TanDan

Thanks Hardrada, I had seen this previously but reading though it again got me to re-check the abbey england site, which lead me to this - https://www.abbeyengland.com/ritza-20-tiger-polyester-braided-thread-7738.html Not too sure why I missed this when I previously checked the site. According to abbey england "Similar to Ritza 25 Tiger thread, Ritza 20 has a waxed coating and manufactured by Danish company Julius Koch. However, the polyester braid is thinner than the Ritza 25 and not as strong". But I assume ritza 20 is still considerably stronger than any linnen or cotton thread of the same diameter? I was really hoping to be able to find something official from Julius Koch, it would be good to know what colours are available in the range. Abbey currently has three available, Black, Mid Brown & Fawn. Great to know that it it hasn't been discontinued.

Hi all, While hunting for Ritza 25 at a good price I came across an Ebay seller that had full spools of a thread called Ritza 20, does anyone know anything about this thread? I wasn't able to find anything on the Julius Koch website, and just a tiny bit of info from other sources, mostly this forum. I wonder if it may have been discontinued? It appears to be a lighter version of Ritza 25, using a finer thread to weave the braid and so has a lower breaking strain, is that the only difference between the two?

Oh well, I ended up ordering a pair of the diamond lap discs, a 600 and a 1200 grit. I would really like to use some of that adhesive magnetic sheet to mount them but fear the magnetism may be too weak to get a good hold on the discs, I will report back when I have figured out how best to mount them to the polisher.

Thanks all, apologies for the tragically slow response. I have some Tokonole on the way now from goods japan, it should hopefully arrive in about a week. I only ordered a single pot sooooo fingers crossed it may get through, I will let you know if I end up paying more than its worth in import fees:( I also picked up a couple of beeswax bars, two natural bars and two black bars which ended up costing only £1 per bar including delivery. (this is the Ebay item number if anyone is curious - 113903303452) I haven't managed to pickup any PVA yet, but I was planning on getting this one - https://www.wickes.co.uk/Evo-Stik-Evo-Bond-Waterproof-PVA---5L/p/137663 LOL, how long do you think 5L would last if just used for edge finishing? Zuludog - yeah, most definitely. There is such a vast amount of personal edge finishing techniques it can get bit overwhelming. Thanks for the tools suppliers, I think I may have to order the George Barnsley and Sons clicker handle and blades, a diamond awl and possibly the saddlers half head knife, looks like nice stuff for the price. Matt S - Thanks for the tips! i will pick up some of the above PVA when wickes get it back in stock and will have a look into a suitable colour-fast dye to have a play around with. AndyNext - Thanks for the info, hopefully I may be able to get a single pot over without incurring all the fees, maybe...... fredk - Oh, interesting. I cant say I've seen that one in the shops but its not something i'm usually looking for. Is this the same stuff? https://www.alexsuperstore.com/astonish-wood-floor-polish---1l-43600-p.asp?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI87O08cPe5wIVCbDtCh0zzwU8EAQYASABEgJwGfD_BwE I guess, you could also add astonish to other types of water based finishes to improve the water resistance, do you know if there is an unscented one available? although tangerine and cinnamon could be nice, very festive

Thanks everyone, its been a great help! kirbytorres - great, it will be good to hear how you get on with it. I have been keeping mine in a dark cupboard at room temp for the last 3 days, it doesn't appear to be getting any thicker and still smells odorless. maybe try out adding a few drops of Dettol as AndyNext suggests, I think I will it sounds like a great idea, Cheers Andy. Mark842 - Ah, good to know. I had a good look into Neat-Lac it appears to be favoured by quite a few. I did manage to find Eco-flow Neat Lac But I think this may be a modern water based remix. Is that what the Eco-flow range is, all less toxic water based versions of the classic dyes and finishes? Barry King's Wyo Slick also looks great, he does a small pot for I think $5, I will definitely have order some. Would be a shame not to try it out at that price. zuludog - Ah, quite a bit coarser than I expected! I think I know those foam blocks you mean, I will grab one next time i'm close to a DIY store. I have also been getting on really well with one of those Japanese skiving knives with the rectangular offset blade, i only have quite a reasonable one but it holds a great edge. I may consider get one of the nice ones from goodsjapan, I will let you know if i do. The "VAT/import duty at 20%" you mentioned, are goodsjapan able to add this to the order at checkout? or do UK customs / royal mail hold your parcel until you pay them separately? Chiefjason & Tugadude - Yep, will definitely have to try out Tokonole, i also spotted the brown and black versions may be worth a try. Thanks Chrisash - I knew about artisan and abbey but I wasn't aware of identity and leprevo, i will save them in my favorites. Matt S - Oh, very cool! It never crossed my mind to try out PVA what did you use to add the colour? a water based leather dye maybe? I will have to pick up a bottle of PVA tomorrow and give this a try. Oh, do you wet the edge of the leather first before adding the PVA? Thanks again everyone.

Nice one, thanks for the quick replies. lol, I almost said the same but felt I had to behave myself as i'm new to the forum so went for wallpaper paste Ah yeah, I meant to mention Tokonole. Great to hear you both think highly of it, I will get some ordered in next few days. I have been quite curious about goodsjapan.com it look like they have some great stuff available. Can you recommend any other good tools or finishes only available from japan? That I could add to the same order. Zuludog, what sort of grit sandpaper do you normally use for the first stage of your edge finishing? Mark842, was that with the furniture polish in a tin or the one of those bees wax bars? Thanks for the help!

Hi all, I'm based in the UK, most of our local gum tragacanth is only really available in a powdered or crystal form normally used in baking. I have been playing around with mixing some up for edge burnishing. 1Tsp of crushed gum trag crystals to 200ml of luke warm water, makes a nice mix. Similar to the consistency of wallpaper paste. Time will tell how long it will keep for, I fear that it may go bad quite quickly as I don't think the gum trag crystals are sterile. Do other people do this? or should I stop being a skinflint and pay out for the Fiebings one from the US or possibly the synthetic one from Craft in Japan.

Hi all, I have an old Metaserv Universal Polisher. like this - https://spectrographic.co.uk/products/metaserv-universal-twin-polisher I would like to get it setup for sharpening my tools, 1000 grit ish wet grinder on the faster wheel and a leather strop on the slower one. But i'm struggling to find any suitable adhesive wet and dry sheets/discs at a reasonable price. The discs need to be 200mm / 8" diameter. While searching I stumbled across the cheap Chinese diamond lapping discs available on eBay and amazon. I think they are typically used to facet stones for jewelry. like this - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/120mm-Diamond-Coated-Flat-Lap-Wheel-Ceramic-Glass-Grinding-Discs-46-2000-Grits/401784288990?hash=item5d8c35b6de:m:m4w5o-l07fVjaKANC50SGMA Does anyone have any experience with these? are they any good or a waste of money?