Handstitched

G'Day and thank you for your responses, ByNelson , I do appreciate the differences in market demand. These old bags get snapped up real quick here. But I hope you're able to restore maybe at least one of them and love to see what you'll do with the one you've cut up . The old leather has a lovely natural aged colour. There maybe enough leather for a nice purse , wallet or a clutch bag just looking at your pic. HS

That bag has ' restoration ' written all over it Ditto to the above. A good dose of oil, even re-colour it if need be to hide any scratches, discolouration etc. . But to cut it, and the others up for something else ? Nup Restore. heres a pic of a bag I restored and sold. HS

This project is getting closer. Had a good look on Mr Google, and Mrs Youtube . I may end up doing two . One to ' practice' and the other as a project. I would have made one made by now if it wasn't for the ' interruptions' I've had these past few months or more . Love the " Frankencow" hat What a great way to use up scraps HS

G'day, So many people come to my workshop or stall , walk in , and say " *sniiiffff* " mmmmmm I love the smell of leather" I can't smell it at all , with the exception of first thing in the morning when I open my workshop door. But after about 1/2 hour or less, it smells ' normal'. I get used to it. But my cuppa-soup & toast at lunch seems to cut through it quite well though I used to make fibreglass pools in another life, thats another story, but I soon became impervious to that smell HS

BM, I know what you mean about the speed , the old Seiko can be a bit fast at times, so I've learnt to 'feather' it or even turn it by hand, mainly around corners. I've just become so used to it now. But the fast speed has come in handy too as I have also done shade sails, shade cloths etc. HS

Nice warm rich colour and beautifully contrasted with the yellow thread. we all make projects that are sometimes too nice to use, ...like this one HS

G'Day I like it too and the thick thread, sorry chrisash. Nice image of the maker too.....in the guitar HS

G'Day Mark, The head part is a separate piece. They are in fact the ' oval' pieces, made by the supplier, used for making Cane Toad belt buckles, but without the metal mount. With a bit of a trim of the buckle piece , and a small hole cut in the front , it was then glued & sewn in. As the tanning process dries out the eyes, they are replaced with plastic ' goggle ' eyes. @Rockoboy later when I get some more skins, I will do a ' local beer' with Cane Toad skins HS

Pretty good for a first timer I started with absolutely no knowledge of leather craft whatsoever , the yellow pages, a handful of cheap second hand tools from one of only two leather craft shops in Perth, 3 hrs drive from me, I then later progressed to a basic seven piece set...and some boot polish . That was it, I was hooked. ' Health warning: Leather craft is addictive and may cause frequent & sudden bursts of creativity ' HS

G'day and welcome from ' across the ditch' Since you're in NZ and looking for tools : http://www.kellymidasclassics.co.nz/about_noel_kelly.php I only have a handful of these ( the ridgy didgy's ) , but about 8 sets of the Boss Buttons. Look forward to seeing your work HS

G'Day, Very nicely done indeed.That colour is stunning. So you call them ' growlers' ? Insteresting . we have stubby holders, or ' coldy holders'. I made a belt & a gimble for a professional fisherman some years ago, and apart from pouches for his knives, pliers etc.he also wanted a stubby holder with a belt loop. Well done, HS

G'day, The Ostrich leather looks so nice, lovely colour and texture . The braided thread will last ....for ever , that stuff is so strong. Well done HS

G'Day , thank you for your replies, glad you like them , Cane Toads ( Bufo Marinus ) were introduced into Queensland Australia back in the 1930's to combat the Cane Beetle that was affecting the sugar cane industry, and like all introduced species, they got out of control ....then they went nuts . Today, they are numbered in their hundreds of millions and are a feral pest from Queensland to the top end of Western Australia . Their toxic secretions can be deadly to natural fauna . Leatherworkers like me , love them . Theres no end to what can be made . Sizes vary , from 6" + up to 9" 10" and up, but the month long tanning process makes them ex$y . Assorted colours too. They can't be eaten, although some have tried, but only the back legs ...apparently . I'll stick to the lamb shanks I just had about an hour ago thanks No , not really rodney, just very fiddly . Each skin is different, their textures vary , so its matter of matching each skin, or piece according to the variations in colour and texture etc. and then gluing each piece to a backing. Once that is done, I sewed them to the backing...piece by piece. I used the Seiko for the more fiddly bits on the VB one , (even turning it by hand on some bits) , and then 'Brutus' ( saddle machine) for the main parts. I put a thin piece of lining leather just behind the logo to help it to sit flat , and to make it easier for the foam insert to slide in a bit easier. Toad skins are thin, however the area around the glands,( the two ' lumps' seen on the VB one) , can be a bit tough for a domestic machine needle. I used a piece of 2mm veg tan under the skins, making it ' chunky' , but quite robust. HS

G'Day, Made these this week. I have made these with heads before , but not with a beer logo. The one on the right , with toad head, has six 6" Cane Toad skins, & using off cuts / scraps for the straps at the back , and 2mm veg tan underneath , ' form work ' . The one on the left , ' VB ' is made up of scraps around the hole for the logo and arranged in some sort of pattern , and two 6 " skins to complete the rest on either side of the hole, as can be seen in the last pic. They are very fiddly , like putting together a jigsaw puzzle , but making all the pieces myself, but I'm really happy with the end result HS

