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I think you will be get better results with the airbrush. My basic procedure is oil / dye / oil and I don't use a top coat for my projects. You will need proper air pressure to drive the dye into the leather. From what I have seen on youtube people are using pressure settings in the sub 20 lb pressure range and then the dye is basically a top coating. Probably because most people are painting model figures/cars/nails/cakes/etc. I use a 30 lb pressure setting and am now moving up to 40 lb when applying the dye with multi coats in different directions to get a more even dying which I apply after the oiling process. My basic process is oil/dye/oil. Here is a link to two of my topics on airbrushing. I don't use NFO and can't speak to it's application with an airbrush. I use JoJoba oil and spray it on without any dilution. kgg

I haven't got any tin although I saw a chap mix 10% aluminium with it, made it tough enough to hold a bit of an edge!

Illume magazine (the leather trade magazine) has been a sponsor of the Pendleton Leather Show for several years. I just got home from Pendleton last night and it was another great show. They are now adding a new show in Las Vegas Jan 7-10, 2026. The lineup for classes looks to be really good with some fresh faces and topics. The entire event is held at the South Point. Special room rates, good place to stay. Here is a link to the event - https://illumeconnect.com/pages/event-las-vegas As a shameless plug, I am going to break out as an instructor there. I will be leading my first class on Second Hand Tools. I will be discussing why to buy them and places to look. We will cover historic tools as well as common and more modern users. Next will be evaluating condition, things to look for and the problems to avoid. We will plug all this together and come up with a number value for you and your individual needs and budget. We will discuss closing the deal by making an offer or accepting the seller's price. Class will close with a special guest and a really fun event to pull it all together. By the end you should be comfortable buying anywhere from a yard sale to a trade show to a fast paced auction.

He means he held the button down (make sure the button is in the notch) while turning the handwheel towards you & when it broke lose it made a noise.

Will do, and thank you for your input. I did use water to dilute, but maybe there’s enough of a difference between Resolene and Pro Resist to give different results. I haven’t worked with Resolene yet to test/experiment… The wife did give me her airbrush though, so I’ll probably set the Preval down. But I have started to cut the resist with water instead of using full-strength, and I cut my dye to various dilutions with 91% iso alc. I have yet to put it through the airbrush though, so I’ll find out soon if I should or not. General question for the audience though: Has anyone sprayed NFO? And how were your results? — AZR

When I was a small boy going to Primary school (Grade school?) one of my mother's annual rituals was to take me to a shoe shop a week or so before the school start after the summer break to buy me a new pair of shoes and a new school satchel, aka a school bag. Even though the last year's school bag was still good a new one had to be bought. ( see below, first image) Every child in Belfast had one of these school bags. Made of good stout leather and always brown. Since those times I've come to believe the bags were made by disabled WW2 veterans in some sort of work programme Thats not me, just a photo off the internety Last year I was passing a top women's fashion shop in Belfast and spotted what looked like a school satchel for sale. So I wandered in and had a look. I soon retreated when I saw the prices - £360( $475 USD / $665 CD) and some were reduced to 'only' £250 ( $330 USD / $460 CD). They were almost exactly the same as my old school bag, but available in a range of fashionable colours, eg bright blue, yellow, bright red, grass green and so on This is a picture from the shop's website. Except for the fancy strap on this one can you tell the difference. And below it is a genuine school satchel being sold on ebay for £65

The Cobra Class 26 uses the system 135 x 16 or 135 x 17 needles which have a size diameter of about 1.0 mm (0.0394 inches) while the needles for a Class 441 machine the 794 needles are 2.5 mm (0.0984 inches). The Cobra Class 26, is the model number not the class of the machine and is a hybrid clone similar to the Juki LS-341 a Class 341 machine. The Cobra Class 26 like the Techsew 2750 and others model designations can be confusing but all are Class 341 machines. I agree with @Wizcrafts and as a note I don't use anything smaller then V92 in any of my machines. kgg

That was in my mind too, when I craft it A moment I build leather armor for my self, so in future I have something else to show you. Yes, basic saddle stitch :), most durable for my opinion. Blade was bought, this blacksmith is very talented, sadly from russia, so I not able buy any more his blades. Handle materials are black stabilized curly birch or masur birch and buffalo horn cross cut. Thank you very much, I really tried to blend them together

Sometimes things work... 🙁 Don't dilute Resolene with isopropyl alcohol for airbrush work, it curds up. Use water.

