Handstitched

G'Day , What is the best leather leather for making leather top hats? I'm not into ' steampunk' . I thought about nat veg tan ? , so I can add my own colours etc. What about the overall weight, especially on the head ? Binding the edge of the brim ? Any advice will be helpful. I've never done leather hats, but after seeing a few rad leather top hat designs , I soooo have to do one Theres no market for them here , I just want to make one for the love of working with leather, and the experience ....if I have time . Thanks , HS

G'Day , I'm in a similar position to JerseyFirefighter. I have a heap of scrap leather that I could do all sorts of small projects with, I'll occasionally go through my scraps pull a good piece out and think " yep, I'll do something with that " ...etc . But in reality.....no I won't , I don't have the time . I'm forever filling clients orders and replacing/remaking stock with very little or no time to ' doodle ', experiment , or come up with new ideas. I keep telling customers that ask me about scraps to come to my workshop and just grab a bag of scraps for free, but they never do, so the scraps just pile up. I even thought about giving the retirement village a heap for recreation , but they ended giving ME all theirs , DOH !! HS ' I can make everything else except time ' .

G'Day , Geez Some of the restoration jobs I get ....well, I look at them and think , " wouldn't it be easier just to have a new one made ? " But I then think about the sentimental value the owner may have in it, as it could be a link to someone close to them . It was about 40+ years old, apparently . The old post was replaced with link from a bicycle chain at some point in its hard working life, crude , but effective, and the rest was bodged up with a few ' orrible' looking copper rivets and a piece of an old bridle, or reins ....I think. Removing them was a delicate job. The fob watch case repair was very straight forward. There were also a few belts for me to repair. The client was very happy with my work Just received a restoration job on a knife pouch at the weekend, that belonged to another clients Grandfather. Despite their appearance, I give these types of projects the compassion they deserve *sobsniff* HS

G'Day, No worries mate I have had a look for spraying leather videos, and apart from a few air brushing leather vids, I've had no luck either, except for this one, which you may have already seen,and ...well, its not very informative at all : Not much help at all. At least he's got a spray booth, which is more than I've got HS

G'Day, I'm hardly an expert on spraying leather as its not very often I do it, but I mostly spray large items like large hand bags, saddle bags etc. to ensure evenness without streaks etc. , as you said. But I haven't sprayed belts, except some air brushing. I have a general purpose $100 air compressor and use a 2 touch up spray guns ( 1 for dyes , 1 for sealer) and an air brush like the ones in the pic. The dyes I use are mostly water based , but I do sometimes add a little spirit to the spray pot to aid drying. Putting a sealer through the touch up gun can be challenging as it can occasionally clog up, I do thin the sealer a bit, but I run some spirit through it immediately after use to keep it clean. As for a spray both, thats something I don't have, no space. I mostly spray outside my workshop, or spray right next to the roller door ,wide open, if I need to be under cover. If I was to spray belts on a regular basis, I think I would have too much down time having to set up the compressor, the gun, keeping the gun/s clean and/or clean it to change colour .But I guess it also depends on the volume of belts you intend dying . Others on here may have a much better set up than I do. I use large pieces of sheep skin off cuts, trimmed, when dying belts etc. much quicker. *The small bag was just a practice piece to try my hand at air brushing for the first time. Hope this sort of helps. HS

Even the pre- rescue pic doesn't look so bad , but its nice to see that other leather workers do something similar to what I do. What I have done in the past, if something goes a bit awry.....I dye it a much darker colour, and if that doesn't work ....I dye it black no matter what It hides all my ' mistooks' Ha !! I fully understand about the spacing on the camo. But going back to the weave, the ' tri- weave ' has caused me to say a few words , that can't be repeated here, on occasion Ha ! We can't be perfect all the time eh? HS

G'Day, Radrider, I know nothing about these machines, but did you find out what that ' lump in the middle ' is ? Anything to do with the pneumatics ? Just curious, and learning . HS