G'day, Thank you Aven . Theres still a few things I like to do to the outside, mainly just ' pretty it up' and maybe give it a more " western look " , with a few ' horsey' & western bits & pieces , some signage , and some colourful potted plants . I want it to look presentable to my customers . I'll get there eventually. G'Day Rockoboy , yes, its insulated. Just go back and have a look on page two, I've put together a ' montage' of pics of my workshop. In one of them you can see the insulation on the walls & roof. It has made a difference. I have a kero heater ( which you can also see) , so with that and the insulation combined , its quite cozy . The air cond for summer is on the cards. I have two fans, but in 45- 50 deg heat on occasion, they just don't cut it, even with insulation BM, have you had a chance to have a play with your Consew machine yet? HS

G'day, Yes, Shelton Reynolds are still in business https://www.sheltonreynolds.com/ Also, I found this : https://www.industrialwebbing.com/velcro-brand-sew-on-tape/ I think they're in Florida? I have sewn velcro onto rubber bell boots, but just using velcro I got from a haberdashery supplier , worked just fine, but sewing rubber , was a bit...weird (?) I also repair horse rugs , I hear you about the dirt sand etc. I have sewn some pretty filthy rugs, but I also clean, service and oil my machine frequently. Hope this helps HS

G'Day Computer Doctor , I second both bikermutt and Mark & Albob, . Leather workers will sometimes have more than one machine. I have 4 . But, it all depends on what you do and what you wish to sew. I had the same view, I love hand stitching, but it can be time consuming , and when I had a lot of orders...and time became a factor, I decided to save up and get a Juki 441 clone. I never second guessed my choice. And I haven't stopped hand stitching either. Hope all this helps, HS

It all takes time BM . Bit by bit it all comes good , you'll get there This is mine from the outside. Its about 7-8 years old ,.... I think. Its on my private property out of town , but with a business permit from the local shire . ( with conditions) . I have yet to add signage to the outside and to my front gate, but everyone in town knows where I am anyway . 14 years ago, I started in a small room in the house , which is about 30mtrs away, but it got a bit >>> squeezy<<< All the best with your workshop HS

G'Day , Thanks all for your replies. You summed it up nicely BM . And trying to get quantity discounts from Tandy is like getting blood out of a stone at times. I have a few gripes about Tandy. I have pointed out to the manager of Tandy in NSW , that we are a metricated system here in Oz , but most of their ads are in imperial . The conversion is simple to you and me , but not all Aussies are that astute Ha ! The other gripe, is that I can get stuff cheaper, (and quantity discounts) from other suppliers without having to join a club. ( they did that in the electronics business....once ) . They do on occasion have " specials" for B to B , but that doesn't come around very often . Even then, they don't have the quantity that businesses order. If you don't have the stock , then don't advertise. Right now, the Aussie $ is at .72 cents against the US , as of Sept 2nd. , and has hardly shifted in the last 12 months or more. No good to order stock & supplies from the States. I have an account with a supplier in Pennsylvania , I'd love to place an order, but its not financially viable . Anyway, thats my ' whinge of the week' . Feel free to air yours HS

G'day, I'm not even sure if the link will work in this part of the planet, but here goes : https://www.tandyleather.com.au/en/eflyer/1809rt-au?utm_source=Tand-E-mail+from+Tandy+Leather&utm_campaign=cc18212abc-2018-08-31-WebSpecials-AU&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e267c11fde-cc18212abc-75657005 How do the prices compare to yours ? I find that even their " sale " prices are too expensive.However , they do on occasion have a few things worth while buying. I do have more than one supplier that are cheaper than their ' sale prices' ........and without having to join a club. HS

G'day, Thanks. Its taken 14 years to accumulate it ,well, thats how long I've been working with leather. The machines are : Seiko STW 28 B ( aka "Stewart") , Juki clone (aka "Brutus" ) , Pfaff 60, and a Singer 29K53. I also have a Necchi Supernova with all the bits on a shelf, but rarely used. The Consew 206 will be a good strong reliable machine. Mark, " Fred" is $$$$ to me. Theres so much I can do with " Fred" . I do have a press with knives , top left , 1st pic, (theres a fan sitting on it, amongst other junk ) Its 3ph , but I have no 3 ph power....yet . I bought it from a former leather worker for $500 aus. , .....he paid $7500 new . HS

I should have taken a pic a few weeks ago when I was knee high in horse rugs, I couldn't move for rugs. Now that was messy HS

G'Day, Well , I finally took a brave step this arvo and took some pics of my messy workshop, however, I did have a quick clean up before I took them. So here goes * deep breath* . This is my hobby room / workshop . Each pic is pretty much self explanatory , but feel free to ask what is what. All my hides are on shelves under the benches, that I got cheap. Its carpeted on one side , painted floor on the other. All insulated. TV & stereo in the far corner , and heated with a kero heater . ( the white box on the floor ) . It look a mess, and it is, but I know where everything is....most of the time. When I win lotto, I'd love to expand, as space is at a prime. HS

Same here, I pour dye from the big bottle into a smaller one. I refer it to " not putting all my eggs in one basket" I can't get any of the ' Neat-Lac' variants anywhere in my state. There is some in the east, but it can't be shipped by air...DOH !! 94 tins of Neat-lac ? Um...so....where do you live Mark ? I might try and be brave one day and take a few pic's of my workshop. HS

Mark 842 , WOW !!! you have a tin of Neat-Lac' ?? Quite an "antique" .......now I only have some Neat-Lac tins with some dried out Neat-lac in them . I've been tempted to show my workshop on here on occasion ...........but its too embarrassing But I know where everything is, well, ...almost. HS