided using machines like a bench buffer or wire brush to clean them in case I mess up any intricate detail, some parts my be buffed up I guess, but I have found simply spending a few minutes stamping them on a piece of scrap leather before using has worked . I can see any dirt etc come out on the leather . I also just wipe them over with an oily rag every so often, and generally keep them clean helps too. HS

I have in the past used craft glue sticks ( like you would find in a stationary or craft shop) to stick some fabrics to leather before sewing, like an extra pair of hands. Adhesion from one brand to another will vary, but you'd be surprised what they can stick. While on the subject of contact adhesive, I've used toluene to soften it up if it gets a bit ' gluggy' or starts to go off due to frequent opening & closing of the tin. HS

Yep, you got that bit right, as for wearing my undies while working ? That might scare my customers off and besides, like you said, sharp tools, dyes and chemicals , that could be hazardous . Try explaining that to the insurance company. HS

Aw geez , that had me in tears !!! My sentiments exactly . Looks like someone has gobbed into a shell and then people eat it I wondered where that came from, I quoted that in another post not knowing where it came from , I saw on a coffee cup . " Never try to teach a pig to sing, its wastes your time and annoys the pig " Leather worker - eats what ever is cheap or on special at the local supermarket & this is the only job he can do while enjoying a beer in the arvo ....and not get the sack HS

So when is ' beer -o-clock' ? ( an Aussie expression ) It ain't easy doing those tiny letters, I've used an old ball point pen or a sharpened pencil, dipped in the dye or paint. that looks great, well done HS

G'Day, If brick layers can lay bricks, why can't plumbers lay plums ? @fredk Just a little extension of what I said earlier in regards to the um....' competition' , marketing etc. , one particular market I used to do, I did leather craft demonstrations . I had a little bench , an old fashioned converted bedside table with a drawer, and space for stuff , and a spare marble slab, that I carried in an old laptop bag, carried all my tools,books leather etc. in a custom made wood carry case, all of which I still have. They all fitted in the station wagon....just . I did stamping, carving, tooling , hand stitching on sample sized pieces of leather ( all of which I kept ) , everything except dying. So if I wanted to, I could do leather craft demo's at markets . I thought of this just this arvo . What a smarty bot bot I am eh? HS

I have in past been given all sorts ...stuff, like tools, ....and old dyes etc. I think its just a way to clean out their sheds and off load their crap ...onto me . With water based dyes, some are sort of OK, some I have been able to re-use, but some have dried out, and as Rockoboy said, the solvent or spirit based dyes can evaporate , I chuck those out. But what sort of can be used, I test on a piece of scrap. I was once given a home made ' leather dressing' made of God knows what "oil" ...it smelt like rotting roadkill ...in the bin it went HS

Well done Alexis My Mother had a good saying that has stayed with me to this day as she's had similar experiences , as she does handicrafts, knitting etc. and shes been sewing all her life, and she's also seamstress by trade, " don't lower yourself to their standards, let them come up to yours " , which is basically the crux of all this . ' Quality will out' ( an old English expression) I wasn't sure what response I would get from all this, but its all been positive, helpful and supportive , thank you all HS

G'Day, are there any neighbours you can ask about the history of your apartment? Local council authorities perhaps ? Any drainage issues? I would be very concerned about the spores, especially if you have any allergies. The smell alone is concerning . Although keeping your leather dry is important, your health comes first IMO . Just a few temporary stop-gap measures, a fan heater, cover the floor in layers of newspaper? ( newspaper is very absorbent ) Any doors or windows or any ventilation you can open? HS