charter

I asked a similar question in a different post relating to commercial edging. I would like to know how to get a nice even edge with this method. The paint is not as forgiving as dye or edging dye. Weaver makes an edge painter that you draw the strap through, but I don't know how well it works. It is pricey.

Ha! Agreed, it looks mass-produced and cheap. I was amazed to see it on a $2400 Dolce and Gabbana bag. But this is now the standard for commercial bags. It's good know as many techniques as possible, out of curiousity more than anything.

Thanks for the tips guys - I read a few of the soldering tool posts and they are interesting for chrome tan. I think this is an acrylic finish on veg, and after experimenting I've gotten a similar effect with artists acrylics, but I don't know how to get it so darn even. I'm assuming it's machine made. Can anyone point to further info for this?

+1 to Msdeluca and Treereaper - "go slower" is the best advice in the world. Try it one stitch at a time with the handwheel, and when the needle is in the the leather, lift the foot and take a look at the work to make sure you're accurate. Use a light and magnifier if needed but get a good look. You'll take an extra 5 minutes and you will never miss a stitch. Single feet or zipper feet are really handy. You can also order a welting foot very inexpensively on eBay. It has a round channel to follow a raised bead. I got a complete set for $40(?) and it feeds this kind of job perfectly. I use them for rolled edges all the time on my flatbed Juki. Not sure if the 3200 has similar feet available though. Consider trimming the backing after the stitching instead of cutting it into shape first and working with resulting small tolerances. It's a lot harder to miss when you have a lot of extra material If all else fails, glue works great. You won't have a problem with a well-glued lamination IMO. Finally, consider the order of construction and the design. I assume this is an original piece. Consider where your machinery might have problems and redesign appropriately. Move the strap down 1/4" to clear the foot and it will work much better.

Spring clip = one of those little clamps that are used for paper in offices - they work perfectly for keeping the leather layers aligned. Just make sure you unclip them before the machine crunches them into a useless shape. And many thanks for he kind words!

Hi everyone. I have been using a modified Bob Park technique for edge treatment and it works very well, so thanks Bob for all the fine posts. But I have noticed commercial edging is no longer in that style, even the highest-priced luxury brands. All the recent examples I could find were a very even hard rubberized material that appeared to be bonded to the leather. Does anyone know what is involved in creating such an edge - perhaps a specialized machine?

Hi there. I don't know anything about the Claes machine but Google says it's a patcher. That machine is so different than mine I am not qualified to comment on it specifically, but there are many who can on the site. But your post pushed a button for me. At this point I've made ALL the possible mistakes related to needles and thread, so here are a few thoughts and a post I wish someone else had made when I first started out. Two kinds of thread are important to know for leather. Bonded nylon is probably the most common and cheapest. Polyester is used for outdoor applications to minimize UV damage. They both work fine on most things so don't overthink it. But you can also get fire resistant, Kevlar, cotton, monofilament, and lots of others for special uses if you like a little complexity. For thread size, the heavier the leather and the more you want it to show, the thicker you should go. #69 is the minimum for a lot of leather sewing machines. It's strong as heck and barely shows. Thicker than that is so strong it no longer matters IMHO unless you're making something where weight-bearing safety is the primary concern (e.g. a fall protection harness). If the stitching is not a feature, i.e. used mostly for fastening, #69 or #92 works fine for 1/16" up to 3/8" thickness, the max for my machine. #92 is my default choice and is in my machine most of the time. Some like different sizes in the bobbin but I always match them. I use #207 for stitches I want to show. Bob from Toledo has posted a helpful chart indexed by thread size here: http://www.tolindsewmach.com/thread-chart.html Another more detailed chart, indexed by needle size, is here: http://raphaelsewing.com/blog/?p=11 Though I'm sure it happens, I've never seen good quality stitching or material tear except when either is very thin. It's usually best to have a strong connection between layers when you sew - use spring clips, or, better, use tape or glue before sewing. The most important thing for good stitches is to adjust the upper thread tension to the thickness of your material. To do this, use similar scrap leather and, starting loose, do sample stitches until the upper thread is no longer visible from the bottom. Tension adjustment will quickly become second nature but it's laborious at first. Also, plenty of more obscure things can go wrong. Here are a few: http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_c/C-202.pdf Another very nice page from the same site about using/maintaining machines: http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_c/C102/welcome.html Finally, in addition to the sewing machine vendors on the site, Wizcrafts, Art, and other members seem to know literally everything about sewing machines and I am grateful for their expert posts in getting to the intermediate skill level. And you're right, this is a great site. So thanks to the ops team as well.

Thanks for the quick reply. Will order a lube pot - probably overdue anyway. Is silicone the right lube? I will try all of the above. Adjusting the bobbin is a fantastic and promising idea. Yet another thing learned from a Wizcrafts post and very much appreciated.

