mbnaegle

Not sure if this is what you are after as I have I've no experience in shoe or moccasin making, BUT something maybe of interest is that in the 1950's there was an Indian moccasin fad big enough that the American Stay Co. (later sold to Randall) developed a moccasin seam sewing attachment for the Union Lockstitch machine (Needle and Awl Harness stitcher). To mount it, the machine's face plate and the awl bar had to have some extra features machined into them, but most every machine made from the 1950's to the 1990's had those features ready to use. Essentially what this attachment does is replaces the up-down pressure foot motion with a left right pressure, pushing the material into the channel of a special needle plate. The pressure bar (LS-801) could be inserted into the shoe, allowing the moccasin's upper seam to be sewn. We haven't sold parts for these in decades, but still have it all on the shelf and It's been on my to-do list to set up a machine with one and try it out.

Might depend on what kind of air-brush you were using, but more so what you are doing. There are lots of different kinds that work different ways. Some take more skill and provide better detail control, while others are simpler. For basic painting where I'm not getting too "artistic", I'm a fan of the Binks Wren airbrushes (expensive new, but cheap used), though that general design concept is offered by other makes as well. It's a externally mixing gun, meaning it's like an air gun with a tube in front of the nozzles that siphons paint up out of the pot, making for easier cleanup. It's also a single action button, where pressing the button only activates the air. Other airbrushes out there like my Badger 150's are double-action, where pressing the button activates the air, but pulling back on the button gauges how much air is coming out, which can be tricky to get the hang of. All of mine are syphon feed that need air to pull the paint/dye up a tube, while others are side or top gravity feed. I think a spray bottle would be hard to gage when to start and when to stop pumping, how to fade it, etc. but I've never tried using one for paint or dye. I think they would be hard to clean, so it ends up being a disposable. Air-powered spray guns have the advantage of providing consistent pressure for as long as you hold the button or trigger. If you're looking for simplicity and need to do volume, these old dye sprayers are about as simple as they come. Not sure where to buy them these days, but it gives you some ideas. This one I recently restored, (full of dry dye and the lid was rusted out). No moving parts and minimal cleaning needed. It uses very little air pressure, which bleeds out a hole in the top of the handle. When you cover that hole with you're thumb, it redirects the air to spray out the front. Not sure who made it originally. Also have a couple of these old Dyo-Flex guns. The air is always spraying out the front and the trigger moves it closer or farer from the syphon nozzle, changing if or how much fluid is spraying.

Had some mishaps over the years, always due to being an idiot with a tool or using it without the proper guards. Personally, I don't like trying to make machine's "idiot proof" as it seems that they keep coming up with better idiots, but if something had a guard when it was new, it's better to keep it in place and adjust your job rather than take it off and forget about it. Ultimately, no guard will compensate for someone not keeping their mind on their work or trying to do it faster than is safe. It's better to treat the machine like it would kill you if it could, like a tiger on a chain, not a kitten to play with. I was cutting up some 3x3x3 hardwood blocks a few years back and didn't plan ahead and cut them to length before I sized the height/width on the jointer or planer. Being in a hurry, I made the idiot decision to run the short blocks through the table saw. One bound up and kicked back into my face, making a comical *ploink* noise and I later found it had a dent in the side where it hit the floor AFTER hitting me. It momentarily dislocated my jaw, knocked my safety glasses off my face, vision went blurry for a bit, and I was bleeding pretty good. Got a ride to the hospital and was EXTREAMLY LUCKY that it just skipped off my face doing no bone damage, no bruising, and I only needed 14 stitches and some superglue to get put back together. Also fortunate that the ER guy on duty that day specialized in facial sutures, and he dug some wood shrapnel out of my face. Got a neat scar out of the deal, but better than that I gained more respect for using a table saw correctly and I replaced the missing blade guard. I finished the blocks later (belt sander), which were being cut into some support rests for a tool, and the one with the buzz mark across the side where the blade caught It I kept visible for a personal reminder. Speaking of table saws, long before my time my dad worked with a leather shop that did silver work as well. He was doing some silver work on a mechanical die press and it took the last 1/4" off of one thumb. He went to the hospital but didn't bring the severed bit, so they had to pull the bottom edge of the wound up under the nail (which he said hurt the most). For the longest time, he had one thumb shorter than the other, which made for some fun stories, until one day he cut 1/4" off of the OTHER thumb while using a table saw. This time the doctors didn't want the bit and stitched it up like they had the other thumb, so for many years he kept the severed bit in his desk in a little jar of formaldehyde. He used to say when he was buried he wanted us to burry ALL of him, but when he passed we couldn't find it (I miss him anyway and don't mind if he wants to haunt me). Speaking of thumb's, another time I was making adjustments to a band knife splitter, which required the machine to be opened up but running so I can see how it was moving and make adjustments. While I was sitting and giving it a moment to run, I noticed one of the blade wipers was vibrating. I thought that it was covering the blade and I stuck my thumb on it to see if the vibration would stop, and when I did it slid back letting the blade slice into my thumb about 1/2". The guy I was with wanted to call 911 but after I had a chance sit and to breath through the wooziness, it didn't seem so bad once I taped it up, so I finished my work for the day and went home. When I got there my visiting father-in-law helped me re-dress it and told me 'Nope. You're going to the hospital.' Once there, the nurse messed around with it cleaning it out and by-golly that was x10 worse than when it happened. They recommended stitches but too much time had passed (6 hours), so they would have to cut it back open If I wanted it to leave less of a scar. I was more concerned with infection than cosmetics and they confirmed that I didn't NEED stitches, so they taped it up and gave me some antibiotics. As it healed, I realized I had cut through a nerve as the end of my thumb had lost feeling, but it closed up fine and didn't hurt. After 3 or so years I've got about 90% feeling in the end again. I've gotten nicked by non-moving band knives plenty of times over the years, but I still cringe when I think of getting my fingers that close to a moving blade again.

