Klara

I did almost the same thing, except it was steel, 1 m long, and 30 x 3 mm cross section, or thereabouts (label is in the trash).

Thanks!

Thanks for the link! The point of burnishing is smoothing down the leather "fibres", glueing them together and polishing the edges to make them look better for longer, isn't it? So the way I see it, the tool isn't all that important as it's not precision work, unlike for example cutting. A long time ago, in a general tool forum, I read the advice that in order to spend one's money wisely one should buy the high-quality tools where precision matters. An electric jigsaw that doesn't cut straight is a problem. An orbital sander that wobbles a bit more in one direction not really. Found a nice description of burnishing: https://www.goldbarkleather.com/sourceblog/2015/12/29/a-basic-guide-to-burnishing

Or might it be commercial anti-slip tape of the type that's sold for stairs? I'll look in a hardware shop next chance I get...

I'm sewing by hand. The groover is for marking the line where you then set the chisel or pricking iron. As far as I know you don't use either for machine sewing so that's a tool you don't need to buy.

Thanks, I have read about cork, or seen it on another video. But in this case it was a dark material and semed very thin, so hopefully Frodo's concern (which I can understand, without having tried) would not apply...

My burnisher came from Amazon for Euro 20 with a groover and 4 chisels and it works if I want to spend the elbow grease (I'm tempted to find a grooved disk for my battery drill...) In a book I found the advice of using ballistic nylon for rubbing the edges (and I remember reading somewhere about polishing shoes with nylon tights or stockings). So, bearing in mind that I'm a beginner as well, I think a burnisher need not be part of the first tools in one box, and a cheap one will do. Or a homemade one.

Does anybody know what the non-slip tape is that's stuck to the back of the rulers? Because I also have a problem with cutting along a ruler. I do however get straight enough cuts by rocking a headknife back and forth along a previously drawn line. I love my head knife, even if it's a bit of work to keep sharp. But keeping knives sharp is ine of life's essential skills (like sewing a button back on or boiling an egg) and I've just seen (once again) during breakfast preparation that even a few half-arsed strokes down a steel (or whatever) make a huge difference.

The colour turned out nice, but the leather became really hard and stiff and oiling it did not remedy that. I won't repeat the experiment.

Regarding the amount of leather you'll get, it's in the lower little box (in the upper one you choose the thickness). Can $ 95.25 is for 9 to 10 square feet (foot?) But you'll probably want European veg. tanned leather (because you can get it thicker), and there the price is in square meters (about 10 square ft. to the m2). (Anybody else thinks it hilarious that they sell European leather in Canada and leather from Argentina in Europe? And I wouldn't be surprised if my local shop's supply came at least in part from Tandy - many of the tools certainly do.) (Oops, I took so long typing that the post is superfluous. But I don't see a way to delete...)

This method sounds too good to be true, so I had to try it. Can't say anything about the final colours yet (I tried washing soda as well, in the spirit of scientific inquiry) because the leather has to dry, but it's definitely darker than just wet leather. But it seems to have a reddish tinge to it.

Isn't the tobacco normally kept in its packaging inside the pouch?

After messing around with a few decorative rivets (and it is a mess, for lack of a rivet setter, but now I know why one needs it) I think that I just possibly might leave well-set rivets uncovered on the inside, meaning I'd use them on an unpadded collar. Maybe. Whereas I hate the idea of prongs that could bend in the wrong direction and poke my dog in the neck. No idea how high the risk really is, but my instincts say not to do it. As for the templates: I make my own. Get some ideas from looking at internet pictures, take a piece of paper in the shape of my collar, draw the pattern on it till I like it, put the paper on the leather and poke through with a scratch awl where the rivets are to go. For the moment I don't make a more permanent version of the template, because I don't want to do the same pattern over and over.

Will do! Now if only the snap hooks I want came back into stock so I could place my order...

Thank you!

The last one for the moment, I'm out of D-rings. It should be solid enough for everyday wear.

Don't I know it. For a while I was worried that mine would grow taller than the standard allows. But now at 8 momths she doesn't visibly change any more. I hope you don't mind if I copy your idea (the bit with the buckle) for a length-adjustable greyhound martingale collar? For martingale collars are great, but only if they fit exactly.

So the length adjustment is for the collar to grow with the puppies? I had wondered...

True, I don't see any either. Is any padding under the bison or just the leather? (And did you do the camo pattern yourself?)

That is a perfect description of Rika du Castel d'Enfer! But mainly I don't like the look of the wrinkles.

Well, what does it look like on the inside when it is bent as around a dog's neck? While lying flat it looks good, see the laws of physics quoted above (isn't it rather geometry?) Yes, I put foam inside the inner red leather as per instructions (and safety belt from a car wreck in the outer layer for solidity, my idea). I have wondered about the necessity of padding, but for the moment I'm experimenting and learning, sometimes following instructions, sometimes not. Then I try the collars on my dog and we see what we like. I think padding becomes most useful with rivets etc on the outer layer. Very soon I'll try a collar without any sort of padding, just to see what Rika thinks.

Thanks for pointing that out, I hadn't got so far. If I'm understanding correctly, there's quite a few possibilities to arrive at the same result. Guess I'll have to take a bit of scrap leather and try them all..

Back to the book: I tried to watch Nigel's saddle stitch video, but as he works with the awl in the left hand and considers the left side the front, his instructions are the opposite of Stohlman's. Or are they? Trying to figure it out made my head spin! So, question to the people who have read the book: Are the instructions in there for left-handers as well, or is the front on the right?

Are you talking about machine sewing? Not my problem I did glue my latest collar (not sewn yet) in the round, but I had marked the stitches flat beforehand. I think that should work. If I had the right thread...

Exactly. Which is why I was surprised by the pro's work and asked the question in the first place. But I suppose the explanation is that most dog collars are stored and sold flat. The wrinkles only form once on the dog and then they are invisibly on the inside... But martingale collars - the only type I am currently interested in - are always round anyway. At least until I find a way of adding a buckle without removin comfort or looks...