badger

Steve, Careful, It might be a real Wolf one day. Karl

Steve, Don't give up yet. It'll probably be something really basic. I have had a time of it myself with my Pearson(s). Bottom tension is a sod to get right, but is easy to adjust when you get there. It could be a worn or damaged part, or something clogged up with crap. The bobbin shuttle is sometimes the culprit. Might need a new spring and screws. Try unsetting all the tension devices all the way back to 'factory fresh', no tension on anything, top or bottom, and try to get it going from a clean start. Hope this helps. Cheers, Karl

The best way to get things from David Flint is to email Joanna, his wife. She will get stuff out to you and takes Paypal payments. Email her with your order and she'll send a Paypal invoice. joanna@flintindustrial.com David just won't get back to you. Cheers, Karl

Oh Behave................................................. Karl

China, Everything is a matter of taste. I do both plain and grooved stitching. Usually the project will dictate the need for a groove, or the client will! If I'm making gunbelts and things that get a lot of wear I like to sit the stitching in a groove to protect it from abrasion. Having said that, the last bag I did (http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=15559&st=0) will get a lot of wear and I just scribed a follow line where I wanted the stitching. It somehow seemed not to need a stitch groove. There's no right or worng. It's up to you Cheers, Karl

Thanks, It's fairly robust for sure, about 6mm thick, total weight. I did tell her when I gave it to her that, if attacked, she could probbaly bludgeon someone to death with it Cheers, Karl

Hi Henry, Thank you. I do put thread in too , just that I prefer to hand stitch where possible, when I have the time, as I can feel the tension in each stitch. The first Pearson wasn't hard to get back to running order, there was little wrong with it. A bloody good cleaning sorted some of it out. I did take it apart though, that was an adventure I had some tension issues which Peter Main helped me sort out. I still have another machine which hasn't been touched yet. Been waiting for the good weather so I can get outside with it. Handstitching is pretty fast if the holes are pre-punched. Perhaps the speed thing is an illusion? Cheers, Karl

Thanks very much again you guys, all good thoughts for Megan much appreciated. Andy, Yep, it does look good in place on a finished item doesn't it? (like a big boy made it!) I really like it. Great job my friend........ Patrick, Thanks for your kindness and support. No, I didn't thin the leather around the windows as the Whipsnake's quite thin. There's no 'step' though. Cheers, Karl

Steve, Thanks very much, I've seen your work firsthand and I really appreciate the comments. It didn't come out too bad, did it? Tony, I use the Pearson to punch the holes and then handstitch, as I use waxed linen thread and like to feel the tension of each stitch as I sew. I do sew properly with it when I've got a lot of stitching to do or if I'm in a hurry. I hand stitched the whole bag in about 40 minutes. I'm a little unorthodox when I hand stitch as, I have a habit of holding one needle at a time in my mouth. Nasty things happen when the phone rings Cheers, Karl

Thanks so much for the nice words about the bag, but more importantly, the good wishes to Megan on her recovery. I'll pass them on. Heartfelt thanks everyone. The maker's stamp is indeed a work of art. It was designed for me by my friend Andy Mock, of Arm Leatherworks, a member here. Take a bow Andy The stamp itself was made by Jeff Mosby at Grey Ghost Graphics. Here it is in all it's glory. I bloody love it, I do. Cheers, Karl

Thanks very much you guys. I appreciate the encouragement. I gave it to Megan today, she was delighted. Really happy. The design is original, but please feel free to copy it. I'm not precious about this stuff. I didn't make a pattern, just busked it. The construction method is as follows: Assembled it measures 8 inches by 6 inches by 2 inches thick. She likes her purse slung diagonally across her body, so the shoulder strap is 46 inches long as is, adjustable to a foot shorter. It's a fully lined, one piece tubular bag with a rivetted-in panel at each end. I drew out rectangle 8 inches wide, by 18 inches long on 8-9 ounce vegtan, rounded the lid flap corners by drawing round a large shot glass rim. I cut this shape out of the 8-9 ounce and then cut the same shape from 6-7 ounce for the liner. I got a whipsnake skin Megan liked the colour of, and worked out the maxiumum panel sizes for the size of skin and drew these on and cut them out of the heavier piece. I placed the outer on the liner and traced the window shapes through onto the rough side of the liner. I cut the snakeskin into panels around a half inch bigger all round than the window sizes and glued them down with rubber cement (Thixofix). I edged and burnished the inside edges of the windows and them dyed the outer and liner panels. When dry, I traced the stitch lines on around the panels with wing dividers and did the same with the outer stitch line on the perimeter. I use a half and half method of stitching; I punch the holes with my Pearson and then hand-stitch with waxed linen thread. I chose black linen thread to pick up with the black notes in the snakeskin. Once stitched, I trimmed, sanded, dyed and burnished the entire outer edge. The straps and end panels were cut from a tough, prefinished belting leather, edged and burnished. The straps are a half inch wide, the end panels 2 inches by 5 inches with a half inch wide strip each side for attaching. The panels are cased, the strips grooved at the base, bent at 90 degrees and left to dry. The whole fully-lined bag main panel, now stitched and burnished, is cased evenly and curled into final shape. Once in place, I wrapped kitchen paper towel around it and taped it into position to dry overnight. Cut to next morning; I cut the tape and rivet the side panels in place. The shoulder strap, attachment straps and front buckle straps are attached with Chicago screws so they can be replaced when worn. The whole thing is given a brisk rubdown with a rough towel, rubbed lovingly with Skidmore's and treated to a good coat of carnuba wax. One more good rubdown to get it glowing and we're done. Took me about four and a half hours, total, not including drying time. That's it. Cheers, Karl

