Handstitched

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

G'day, this is very biased, but I have a Seiko STW-28B that I use for upholstery & medium leathers & horse rug repairs. Its sewn some pretty thick folds on the rugs. But any machine like this or the variants , singer, seiko, consew, adler etc. will do the job quite nicely, these are all good reliable machines Hope this helps HS

G'Day, I do something similar to wizcrafts , I use a large ' D' ring or ' O ' ring to rub out the foot marks. I could adjust the foot pressure more than I have, but I don't know how far I can adjust it, and I'm worried that the adjuster on the top of the machine will pop out and end up making a hole in my roof . I'll stick with the ' D' ring . ( my extra ' ad nauseum ' response ) HS

G'Day, Thats not a bad price. perhaps a little quick, but you can change the pulley on the motor if need be. From my own experience, they are a really good machine. ( mine is an older twin needle using a single needle) , and theres not a ' huge' amount of difference between the two. 400 pounds is roughly $700 Australian, so yep, I'd buy it http://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/81806-sewing-machine-reliability/ hope this helps, HS

G'Day, I wasn't sure where to post this, either on here, or on the ' Show Off ' thread. Due to a lot of personal interruptions, I got quite a bit behind on many jobs these past few months, especially my horse rug repairs, and being Winter here in Oz atm , everyone leaves their repairs to the last minute and they kept piling up . But I've finally been able to catch up. Apart from rugs, my 52 year old Seiko STW -28B does a lot of leather jobs, mainly repairs on leather jackets , belts etc. but its really earned some praise this week doing horse rug repairs. I know they're not leather, (well, some parts are) , but I just thought I'd share these pics. Apart from the occasional bent or broken needle, and the odd tangled thread here and there ( thats down to the operator) I thought it went really well. Love to hear your story about your ever reliable machine. Would it be safe to say ' love your machine and it will love you back ' ? thats just silly HS

G'Day, If they don't have a makers mark, how do you know they are genuine ' Craftool' stamps? The genuine Craftool stamps go for around $10 - $12 ea new ( Australian) see Tandy's . S/H around $7 -$8 ea Aust. I paid $4 - ea S/H for my CT stamps when I first started 14 years ago . I was lucky enough for many people to just give me their old stamps, some were the original Midas tools, and not the newies. God knows what their value is now. They've just started making them again: http://www.kellymidasclassics.co.nz/about_noel_kelly.php Hope this helps a bit, HS

WOW !!! The basket weave is...well.....its......awesome And I love the filigree , something I haven't tried...yet. It didn't you long to pick it up again I see. Like falling off a horse I guess , you never forget. HS

I do find photo copiers , ( and the ' ye olde' XP publisher ) very handy for changing the size of patterns. I've become very adept at modifying patterns to suit a project like changing, adding or 'omitting' bits of a pattern to make things fit without it looking obvious. That pattern looks a bit like " Celtic Knot" type pattern that I love doing. Nice bag btw HS

G'Day, Depending on the type of leather, with that width, you could make some really nice guitar straps, for yourself or for sale. If its not veg tan, and its already black, brown or whatever, then perhaps use studs, spots, concho's etc to jazz it up , finished off with with some nice hand stitching along the edge. If its black for example, perhaps a red or yellow or white thread? Re-enactment belts ? One piece utility cases, for phones, tools ...or....whatever Just a few ideas there. HS

G'Day Thom, and welcome to the forum . I had a quick search for the 151, and found this post, it may or may not be of interest : They look very similar to a Consew 226, or my Seiko STW-28B . The 7-33 is a thing of beauty . I wish I had one, not that I need one, I just want one I look forward to seeing your work in the future. HS

G'Day, From my own experience on occasion, I have experienced dye not soaking in, or not taking for some odd reason in one particular spot, leaving a noticeable, almost shiny " blotch" (?) Sometime the size of a match head or a 5 cent piece . Its either, something in the leather itself, or a stray bit of oil or sealer( from my messy bench no doubt) has somehow got onto somewhere where you don't want it. This is a very crude way I've dealt with it. I gently 'rough up' the spot with the very tip of my sharp knife, not too deep, but just enough to remove the ' shine' , and then using a cue tip ( ear bud) or a small brush, dab a little dye on the spot, and finish of with a bit of persuasive burnishing or polishing etc. . HS

G'Day, That looks ' noice ' A good quality belt that will last for ever. You mention an Aussie conditioner , does that mean you're an Aussie ? Don't worry about messing up a few stitches, I've messed up my fair share, and no doubt I'll mess up many more . I was told by a friend that made custom made quilts as I was showing her my sewing machine skills on a belt and I said to her that " a few stitches are a bit wonky " . She said, "Don't worry, they're called ' humanity stitches ' " Our individuality is in everything we make. HS