G'Day, The basket weave is sometimes difficult for me to do. I have done some really nice examples that I'm quite proud of, , but also some really awful ones too, I'm only human . You only have to put one 'hit' slightly out of whack and its a mess. But I have to say thats really nice, lovely rich colour and a nice shine. Well done . HS

WOW !!!! You can add me to that list Sheilajeanne . I'm in Australia , and I wish I could just " pop in " and grab a few dozen hides . (Theres something to be said about the transporters from Star Trek ) I'm sure I can make space. ( pardon the pun ) I could easily use that leather for a wide variety of projects........me and just about every other user on here ha The purple looks striking. HS

G'Day , Looks quite a nice pouch, such a nice texture too , and the buckle goes well with the colour, well done . I've never used fish skins before . Have you used Cane toad skins ? The 'glands' can be a bit thick at times when sewing. I get the skins ( from QLD ) and make and sell Cane Toad leather goods myself. They're a bit fiddly at times trimming all the daggy bits, but I do enjoy working with them. Heres a few examples. Good luck with the Cane toad skins, look forward to seeing some pics. HS

Yep I agree. Although I do try to keep it clean, it ain't easy. But when it gets to the point where I'm wasting too much time looking for my tools , thats when I'm forced to do something about it , only to find that what I'm looking for is right under my nose and staring at me . I call it ' domestic blindness' . HS

G'Day, The colours are quite nice. If it makes you feel a bit better, I did try making one of those, but I made a few boo boos and it ended up in the "reject box " Ha !! . HS

G'Day, Thats nice, lovely finish , and I love the brass hardware. I've never used bridle leather as its too expensive here in Australia . Around $500+ per side. HS

G'Day, I've only just found this post. I'd be too embarrassed to ' show my shop' on here, seriously . I love my workshop and I know where everything is , well.....almost, but its a mess . I do tidy up every Monday, but doesn't take long to mess it all up again. I had a look at the pics on here and I have to admit that I am a bit jealous . Your workshops are so......so.... tidy !!! HS

G'Day, I have done a 3" wide ' Father Christmas' belt' . I used a 3" wide chrome girth buckle. Customer was really happy with it Over the years doing leather work, I have had quite a wide variety of odd custom requests , odd shaped tool cases , phone cases etc. including a request to do some ....well .....you know ......... ' kinky' stuff. The customer kept insisting "theres a lot of money to be made" " No doubt there is I'm sure, but its not a path I wish to go down " was my reply . Needless to say I politely declined that one . The other 'odd' request, was for a left hand shoulder holster, but this made me nervous as the person asking was from a ' particular type of bikie club'. Thankfully he never followed up on his request....phew. In a small country town , reputation is everything HS

G'day, Thats what I did as I had a similar problem . But I was never too sure how much pressure was on the spring and how far I could adjust it without it " getting some air time" as someone on here put it when I inquired out it. But I now have it juuuust right , ........and haven't touched it since . HS

G'Day, Is this of any help ? https://www.manualslib.com/manual/461794/Duerkopp-Adler-291.html#manual I know nothing about these machines, but just wondering if the ' lump in the middle' has something to do with air operated foot lifter ?? I'm sure someone on here will help you, and hopefully it will be a good investment after all . Good luck HS

WOW ! what a great conversation ! Heres my contribution. Like most , I do a bit of both , hand stitching and machine sewing. It all depends on the job. I originally got a H/D machine to do the heavy stuff, like tool belts, heavy harness etc. the stuff that my ( often sore) hands can't always stitch by hand. I also use the machine to assemble numerous projects, as we all have. However, when I'm really ... really pressed for time and the order is to be handstitched, I have ...on rare occasions , removed the thread, and used the machine needle to make the holes, but hand stitch the rest ( ' forgive me fellow leather workers for I have sinned ' ) . But is it hand stitched ? But even using a sewing machine to make a product, to me its still hand made. I have designed the pattern , made a template, traced it onto leather, cut the leather out , done all the cutting ,shaping, tooling, burnishing, dying , added hardware, but used the sewing machine to put it all together. And besides, I'm using my hands ( and feet) and skills to operate the machine. Just wondering if I'm splitting hairs ? HS

