Davy

Heres the notes Luke , Cheers , Dave .

What is it you need to know Luke ?

These things are really easy to make . I used to make em with the offcuts you get from the kangaroo lace makers . Roo hide is shaped like a rounded triangle and when you cut a circle out of the middle you get 2 nice leg pieces and a shoulder/neck . I have patterns for some of these that are very similar . The mens wallet I have has 17 pieces I think , that includes lining as well . Theres a bit of skiving to do and a lot of folding but if youre neat with your work they arent that hard . Let me know if you would like a pattern and I'll put one on here with some instructions . Heres an example . I've cut around this heaps of times with a knife so it might look a bit rough . Cheers , Dave .

This might work to stop edges separating . Rough the edges to be glued with a wire wheel or something that will rough it up real good . you need to get the glue deep so it will bite . Get some bootmakers neoprene solution or sole glue . Thin it a bit with a compatible glue thinner or solvent . Brush it on and let it dry . Next, brush on the full strength glue and let it dry completely so the 2 pieces wont stick together . Next, reactivate the glue with heat , just until the glue gets tacky again . Quickly join them then clamp them firmly for a good while 10mins to 30mins orta do it or overnight if you like . This process is essential for correct sole adhesion in the foot wear industry . I forget how many times stonger the bond will be but i know it was at least 3 or more times . the edge , I'm guessing here but you could try sanding the edge the shape you want , apply a very small amount of water to the edge then glass it (thick bit of glass rubbed hard and fast on edges ) to compress the fibres . If that doesnt work , heat the edge first to harden it a bit then glass it again . Then ink and wax it . Dunno if it'll work , but thats what I'd try . The higher the melting point of wax , the harder it is to apply but gives the best results .

Clicking Knives are the go . You can interchange the blades (I make mine from hacksaw blades) . If made right they cut like a razor . A wooden hand clicking board is best to cut on or other boards made from end grain wood will do . You can get the knife handles from a bootmaker supplier . Heavy leathers use a hook in blade , thinner leathers require less hook . Great for cutting around templates , eliminates marking out . Cheers , Dave .

G'day matey ! yep this IS the best site on the net without question . Asking questions is how you learn . From what I've found , everyone here is more than willing to share advice . This is how the craft stays alive , by passing it on to others so its never lost . Again , Welcome and hope you enjoy all that you will learn . Cheers , Dave .

Heres the stamps i used in that pattern . left to right , starting top left . I think thats the order they were done . some were used more than once in different areas so i didnt put em in again . sort of stuffed up the sequence though . 37 stamps plus a dot from my modeller . I'd like to do a sequence , but it will take heaps of space , any ideas how on to do it easy ?

Yep . I'll do it tomorrow Pete i'm just about to hit the sack right now

Night owls out there ? I'll hang around for about 15 mins , if nothins happenin I'll hit the sack .

These are the filled in and expanded versions of the basket weave pattern of Als . Its a bit rough and crooked but the light was bad and I was in a hurry . (thats my excuse and I'm stickin to it) . I've probably loaded it up with a few too many tools here which tends to cover some of them and they dont look as crisp as they should . Comments much appreciated good or bad . Dave .

Found an old book of Al Stohlmans at home and copied this patterns baseline from it , then filled it in and expanded it a bit .Have to post twice , embossing will be in second post . Still working out picture resizing !

Lets see if I can successfully get a link on here www.leatherworkersguildnsw.org.au This is the site !

Just an enquiry to see if there are any members of the NSW Leatherworkers guild based at Epping in Sydney , that are also members of Leatherworker.net . If so I've been waiting for a response to an email I sent on 11/9/2008 to enquire about membership into the guild . Just in case that email got lost somewhere in cyberspace , here is a copy of the email I sent . Dear Fellow Leatherworkers , G,day ,my name is Dave Weston from Swansea NSW . I have been making Leathergoods on and off (more on than off) for 35 years . Never having had any peers to work with over the years I have gone my own way and developed a style which I have been told is quite unique . I don’t say this in a “ beat my own drum “ sort of way as I don’t see my work as being better than anyone else , just maybe a bit different . Techniques that I use when dyeing , painting , carving and embossing(my specialty) are maybe what would be considered slightly unorthodox , but , nevertheless it would be really good to get some feedback from other leatherworkers as to what they think (maybe its not that different afterall !). I have taken skills learnt in my trades as a fitter and also a bootmaker (weird combo eh) and adapted some of these to refine my preparation teqhniques , construction methods , design & pattern making and abstract carving Patterns . It would I think , be a waste if I didn’t share and pass on some of these useful methods with others that might see some value in them . Not only that but I relish the thought of seeing some different styles and methods that others have developed over their time as leatherworkers . The thought of being a member of a Leather Guild has always appealed to me as I have never had the opportunity to get together with others with the same passion for making things with leather that I have . Not only that but I have never entered a competition or had my work on display anywhere . If you think that , from what I have just written , you would like to see some of my work or have me pass on some of my Knowledge to members that might be interested in this style please don’t hesitate to contact me by replying to this email . Epping is only about an hour and a half down the road from my place and I would look forward to meeting you all and maybe if you like me , you might consider me for membership into the Guild . Regards , Dave . If there are any members of this Guild that read this , please post a reply in this forum , thank you . Cheers , Dave . PS :- Can someone tell me if membership in this Guild is recognised by the International Leatherwokers Guild ?

