Hi Chaps
Spent a very pleasant weekend visiting some old friends who have a collection of old leather working machines, that they put to use making leather goods, he picks the machine up from all over the place, some are over 100 years old, needless to say they need a bit of work on them and bits making to get them running:- thats where I help.
Any way her's a few pics as

This is a tredle operated blocking machine: you get the fly wheel spinning with the tredle which get the plate going up and down you put a bit of leather with a blocking knife on top and it cuts the shape out.

This is a key fob, I saw other examples of dog collars etc cut out with it.

This is for cutting leather into strips suitable for belts etc it got a row of rasor sharp blades spaced out along the shaft, one job we did over the week end was to put it together and get it working, the worse thing wrong with it was the shaft was bent but by carful work with a length of 3*2 we got it running true and working sweetly,


This machine is used to roll a bead down the edge of a strap edge or a bag etc


This is used to punch a row of holes down a belt, you set the pitch and then just keep winding the handle and you get the holes, your's truely made the punches for it.

These are some of his embossing tools.


At this point my Batteries gave in on my Camera

so I can't show the rest of his kit.
A bit of leather work
A key fob

My bosses new handbag

And a leather holder for my vernier

Because the leather quality wasn't too fussy for the vernier cover I asked for it not to be made in good quality leather so a piece was used that had barb wire scars on it you can just see the scars if you look closely.
Its really satisfying to work on this old machine and get them working again, I brought an old victorean Islet machin back with me that needs retooling to take modern Islets, I'll start a thread on the work when I do it.
This is my Friends web site
www.barefootleather.co.ukEnjoy
Stew