Hello From South Africa

[dirkba]

Hi my Fellow South Africans!

Welcome to the forum - we are a couple of "rainbow nation" leather workers on this forum.

I am from Paarl

Edited March 18, 2015 by dirkba

[pietboog]

Hi to all the South Africans, I am from Middelburg MP.

[emo chair]

Sho! That's awesome to see so many of us in this :D

[inn3rs3lf]

Well golly, might as well throw my name in here as well!

I am from Jozi (South)

[JLouw]

Good Day All

I'm from Cape Town. Glad to see we are well represented here.

[DrmCa]

One of my former bosses back in 1999 was from Cape Town, he said it's a hell hole. How are you guys holding up?

[PietBotha]

Hello to all my fellow South Africans

I am from Groot Marico

[Riem]

Hi everyone,

Seems us Saffers introduce ourselves by saying where we're from, eh?  So I'm in Johannesburg, North-western side of the city, although I make the daily trek to the Jozi city centre to earn a living - and so I can afford leather, tools, dye, stamps, thread... Yeah, right.

I'm not completely new to working with leather - it's crossed my path a few times over the last 50 years or so - although I have started actively making stuff about 18 months ago. I learnt a basic saddle stitch from Oupa (Grandpa) as a young laaitie but discovered that I've been doing it either badly or just plain wrong from two sources: leatherworker.net (a.k.a. Leather School, IMHO) and from Mr Bloch of P Bloch & Co. I've joined leatherworker.net sometime last year, and have grown immensely as a hopeful hobbyist leather crafter (or is that "crufter"? ) from reading postings on here. year last yleatherworker.net last year

I've made dozens of smaller and bigger items over the last year or so, including a man bag, tool rolls, a handbag or two, a laptop bag, etc. Also restored a few items for friends, family and colleagues. Below is an image of two of four tool roll style cellphone charger/cable pouches delivered to a work colleague this morning. Made from 1mm thick, pre-dyed Italian "upper" leather and brass tubular rivets, and what little stitching there are on these was done by hand using John James harness needles and acrylic upholstery thread (I think about 0.5 mm, mid-brown).

 

[BDAZ]

Howsit! Born in Joey's and grew up Stateside. Back in SA in the 70s and 80s in The Mother City and was head of Photography at Michaelis, UCT.

Now in Tucson, AZ where it is 43C, but great for drying wet formed  leather and finishes. There's a big SA club in Tucson and we can buy decent boerewors at the local sausage shop. Ideal for making biltong and spice from CT is available at Amazon.

Hear CT had some rains and the taps are still working!

As for the Canuk's comments, if Cape Town is a hell hole, what do you call Saskatoon, Calgary, Winnipeg, Yellow Knife, ad nauseum...?

Bob

Edited July 6, 2018 by BDAZ

[Riem]

Thanks for the welcome, BDAZ! Well, that "howzit" says it all... I've read many of your postings and have never suspected a South African background. Good to make your acquaintance.

Quite cold in Jozi today - predicted max @ 14°C today. I've taken a day off work today and want to start on an ammo belt for a friend's shotgun shells - he does clay pigeon shooting. He recently gave me a fresh Gemsbok (Oryx) skin... That's at a tannery being turned intoa vegtan hair-on skin at the moment. I'll receive it back in about four months. Still have not decided what to make from it.

Cape Town had a hard time with drought the last few years, so the rain is truly heaven sent. Doubt it will solve their problem this season since the it aquifers are also depleted and will take a couple of years to fill. But at least they can start showering again!