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Not my choice. I'm making the new fenders as a favor for my daughter for her friend. The original fenders are in pretty bad shape however. Dry and brittle in some areas, and tearing easily in others. Had not been well cared for it seems. I'll return the original pieces and the new constructs to the owner when complete. I don't usually do saddle work, and my holster, sheath, and belt work are all done for personal use or as gifts... Or for pleasure. I admire the work of the pros here, who know more than I, and try to learn from it... It's interesting.

I am in Saskatchewan. I think it is time to sell my machines and tools, age and health are helping in making this decision. I am wondering where would be a good place to advertise so the RIGHT people will see the ad. I realize nobody from a 2000 plus Kms. is likely to come for these things. Thank you in advance for any suggestions. Mods. If this violates rules delete this post.

Not sure why you choose to waste so much good original leather. I have fixed lots of those exact problems. Just oil the original fenders to restore them like they should have been taken care of. Then glue and sew with thin thread a thin patch on the outside and sew a piece of seatbelt from a car on the inside. NO stitching across, only along the direction of pull. Seatbelt is so thin you never notice it and can only be seen when looking on the inside. Patch on outside is barely noticeable.

Simple answer, No. The difference of going from a fabric needle (135 x 17 ) to a leather point needle (135 x 16 ) is the tip of the needle. The fabric needle (135 x 17 ) will attempt to push a hole through rather then slice a hole in the material. You will have to check the top thread tension, bobbin tension and presser foot tension. Also a bonded polyester thread would probably provide better UV protection then Bonded Nylon thread. kgg

Here is a link to the actual Juki LS-1341 brochure which will give you the definitive comparison on all specs for the 1340 series machines. ( https://www.juki.co.jp/industrial_e/admin/pdata/filedata/332/ls1340.pdf ). If the machine was new yes. With used machines it could be iffy on the smaller thread sizes which will be an individual machine ability depending wear of internal parts typically whether it was a hobbyist machine or a machine that was used in a commercial environment. No, but I don't use threads less then V92. The only then is you have to change your top thread tension and bobbin thread tension when going from thread size to another, when you change to a different spool of thread, thread type and even color. Not going to happen that is why a lot of use have more then one machine. Machines for the most part setup to basically do one function. My thoughts: i) The Juki LS-1341 is basically a functional Juki DNU-1541S in cylinder arm form. The main concern I would have with the LS-1341 in thin material is the material being sucked down into the feed dog as the hole is fairly large. This may not be the best machine for your needs and maybe a Pfaff 335 or clone or a post bed machine would be better options as they are inclined towards smaller thread sizes. ii) How thick is the thickness material including folded over seams that you want / need to sew with what size of thread?? You really need to ask what was overhauled internally and externally for the machine, like timing belt, bushings, thread tensioner, thread guides, etc. What is the asking price for the machine. kgg

So, the Juki has been in my possession for 10 years. I have used it probably 40 hours in making covers for gym equipment. Normally, I would use the 69# Nylon with a 135x17x18 needle. It never skipped stitches with my previous material which was thinner. With the newer 1/16" material, it happens. I switched to a 20 size needle before I came onto this forum. It could be that I am not pulling both sides of the seam tight enough before trying to apply the top stitch??? Like I mentioned before, the shop who sold me the vinyl told me that another upholstery professional told them the material was impossible to top stitch. I asked for more info and they had little to say. My O.C.D. tells me that I am missing an adjustment or something. So, if I switched to the 135x16x18 needle, would I need to adjust the timing? Vinyl is the only material that I will ever sew with this machine.

@Bobby B I know of Tandy Leather who sell tiger thread in 100 meter spools here in Canada. Also OA Leather supply sells tiger thread in 500 and 1000 meter spools also in Canada. OA is much more economical, but you have to buy a lot more, so spending more up front. I’ve ordered product from both these suppliers. Tandy has faster shipping. Hope this helps. Luke.

Has anyone seen this thread on the forum? Every time I see it i get this mental picture of Family Guy ( cartoon character) lying on a beach in Florida in a speedo with the butt of a tiny derringer sticking out from under his massive man boob. "Springbreak shoulder holster building "

Thank you very much for the additional feedback @TonyV

I had a seagull get caught between the mirror and me with the window open in my truck one day at the city dump. damn thing about beat me to death before he/we got loose lol. My son was with me and laughed his ass off, Yellin, get him dad yer winning. Last year, while fly fishing, a pair of geese with younguns sprang out of the brush about ten feet from me. They honk and flap their wings to startle the threat so they can evade, and damn i thought I was a dead man for a minute i turned and they went by me about 40 mph it seemed lol geese look really big when they flair thier wings. Again, my son was watching from afar and rolling on the ground, Whats wrong dad they scare ya?

That's amazing. He shouldn't even have to come down off a ladder for lunch lol. Beautiful craftsmanship!!!

You did a beautiful job on that belt. I was just joking, there's so much stuff on that belt I was thinking you could possibly get a holster behind the hammer holder in the small of the back, just joking around. You did a great job on that. I would wear that belt in a heartbeat, my friend.

