Tigweldor

You can get cost effective leather aprons at Ebay under "welding apron". They have real chinsey/cheap straps though - I usually convert the neck strap into an X-pattern so it fits over both shoulders and replace the hip belt also. For the replacement straps I use old seat belts (very comfortable) - you can get those at your local scrap yard - usually just for a donation to the coffee jar fund and all the tools you need to salvage them is a sharp pair of scissors/knife. I know that this route is not totally "all home made" - but it only costs around $30US for the whole project. A little more if you want to add good buckles and snaps - seat belts are usually 50mm wide = 2 inches.

Why don´t you buy local - and visit the tannery while you´re at it ? https://euroleathers.com/tanneries/boaventura/ these guys are wholesalers https://www.bioleather.pt/en/wholesale/ this town is the main hub for leatherwork in Portugal : Alcanena Greetings Hans

Got an old blown up V-8 sitting in your back yard ? Turn it into a house bar. I welded bars into the bottom of the cylinder bores, turned down the pistons as bottom plugs over the welded in bars. Timing chain, engine and cam sprockets are nickle plated. The head plates are made from half inch aluminum plate and polished - then fastened with dome headed Allen head screws. You cam use an old head gasket for the bolt pattern and a jig saw to cut the holes - I had mine done by a bud with a machine shop - for some welding in return. The glass plate is made from 10mm crystal glass - get the mounting holes drilled where you buy the glass. The engine sits on the crank and can be turned 360°. The engine block, crank and flywheel are powder coated black - make sure you have the block hot tanked thoroughly before that - else you will have bubbles in your powder coating - that happend to me, so back to sandblasting and start from scratch. I call this "up-cycling" Greetings Hans

Got an old defect V-8 sitting in your back yard ? Or some old rods under your workbench ? Well, here is a simple project. Make a toilet paper roll holder out of them - I keep one standing on my work table for general clean up work. Makes a good gift to a V-8 lover as well - if you want, get the rods powder coated in the colour of your choice. For the round bar I use old Japanese motorcycle front axles cut down or any other round stock available. I call this "up-cycling" Greetings Hans

Every so often I work tearing down industrial plants - then usually behind an oxy-acetylene cutting torch. But : my buds are electricians and so I get my VFDs for a few beer after work - can´t beat the price and I have yet to receive a defect unit from them.

The length difference of 134 and 135-17 is around 5mm. I would definitely check if the needle bar on your machine has not already been adjusted to 134 needles - cause the stitches do look good in the pics.

Here is what Schmetz says - and they are a needle manufacturer : System 134R is generally used in single needle lockstitch industrial sewing machines. It is also known as 135x5, 135x7, 135x25, 1901, DPx5, and DPx7. The R after the 134 stands for Rundspitze = round point = for farbrics The L suffix stands for Leder = leather LR = Leder rechts = leather right side slot LL = Leder Linkes = leather left side slot.

Here are some pics on what really impedes cooling - found in a sewing machine motor of a Pfaff 463 that came from a tailor (bought and repaired it for a lady friend of mine) I find such a thing a potential fire hazzard as well - especially around electrical contacts.

That is quite true. The clutch on a clutch motor is just to feather it at the beginning. If you try to run a clutch motor at low speed for prolonged time - you will be riding the clutch a lot and the clutch lining will not last long. And what you said about cooling - when running a clutch motor at low speed with a VFD - is equally true. BUT : these old motors have massive copper windings and can stand the heat - unlike the cheap units from Chinesistan with aluminum windings. The 550 Watt motor on my Adler 5-8 gets quite warm after prolonged operation - but it has held up for years now, with no consequence what so ever - I usually run it between 28 to 40 Hz - and we use 50Hz here in Germany straight out of the socket. I mounted one of my VFDs (Fuji Frenic) to an aluminum plate so I can use it either on my Adler 5-8 , my Adler 4-4 or my Dürkopp 239-3 It has a 32 Amp socket - with an adapter 32 Amp to 16 Amp plugged into it in the pic. The silver brake unit on the back of the VFD is not hooked up - have found no need for it on sewing machines.

Yes , you can use the diamond point on leather - it aligns your thread in a straight line. Or you can use a 134 LL (slot facing to the left) or a 134 LR (slot facing to the right) Just make sure that the needle size corresponds with your top thread size - or you will produce large "well holes" with a tiny thread coming out of them - like your 160 holes in the pic. Since these needles don´t cost a fortune - I would buy all types and then decide which style of produced look matches your project best. Say you want to shorten sleeves on a leather jacket - you would use a LL on one sleeve end and then a LR on the other sleeve end - or the diamond point for both. Might not sound like much - but a picky/knowledgeable customer will see such little details. If not - point out what extra care and effort you took for the small price he is paying. You can also use a slightly smaller thread size in your bobbin - has the advantage of getting more thread onto the bobbin = Tkt 40 on your bobbin and Tkt 30 for top thread. That is how I handle it on my machines. Hope that helps you out Greetings Hans

Problem with silver soldering is that the crack would have to be "clinically" clean - if the machine was painted after it cracked or oxides have meanwhile formed in the crack - the results will be at best mediocre. Otherwise the tensile strength of a sound silver solder joint will surpass that of the cast iron of the machine. I would also definitely NOT pay 500$US for a sewing machine that has a cracked housing - I would not even go back to that guy/shop for future business cause in my eyes he quoted a "sucker price" to a standing repeat customer. Just my opinion on the matter, though.

