Handstitched

From my own experience, I do what @heydox said , but I sometimes turn the machine fly wheel by hand . Its a bit tricky, but it works...for me anyway HS

Its ' D 608 ' Hope that helps I also have another one , ' G 611' , its similar, but more ' pointy' . HS

G'Day, I have this stamp, the smaller one.... I think, but its not for sale, but I'll check out the number to make it easier for you to find, if that helps HS

@Bigfoote, I like that . @Sheilajeanne, I don't really know how many tools I have ( I should do a count) , most of which are S/H and have come from searching through the classifieds, ( pre- internet) and some from a ' lil' ol' shop ' in Perth (WA) run by a lil' ol' lady . Some are Craftools , some Taiwanese some Boss buttons, and a few Kelly tools, ( NZ ) Some have simply been donated to me from ' former leather crafters'. One downside of carving is ' carvers cramp' ....ouch!! But I still enjoy it, even when my right hand seizes up from time to time. This arvo , two of my fingers on my left hand totally 'locked up ' in a closed position for a minute or two while cutting a hole in a belt. That hurt. My tooling experiences have mostly come courtesy of our local library, Al Stohlman and this web site, and simply by just experimenting When I get time, I will check out that vid . HS

G'Day, One name immediately springs to mind, ' Bruce Grant ' . Google ' Bruce Grant Leather Braiding' . This book is my ' bible' of braiding. HS

G'Day Rocko, I now have both and both seem to work quite well. With ' Gel Grip' and Kwik Grip, they have different types, one for horizontal , vertical etc. ( for laminates) Same diff I only buy the small 500ml tins, as a large tin will go off quicker than I can use it, due to the constant opening and closing of the tin. HS

I can very much relate to this , and many other comments on this thread. " Wow, how did people do this without the internet?" I hear ya !! They're called books , I read a lot of them ,I had no choice, I had no internet for a long time.However,I did have the yellow pages and a land line ha ha!! and my local library had just one book on leather craft, ...that I borrowed several times And thank God for classifieds in the weekend paper....and a land line . Many people will come to my stall or workshop asking me how stuff was done. But like you said, what works for me, may not work for them , and may differ from what they may have read elsewhere. To me there are no rules in leather work , only guides , as everyone has their own style, method or technique of doing things, something that I always put across to those who ask about leathercraft . Its called individuality and leather craft so beautifully brings that out in all of us from newbies to the experienced . Its the end result that counts. I'm just happy to part some advice to someone thats interested in working with leather and/or about to embark on a journey into leather. I'll tell them what I have learnt , from my own experiences , suppliers etc. Enough to get them started. Great thread BTW HS

Down under, we have ' Kwik Grip' & ' Kwik Grip Gel' , but basically a good contact cement. HS

Got another email from Tandy this morning, a liquidation sale. Things are starting to wind down I guess. https://cdn.tandyleather.com/media/TEM2/2019-02-15-AustraliaInStoreSpecials.html?utm_source=Tand-E-mail+from+Tandy+Leather&utm_campaign=f5786df920-2019-02-14-In-Store+Only+Specials-AUD&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e267c11fde-f5786df920-75657005 ( sorry for the long link) ' In store only' ? hmph!!! Not fair !! I just need a transporter ( from Star Trek) to make the 4000km trip. HS

G'Day , not sure if it happened in your part of the world, but it was totally AWOL down here in Oz for about an hour or two. I did all the usual checks at my end, but all was good. I did get quite worried. But its all good now ....phew !! HS

So where is that ' black /green discolouration in those images ? And besides, I like my ' patina',thank you very much. HS

G'Day , well, assuming you're talking about natural veg tan leather, it won't stay ' white'.Natural veg tan leather is photosensitive. Over time , it will darken just like us humans get a bit of natural tan after being out in the sun. I have attached a few pics ( some practice pieces) as an example of how leather can change colour. Over time it will get even darker. Both pieces are just a few scraps of some natural veg tan leather. The last pic is my camera case. That was once ' white' . There are white dyes available , but I prefer the natural ' patina' Hope all this helps. HS

G'Day , When I mold the leather around these, I pin it down onto some pieces of pine , or whatever scrap I have lying around, approx 4" x 1" ) 100mm x 25mm) just as an example .It needs to be bigger than the mold , to give me enough room to mold, shape etc. I find pine is easy to hammer into because its soft. Ply wood may be a bit hard to nail into . I haven't experienced any of the wood warping or being affected by damp leather. HS

G'Day, I really feel for you guys, thats seriously cold. But here in Oz, we've been experiencing the exact opposite. I'm in the Central Wheatbelt of Western Australia we've had low to high 40's for weeks on end, and into the low 50's ( around 120+ F in your part of the world) and in the east. Electronics don't like the extreme heat either. Fussy machines eh? Only these last few days its been cooler, but set to warm up again soon. Take care, HS