Yep, gotta make sure the machine is off and the motor is wound down (if it's the old clutch motors) or the power is bled out (if it's the newer servo motors). The old motors need time for the momentum of the motor to wind down, while the servo motors have some electricity stored in capacitors that needs to bleed off. My dad used to tell the story that not long after he and my mom got together (they met and worked together doing leatherwork) he was sewing on one of his old Landis 3 needle-and-awl stitchers, which have an awl punching from the top and a hook tipped needle coming up from the bottom. He always used his thumbs for edge guides as he sewed and did so safely for years, until one day he got a little too close and the awl came down into the nail of his right thumb. He stopped right away and said it wasn't too bad, but he couldn't reach the handwheel with his left had to back it up. He knew if he kept going, the awl would come out but immediately followed by the needle which would really tear up his thumb when it came out. He called for my mom to come help, but as soon as she saw it she got scared and ran off. She came back a couple times and kept running off saying "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" until finally my dad had to raise his voice and holler "STOP!!!....... Ok..... I'm going to step on the pedal a little bit to take the brake off of the motor, and you're going to turn the wheel BACKWARDS slowly...." Which she did, he pulled his thumb out, sucked the drop of blood off of the nail, and finished sewing the tack or harness he was doing. He still used his thumbs as edge guides too, as do I, and Mom quickly got better acquainted with the "blood and gore" associated with working in a shop too. Having level-headed help with you is a major necessity. Over the years, we've had lots of people try or ask us to make sewing machine more OSHA friendly to operators, adding barriers and switches and everything to keep hands out of the danger zone, and in almost every case the safety measures significantly reduces it's utility and increases spoiled work, if not making it just impossible to use. It's just one of those things that takes some training and respect for the machine and the task at hand. It's like trying to make a bicycle impossible to crash. On the plus side, the new servo motors shut down a lot quicker than the old clutch motors, but you still need to tap the pedal or watch the LED light dim away until the power is all the way out.

That's pretty cool! I'd agree I think it was an owner maybe marking when he got it. It's kinda neat to see all the history worn into old machines With the Nylon thread, I've known some guys that can get it to work on Campbells and Unions and hat's off to them, but it's uncommon. I think the quality and age/condition of the thread has a lot to do with users success, but whatever you use If it works it works.

