Digit

I use a metal satay skewer for applying edge paint and some people from my class use bits of TIG welding rod. Both are around 1-2mm in diameter. It's slow work, but by applying paint this way (drip-by-drip basically) gives you a fine control over the amount of paint you apply and prevents excess from going over the edge and smearing the grain side. Glue I have never yet applied in such a way that it could get on the wrong side of the leather I'm working with. I think it's mostly a matter of keeping your work patch and your hands clean when dealing with glue. For contact cement I use a plastic spatula to apply small amounts (CA is for setting pieces before stitching imo, so you only need small amounts) and for PVA I usually use a large spatula (an old credit card) or a brush to apply it.

If you're referring to the abovementioned Serafil 7766, I order my Serafil from https://www.emezzuhandbaghardware.com/en/Serafil-sewing-thread-No.40-7766?Product=442060891 They're based in the Netherlands though, so prepare for import duties (unless you can find a local supplier).

Thank you. I did the handbag entirely on the school's Globals and some parts of the belt on my Adler. Both machines are pretty similar; I guess I could have done the gussets equally well on the Adler. Thanks. The pattern is one from school as this was a mandatory project. Leather is all chrome tan, cow outer and pigskin suede liner, reinforcement with salpa. Hardware is two D-rings, two carabiners, three rivets and a buckle.

Given the title of the item and the overall build quality observed from the photos (off-the-shelf components and threaded rods put together) this looks like a Chinese build that you can find on Ali for less than a hundred, including shipping: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003790489160.html Always beware of drop-shippers with fancy websites that charge a margin of 100% or more. I'm not saying that this website is one; I have no experience with them. But I do suggest you look around a bit and compare prices.

Thank you This is all machine stitched on the Global 1335's at school and a few bits on my own Adler 69 at home.

You do indeed get a longer opening that way. The downside is that the bag doesn't fully close and the tickness of the leather might push away the zipper puller, potentially making the opening even bigger. Maybe it's a workaround for not having the correct zipper length to match the bag dimension (or vice-versa: miscalculated bag size based on the zipper at hand).

1-2 oz corresponds with 0.4-0.8mm if I'm correct. Last week I've skived down 0.7-0.9mm nappa to about half, so it's definitely doable with a bell skiver. I's very thin though; the leather will get stretchy and if you need to thin down a wide strip, you'll need multiple passes through the skiver and you risk making holes. Make sure you work with a properly sharpened blade.

My first go-to is usually https://www.lederhuis.com/ in Germany, they have a large assortment of hardware and tools.

Yesterday I finished my first handbag. It was the last assignment at school this year and I look forward to next year's projects. It's made from black chrome tan cowhide and blue pigskin suede liner. Reinforcement of the body and closing flap with 0.4mm salpa; the leather carrying strap is reinforced with a textile anti-stretch tape.

Europe is a big place and there are lots of suppliers. Do you have a favourite country? Most of the shops I order with I found by googling though.

I use PVC sewer pipe (11 or 12.5 cm ~ 4 1/3" or 5") with end caps (one end fixed, one end with a screw cap). They come in 3m lengths and I cut them into two pieces of 1.5m (5'), which perfectly fits a half hide. I stow them away near the ceiling of my garden shed; that's the only place where I have some space left This is an old photo; there's six or seven pipes hanging there by now

For closure you could add a button stud. The closing flap looks a bit rough and unfinished to me, but that's a matter of personal preference. I would suggest to do smaller cuts on the roundings so you don't end up with a sequence of straight cuts in the curves. As for giving the bag more volume, you can try the suggestion made by @toxo or you could vary in leather ticknesses: thinner/more supple leather for the gusset and thicker/sturdier leather (or reinforced leather) for the font and back panels. With thinner gusset leather it will fold closer to the stitching line instead of having a gradual curve over the width of the gusset. And sturdier leather on front and back panels will make them resist curving inwards.

I think you'll have to go through a distributor for that. Start with the UK importers at https://www.duerkopp-adler.com/contact/sales-partners/europe/#c4133 and also search for (or ask them) if there are smaller resellers that could help you out. In Belgium there are a few businesses selling industrial sewing machines that have access to parts but I found those by googling and word of mouth; they aren't listed by Adler as reseller.

This sliding sleeve is component 068000180, yes? According to the schema there's also part 990420055 nearby: a cotton wick. Probably that wick was supposed to deliver lubrication for the sliding action. If the machine ran dry and heated up, this wick might have burnt and thrown soot around. If so you'll probably need to change the wick and carefully clean up all charred residues.

Could it be that the whole blue-green-red assembly is only held in place with the blue bolt? From what I understand from your explanation there should only be vertical motion, not lateral; so one bolt at one end of the assembly could be sufficient to hold everything in place. It's slotted at least, so you could try to loosen it and see if you can wiggle that assembly about.