G'day and welcome Bassi from the land of Aus ! Are shields on your list of things you do ? I've been going to do a shield of some sort for a while , mainly as a wall decoration . If you have any tips in this area throw em my way , it'll be much appreciated . Dave .

Awesome !!! Creativity at its best . Welcome DDL hope to see some more of your work Cheers , Dave .

Dunno what a PM is Johanna , but I,ll send one as soon as you let me know what it is . It never hurts to look at new ways to generate income . Cheers , Dave .

Excellent work Cris . Attention to detail always makes for a perfectly finished product which is what you've shown us here . If the scalpel works for you , which it obviously does , disregard what I say next . I've found that bootmakers hand clicking knives can cut fine detailed cutouts better than anything Ive used . Not only that , you can shape the blades yourself to suit light leathers or heavy leathers using hacksaw blades with good quality steel ( the brittle ones are best ) Anyhow keep doing what your doing it looks mighty fine . Welcome ! Dave .

Well , you said feel free to ask . Heres a question . When he folds the wallet outer to the wallet insert , does he fold neat , then sew and then its finished , or does he fold with excess material on the wallet outer , then trim the excess off after its sewn ? His work is very neat indeed . Please give him my compliments !

Greetings Fernanda . You've stumbled across the best leather site on the internet . Some of the best tooling leather I've ever used was from Argentina , love their Knots and braid work too . Again ,welcome ! Dave.

It seems from what you've said Leatheroo That most bikers are'nt aware of the work thats out there . i know that over the last 15 years or so there has been less and less custom leatherwork done in the Newcastle area . Example , in the mid to late seventies there were plenty of people I could go and work for , walk up start , just doing leather embossing and carving alone . Plus there were plenty of craft shops selling leather , dyes fittings etc . Now , theres a couple that do leather clothing but none that make leathergoods , and there are no suppliers at all in the area . I think you hit the nail on the head when you said theres a market there waiting to be explored . I'm going on a personal mission to make these groups aware of what can be done and what is available . The goal has been set , now I have something to strive for once again . I'm not joking when I say that since joining leatherworker.net my life has been turned around . I'm looking forward to a bit of job satisfaction at last , and plenty of challenges along the way . Consider me a born again leatherworker , The passion grows more every day !

Are there any Australian leatherworkers doing custom bike gear here , decorative art type stuff for bikes :wtf: ? In the Newcastle / hunter region ?

The hot dog of leather . what a gem of a saying esantoro . pretty well sums it up though eh .

I had a bloke come to me a while ago with a couple of studded belts he wanted joined together to make a guitar strap . He got them that cheap , I couldnt make them for material cost alone at that price . When I checked out the leather I noticed that it didnt look right so I peeled back the liner saw what I'd seen only once before . It was reconstituted leather with a label on it saying genuine leather . Now , I guess technically they're right but in reality when someone buys a leather belt they assume that its made from a strip cut off a hide not offcuts of all sorts of different bits turned to pulp and processed like paper . The stuff delaminates and cracks real easily . Do they let this crap into the American and European markets as genuine leather or do they have better controls over imports than we have here in Australia . It was made from chrome tanned offcuts as well , probably from old worn out shoes . Give ya one guess where they were made . Hint - starts with Ch ends with na .

Hope these come out a bit better . Thanks for the favorable comments guys , starting to get my eye back in . When I get a coupla jobs done I'll post em straight away . Dave

3 very old belts , about 20yrs old at a guess . A quick pattern I just did then with stamps used , in order , starting from left column . Any comments positive or negative would be appreciated . Second thoughts , dont worry about the negative ones !