All good notes. Needles and Awls are still available for the Campbell/Randall lockstitch and Union lockstitch machines in the more popular sizes. There are a couple less popular sizes that we haven't replenished stock yet since needle manufacturers often have minimum orders of 10,000+ pieces, so we have to budget when we're going to stock-up for the next 100 years. In those cases, if someone needs something there's always a half size over or under in stock that can do the job. You're right about the awls too. Needles are sized by the thread you are using (the manuals have charts telling you which to use), and your awl needs to be one size over to account for the hole it punches closing up a little bit (some materials may even require an even larger awl). If you wanted to sew with a 277 thread on a Campbell for example, you would want a CHS #1 1/2 Needle and a CHS #2 1/2 Awl. The needle systems and sizes are different for every machine and the size numbers don't correlate to any measurable dimension. Union Lock needles and awls only work on Unions, but CHS Needles and Awls can be used on other lockstitch machines with some modifications. The needles will work in Landis 3's and 16's, while the awls require the awl bar hole to be reamed out (slightly larger shank). I believe the same is true for Champions, and you may need to grind 1/16" off the back of the needle. I believe they'll work in American Straight Needle machines without modifications.

@bruce johnson @kgg @Vicki Vallencourt Thanks for the kind words guys. I enjoy curating the history of our companies and have bene planning on starting a thread or two about it (when I find that "round-to-it"). @Wizcrafts Thanks for the testimonial! I guess my "neutral" side is more that I'm a believer in investing in quality "classic" tools and machinery, and I think needle and awl lockstitch machines are the best at sewing medium to heavy weight leathers (compared to other modern rotary hook closed eye needle machines on the market), but some might take that as I'm just trying to sell machines since ours (the Campbells, Randalls, and Union Locks) are the only manufacturer supported needle and awl stitchers left. New machines are not cheap though (about $8000 these days), and we typically have a long waiting list for them, so whatever you can use to get your product made is a win. I'm happy to see any used machines out there get put to work as it keeps the machines reputation rolling. I do plan on doing some more technical threads and videos, especially on the Campbells and Unions. I tell people often that there's a reason these machines were designed with a tool tray on the front. You've got to be comfortable and familiar enough fine tuning them every now and then same as any other sewing machine, but all the guys I know that get over that hurtle love the machines in the end. For example with the Union Lock, which has a very polarized reputation for needing periodic adjustment, it has ABUNDANT points of adjustment that can slip out of time, but once you understand how to put it all in place and keep it there, that machine will run forever because as things wear you can keep tightening them up. Campbells and Randalls can and do get run into the ground, needing extensive repairs and parts replaced eventually, but we haven't had one yet that we couldn't save. Those cases are rare though. We have one Campbell on display in our lobby that was on lease for 70 years needing no major repairs or rebuilds and it still sews great. They're not difficult to operate either. True, I grew up around them, but my first time running one was when I was around 10 or so at a trade show with 5-10 minutes of instruction from my dad, and It was a blast. Campbell's, Randall's and Landis #3's are what I consider 2nd generation needle and awl machines. The first generation machines being Landis #1's and similar early low speed machines (better than hand stitching, but long since outdated), and 3rd generation machines being high speed Union Locks, Landis 16's and Cyclones. In my opinion, that 2nd Generation really got things right. They relied on cams and levers and oscillating shuttles (mostly) in their designs and are mechanically very durable and well built. They operate comfortably at a decent pace that operators can keep up with without having the work get away from you. The 3rd gen machines could go faster, but it's like driving a car where just because the car can do 200mph, doesn't always mean the driver or the road are up to it. They also often have more complicated parts making them more expensive to produce, which is a big part of why our Cyclone had so few machines made. The needle and awl design is what really makes these machines unique though. That action of punching and threading the hole, going back and forth from either side, with the needle or awl feeding the work, mimics hand stitching and produces very little puckering on the back of the work when compared to a closed eye needle machine. That process also enables some unique abilities like corner stitching. Like Wizcrafts noted too, the Campbell/Randall machine has an automatically adjusting looper that will keep a uniform stitch when sewing up and down inclines, while other machine need tension adjustments when thickness's change. So yes, I'm biased, but I'm also the kind of salesman that I don't want to "convince" anyone of anything. Good products should sell themselves and it's the companies job to support it best as possible. The cost of building these machines is one thing we couldn't fudge if we wanted though, and we learned a long time ago that we'll never be able to compete with imported machines in that regard. Fortunately, there's been enough like minded clients out there who want to invest in a premium machine that will outlive them, so we keep kicking the 140 year old tech around .

