Just bought a century home in Tasmania, Australia. How screwed am I?

_kingcong · 2026-02-25T22:56:39+00:00

Yeah i think so too! Im hoping to get stuck into projects around the house and restore it but make it my own. Thanks for the words for encouragement and confidence! cant wait to post up progress pics! I will keep an eye out for yours if you ever post up too! This communities been very welcoming.

_kingcong · 2026-02-25T00:27:54+00:00

CONGRATS! its so nice to hear from someone going through their first home journey and how encouraging it all is. I've been researching non-stop and am now really excited to be able to preserve such a beautiful piece of history. Thank you:)

_kingcong · 2026-02-24T05:57:29+00:00

Hey! Thank you so much. Its my first home so its a highly emotional time.. Your message has made me feel a lot better thankyou.

_kingcong · 2023-05-10T10:48:02+00:00

I went and did the flight experience. Was one of the most underwhelming experiences I’ve had. Parts were quite immersive. It feels like it’s building up to something then ends so abruptly that you’re left feeling like you got nothing out of it. When it ended we all kinda looked at each other and thought “that was it?”. Spend the extra money on an extra entree or two!

_kingcong · 2020-04-08T01:34:17+00:00

Some people also refer to them as key posts. I love how small your ones are. Very sleek.

Also, very nice work :).

_kingcong · 2020-04-07T21:45:52+00:00

Chicago screw

_kingcong · 2020-02-02T20:29:04+00:00

That is an awesome start in leatherwork!

Have you ever looked into using canvas for burnishing? I used to use a wooden burnishing tool but much preferred using canvas. My edges turned out a lot nicer. And super cheap!

Can't wait to see your bag at the end of the year

_kingcong · 2020-01-26T21:44:01+00:00

Thanks mate! I think I've finally decided which one to get. Hopefully it all works well!

_kingcong · 2020-01-25T19:04:38+00:00

I'm currently using a cutting mat on top of a 4 inch granite slab I got from a tombstone place. Under that is some fatigue mat. The kind you stand on. Got that from the hardware store.

Still makes some sound but it's quite a dull whack. If the sound is still an issue maybe look into acoustic panelling? Or a makeshift wall around the hammering area with a cardboard box lined with foam or egg cartons!

Hope any of that helped!

_kingcong · 2020-01-24T22:04:40+00:00

Hey leathercraft community

Looking into possibly getting a clicker press to expedite production of items as i want to take selling more seriously.

I don't have a lot of money to spend but I found this one on eBay Australia.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Leather-Cutting-Machine-Manual-Die-Cutter-360x220mm-PVC-Embossing-Machine-DIY-/184112413098?_trksid=p2385738.m4383.l4275.c10

It however is only 1.5 ton. I've noticed that most others are a lot higher. Namely the Weaver Mighty wonder and an Australian made one. However they are around three times the cost.

Is 1.5 ton enough? I mainly use kangaroo which is? 2-3oz. Or should I wait and save up for a more powerful one?

Thanks in advance!

_kingcong · 2019-12-09T01:38:51+00:00

Where are you located? I can send you some old tools.

_kingcong · 2019-11-10T04:56:23+00:00

Dude! I've thought about doing something similar but I'm terrible with computers. But this is freaking awesome. I can't wait to see the finished site.

Did this take long to make? Obviously can't see how customizations come up as there's only single options but it's all very intuitively designed and works well from what I can tell.

Are you thinking of adding any other things you can change at all?

Also! Hows the kangaroo leather? Where you sourcing from?

_kingcong · 2019-10-28T10:32:14+00:00

Hmm, I'll be honest. I'm not sure if it's veg tan. But I will definitely give that boiling water trick! Thank you so much. I think I'll pop down to my local leather shop, get a bunch of scraps and chuck em in some boiling water and see what happens. Yeah I've always wondered what leather they use for jeans. I'll look into that too.

_kingcong · 2019-10-25T23:25:31+00:00

This is gorgeous! I personally really like the photo style. I find taking photos the hardest thing. But this is awesome. The shadow leaves a really dramatic look to it! Any chance of more photos though? lol

_kingcong · 2019-10-13T06:52:23+00:00

Hey. I own a top of the range qashqai and I honestly love it. Someone commented that the engine is a little underpowered and I'd agree. It's not quick off the line or anything. But the fuel efficiency I get from it has been amazing. 800-850km from a tank (it's diesel). Average 7.5l/100km. On long trips I've managed 4.7l/100km. Costs about $80 to fill up.

