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Mulesaw

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Posts posted by Mulesaw

  1. Posted · Report reply

    6 hours ago, TomE said:

    Looks like an adventure!  Keep us posted, Jonas. I am considering buying a large clicker press from a friend for less than a custom die will cost.  He closed his business making boot insoles for major brands like Thorogood and has retired.  It would take up space in my machine shed but I'm considering clicking out the yokes and decorative pieces for farrier aprons like the one I previously posted.  I haven't done any production work before and I'm debating whether to branch out or stick with made to order tack.  

    Hi Tom

    If you have the space for the clicker press I would get it if I were you!
    Offers like that only comes once in a 100 years. And I suppose that if he is retiring, then theoretically you could perhaps continue with his insole production for one or two of his old customers, that would also be branching out, albeit not in the horse world. 
    Depending on how difficult it would be to make insoles, I am guessing that it was one of those tasks that could be handled by a high school kid with a bit of technical flair. But then you would have to employ a person, and that might be more trouble than it is worth.

    Based on my collection of various woodworking machinery, I can honestly say that I have very rarely regretted getting something old of industrial quality. the quality of older machines is normally first class. 
    And I think that even on a large clicker press - you are able to make small items. 

    I have been toying with the idea of making key fobs out of old saddles, I just need to make a die for it. I guess that my drill press will be sufficient to work as a press in those cases, but I would have to experiment with it. 

    The good news on these sewing machines is that since liberally spraying everything with WD40 last night, they move a lot better today than yesterday. 
    Still I think that they need a more thorough cleaning and a good oiling with sewing machine oil or similar, to run as smooth as I like.

    Brgds Jonas

  2. Posted · Report reply

    37 minutes ago, Wizcrafts said:

    The red machine is probably a curved needle out sole stitcher. You'd likely hold the shoe upsde down and sew around the sole from where it is skived in front of the heel. The gray machine is a McKay style insole stitcher. You place the shoe over the rotating horn with the bottom up and sew close to the inside of the shoe. A shoe repairman can explain it better.

    Thanks a lot Wiz, McKay style insole stitcher, that gives me somethig that I can try to Google. :-)
    I had tried with 10 different things like boot stitcher etc, but nothing really came up.

    I have found a manual for a 317 in here, that should be a bit more modern than the 309, but I guess still the basic same principle. 

    Both machines need a bit of oiling, and I just sprayed them with some WD40 to get them to move a bit more freely. At least I can turn the 309 a full revolution now, but it still isn't moving super easy.
    The 300 seems to have a bit fewer moving parts, and that one is moving a lot easier already.
    I like that it is manually foot operated, so the only electric part on it is the heated cup for wax/tar, and I also like that both of them are so incredibly sturdy built. It is a pure joy to see and spin something that was clearly made to last.

    Brgds Jonas

     

  3. Posted · Report reply

    While browsing the classifieds here in Norway while we are in dry dock, I came across an ad where someone gave away 2 Pedersen sewing machines for free!
    I quickly established a contact and in an incredibly stroke of luck apparently I was the first one to show an honest interest.

    I got a friend to go along for the ride to help carry the machines, and about an hour later I find myself to be the lucky owner of a Pedersen 309 sole sewing machine, and a Pedersen type 300 sewing machine.
    The 309 comes complete with bobbins and extra needles etc, and that one I have seen mentioned before in here. 

    The type 300, I haven't been able to dig up any information about. As far as I have been able to find, it is still some sort of sole stitcher, but if anyone has got a more correct name or maybe even a manual for something similar, it will be greatly appreciated.

    Both machines are in need of a thorough cleaning and oiling to run freely again. But none of them are mistreated.
    The next big challenge is to get them sent from Norway to Denmark, but for the price that I didn't pay to get them, there should still be some money left that I can use for shipping.

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  4. Posted · Report reply

    I use either the vehicle inspired passwords, or I use song that is translated into a password.

    A lot of places requires both capital letters, special signs, small letters and a number to accept your password, and the song trick works for me, you just replace the words in the songs first line or refrain or whatever part you like with either letters, special signs or figures.

    Old Mc Donald had a farm, the verse with a cow could be: Aot#hh1C (And on that farm he had 1 cow) I know it is supposed to be a cow, but in this case it doesn't matter.

    On another note: Spammers are annoying, and generally I think that @Northmount and the rest of the moderators are doing a great job in keeping a tight ship. There is very little spam that compared to what you would expect given the number of users etc. in here.

    Brgds Jonas

  6. Posted · Report reply

    I read it as palm the first time, it wasn't until now that I noticed the s :-) 

    Another thing is that I find it really practical to have a polished ball been hammer. I was taught to rivet using the ball end of the hammer, and on copper rivets you can make such a beautiful head if the ball is polished. Mostly I don't use a domed head maker (or whatever the name of it is), the rivets just look better with all these small facets that are smooth and shiny.

    So I disagree on the overkill :-) 

    Brgds Jonas

  7. Posted · Report reply

    @rastanley I'd buy a small envelope of curved needles, get some that are around 1.5" (38 mm) in length. (As far as I remember the strange measuring system of curved needles, they measure the distance between the eye end and the tip straight across. Kind of like the opening of the needle).

    Also get a curved awl. For most repair jobs on saddles I use a curved awl that is round. You can also get one that is diamond shaped, but normally the leather where it needs patching is worn really thin, so I prefer to make as small a hole as possible - hence the round awl.

    Try to use a backstitch, so you only have one thread and one needle. The curved awl will help navigating to the next hole. Also you'll probably need some pliers to steer and push the curved needle. They tend to be weirdly difficult to use just by hand.

    Brgds Jonas

  8. Posted · Report reply

    Looks really good.