Yep, they're still fully supported. I try to keep things neutral on here as I don't want anyone to think I'm just one here trying to sell machinery or promote our company, but shoot an email over to service@campbell-randall.com and we can get you a PDF of the manual, and a quote for the shuttle and bobbins. We don't have complete records for the Randall Lockstitch machines, but can tell you that they were made new between around 1910 and the 1940's or 1950's. I've only ever seen serial numbers up to the early #2000's, so I'd estimate your machine was from the 1920's or maybe the 1930's, and the black 'new-york' tag means it was factory rebuilt sometime between the 1960's and the early 1980's. Campbell first developed their machine in 1882, but only wanted to lease machines. for 120 years the routine was that you would lease a machine from them, then send it back when you were done after 10-20 years, they would re-manufacture it, and ship it back out to a new client. Randall was established as a harness machinery maker and Campbell approached them to make Campbell parts and machines for Campbell to sell. Randall said "SURE! Just get us copies of all the prints," which Campbell did, and within a year or so Randall had ripped them off and made their own version of the Campbell with just enough changes to get around the patents. Campbell couldn't have been too happy about it, but it was good for the market because Randall only sold machines. So now people had options in that you could lease a Campbell, or own a Randall (also note that Landis also touted the "own your own" idea with their machinery). Both companies did very well in the coming decades with lots of diversification, until the late 50's and early 60's when the big corporations they had become part of were restructuring, and Campbell Bosworth Machinery split off from United Shoe Machinery, and the Randall Company was split up with the original leather machinery side being sold to a family in New York. who also bought Campbell Bosworth. So the competitors ended up under the same roof, but still marketed as different companies, until the mid 80's when they had a family spat and split into two different companies again. Then in 2006, we put them back together here in Texas, but were fully merged into one company. The lease program ended in 2000 and we've only been selling machines since. When we run out of the old lease machines to remanufacture, we'll have to start casting the frames again. Campbell is the primary machine we build, being the "original," but we still fully support the Randall's. In the manual, there's a page of the Randall parts that do not interchange with the Campbell. We still sell both versions of these parts and we would just need to know that your machine is a Randall and not a Campbell. Otherwise Campbell is the default. They're great machines. Keep your RPM's under 300 (most users are much happier running around 100rpm or less) and keep it well oiled. There's not a ton of adjustments on them, but the manual gives a good understanding of it. These machines also don't like Nylon. Polyester or natural fiber threads are best as you want something that lays flat and doesn't retain a coil or stretch. They're designed for sewing leather, while most other stitchers are designed to sew all textiles. You can't sew fabrics, webbing, or other woven textiles, but they'll make beautiful durable stitches in leather and can work with many synthetics too.

This is why you have kids! Put them to work! You might look at amputee prosthetics, as I've seen some ingenious stuff done to keep guys busy. Most of it doesn't restore full use of the arm, but rather makes it easier to use the arm for simple stuff. If your arm is in a cast, you might be able to fashion a hook, ring, or spring clamp to help hold stuff while you work on it with the other arm. Don't let life get you down. Where there's a will there's a way. Double Arm Amputee Welding

I'm in agreement that if you are not sewing heavy materials, it will be better to sell this machine to someone who needs it and buy something better suited to your needs. I remember working on a couple of very similar Highlead machines (Normally we don't work in import machines like Highlead, but these ones were unique). I think they were model GA2698 like the attached video, but they are built on the same deep throat cylinder arm frame as the machine above. Those machines however are configured for "up-the-arm" stitching, where instead of stitching front to back, your material went left to right. A company was setting up to use it to make leather archery quivers so each piece had 24" of stitching and then was pulled off the arm. I guess my point is a big arm like these machines have has a purpose, and it can be a pain to deal with if you are not using it. Youtube video A machine like yours is way more versatile being in the same family as a Juki 441, Adler 205, etc. which are useful to someone doing saddle and harness type work. The deep arm would be unusual, as the only application for deep throat machines I'm aware of in that industry is sewing saddle blankets, which is usually done on a flat-bed machine. If someone was trying to add leather reinforcements to custom saddle blankets and sew them roughly in the shape they would be on the horse (not flat) this machine might be just the ticket. It could also be useful in making heavy webbing slings for rigging and helicopter rescue. If setting this machine up to use, the ones we worked on were on tables that were very similar to used for Juki 441 with the same motor and reducer, but the base was much longer and more substantial (like in the video). Essentially a heavy duty pedestal stand for a big cylinder arm machine, but with an even heavier duty and wider base. With all that length and weight hanging out there, the last thing you want is for this thing to end up on the floor, so I would either invest in the proper stand, or get crafty with the welder and fab something that is going to allow the operator to fully utilize the machine, while also fully supporting it. It might also be an opportunity to incorporate a removable flat bed extension. Something like a big sheet of reinforced plywood that fits around the arm for typical work, but could be removed when you want to use the arm.