The Class 26 is not a 441 clone. Its maximum needle size is probably a #24 or #25, but a 25 might be aweful close to the feed dog hole diameter. Ask the dealer. The Class 26 is not too heavy duty for wallets and belts as long as you use #92 thread with a #19 needle or larger. I don't know how well it nandles #69 thread and #18 needles.

practice makes perfect!! Good job and noticeable improvement imo.

Hello, it looks wonderful.

And there is is 😉

Note to self: Just don’t. Basically my experience was from attempting to spray a 50% dilution. The resist started gumming up into the “white glue”-type sludge, clogging the nozzle. Another sign of a mistake is the freeze warning on the side of the bottle. And the propellant in the cartridge is well below freezing as it’s released. I was doing my best to use short bursts to prevent the nozzle from freezing over, but who knows how successful that was. At least I’m only down a cartridge and some time, though what did spray seemed to lay down surprisingly even. Perhaps an airbrush is still a possibility for application, but definitely not with the Preval system. (It did work wonderfully for my dye though!) Learn from my experience so you don’t have to make the same mistake 😉 And may you never burn your bacon… — AZR

You have a patent elastic machine. This became the Claes. I will check to see if i have any. I think you have either the small or medium bobbin. Give me a day or 2 to research it. You are located where? glenn

College Sewing is back: https://www.college-sewing.co.uk/catalogsearch/result/index/?cat=3&q=tapered+bore&p=1 but I´m sure most sewing machine dealers in the US can get you tapered bore pulley as well. Maybe worth checking with Toledo Sewing Machines

IP says Richardson, Texas, 75080 (USA) It is a good idea to include your location in your profile so you get answers that may be more applicable to your area and needs.

Some stuff I've been working on for Christmas gifts. Ipad cover, checkbook cover, and some Don Gonzales shavekits. I've use the same shavekit pattern 3 times to measure my tooling progress. The red one was first, GB second and the KC was my most recent. Trying different things each time to see what works best. My knife work and flow of the cut have improved quite a bit since that first one.

very cool!!!! you give me inspiration as well as others on the site I'm sure. Much more creative than a cut-and-paste laser image IMO. My old art teacher would say. Put some shadow texture in to ground your cannon and building a bit.

Interesting indeed. Maybe throw some tin in with it; bronze might turn better on the lathe.

I have now managed to do the needle-hook timing. While the gear on the horizontal shaft was indeed very stuck, what worked for me was to insert the hex key and turn the shaft, and with enough leverage, I was able to turn the gear on the shaft to adjust the needle-hook timing. Additionally, I saw that I also had to adjust the position of the tip of the hook as it was hitting the needle slightly. This is where I made one mistake as I first loosened the screw for the Inner Hook Guide instead of the hook driving shaft saddle. So after I finished the Hook-Needle Timing, I wanted to adjust the position of the Inner Hook Guide again , but no matter how close I set it, it releases the bottom thread way too early (I once again attached another video) So did I do something wrong with the hook-needle timing? I had to adjust it further than I would have originally thought. So, did I maybe miss something in regards to the stitch cycle in which the parts work together? I tried to look at some other resources, but could not spot an issue or difference. I really tried all options with the possible positioning of the Inner Hook Guide, so I don't think it could be just that. So once again, I hope you have some ideas or help. But I really think this should be the last step. At least after this whole ordeal, I feel much more confident regarding any issues my sewing machine might throw at me in the future 😂 PXL_20251030_164552655 (1).mp4 Kind Regards Josh

This thread’s a bit older, but for anyone still looking — I make hand-cast solid brass hardware (buckles, rings, loops) from my small workshop in Kenya under Bob’s Brassware. Small-batch, solid brass pieces made for other makers: bobsbrassware.com — John

@kgg How big of hole will the Class 26 Cobra punch into the leather? Will it be a 2 1/2" finishing nail also? Is the 26 too large for wallets and dress belts? Thanks in advance!

Man that sounds good , Here is what i made the wife for our 45th anniversary last night. fresh Spike Elk Backstrap. Lovingly taken by my son in a canyon so steep and full of brush a horse cant even get close. We had to quarter and pack out the meat on foot, only took about 10 hours or so from the first shot to getting him in the truck, i carried these out in my pack. while also carrying a quarter. Two weeks of hard hunting and we have two wonderful elk to butcher. BTW beef steaks of half this quality are about 20 bucks a pound here in the store. LOl with two Elk ima gonna have all these, except the night light, exchanging it for some nice handmade leather.