bermudahwin

Hi Chris, The guy I spoke to said they did press knives there, but not brass-bound, board, clicking patterns, which is what I was looking for. Thank you for the link though, I may talk to them about hot stamping. Best Harry

I picked up a Lignum Vitae mallet at a hardware store years ago, it is well balanced and easy in the hand, hard enough not to damage or be damaged, and as it had been priced but unsold for 25 years, he sold it at the sticker price so about 75 % less than I would have paid. Happy me.

Due to the overwhelming number of responses, I thought you all may like to know that S J West Press Knives Ltd, of Rushden, Northamptonshire do still make these clicking patterns. www.sjwestpressknives.co.uk Harry

May well be right. I have one machine that I cannot place, it has an E prior to the serial number... Singer gave up on that one. H

The model number is the W, the serial number will be elsewhere. I don't know the model well enough to know where. H

They were quite quick coming back to me a while back. they have an industrial machine lookup, from within the Singer site, but I am on a phone atm and its near impossible to read. I think ###W### machines are from Bridgeport, Connecticut USA, as per https://www.oldsewingear.com/blog/where-was-my-singer-machine-made Best Harry

or look here... http://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/let_singer_date_your_sewing_machine_for_you.html H

Chris, I was about to say that you could not get Dubbin (by which I mean the old Wren's Dubbin used on all of my walking boots for years) any more, as they'd stopped trading. But I looked it up, and found out its a generic name for the action of waterproofing the leather, and there are many still available.... I use Nikwax now but will look at the others, some have interesting oils and tallow in them. Best Harry

I am currently looking for a near perfect water resistance for a small project, so I looked up Sno Seal on Amazon UK... Atsko Sno-Seal Original Beeswax Waterproofing (1-Quart Can) by Atsko by Atsko 1 new from £51.75 or $65.25 at todays rates, so I am back to heating beeswax and neatsfoot oil, hmm, is that smell worth £50???

Sergey, is on this forum. I have just had an excellent experience getting a custom stamp made by him. Best H

In the UK we have a paint called Hammerite, which finishes like that, which I remember they then released Hammerite Smooth for a smooth finish https://www.hammerite.co.uk/

Handstitched comment made me vow never to use my leg as a cutting board... even with the added protection of jeans and a workshop apron.

certainly saw this when I was learning in the 1980s, never did it myself, have a few layers of medium density board glued together, and the flesh side of some veg tanned glued on top of that.

My wife did years back, and her dad just cut the needle off top and bottom, and a neighbour who was a nurse, removed it. She wont touch my Singer 45K58 with the BIG needles. Just AAAARGH not always. Constantly forget my hands are too big for a particular job in one of the car's engine bays, UNTIL I re-graze the knuckles, THEN I remember.

Thank you for the suggestion but my local library has nothing on handbags, and the central library in Norwich (UK) says they cannot help or bring books in from elsewhere... Services seem to be really restricted now. Also the OP is in Denmark, so I am unsure if their libraries would have them, as they're all English language books. Best Harry

I have just watched the video, and found it very enlightening, thank you. Your comments are pertinent and if I had never used an awl for stitching, which I always do for hand stitching, I may have been swayed. However my awl is a £1 (probably £5 now) blade in a £2 (still available at 4 for £6) handle, that I have used and stropped for 30 years. Whilst I look at it and think I must fit a new blade, it still works well, and is still comfortable in my hand, and is still very sharp (see my thread on self-inflicted wounds). I would find it nearly impossible to get used to a new handle (tried it, but did not like it), and the penny-pincher would never come to terms with £79 for an awl, but it sure looks neat and you use it well. Best H

Amen to that. Rest of its a right bastard tho. Thoughts are with you on it. H

Thank you, guys. H

Ok, sounds great as I said earlier, but "bevel backwards" does this just polish and sharpen the flat side? does it creat any burr on the inside? In the picture I have always stropped the blue arow side, but have never tried to strop/sharpen the red side. Some of the recent replies have left me wondering if there is a better way, that I have been missing. Cheers H

So when restoring a 1940s binocular case, that had never been fed or treated, yesterday I managed to diamond awl my left index finger. Yes, I am experienced. Yes, I had fed and treated the leather, to try to get it away from the 'so dry it will tear if you look at it' to workable. Yes, I was avoiding obvious weak areas. But in the final run, re-attaching the lid hinge; a job designed for much smaller hands than mine, I hit a spot with NO strength at all and instead of having to force the awl it went through like a hot knife through butter, straight into my finger. The cut has stopped me stitching today, and I was pondering if it was the stupidest thing I had done or witnessed in a leatherwork shop. It isn't either of them: I stupidly caught a clicking knife that rolled off the bench in 1983, and the blade went straight into bone, luckily only a scar, no worse damage; BUT I can still jump back real fast if tools drop, I am not catching them! I have watched a colleague stitch himself to a sequinned clutch bag on an old Singer, years back, boy did he swear! I saw someone stitch their shirtsleeve into a bag lining. AND Finally for now... The Queen's side saddle maker, was teaching how to use a round knife on leather, and an end grain board, and as he was giving the safety lecture, he hit a snag in the board and the knife took of a small piece of his pinkie... With great calm he said, 'that is exactly what I mean... DO NOT DO IT!' and went to the hospital. Sheesh we were sooooo careful, if someone with his experience could do that! But having lectured later in life, it is so easy to get distracted. AND he had one group that really respect their tools.

'Handbag Making' search in Amazon Books, gives a great range, including an interesting looking one: Handbag Designer 101: Everything You Need to Know About Designing, Making, and Marketing Handbags by Emily Blumenthal and The Bag Making Bible by Lisa Lam - it must be right, its got 'bible' in the title As an addition to mine about Wally Double's above AND BEFORE YOU SHELL OUT $200 on a book... I have discussed it with another ex student of the College, and there view was it can be hard to follow at times, I thought if fair to include their perspective. It is a technical book, and light on illustrations. Harry

There are lots of other Handbag and hndbag making books out there, Amazon has loads, its just my view that Wally Double'ssis the closest to a 'bible'. I understood that 1 of the lecturers from 1980s / 1990s was intending to write another book, but there's no mention of it on the Leather Connection.website. If it was written I'd love a copy. Harry

Depends what you mean by your description, but huge price. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Design-construction-handbags-W-C-Double/dp/B0000CKPOC I was lucky enough to get an authorised photocopy, as a student where he was head of leather goods. I have never seen one available. Harry

I use varifocals for everything (and have done for 12 years) except leatherwork. I have single vision specs based on the distance to bench, whilst standing, as I always stand, as varifocals make rulers look curved at that range and it freaks me.

Look like cuff buttons from a blazer to me. How wide are they? H