Hello all. I have learned a lot in the past year or so - much of it from the experience and generosity of LW members - but not quite enough to address a problem I'm having. I have a Juki 1541S which as far as I can tell is in perfect working order. It sews most thicknesses and types of leather beautifully. But when I have tried to sew a recent project with about 1/4" veg tan pre-dyed stock (2 layers of 7/8 oz) the upper thread breaks consistently after an inch or so under power. Using the handwheel works but is a chore for this thickness. On the machine currently is a left zipper foot, #138 bonded nylon thread and a 135x16 #22 diamond needle. I have tried all tensions, from way too tight (breaks immediately using the handwheel) to loose enough to start showing the upper thread on the bottom (doesn't break but is a poor stitch). I have tried a #24 tri needle also - same behavior. The needle appears to be properly set in the needle bar and the eye is perpendicular to the stitch. There does not appears to be any dirt, lint, fouling, or burring on any parts. The needles are brand new. The one possible applicable issue I saw somewhere as a cause of breaking upper thread is "inconsistent sewing speed". Because of the thickness and hardness of this stock the servo motor is laboring and it's hard to get a slow stitch. I have not tried: Similar thickness natural stock, bigger/smaller thread, other scenarios. Does anyone have any further ideas or advice? I am running out of scrap stock trying different scenarios ;-) Thank you for information on this problem and for all the great information you've already provided.

Sorry for the misinformation. I can see I should have left this to the experts. Appreciate both the correction and the politeness (both Gregg and Art) - and I should also point out that I did not get the bad info from anyone on this site. Embarrassing. But it certainly is a confusing topic.

I just finished a similar shopping exercise and have a little data that might be helpful. As you've probably seen, sewing machine designs are pretty old and the same design is sold under many different brands, mostly originally built by Singer. I can't speak with authority on this, but I believe the 255RB is a clone of the Singer 211w, and the 206RB of a 111w. While I have not used the 255, my understanding is that the two are mechanically identical. The 206RB3 was the first industrial I ever used and it worked very well. My conclusion was that eiither would do the job but neither will work for more than maybe 3/8" thickness or so. Many here know a lot more about machines than me and might be able to comment in more detail. Ultimately I got a Juki 1541 (similar specs to the Consews and also very common) from a local dealer so I'd have someplace to go if I needed support. It cost more but the experience was much better than many have on the forums have described with eBay. I have bought gear from Bob Kovar from Toledo Sewing Machines as well and recommend him highly. Happy hunting!

Thanks! Will try both. I like the motorcycle seat as a model for weather resistance.

Those are all good points. The neatsfoot was recommended by another post as a way to retard the dye so it would soak in evenly. I was skeptical but it certainly worked. It could have caused the ruboff. The deglazer was a commercial product recommended/sold by a cobbler, so no chemistry or leather accidents hopefully. Smelled pretty awful though. Next time will try ethyl acetate. The buffing comment is right on the money - that may be where it went wrong. I buffed it as long as I could stand and thought i got it all off but maybe not. On the water-based finish - would like to try something else also. What do you recommend instead?

Thanks Mike and John - appreciate the sound guidance. The reason I wanted to preserve the dye is that it went on very evenly and very dark, and if there is another Fiebing's dye that's even better I will give that a try. It surprised me that I didn't screw up the coloring, but maybe I actually did anyway - I think MIke is right that it wasn't fully dry and that's how the satin picked up the black. If i get the time some weekend I will do a little science experiment in removing acrylic finishes and post the results. In the meantime, no putting my feet up on white tablecloths. Charlie

Hi everyone. I am a pretty raw noob, and this is my first post, so hopefully it's not too dumb. I had a pair of brown work boots that I decided to dye black, partly as practice dyeing, partly because i wanted black boots. After research on the forums and asking some folks that should know, I decided to go with Fiebing's Pro Oil Dye in black, with an Eco Flo Satin Shene finish. The deglazing, using an acetone/xylene/ketone mixture, was difficult rubbing but eventually worked fine. After deglazing I applied a light coating of neat's foot oil, on the advice of forum post that suggested it as a way to get the dye applied evenly. The dye, 2 coats using a 1 1/2 foam brush, went on nice and even, though I missed a some small parts and dyed the eyelets accidentally. Live and learn, but so far still acceptable. The dye coats dried for 2 hours each. I rubbed with a cloth on the dyed surfaces until I got no color rubbing off. Then I applied the Satin Shene with a damp sponge per instructions, four coats, drying time about an hour each coat. The first coat turned the sponge gray. Later coats did not pick up much additional color on the sponge. I again buffed the surface once the final coat was applied, and that's when things started to go sideways. The buffing cloth was getting a fair amount of color on it, and the finish was uneven, some shiny, some more flat. Thinking it might just need some polish, I then polished with a basic Kiwi black shoe polish I had. I probably added trouble there, since now I have additional finish to worry about. But now the color continues to rub off and the finish did not even out as I'd hoped after the polishing. Can I somehow take off the polish and satin finish without killing the dye? If so, how? Can I start over from the deglazing and try again? If so, should I? Any other advice? "Throw the boots out" is probably not what I'm looking for, though it might be the least trouble. I have learned virtually everything I know about leather techniques from these forums, and I appreciate the knowledge everyone has contributed. Thanks in advance for anyone who might have some info and advice.