I don't really know - I'm just careful when I specify what I'm buying. It's a _big_ problem to knifemakers. As chrome leather falls apart on its own after a few years (faster if damp), then the good stuff isn't.
If it's the classic greenish-grey colour of cheap rigger's gloves, that's definitely chrome tanned. When it's dyed though, I'm not sure how you'd tell. Maybe measuring the pH ? The stuff is pretty acidic.
-- Smert' spamionam
The stuff I use is veggy tanned. We use it for sword and knife scabbards, so it in necessary that it doesn't cause or promote corrosion.
Regards,
Kim Siddorn
My dear old Dad always made his pump buckets out of the tongue of his shoe. Just the right thickness and all, but after a few times the shoes must have got a bit uncomfortable. Soaked them (washers) in neatsfoot oil.
His old felt hat also had lots of bits cut out of the brim, every time he wanted a felt washer for something.
There was no need to tell those old blokes about recycling . . .
He also had a special device to hold the choke out in his car until she warmed up - it was the lid of a sardine can, nicely wrapped up into a coil around the key. Pull the choke knob out, slips over the cable quite nicely to hold it out the necessary amount.
And when you tell this to today's kids, they don't believe you.
JW² in Oz Norton AntiVirus 2003 installed
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Of course they won't, they don't know what a "choke" is on a car.
"Jack Watson" wrote (snip):-
A clothes peg used to do quite nicely over here!
NHH
According to my Dad, Irish women used to pull out the choke and hang their handbags there, unfortunately the bag stayed for the duration of the journey. :-) Regards, Arthur G
Jack Watson said (snip)
My dad used a peg to hold the choke out, I recall.
This was on his '47 MG Magnette which had a central jack, a tank under the bonnet which had a four way switchable junction and a pump handle that could be removed. From this civilised position, any wheel could be raised from the ground - or all four if you liked.
I recall the jack legs had holes for pins so you were not dependent on the hydraulic system holding the car up!
Regards,
Kim Siddorn
"J K Siddorn" wrote (snaip):-
Civilised indeed, and charmingly named "The Jackall".
I also believe the jack legs had holes for pins so you were not dependant on the hydraulics holding the legs up. I have heard tales, possibly anecdotal, of cars driving along with showers of sparks coming from the jack legs being dragged along the road.
John
I've had, in the past, two Austin taxis (FX3 & FL1) with this system. Don't remember any locking device, in fact access to fit/remove them would have been a bit difficult. Nice feature of those cars was the 4-wheel handbrake.
Cheers Tim
Tim Leech Dutton Dry-Dock
Traditional & Modern canal craft repairs
I've an old book on wood finishing (well, about 10' of shelving actually...) which discusses the _right_sort_ of old felt hat to carve up for various purposes in making polishing pads etc.
Today I made a shed heater. 4 low-termperature long-IR heater elements (the white ceramic ones) bought as cheap surplus, the case was an old steel key cabinet with the front plasma'ed out and the finger-proofing grille used to be a shopping trolley !
Have you tried asking your local ironmongers if they have a stock of things like this? If not, try
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