Handstitched

Nothing wrong in being a little paranoid. Our health and safety is important, regardless if its a hobby or a business. But like I said earlier, I have been slack in that regard, so I should....correction ...will be more vigilant. But I always use a respirator when spraying dyes & sealers ( and with lots of ventilation) as I don't know what chemicals are in them . As for dye on your hands, I tried using rubber gloves and different grades types etc. only to find them more a hindrance than a help and making a bigger mess as they don't always fit properly . So these days I just use scrap sheep skin swabs without gloves. ( Cotton ear buds are handy for dying in intricate bits too.) Sure I'll get dye on my hands, , but it wears off in a few days . If customers ask about the authenticity of my products being handcrafted, I just show them my hands....simple I also use a moisturiser cream on my hands HS

Um.... before leather becomes leather, as in to make stuff out of, it has hair/ fur on it . I have never seen a bald cow or sheep etc. or any other bald animal for that matter, unless its some kind of weird breed, or it has some genetic issues . I know you got this from the media, but what is the difference ? A ' fur product' is just a 'leather product' with hair on, just the tanning process is different to remove the hair , and different parts of the skin goes through different tanning processes to turn it into different grades, types, colours etc. Isn't that just...... 'splitting hairs' ? ( sorry about the lame pun) Bingo !!! You hit the nail on the head!! Don't get me started on the floral introduced species, I'd be here all night. In the media lately here in Oz , its been admitted that we have lost the battle against the Cane Toad. Theres just too many now . But its nice to know that I've done something towards its eradication,even in an insy winsy tiny way, turn them into leather goods. HS

That will never happen here in Oz . So many industries that rely on meat & its bi-products would go under , causing so many job losses and so on. If its just for the pelts, then I can understand the ban. However, on the flip side of that comment , here we have foxes, introduced, that go after the rabbits, introduced, cane toads, introduced.You can't eat Cane Toads( well, some brave souls have tried... yuk ) , so the skins are made into leather goods. Does California have any introduced pests like we have ? If so, what happens to them ? HS

@Erfan I used to work in the fibreglass pool industry for many years, I wore a paper mask or a respirator everywhere I went around the factory. A lot of us even had ( almost permanent ) red marks on our faces where the masks sat.So I was fairly savvy with health & safety . ( even when the owner wasn't ) I would always wear a mask when grinding leather , and even using an old vintage vacuum cleaner as a dust extractor but I have to admit, I have become a bit slack these days . But I do definitely wear a respirator when using dyes through a spray gun or an air brush . But if you have any concerns, wear a dust mask or a respirator, regardless of our opinions and advice. They're your lungs and they're the only ones you have HS

Everyone has a different way of doing it, but, at the ends of the leather piece for the keeper, there 4 holes ( 2 at each end), butt up to each other >:II:< . A single needle, a length of thread with a knot at the end and I start sewing from the inside . When I'm finished, its like = < that on the outside, but on the inside, its like X < that,and , with the needle still attached to the thread, I pass the needle under the centre of the X a few times and just tie a double knot pulling it tight in the centre of the X< and snip the thread . Hope that helps HS

Thats what I do . When I'm making a nice fancy belt, tooled, hand stitched etc. , I stitch my keepers just like you said, with a ' cross', but with my plain belts, and in multiples , I staple them . Saves a lot of time. HS

Firstly, welcome to the world of leather craft I'm guessing that you wish to make hand tooled dog collars etc.? For a basic tool kit, theres the basic 7, 6 commonly used tools + a carving knife . Heres an example: https://www.ebay.com/c/2255646169 Or try searching for a basic ( or more elaborate ) leather crafters tool kit on web site like ebay. HS

I'm happy to shout you a beer ...or two for that @GaryNunn. As I often say, " theres one in every bunch" . I don't do social media.....period . Never have never will. I don't sell on ebay because of the same/ similar pitfalls as social media . While there are some good honest people on both platforms, .........there are also the idiots . I could have a rant of my own in educating the ' uninitiated' ( of the 'discount shop ilk' ) about hand crafted, but thats another story . I have a little sign here on my computer desk: " I'm not fluent in IDIOT, so please speak slowly & clearly" HS

Thats a gorgeous pic of Roy Rogers ( and Trigger ). Love his gun belt and taperderos. The gun belt looks hand tooled . That looks like a stunning Palomino horse he's on too (?) I'm loving this 'little mystery' about the photo.....and it all started with a book . It will be solved. I don't have horses myself, but I do love them . I do have a thing for Shire horses/ Clydesdales . I had my market stall at an equestrian event at the weekend, I didn't do much $$ , but the horses were stunning to watch , including a Clydesdale HS

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