I learned this from you quite some time ago. I wondered what that little wheel looking tool was all about. It does make a huge difference.

I'm about to head out the door but a couple of quick thoughts ... Sounds like it's hammering. Definitely needs cleaning and oiling internally. Especially the hook area. A dull needle could contribute to that sound. The slow start could also be related to lack of lubrication. But very often that slow start means the motor and/or foot controller need to be serviced. This is all easy stuff to do. I'll recommend going to you tube and looking up Andy Tube he has hundreds of videos, mostly on old Singers but it still applies. Also Vintage Sewing Machine Garage. I'll check in here later this evening and see if we have any updates from you. Oh, the stitching is probably a simple issue as well. It starts with cleaning, oiling, checking your thread path, using new thread and needles, things like that. It's all very Zen. Sit with the machine, go over all the parts of it, study how it works. Become One with the machine . Ommmm...

I don't have a photo from the back, but the circular piece has slots. There are two straps and they simply pass through the circular piece. I placed the slots at 90 degrees because it seemed like a good idea. They should be closer to 60 degrees. I'm not sure what you mean by holster. Randy

As it is an old home sewing machine, do you know this forum: https://www.victoriansweatshop.com/ they have some knowledge there

I took a video of how it works and sounds. It's amazing the last time I pulled it out the needle was hitting the shuttle. Now it works . I think it still needs to be oiled because sometimes when I hit the peddle I gotta turn the hand wheel to get it go. This time I didn't need to. VID_20260122_002212670.mp4

I also just pulled it out to take the videos and photos requested and oddly enough she is actually stitching. But the stitches are uneven Im hoping it's just tension. Also when first hit the peddle I got turn the hand wheel by hand and then it starts to run.

This is the machine

Nothing but beautiful . . . May God bless, Dwight

They looked pretty bad originally.... but I was told they aren't all the same, and finding matches might be hard. Wouldn't want to have to buy a new set of stirrup straps just because the blevins are ugly, when they aren't seen while riding. (I guess) They can clean them the rest of the way... if they like.

Back at it again, I carefully stamped the tooling pattern around the inside of the border, AFTER I cut the inside line deeper with a swivel knife the blade of which I had re-sharpened and polished. I now had a clearly defined sharp reference to work from. Each stamp was checked before I struck it and EACH strike was firm and careful. I wanted to avoid a glancing blow or a bounce, both of which could ruin the entire line. In the picture below you can see the border, as well as my Maker's Mark at the bottom of the leg on both Fenders. Again, Careful Placement, and then even more careful in the strike. Too much work to blow it now. A closer look at the border pattern. This is what she wanted. I would have gone with a Serpentine Pattern myself, but then... not my saddle. LOL. Next session, I'll work on dressing up the edges in preparation for applying Watco Oil or stain. There are some spots I'll want to smooth out the "Line/Flow" of the edges so that we can burnish the edges. I'll take a couple scrap pieces and make test panels for stains for color comparison. The owner of the saddle finally sent pics to assist with color match, though she isn't too concerned. I like to try. I did get to do some Clean Up work on the blevins, removing old glue, rust, staining... We'll be reusing the old beat up ones. They tell me they can't be seen, So why not.

Hi everyone, I’m looking to pull the trigger on my first industrial machine: a refurbished Juki LS-1341 from a local seller. It’s fully overhauled with a digital servo, needle positioner, and compact table. My primary focus is leather bags mixed with outdoor technical fabrics (Cordura, ripstop, canvas) and lightweight liners. I plan to keep my domestic HD machine for very light work, but I want this Juki to handle the 'medium-to-heavy' range. My Confusion: I’m seeing a lot of conflicting information regarding the needle size compatibility for the LS-1341, particularly on the lower end: • Juki Junkies: States a range of #19 to #24, mentioning that anything smaller (like an #18) requires re-timing. • Other Third-Party Dealers: Some list the range as #16 to #24 without mentioning any timing modifications. • Cobra Class 26 (Clone): Rated for #12 to #25, even though it's the same basic design. My Questions: 1. Lower Limit: Can I reliably run a #16 (Nm 100) or #18 (Nm 110) needle for sewing Tex 45 or Tex 70 thread through Cordura/liners without skipping stitches or hitting the hook? 2. Needle Systems: Does the choice between 135x17 (fabric) and 135x16 (leather) impact the timing tolerances for smaller sizes? 3. The 'Re-timing' Myth: For those of you with an LS-1341, have you had to physically move the hook closer to the needle (adjusting the needle-to-hook clearance) just to drop down to a #18? I really want a 'do-it-all' machine for bags, but I'm worried that if I'm forced to stay at #19 and above, I'll be punching 'drainage holes' into my lighter technical fabrics. Any insight from long-term 1341 users would be greatly appreciated And if there are any recommendations for other machines that might fit my needs better im all ears!

just an other option - a thread oiler / lubricator may help too.