I second that Joshstrange . But over the years, I have become quite adept at modifying patterns to fit particular projects or jobs. Either that or lose money. For example, a tooled bag with acorns & oak leaves etc. Sometimes I would pick an acorn from this pattern, and oak leaf from another to make up a design that I like. The pattern becomes a ' bitsa' ( bits 'a this and bits a' that) We call breeds of dogs that here in Oz . But its the end result that counts. I think that over time, you will become quite good with a pencil and paper, have confidence, you might even surprise yourself Also , I do use the photo copier at our local Shire office to enlarge or reduce a pattern , very handy. HS

G'Day, Firstly, welcome the the forum Hoping that I've got my conversions right, ( I work in milimetres here in Oz ) your backing leather is approx 2- 2.5 mm? Sole bend, approx 5 - 6.0 mm ? Thats 8.5mm . We'll say 9mm total. I wouldn't have thought you'd have any problems sewing that thickness.I have virtually the same machine ( but different name) . I have attached a few pics of a test piece that I did a long time ago, mainly for my own curiosity .They're a bit blurry, sorry. The test piece was 5 ( dry) layers of 4mm ( 10 oz) D/S = just slightly over 20mm, about 22mm when measured. The machine sewed it no problem. However, I did go very slowly. The needle was understandably quite warm when I finished. I use 277 M10 thread, and # 24 needle. I've never had any jobs that require that thickness, but its good to know these awesome machines are very capable of sewing it. But I would like to do harness work in the future. But as for whats causing the problem, I don't know what suggest. Maybe perhaps do a little test like I did. Sew some that is veg tan, some dyed, wet, dry, etc. A process of elimination? I haven't been much help. Sorry HS

Any updates ?

G'Day LottyAfrica , This is just a very small cross section of the molds that I use, some with pencil marks, measurements etc.. Some are 'one off's ' ( but never go to waste), but the majority I use all the time. I also have some much larger molds as well. The ones on the far left, are made of pine, mostly from off cuts and scraps. The remainder are made from MDF. Both woods are easy to shape and cheap. I do sometimes slide the molds out during drying , hence the shiny packing tape. I also use a scrap layer of leather to help with sizing etc. You can also see how phone cases have changed in size over the years. The one next to the axe/ multi-tool mold , bottom right, is how they use to be, ( like the one I have now ) compared to the " paving slab" on the top right. Sure wish phone companies make their minds up Ha ha !! So I guess you have to be a bit of a wood worker as well, ( something I'm not) . It comes with practice I'm sure HS

I use MDF molds on just about every case I need to make . Easy to work with, sand, grind, shape etc. and its cheap. Glue two bits together to make a bigger mold if you want. Very versatile . HS

G'Day, I use x 2 press studs , line 24's , so the customer has the option of changing the buckle . But some of the heavier belts, tool belts etc. are either sewn or riveted . HS

Tandy Australia are shutting shop in March and will ship from the US. I received a "specials" email from them ....the first in about 2 months, .... but it was " in-store only specials" , Um....they're in the east....about 4000k's away . Yeah.... good one , needless to say I deleted the email. All the printed catalogues have stopped altogether now . I have to agree.I now have 3 main suppliers that sell the same thing as Tandy, but cheaper...and do wholesale without joining a club. Tandy never existed when I started leather work 14 years ago, never even heard of them ( with exception of the electronics retailer....and they went years ago ). And now, its almost like they don't exist again.Back then, I found all my tools, supplies etc. in a pokey little shop run by a little ol' lady in Perth by going through the yellow pages ( pre internet) . Ditto for my sides of leather, found a supplier in Bayswater ( Perth), in the yellow pages and asking that lil' ol' lady a lot of questions . All my ' how to ' stuff came courtesy of books , and word of mouth, asking questions etc. and simply by working stuff out for myself . I didn't discover ' youtube' until many years later. HS

I have also noticed that the catalogues & emails have stopped . The other inconvenience, now for some , is this : "International Transaction Charge may apply based on your credit card issuer." I'm just glad that I have more than one supplier in Oz . The Aussie dollar is still in the toilet , and still not viable to order from the States . ' Patience grasshopper' HS

The alignment would have to be very precise . All the best, and let us know how it turns out eh ? HS

G'Day, VYO , I've been trading with this company since I started leather work , over 14 years ago. https://www.birdsall-leather.com.au/DYE1Lw/Birdsall-Leather-dye-1Ltr/pd.php Theres only a slight difference between ' Dark Tan & Ox Blood ' , Ox blood being slightly darker. HS

It usually takes around 4, sometimes 5-6 hrs for a belt, but then again, I'm in no rush to get it done . I find it relaxing perhaps therapeutic doing hand stitching... ..while I'm watching a DVD I do around two, sometimes three ' arms length' of thread <------- about this long ---------> depending on the length. If I try to rush it, theres the potential of making mistakes. HS