We'll call those "Hinges" most of the time. On the plus side, that style only comes in ones size that I'm aware of, so if you find some that is the right shape then they should fit. There are other shapes out there as many manufacturers came up with their own design, but that one is pretty common. Depending on who you get it from, some will come with the metal part that fits into the hole in the back of the head, and some they are sold separately. The metal part you have is one someone made, as the original is made from flat steel rolled into shape and Nickle plated.

I think the Campbell one might interchange, if you change out the holder for it. I think it was all one "L" shaped piece on Randall's and Landis 3's, but the new 2 piece Campbell style interchanges with the Randall at least, and it gives a little more adjustment to get the eye just where you want it. CHS-602 for the thread eye which is straight with a little bend on the eye end and is .124" diameter. And CHS-593A for the holder which is .186 diameter on the vertical end, if you want to check it.

I think the comments above have it. Even if the motor is not using a needle positioner encoder, if the linkage for the pedal is misadjusted the motor is likely getting a signal immediately at start-up that it can't use or doesn't know what to do with. This would make sense if it started doing this after transporting the machine, as it's common for linkages and legs to shift such that the Idle pedals position is different than what it was previously.

On most needle-n-awl lockstitch machines, you do not have an adjustable tension like on other sewing machines. Depending on the make, they usually have thread breaks on top that are not adjusted to give variable tension. They either lock the thread, or allow it to slip, depending on what part of the cycle the machine is in. If the breaks are locked (usually when the take-up motion is happening, pulling the loop from the bottom), the thread should not be able to move at all. If you pull on the thread and it slips at all, then the breaks are worn or out of adjustment. Many of these lockstitch machines are known for their tight stitch, and when properly adjusted you stand more chance of tearing the top thread than getting it to pull through the break mechanism. Often, loops on the bottom of the work are because the breaks are letting thread slip by while the take-up motion is happening. Instead of pulling the loop all the way up, it just pulls more thread off of the spool. If the breaks are working like they should, the position of the lock is not governed by upper tension so much as by the mechanical motion that is creating, pulling down, then taking up the loop. If that loop is made too big or too small, or it see's resistance as it's going down or coming back up, you will get frayed or broken thread, or looping on the bottom. On a Landis 3, your adjusting points for this will be the position that the thread eye and looper are set to, the height of the needle in the needle bar, the take-up adjustment (through the big slot on the front of the neck), and the gear mesh on the take-up rolls on top. Having the machine threaded correctly and using the right size needle and awl for the thread you are using are important 1st steps. The bobbin tension is often set too tight too, or is tight because the flat spring on the side is bent wrong or isn't threaded right. The bobbin tension is not really supposed to balance the stitch, working against the pull that the top thread is seeing. It needs a consistent drag, but not heavy, as it's primary purpose is to control the bobbin thread and keep it from unwinding itself. The top thread does all the work and the bottom thread follows it's lead, and if the bottom thread has a lot of tension, it will cause problems for the top. One other thing to add is that on Landis 3's, Campbells, and Randalls, there isn't really any timing adjustment to sync the bottom and top ends together. They rely on parts being pined together semi-permanently and there shouldn't be any play in the cams, levers, etc. Normally these parts are fairly bulletproof though. It's something to be aware of if you have a worn machine or one that a past owner has monkeyed with things, you either have to reverse the damage or replace parts in those cases.

Ok, thanks for the confirmation on the handheld compressor. I'm going to get one to try out. Both the Badger 150's and the Binks Wren's have been good airbrush's in my opinion. The 150's are double action internal mix units where pushing the button opens the air, and pulling back on the button adjusts the paint flow, which is great if you are changing spray pattern as you go, but the internal mix aspect makes them slightly more involved to clean up. The Wren's being an external mix single action control makes them easier to clean, and I like the ergonomics and simplicity of them. Each has their place.