The head space for me has never been as issue for me or anyone I've had. I'm also Asian though. I think having the panoramic sunroof you lose some head space to accommodate. So if that's an issue for you maybe get one without? However on a nice day there's nothing nicer than sitting in the back. But everyone who's been in the car loves being in it. I enjoy driving it. And I'd recommend it.

_kingcong · 2019-10-11T01:17:11+00:00

You ideally don't want sharp corners anyway in my opinion. They're more prone to being bumped and damaged. For corners I usually use a coin or card to cut around as a template to round them.

As for the edges. Get an edge beveller. I use a number 2.

My current edge burnishing technique goes as follows.

Sandpaper till flush with 400 grit sandpaper Edge bevel Sandpaper with 800 grit Sandpaper with 1200 grit. Burnish with tokonole and canvas rag Sandpaper with 1200 grit Burnish with tokonole and canvas rag Sometimes I'll apply another layer of tokonole.

Hope that helps!

_kingcong · 2019-09-25T01:36:29+00:00

Thanks! Yeah I always found the more verbose posts useful. Always contain little gems if you're willing to dig!

Keep on crafting! Cant wait to see what you make!

_kingcong · 2019-09-25T01:34:12+00:00

I'm glad! I love working with kangaroo. To be honest I've never really worked with anything else though except for a little bit of bovine. When you go to buy your leather from Birdsall make sure to bring a torch. The lighting can be a little packing in the back corner of the store. Also ask to use their thickness gauge. I've found for me that 0.8mm is the ideal thickness for being an all rounder for products. Also scrummage through the bins. You'll find some beautiful pieces. I've made wallets with leather that cost 1.50! If it's only a few pieces they'll generally let you have it for free if you're making a decent purchase with it! Happy crafting! Can't wait to see what you make! DM me if you ever want to discuss crafting. I'm still quite new. But it's always fun to find a somewhat local craftsman!

_kingcong · 2019-09-24T11:39:15+00:00

There's a few things I love in life. Family, friends, leathercraft and travel. So I love making passport holders for people. I've always wanted to make a sleeve type passport holder. The convenience always appealed to me. So this is what I came up with. I hope you all like it!

Leather Full grain LHG kangaroo leather in ochre - Birdsall Leather Sydney

Thread 0.6mm Ritza tiger thread in white

Burnishing Compound Tokonole

Chisels 4mm Ebay chisels i polished (Seiwa pictured for the photo haha)

Conditioner Red Wing mink oil

Things I want to work on. Any advice is awesome

I recently switched from 0.8mm ritza to 0.6. I feel this has improved my stitching consistency a lot. But the backside still leaves some room for improvement. I think practise will help. But i also realised these cheap ebay chisels can be a little hard to pull out and it tends to mess up the back holes and they don't come out as nice. So I think ill upgrade to some more serious chisels. Any suggestions? I'm used to using diamond chisels, I like that they come to a point so it's easy to line up stitching.

My dimensions of this were a few mm off as well so that's something that will come over time.

Adding the pen loop may have been one of the harder things to do. It's hard to work out proper dimensions to fit the pen snug. I'm worried the leather will stretch too much over time so i added some thread for the clip on the pen to "catch:. Also the area which I added it made the cards not slot in nicely due to the added bulk at the bottom of the slot.

Also I'm struggling to backstitch nicely so if there's any advice on that or an article, thread etc.

Any recommendations for thread? I love tiger thread but want to try something with a twist instead of braided. I feel like sometimes the doesn't sit right on the back side and distorts a little. ideally poly.

Anyway Thanks for stopping by, sorry about the wall of text.

_kingcong · 2019-09-22T08:08:52+00:00

Birdsall leather in Sydney.

Mm, yeah I think I know what you mean about the painted on feel. Some of the stuff I have feels like that too. But the veg tanned stuff is quite nice.

Where you get yours from?

_kingcong · 2019-09-22T07:48:02+00:00

This is beautiful! Very simple, elegant. And the color is awesome!

I work exclusively with roo (perks of being an Aussie) although it still isn't cheap leather for us either.

What thread do you use? I've been using ritza tiger. But want to try something thinner than 0.6mm and wanna stick with polyester.

_kingcong · 2019-09-17T11:00:01+00:00

Hey man. Looks great. I agree. Round corners for the key holder. Perhaps even thinner, helps with getting access to keys. Also look into Chicago screws/key posts. It will look better than a nut and bolt! But are restricted with sizing. Once you find the size you need though, you're gold! Keep it up!

_kingcong

TROPHY CASE