All Activity

I have used a small marble pestle to push out slightly dented toe boxes: can hold the pestle in place with one hand and hit the outside of the toe shape lightly with a small hammer (peen) to smooth out creases in the leather. Not sure about using heat to restore shape: I guess it depends what was used to make the rigid toe shape in the first place. When I make footwear with toe boxes, I soak veg-tan cowhide (~5oz) for several hours before pulling it into place on the last and nailing it on. No heat involved at all, only water,

Hi, sorry for the late reply's. Thank you for the link, that was certainly cheap. That shape of roller is much better than the long one that followed my machine, much easier to adjust. Mine doesn't equals the shape of the stone roller anymore. I may customize it, cutting away half but the bearing needs to be replaced as well. I will order the one you have but is the hole tapered as on Italian machines (like on mine Alpha SM, FAV etc.) looks like you got a gap there, material thickness different maybe? Thanks Tor

Thanks, I already have the foot that Tom E shared a link about. But it has been worn a bit by previous owner, it came with my machine that I bought used many years ago. I guess I can make a new roller for it on my lathe. The roller profile do not longer match the profile of the feed wheel... difficult to adjust for splitting use. The minimalistic guide for turns and stiffer leather makes most skiving tasks in soft leather difficult. I really miss a decent guide. Thanks Tor

Thank You, I already have that roller foot that came with my Italian machine. Do Randall have this guide as well? The Italians are notorious difficult to deal with. Even if I'm much closer to Italy, I prefer dealing with USA. Now before Trump's tax are in play. Thanks Tor

The Sunstar KM-380 BL-B can take a max needle size of a #23 needle which basically means you can use a max size thread of V138 ( Tex 135, M20 ) thread in thinner leather. Here is a link to the machines specifications. ( https://www.manualslib.com/manual/970676/Sunstar-Km-380bl.html?page=8#manual ) Here is a link for thread to needle size: ( https://www.tolindsewmach.com/thread-chart.html ) kgg

As a professional leather repair guy, I 100% agree with you. The majority of DIY attempts I've seen to fix stains on leather furniture haven't brought the expected results to people. Kristina, please share a picture of the couch, and I may be able to offer advice on how to fix it using tools/materials available at Home Depot. Thanks!

That's okay. As long as you know that people appreciate your work. 🙂

Sorry again for the repeated responses I didn't realize I was re-messaging you 😞

Sorry for the slow response, I didn't even know I had a reply. Sorry for the slow response, I didn't even know I had a reply. Sorry for the slow response, I didn't even know I had a reply. Sorry for the slow response, I didn't even know I had a reply. Sorry for the slow response, I didn't even know I had a reply.

🙂I'm sure your mother will love them. You can see the love you put into making them. The colors you have selected look so beautiful together.

A picture would really help. Some folks think they have leather when they really have fancy vinyl. Vinegar will often take an odor out of leather but I've never used it for stains. Upholstery leather is usually pretty resistant to staining unless it's ink. I wouldn't do anything to the stain without seeing how the chemical reacts on an inconspicuous piece of the leather, like underneath the couch. I'm pretty sure no matter what's going on, vinegaroon isn't the answer. ~J

Sweeet!! I'm sure she'll love all of them. Nice work!

That would be the thing to do. You have not mentioned the type of leather on your couch. Vinegaroon only works on unfinished veg tanned leather. Baking soda damages leather more than vinegar, so be careful. You could try those enzymatic cleaners that are available for pet messes to get the stain really clean but spot test first.. After that, there are many leather dye creams available online, on Amazon. They are usually advertised for shoes or bags but work well on anything. I tried them some years ago and the shoes I restored then are still going strong.

I didn't try it powered but I did hold a flat blade screw driver next to it and then slide it under. It doesn't show any wobble, at least at hand spinning speeds. A runout gauge is not in my bag of tricks. I might have to go tear it apart before the replacement arrives. I really don't want to run it anyway. No need of doing more damage. And I'm pretty curious.

My older brother was a Joplin fan, We would listen to her a lot on our weekly skiing trips back in the 70s, lol. I could sing Bobby Mcgee right with you. I love her music Its a shame she left us.

Hi Uwe, I like the stand you have built for your Adler. I'm looking to build a couple of tables like that for some leather machines. Are the legs available online? Thanks Tor

Years late, but BuckleGuy.com has a Mason Jar Wrap kit you can purchase and make the leather wrap yourself. Pick a chromexel leather since water doesn’t impact that leather (used to make boots / see Allen Edmonds shoes). All men should drink from the Mason! Lots of angry old guys responding.

Some of the youtubers we follow have neat toys to make processors better/quicker. One such item I drool over in the Campbell Randell Variable Speed Burning Machine. Chances of getting one in Australia are pretty minimal and if it was available, I would probably be hit with a 50% export Tariff ;). So I after some time on my CAD I came up with these. The sanding wheel is 89mm diameter and has a small flat area so the sand paper has a slight overlap and you don't feel a bump. I choose the diameter to suit strips cut from an standard sheet of wet and dry sand paper. Currently I am testing 180 grit and am extremely satisfied. The Dust collector is NOT my work. I blended a vaccy adaptor on Thingiverse (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2806410) to suit my needs. The burnisher works well. These are all printed in PETG and time will tell if the stand up to abuse. Both the sander and burnisher are driven by 1/2hp 3 phase motors with VFD to control speed. When I get this mounted in their (yet to be designed frames) I will share moer details. As always I am very open to comments and observations.

Awhile back I was guiding trails on a pretty snorty horse he was a handfull but was coming around when we got back to the trail head I started helping the group off their horses(as was part of the job) when I noticed my spur felt off fortunately I had a piece of elastic around it to keep it from riding up my boot cause when I checked it the button that holds my straps on was missing. I was able to makeshift a button from an old piece of lace using the same button as one would use to fasten the flap on a chap pocket but that leaves me wondering if anyone else has done this for any amount of time with positive results? If so how long did it hold up for you? I'm trying to figure out if it would be worth keeping (maybe cutting off the remaining metal buttons and making them match as they're older spurs and the leather button seems to not scuff up my boots near as bad)

Thought I'd give an update. the molds were an overkill. the outer mold is not needed.the Cutting and marking guides are useful as is the internal mold for gluing. using the angle gring to remove a portion of the grit can have variable results, particularly if I go a bit heavy hand ( as Ray says," I love my job I get to do it twice!"). I made 3 coves using the 80grit Diablo paper and have barely worn 1.

If it was me I´d check with a professional leather cleaning / restoration service. DIY like "vinegaroon'ing" may work but it could get worse also. Again, I´d check with a Co. who is restoring / reconditioning leather. If you have one locally they may come to your house and check the damage. May cost some $ but a new leather couch most likely is more expensive. Not on my end of the world but these folks f.i. offer telephone support: https://clydesleathercompany.com/pages/about-us

Hi Kristina, would you mind sharing a picture of the couch and stain?

Hello guys! I see that many of you are familiar with the Sunstar KM380bl-b topic I came across a machine quite by chance in the hope of buying a machine that sews a thicker thread, but it cannot sew thread 10 like my Adler 107. Does anyone know what thread thickness this machine can do? I produce holsters and hunting equipment that's why I need it to be able to sift with a thicker thread

Moved your post to Dyes, Antiques, Stains, Glues, Waxes, Finishes and Conditioners. Check out vinegaroon in this forum, lots of posts and info. Note it is not a dye. It is a reaction between iron and tannins in the leather. So the leather needs to be vegetable tanned, and, any finish removed so the veinegaroon can soak in and do its chemical reaction.