I have a bud across town who owns a fiber laser - but he is more into sinker EDM machining and has his order books full - so his time is scarce. I´m just in the process of building a quick release fixture to hold the buckles, so every one of them is in the same spot under the laser. Then I have to get familiar with the laser´s programming. That is actually not my world - I come from an era when phones still had a dial and the receiver was connected to the phone with a cord. Never got into computers till late Win XP - when I have troubles with my I-phone, I call my daughter for help or go on a search on YouTube. I can tear apart most sewing machines and put them back together so they work again much easier than operating/writing computer programs - so I have a steep learning curve ahead of me. I actually don´t even know if I really want to do all that stuff - there is a legal gray zone here. How do I know that the customers design does not infringe a copy right of somebody else ? I will be the one who put it into metal - so one of my legs is just about in jail while doing so. Any Joe out for a quick buck could set a trap - let me produce/laser "his" design and then have his buddy sue me for copy right infringement - you can´t make coin easier than that. Will have to talk to someone with more legal skills than I possess on what the consequences could be or whether a written statement that the design is the customer´s own is enough. Greetings Hans

a 160 size needle is way to big for Tkt 40 thread - the 120 needle is already on the big side - ideal would be 110 - but in leather one size bigger is not bad. https://www.tolindsewmach.com/thread-chart.html - Guttermann Mara is a German thread - so use the (Ticket) under Thread Size and then the needle according to it. And like Northmount already said - use a leather needle on leather. Greetings Hans

I have two other very good creative as well as easy metal projects - but I don´t know where to post them on this here website. 2 items made from stuff, that is in the abundance in the US - but has nothing to do with leather.

Dwight is right on the spot. An international patent costs a small fortune. I would have to borrow coin - this would put me into debt and turn me into a slave of some bank or other financial institution. That would end my free way of life - the pressure of pay back would interact with my choice of how to spend the day - so that is a definite No-Go. There are over 80 million people here in Germany - around 430 million in Europe - shit, I got more potential customers than I can handle without needing to "conquer" the US as well. So if there is someone across the pond to want to copy my concept - go ahead and give it a try. I simply do not care - else I wouldn´t have uploaded this post to start with. I´m not that stupid - but even more important - I am not greedy. While money does make life more comfortable, the one thing it can not buy is happiness. To tell you the truth, I have been most creative in metal art when I was nigh on broke - still can´t figure that one out. Greetings Hans By the way : in Canada patent is pending - I do have a long time "bro" over there who will get into the action.

should naturally read : to prevent rattling inside the HOUSING (not hosing) during operation of the machine. Sorry - I´m a stickler on spelling.

By the way : I dye my belts with an airbrush - and only on the outside of the belt. That is very important. Experience has shown that if I dye the belt on the inside facing the pants as well (which would be simple : throw them in a tub and let drip dry over that) - the dye will rub of and stain the pants - that makes for unhappy customers. And here it doesn´t matter which dye you use (alcohol base/water base) and what you seal them with after - eventually they will all stain the pants - I am very particular about not having that happen - word of mouth travels bad news faster than you think - and up to now ALL my customers were happy - I sure do intend to keep it that way. I do not use very expensive airbrushes - a simple Badger is my main go to airbrush for small work - the Paasche can be fitted with a bigger jar - I like them both. They are both single action - you just can´t get large enough jars for most double action brushes - I do have a few of them as well - but again - I´m not a painter or a paint artist - I just want to dye my belts - plain and simple as that. I use the Paasche when I have numerous belts to be dyed the same colour - but I try to avoid that and change colour by adding drops of darker dye as I go along - so no 2 belts are exactly the same colour. Some say to wet the belt to get better dye penetration - I myself have not found much of a difference whether the leather is dry or wet. I have yet to try a simple vacuum chamber - I have the pump and will experiment this summer on my porch with that. So : dye some belts - put them in the vacuum chamber - take them out after a few minutes and apply another coat. I will report on that endeavour. Some good homemade airbrush holders with a heavy steel base are a must and save a lot of cussing - and cost nearly nothing to make. I have tried the sponge/rag technique - but that wastes a lot of dye - which is not cheap stuff to obtain, if you buy quality dye. I mostly use Fiebings Pro dye - but have tried others. Since Fiebings has to be imported from the US - it is not cheap stuff over here - and price will go up with this absurd tariff thing - what a PITA. All spoken here is just my own opinion through my own experience - your mileage may differ - so do like/as you think is best for you. My philosophy is pretty simple : You don´t like my product - well - go buy something somewhere else. My life does not depend on that, so I don´t really give a hoot. But - I am the only one making these buckles world wide. Period. I have no competition in my little niche. That is not arrogance - that´s just the way it is. Greetings Hans