Not sure which of the forums I'm on will have the most airbrush guru's, but lets give it a shot! I inherited a few Airbrush's with my Dad's old leather tools, and have picked up a couple myself over the years. He had them from back in his Hollywood days doing props and special effects. He often was given antique leather goods that he had to make 3 to 10 copies of so they didn't destroy the original, and an airbrush was one of the tools he would use to detail stuff with paints and dyes to make it look authentic (I find that whole industry fascinating, as those craftsmen will regularly make convincing works of art that are often destroyed during or post filming). We've also used them detailing other projects over the years, and even for touch-up paint on equipment. He mainly used Badger 150 airbrush's, as well as a couple of imports (same design as the Badgers). I've also got a couple Binks Wren brush's that I like. While I'm sorting stuff out I'm thinking I'll pass the import airbrush's on to a couple of his more artistic grandkids to practice with. They were mainly used with the shops air supply and a regulator, so I'm going to get a couple little hobby compressors to run them with. So, first question: Does anyone have experience with the hand-held airbrush compressors, like pictured below? Will typical airbrush's thread onto them, or do they use their own thread size? It seems like a bulky, but simple wireless way to go, but if it won't work with the sentimental brush's I'll just get a typical 110v compressor. 2nd Question: Dad also ended up with kind of a rare bird. It's a Binks Raven airbrush, which is already one of the higher-end vintage airbrush's, but on top of that he bought it from a Ron Gress who did background scenery and modeling and apparently developed an attachment for it that Binks produced, the Chameleon 59-250 system. You can load it with 9 or so different paints and change them on the fly, like painting off of an artists pallet instead of out of a single paint jar. I can't find ANY info on this system online, other than an ad for it and some obituary entries for it's creator. I contacted Binks, who sent my case to a local Binks dealer, who unfortunately was more interested in trying to sell me new guns than helping me find any information. I'd love to find a manual for it or any other documentation related to it's existence. I plan to clean it up and test it out, but I expect that it'll require some diligent cleaning. I think if you were airbrushing multiple colors at once though (like those Hollywood guys), it wouldn't be any more cleaning than having 9 different airbrushes loaded up to use. And last Question: One of My Binks Wren's is missing some pieces. I've got most of it on order, but one piece is apparently no longer available. It's part 59-20, which they're calling a "Wren Gun Housing", but it's a round air fitting that fits into the bottom of the gun. Is buying a more complete gun or a parts gun the only way to find this piece, or does anyone know of an airbrush supply shop that might have some parts for sale? The gun in question is the "A" size for fine work. I use a "B" size for most stuff but am hoping to put the old "A" back in service. The "A" and "C" sizes are discontinued, but you can still buy the "B" some placed for $300-$400, which is crazy as used ones pop up for $20-$60. I'm just stubborn wanting to fix what I've got rather than replace it.

FYI: parts are still available for these. It should take 40mm ID blades, typically either 70MM or 80MM OD. 12" approx. cutting area. Good strap cutter.

Any kind of curves or shapes isn't going to work with the traditional rotary die creasing machine, where you are creasing both sides at once, but Angeleri in Italy does make a single edge creasing machine that will do any shape you throw at it. Do a search for model RIG Hot Creasing Machine to find North American distributors. The RIG-B is a flat table machine, while the RIG-C is more like a cylinder arm (more common I think). It's the only production method I'm aware of, other than investing in big custom dies and hydraulic presses. If you're not doing many, hand tool creasing would be the alternative.