G'Day Rockoboy, I probably can guess where you are from by your name ? Without getting too specific, I'm in the Central Wheatbelt. But I can say where I get my hides from, ' Leather Direct' in Ozzie Park They're an agent for NSW Leather Co. I have an account with them , and with Birdsall , also in NSW. HS

G'Day, I'm glad I'm not the only one that finds Tandy leather expensive. And trying to get wholesale pricing , BTB with an ABN ( Australian Business Number) is like getting blood out of a stone....Or I could join a club...for a price Theres only one Tandy here in Australia, and thats in Minto, NSW.....on the other side of the country. But they do have heaps of great stuff ...just very pricey. If I have to order anything anywhere from the east, its 2 weeks. I'm in WA, (Western Australia) and theres only one leather supplier ( not Tandy) , and I have to drive 2 1/2 hrs to Perth ( from the bush) for my hides. I could get them shipped out, but I like to see what I'm buying. They get a lot of their leather from Italy, and its quite good. I also get my leather & supplies from Birdsall Leather, also in NSW, but a lot cheaper, and happy to do wholesale business to business, just like all my other suppliers ... and without joining a club. Not too many tanneries left in Oz . My 2 cents worth HS PS: W.A. also stands for " Wait Awhile " for us westies HA !!!

G'Day, I have a Seiko STW 28-B . It was a twin needle, but I haven't had the need for a twin needle set up. ( The machine was pretty much given to me ) . I use the Consew 226 manual for this as they are very similar . 28-B manuals are hard to find. I've had it for at least 6 years . I use mine mainly for horse rug repairs, canvas work, shade sail repairs etc. and medium leathers using industrial strength threads and suits my needs . Its regularly serviced and it works fine . Had no issues with any imbalance or uneven wear . Its 51 years old. Its a bit hard to see, but if you zoom in , you can see the ' twin needle bar' but its set up with a single needle. Hope this helps HS

G'day, I concur with NVLeatherworx, I shape all top pieces according to Al Stohlman Soak the leather, then shape and pin it, let dry. Wood stoves are handy in Winter Then after any tooling/carving etc. I lightly oil, dye, , (use a sealer if required) , assemble, burnish and finish off with either neatsfoot, or a leather , saddle dressing. Its always best to have the clients knife / tool . I wrap mine in gladwrap, or plastic packing tape....or both prior to molding and remove just as the leather is drying. I use a block on some sheaths. HS

G'Day Leahlovesleather , I have found ,with experience, that some leathers simply don't burnish and a fold is better. I have have tried croc, mainly on belts, but its takes work. BTW , I'm in the Central Wheatbelt WA about 2 hrs drive from you. Its rare to see anyone from Perth on here. Good to see. HS

G'day, I know my response is a bit late, but I have a Seiko STW-28B ( converted to single needle ) , pretty much the same as a 226 . But mine is 51 years old....same age as me Ha ha !! I use mine for horse rug repairs and light to medium leathers. Anyway, if that little tongue isn't in the slot in the centre of the plate, nothing works right. Take the plate right out and it spins around like an idiot.... ha !! You can only just see the tongue in the pic. I've lost count the amount of times I've pulled out bits of thread from underneath the shuttle & bobbin. And it uses a LOT of oil. With horse rugs, often dirty , its absolutely necessary . Happy sewing and good luck with your 226 HS

G'Day, Some good hints & tips in there, especially from JLS Leather about moving the blade to make it last longer. I too have learnt to angle the cutter slightly . I mainly use butts & shoulders, but if the belt needs to be longer, then I use a side. And I guess, if push comes to shove and you run out of blades, use a ( good) pencil sharpener blade. Thats what I thought they were when I got my very first strap cutter. HA !! ( P.S , I sure I saw scalloped leather blanks in a (old ? ) Tandy catalogue once a long time ago ? Or, It may have been Birdsall Leather NSW Australia , haven't seen them since. ) Handstitched