Klara

In Germany and France we are allowed to have and wear as many holsters as we like, as long as we only use them to carry a banana (like the Costa Rican police at one time) - or similarly inoffensive items.

Nope, they are beamed up by Ikea, cut into pieces and put into the dispensers in their stores. Generally I take back a handful when I am there...

What for? I like neither the look nor the handles (practically all ma bags have a shoulder strap)...

What I dislike about Yangzhi tools is not their location or nationality, but the fact that they don't have a website. But then, I am not an Instagram user and have no idea how it works. If you are happy buying there and can't find a local manufacturer (!), go ahead. I figure the Chinese people must fix their government themselves if they are unhappy with it. I buy from China if I need to (a Seagull watch only available from the manufacturer), if things are very much cheaper (usually I get what I paid for) and recently because I forgot to check the seller's address on Amazon (but then it was the only one for this exact product). Mostly I avoid Aliexpress because of the horrible search engine and the awful descriptions...

That's a brilliant idea! There is also a commercial solution: Short magnetic sleeves that fit around a pencil, like this https://www.thomann.de/fr/art_of_music_magpen_bleistift_mit_magneten.htm Music supply houses have them to stick a pencil to the stand (and then you discover that your stand is aluminium. My pencils stick on the fridge...)

So true! And your test piece is looking good!

Are you talking about the ones used in soft pouches for glasses? That sort of thing? https://www.amazon.com/SUPVOX-Internal-Frames-Spring-Handbag/dp/B07VB6RXRX/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1AVLHK8NWNTH7&keywords=Kiss+clip&qid=1689058619&s=arts-crafts-intl-ship&sprefix=kiss+clip%2Carts-crafts-intl-ship%2C648&sr=1-4 I found it by looking for kiss clip, which I am nearly sure is not the correct term, but it's what was in the description of a Chinese product on French Amazon... (bought them for making dog treat pouches)

My guess (!) for the thread would be waxed macramé thread - micro-macramé also comes from South America, as far as I know. But I figure waxed leather sewing thread will work as well, though there's probably fewer colours available. I figure waxed thread has a better chance of staying put while wrapping... And now I really want to try this design - on a bracelet, for starters? I think I'd make a cardboard template and use @GrampaJoel's screwdriver idea...

Could it be just a general term for either a martingale or a tie-down? Just any sort of strap that "leads up" to the head?

I have a GoPro clone, but hardly ever use it because I don't like it's pictures. Whereas a lot of people say that smartphones make great pictures and have killed the compact camera market. So I want to try one.

That's been my line of thinking as well. Though cell service is pretty good in France, emergency services are lousy, as I experienced with broken ribs at home. So calling for help might not do much good... As far as I know the Olympus Toughy has very good reviews. And there's other underwater cameras as well. It shouldn't be impossible to make an underwater phone. Actually, Blackview (the only Chinese manufacturer with an address in France) claim that you can use their phones for underwater photography. They claim... I would be hesitant to spend that much in the first place (that's about what I paid to build a complete PC with UPS and monitor...) The phones I am thinking about are around € 200, but I am very aware of the problem mentioned in the article you linked: 810G is a very good idea, but it's only a manufacturer's promise, which might be worth something or not. Which is why I really would like to see some serious tests, or experiences/reviews by people who actually used the things (instead of unboxing and playing for a few days).

Completely off-leatherwork-topic, but I am running out of forums to ask in: Does anybody have either experience with such phones, or links to websites with neutral, reasonably reliable information about smartphones that are waterproof, dustproof, shockproof (IP69K, Mil-Spec-810) especially regarding their photo and video capabilities? It's not an aspect that is emphasised in the videos I have so far seen on YouTube and of course no manufacturer writes "the camera on this model is shitty, if you want to intercut with videos from a Panasonic Lumix, buy this model instead". And that's what I want to do: Use the films from the phone, taken on or in the water with my dog, in conjunction with clips from my other cameras. And I want a phone (and not an Olympus Toughy or waterproof Ricoh) because I don't actually have a phone and it might one day be useful to call for help (actually, it is listed as necessary safety equipment for kayaking - so far I am doing without because our lake for practicing is less dangerous than the road that leads to it). Any and all advice is welcome!

Cheeky is a nice way of saying it... Gaia is demanding and has no respect at all. Things are to be done her way, right now and she'd love to terrorize everybody. Except I refuse to be (unlike the dog, who is wary of her).

They sell straps for glasses that are entirely made from neoprene. I suppose you could sew/rivet a small tube of neoprene to your leather strap. You could get the neoprene (if you have no old diving suit etc.) by buying one commercial strap. Two tubes ready-made and material for several more.

If you can cut it straight, glueing or screwing it together in a box shape is not difficult at all. Actually, what I am thinking of is probably more a ledge than a tray: A strip of (ply)wood the width of the board just wide enough for a strap cutter, with maybe a low edge all around to stop things from falling off. Something like this but wider, not so high and of course you don't need the backboard but can put it directly on your A-frame.

You could add a tray at the bottom of the board (or the other side) for everything that doesn't conveniently fit under a strip of leather (or on a magnetic one). I have magnetic strips in the kitchen for my knives and in the workshop for everything.

To me it looks as if somebody had sharpened too much the middle of the curve over too long a time, thus changing the shape.

This is a brilliant idea, thanks for sharing! I don't know yet what I'll be using it for, but I think some day I will... Btw, how do you feel about magnetic strips for knives? I believe they save a few seconds each time (because there is no need to remove a sheath).

Beautiful!

I don't think leather conditioner will do vinyl any good. I would probably use a slightly wet sponge with a drop of dishwashing liquid.

Never seen one like it, but I'll give you my opinion: Whereas the snap looks to be nice solid quality for a cat harness, I wouldn't call it "refined" or think it suitable for a purse with its orange mobile part. Btw, try "swivel carabiner" as a search term... The part looks similar to what mountain climbers use, only smalller.

Are Blanchard knives so sought after that it would be worth faking them? I wouldn't have thought so. Also, even if it is a fake, it might still do the job - the leather being cut won't care about the manufacturer I would be more worried about the shape of the knife: The curve seems wrong to me. It might not "roll" as smoothly as it should. That would explain the low price.

It's seriously beautiful, even with the fuzzy edges! And I think you can easily burnish the edges now with beeswax or tokonole, which would polish the look for comparatively little work/time.

Danne, aren't you the person who makes the straps with the glass-like edges? Then in my book you are an expert! I think that people should make their watch straps themselves (and for themselves, not for sale) and then they are free to experiment. I have tablet-woven them from handspun silk (not a good idea as silk does not stand up well to sweat), and have now two different leather ones, which I had shown in this thread. They both work for me: The "ugly" one doesn't look so bad on the arm (and it's standing up very well to daily wear despite being of soft leather) and the uncomfortable one has gottem more comfortable as it has shaped itself to my arm (and water hasn't destroyed it either). Based on these results I will continue to make whatever takes my fancy - but only for me, not some unsuspecting customer.

What I find interesting about chisels, pricking irons and awls is the price differences: The way I see it, people who want to punch the holes all the way through are looking for the "perfect" chisels/irons which are expensive. Whereas for only marking stitches, any cheap chisel will do but you need an awl and practice. A decent awl can be had for about $ 10 (plus sharpening equipment which you'll need sooner or later anyway), an excellent one (Barry King) was under $ 100 when I looked last. Which is still better than buying several sets (I don't always use the same stitch length) of expensive stitching chisels. So for me it's a no-brainer: Cheap chisels + cheap awl + lots of practice = good results for little money.