Your wish shall be my command - cause that is an easy chore. The first 2 pics are from the belt going through the buckle The 3rd pic is from the backside of the belt The 4th pic is the welded stainless D-ring for the carabiner with your keys - beats hanging the carabiner from a fabric belt loop any day The 5th pic are my traveling tools - I custom fit all of my belts to their new owner - since I travel a lot on my trusty old Shovel, I cant´t tug along a rivet press - so I mount the buckle to the belt with round headed stainless Allen screws, and I think in the States their called Chicago Screws (which are actually nuts) and a drop of Loctite. The last pic is my suede buckle "mag" - so the customer can choose the buckle he/she likes best - as I have them in different finishes - plain, polished or brushed. The buckle in the pic has seen 15 years of use - EVERY day and at work as well - as I do not walk/wear commercials for other peoples buckles

Here, I made some pics - know what it is like to wait for info. The burner is 75mm long -- 31mm high and 34mm deep. The wick holder is facing towards the inside of the Gritzner at a 45° angle and has a course 12mm thread. There is no cap - my mistake - but the burner has a vent hole of 2mm diameter with a small chamfer on the top. The 2 round plugs on top of the burner are made from rubber - to prevent the burner from rattling inside the housing during operation of the machine. Hope that helps you out Greetings Hans

I have the knife transporter - it just has one tiny tooth at the beginning of the blade. You only need the burner if you use waxed/pitched thread in your bobbin. Nowadays it is more practical to use Polyester thread. Actually you do not need the burner at all - an electric heat gun can do the same job (takes about 2 to 4 minutes) - and that is an item usually found in most work shops. But I can take some pics including measurements of the burner tomorrow - maybe you know a weldor who can fabricate one for you from an old alcohol burner as used in labs and such - these have round tanks but you can use the wick holder with its´cap and just need to weld up a rectangular tank. Greetings Hans

Hi, You gotta do something with your uploaded pics - a guy needs a microscope to see anything. I would buy the 72 - as it has the larger bobbins AFAIK --- the bobbins of the 51 are tiny - you have to check them often or run out of thread in the middle of stitching - a real bummer. Also spare parts for the 70series Singers are easier to get from Chinesistan via ebay.com under "Singer 29K" Your prices in the States are a lot stiffer than here in Europe - but I would start with say around $300 for the lot - you can always go up but never down on an offer once made. And do not try to haggle over phone or Internet - do that job person to person - you will have to look at the actual state of the machines sooner or later anyway - that is the time to talk money. Have your coin stashed in/over different pockets - a seller is severely turned off when you barter him/her down and then pull out a fat wad of bills when it comes to paying. That makes you look like a jerk. It´s like kicking him/her in the face. Absolutely needless such a move. You did not follow the rules of this here web site . In your avatar you did not state where you live - so I assumed that it is in the US of A Greetings Hans

Like I said - I took the part from the Singer 29K-51 - it fit like a glove - a 100% match. Attached is a pic - the ring had broken right off the "drive bar" with the bushing/bearing on it - I did TIG weld it back into place, but on the top inside of ring there was parts missing, so the revolving part with the two handles on it would hang up once in a while. Quite annoying that matter. Here in Germany, you can get 29Ks for small coin - I paid 20€ for all the spare parts needed in form of a 29K-51 - plus I got a working Singer table with treadle that runs like day 1 with it. Okay - admitted - I did have to drive nigh on 200 klicks round way to boot - but on all Sundays of the year there are no trucks allowed on the Autobahn (only those transporting perishable goods) - so a guy can mosey along pretty smooth with that much less traffic. So now I will mount the Adler 30-7 onto my custom motorized stand and mount the 29K-33 onto the Singer treadle table from the 29K-51 - needs a plate on top to enlargen the table though, because the "footprint" of the 29K-33 is a lot larger than that of the 29K-51. But thanks for the offer Greetings Hans

Hope, that helps you out. Greetings from a Kraut to a Kiwi Hans

In ten years I will be 72 years old - Nah - I will leave the engraving part to others. Now, if I were about 30 years younger - I might give it a try. But like I said - I make my living elsewhere. This is just a side line - a lucrative hobby - for now. I have managed to keep debt free all of my life - no use changing that at this stage/at my age. Besides - I have been a Harley ridin´biker since I was 16, with the odd Norton fitted in between- done my club time and exited in good standing years ago. That was back in the days when riders still knew how to wrench their own scoot - shit, you wouldn´t have gotten past hangaround if you couldn´t perform that task. Nowadays the scene has changed completely. Miles on the road though is what I still love and need. 20 belts and buckles tagged along take up very little room and have paid for many a vacation and quite a few brews to boot. Actually, bars and club houses are a very good place to meet potential customers for my merchandise.

Thank you. I must admit though - I am not an engraver. The stuff drills pretty easy - so with a carbide tipped engraving chisel/tool, a body could probably achieve good results. But I am vintage 1962 - so I´m gonna stick to what I know / can do properly with good results. But since the material is magnetic - I have pondered upon the idea of magnetic foil - which could then change the item into a "many faced" buckle - simply change the foil and have a different buckle look/design.