This is a bag I just finished for my Wife's Aunt Megan. It's her Birthday, but we're really celebrating the 'all clear'. She may very well have beaten Thyroid cancer. We're delighted she's still here, and I thought I'd make something a little special. The bag is about 8 inches wide and 6 high, chestnut dyed vegtan and some lovely whipsnake I got from our own Patrick Weill (thanks Patrick!). It was a bugger to make, and still looks to me like a handbag made by a holster maker But I'm pretty happy with it, all in all. Cheers, Karl

Brent, Sealing wax is liquid at around 80 degrees Celcius. I expect a laser cut delrin stamp, same as a maker's mark stamp, would do the trick. Might not need a metal one. Jeff at Grey Ghost Graphics will make you one in delrin. Cheers, Karl

Hi Brent, What they represent is a wax seal, used on envelopes and scrolls in the past to prevent unauthorised eyes from reading letters. Also used whenever a tamper-evident seal was required on anything. You can't easily open a wax seal without it breaking or showing some tamper evidence. Originally things would be sealed with red 'Sealing wax,' a very hard and brittle wax, in the form of a red candle-like obect with a wick running up the middle. Like a candle, it's lit, and the wax allowed to drip onto the enevelope where its was folded shut. A seal emblem, usually of metal (on a finger ring) was pressed into the wax while still liquid. The sudden cold of the metal set the wax and took an impression of the seal. It was used to ID the sender. The seals on the watches are red plastic reperesentations of a wax seal. You can buy sealing wax still, and you could have a metal seal of your logo made up. Drip the wax onto a ribbon and seal it with the stamp. A light coating of olive oil on the stamp before use will allow it to release from the wax. Alternatively, make an original wax seal as described above then and make a silicone rubber mould of it and cast some out in red polyurethane resin. Cheers, Karl

I have had four Danny Marlin knives. Two head knives and two utilities. Well made tools, good quality steel. Good value. Cheers, Karl

Kevin, You are entiltled to your views, Noah and his partner is to hers. He did not come here soliciting opinions on his or her beliefs or lifestyle, simply to ask a reasonable question of a board of fellow leatherworkers. He came looking for help, and instead got blasted with what I consider the most offensive unprovoked attack I've witnessed on the internet. Let's put the shoe on the other foot. Let's say that you arrive at Leatherworker.net, having heard of the almost legendary goodwill surrounding this amazing board, and ask a reasonable question of reasonable people. What you get instead of a calm, reasoned and useful answer is a vicious attack by an insensetive, loudmouthed yahoo hell bent on destroying and ridiculing everything he doesn't understand. 'Fear and loathing' is a phrase coined by Hunter Thompson to decribe what happened to him when he encountered the same thing. I feel it appropriate here. How would you have felt if that had happened to you a mere 20 days ago when you first turned up here? It takes a big man to apologise Kevin. I quote; 'Grow a sack'. Karl

I like it! Really creative. Cheers, Karl

Can you guys hear yourselves? Whatever happened to 'live and let live'? I can't believe some of the comments on this thread. I think Noah has been treated very rudely by some of the members here. I can't believe how harsh and judgemental some of you can be. Frankly it's open abuse of Noah and his partner. Who are you to judge relationships and to comment on someone's personal beliefs? I doubt you'd take the same abuse about yours quietly. Kevin Johnson, Steve Mason and TKleather1.... You owe Noah and his partner an apology. I joined this board because of the spirit of friendship and brother/sisterhood and the spirit of sharing I saw here. This is very disappointing. I'm surprised and shocked by the outpouring of venom here. An apology is in order. Noah, I'm very sorry to read the crap that's been posted about you and your partner Please, please don't assume we're all like this. Please PM me, I may be able to help. Cheers, Karl

Hell yeah Ray, I'll do it. Tan her and bring her over Karl

'Hand stitch till you can save up enough to buy one, it will help you save faster' Karl

I am being nice Ray, honestly. I spent the day with him making him jump though hoops. I found I can open the bobbin case, swing the bobbin out, remove and replace it and install and thread the new bobbin and the whole machine without any tools at all, just my chubby little sausage fingers. It became a kind of demented challenge..... I also found out I can safely triple back stitch with it at the end of a run. If that isn't strong enough I don't know what is! It's a remarkable machine. I must publicly thank UKRay for letting me adopt his strange cast iron child Cheers, Karl

It would serve me a lot better if I had a bloody manual for it Karl

Here you go. Brilliant machine. Cheers, Karl

I have had the great good fortune of acquiring a lovely BUSM 'Pilot' harness stitcher and I need a manual for it. Anybody have one or know where I can get one? Cheers, Karl

Andy, My burnisher is a 1450 RPM 1/3 Horespower electricmotor with oak burnishers of different groove sizes that bolt directly onto the threaded shaft extender. Works great. Cheers, Karl