    I like the shape of the handle on the cobblers hammer. Such nice curves :-)
    The Tung oil finish looks great, and I like that you haven't sanded the handles down to "new" wood. There is just the right patina on the handles now.  

  9. Posted · Report reply

    23 hours ago, Sheilajeanne said:

    Nice work! But did you consider replacing the zippers with elastic so this wouldn't happen again? Or has she learned her lesson about what zippers are for? :lol:

    Thanks

    She wanted it done as cheap as possible, so elastic was never even discussed :-) I think she got those boots at some kind of sale, so she didn't want to spend too much on it. 
    I found this to be a fun repair job, and it really didn't take long plus I had those pink scraps lying around, so it was just a quick and easy repair. 

    Brgds Jonas

  13. Posted · Report reply

    One of my regular customers had somehow managed destroy some short boots that she had just bought. She had forced her foot into them without opening the zipper - and the thin leather of the shaft had ripped apart. As far as I understood, her old similar boots had elastics in the side, and out of old habit she had just forced her foot into them as soon as she got them without using the zipper..
    She called me and asked if I could do anything about it, and they were intended to be used as stable boots, so looks really didn't matter, she just liked them since they were like her old and well worn (and slightly wider) boots. She had gotten them on a sale, so it was technically just a question of getting them back to some kind of working state as cheap as I could.

    The jagged rips were maybe 3.5" in each and not along a stitching but right down the skin itself, not in the same spot but in the front so it was really visible. 
    After looking at the problem and pondering over different solutions, I decided that it was easier to make something that would look like a decoration rather than a repair patch. I called her and suggested the idea and she loved that idea, so I was given free hands to make something a bit flashy.

    The result was two bubblegum pink lightning bolts on the front part of the boots. So now they look like some cartoon hero boots, and she is the fastest parent in the local horse club stable:-)

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  16. Posted · Edited by Mulesaw · Report reply

    This time at home, a customer asked if I could have a look at her Louis Vuitton bag where the upper folded leather edge had almost completely deteriorated.

    I had some light beige pig skin that looked like it was the same that was used originally, and I googled to see if LV used pigskin, and the page I found confirmed this. 
    A trip to the local sewing shop to find a matching colour of yellow and then it was just a matter of carefully removing the old one and sewing on a new edge.

    The customer had at one point renewed the closure strap with some fairly thin leather strap. She asked if I could see if I could find something a bit beefier. 
    After some Googling I found a picture of the same model of bag, and it looked as it was originally made with a sewn closure strap matching the upper edge.

    End result: A happy customer and a bag that can be used for a couple of years more.

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  19. Posted · Report reply

    6 minutes ago, TomE said:

    He is a world class farrier blacksmith.  Makes it look easy.

    I often find myself thinking that no matter what trade a person have, watching someone who can do that trade really efficiently is always amazing. There is just something about those who are able to make it look so easy and getting a good result that catches your attention.

     

  20. Posted · Report reply

    5 hours ago, TomE said:

    Good looking collar and nice buckle!  This reminds me of a Craig Trnka video showing how to make a bar shoe.  He has a bigger surface to work on than you. 

     

    Thanks Tom.

    That is an amazing video! blacksmithing is fascinating to watch, and especially when it is someone that really know their stuff!

    Brgds Jonas

  21. Posted · Report reply

    10 hours ago, Klara said:

    The collar is beautiful, but what really impresses me is the hardware! I wouldn't dream of making a buckle. Kudos to you!

    Thanks Klara, I like to challenge myself once in a while, and it was made while I was at sea anyway, so it served as a nice fun play project to me. 
    I have to say that I think my heart and the bone look a bit "flat", compared to how other people are able to carve and stamp. I am not really good at organic shapes. but then on the other hand - I never really practices anyway. So that might be an explanation. 

    I would love to be able to make a rounded heart that doesn't look like a drawing made of a 7 year old :-) But I guess I'll have to be content that I can make a buckle instead :lol:

    Brgds Jonas

  22. Posted · Report reply

    1 hour ago, Northmount said:

    I think it is worth the double post.  Catches more peoples' attention.  Keep up the great work.

    Thanks Northmount, I'm glad you like the results :-)

    At first I had chosen a bunch of files related to the build, but then I decided that I would split the project into the actual leatherwork and then the fabrication, so I only pressed the + on the leather pictures (I think they say "insert into post". 
    And then I pressed submit post or whatever the button is called. I am 90% sure that was how I did it, so without looking much into it I started the post on the hardware :rolleyes2:

    Brgds Jonas

     

  24. Posted · Report reply

    11 minutes ago, chuck123wapati said:

    Another bucket list project for the future  That is very cool work. If you had round stock and a little better jig it would take minutes to make one

    Yes, the problem with the stock is that I only have some 3 mm brass thread (welding rod) and that looked to thin and flimsy. After all it is a fairly large dog that it should be used on.
    Also I didn't want to make a jig for just a single buckle like I did for the stainless D-rings I made for the stallion halter.

    I have helped a couple of our trainees making a belt buckle every now and then, and it is worth all the trouble when I see how proud they are because they have made it themselves. 
    That feeling when they discover that they can actually make something like that is incredible to watch. 

    I don't know how I managed to mess up my posting. I didn't think that I had attached all those production pictures in the collar post. Because I decided that they were a bit off-topic for that post. So now I look like some click hungry jerk who double post :wacko:

    When my daughter sailed with us, we made a belt buckle out of a stainless steel rod that came from the large industrial mixer form the galley (like a giant kitchen-aid). She liked the idea of using a part of some old equipment and she was employed in the galley department anyway. 
    It is funny but to me and probably you as well, it is just simple thrift to use something like that instead of throwing it away, but for many young people it is called upcycling :lol:

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