With process's like this, it's best to try to fit your application to the equipment and methods that are already in use and available. Stamped tags like you want are frequently used for all leather goods, such as saddle makers stamping their logo on part of the saddle, handbag makers on the side of a purse, or jean makers on a swatch of leather. I'm not sure about having another company make the tags for you to sew in (perhaps others can give you some leads there), but should you choose to make them yourself, the process would be to first find what kind of leather you want to use (leather supplier) and then cut those pieces into the shaped blanks. This can be done with a "cookie cutter" type Rule Die and a clicker (kind of hydraulic press), or with a CNC cut-out machine. You may be able to improvise a clicker to by adding a platen and plastic cutting pad to a press, and some companies make benchtop machines like this, but they are manually operated and can wear you out if you are doing a lot of tags. To stamp the tags, you would first have the die made by an engraving company that specializes in it, and they are typically made from brass (better) or aluminum (ok). That die would be mounted in a Hot Stamping Machine which electrically heats the die to a determined temperature, and manually (by hand or foot operation) or pneumatically (needs an air compressor hooked up) embosses it into the material for a determined time. Time and Temp are the biggest variables on machines like this. Pressure too, but once that's set, time and temp will have a bigger influence on how deep and defined the impression goes. Leather hides are often bought at thinner thickness's for jobs like this, but that doesn't mean they are perfectly uniform thickness. If you have one swatch that is thinner on one side than the other, that will make the stamping imperfect. You might be able to compensate by using a soft felt backing, or you might need to split the swatches to a thinner but uniform thickness after they are cut. In most other leather stamping applications, they would stamp a piece of leather before it is attached to the final product, for the same reason of needing a uniformly flat material to stamp evenly. As with everything, a lot of this will depend if you want to make 10 tags, 100 tags, or 1,000,000 tags. Each step has a more primitive hands-on approach that will be fine for a few, but seriously slow you down the more you need. There isn't really a machine made that you can throw a hide of leather at and have it spit out a bunch of finished tags. They all have a certain level of hands on operation due to the variation that comes with working with a natural material like leather, but there are different things you can do to automate the process and speed it up, like using a pneumatic hot stamper in place of a manual one, or using one with a rotary table that allows you to load the next piece while the prior one is still stamping. CNC cut-out machines are very expensive, particularly if you are only using it for this one job, but are way more efficient and faster than cutting them out with a rule die on a clicker. You might be able to use a more commodity type cut out machine like a Cricket, but they have thickness limitations and don't typically have room for a whole hide of leather, meaning you'll be pre-cutting it into smaller chunks end ending up with a lot more waste (Leather is not a cheap material). The clicker and the hot stamper would be your main equipment investments, and the rule die for cut-out and the brass die for stamping would be your only custom tooling. The hot stamper likely will need some kind of centering guides too, but typically they can be supplied with something basic that would work fine. Even if you have another company make the tags for you, you are essentially paying them to use their equipment, but you will still need to invest in your own dies for them to use. If your swatches are rectangular, you may be able to use a jack-shear instead of a clicker and rule die, which is essentially a massive paper guillotine big enough to cut a whole hide of leather. They are often used for things like belt production to "block" out panels that will be cut into strips, but can also cut smaller finish pieces. Just know that if your swatches are varying in length, width, or squareness, those differences could look more apparent once they are stamped. If you need to split the pieces after they are cut to get them to a uniform thickness, thicker denser leathers could be done with a small fixed-blade benchtop splitter, but soft thin leathers would require a Band Knife Splitter, which are only available as powered machinery. We've worked with Lotus Creations for brass dies before and been pleased with their work. They can take a digital image, some specifications of the length, width, embossing depth, etc. and produce a die. For the Hot Stamper, most production type machines are made in Italy these days by companies like Galli, Omac, and some others. There are some companies here in the states that do more manual operated machinery too. For cut-out, I'm partial to Atom (made in Italy) for clickers, Comelz for CNC (Atom also makes CNC cut-out machines). Galli makes a decent guillotine shear, and there are lots of old US made shears like John Jacques that will work fine if they are complete with a good blade. Jacques is no longer in business so if it's got busted castings or really messed up blades, walk away from it. Most blade sharpening companies can sharpen shear blades of any length. To do a hyde of leather, you would want a shear with 55 to 60" cutting area.

It doesn't look like factory made hardware to me. Judging by the grey "scale"(called mill scale, from when it's rolled out at the steel mill) and the silver lines by the bends, it looks like they (the OEM saddle maker) made it by cutting and bending some 1/8"x5/8" Hot Rolled Steel, which you can get from most welding/fabricating suppliers, sold in sticks by the thickness and width. I think Home Depot and similar box stores might even have a rack of various sizes. If it was factory made, I'd expect it would have ben die-stamped (no grind marks on the ends) and plated, zinced, or at least painted. Use the one you have as a template, then hacksaw, drill press, and belt sander gets you the flat blank. Sturdy vise and a hammer gets you the bends. Heating it red hot with a torch before bending would make it easier to bend and make the bends stronger, but for what it's doing it likely isn't necessary. If you do heat it, quench it afterwards in some oil (used motor oil works) to give it a uniform blackened finish.

It's based off of a Seiko CH-8B which are easier to find parts for. They started with those machines and modified the foot lift walking mechanism. I'd download a manual for the Seiko and work off of it. Anything in the Seiko manual that doesn't match your machine was custom made by Ferdinand and I'm not aware of anyone who is making those parts (unless someone has old stock).

I dug out a "junk" youth saddle from storage (not sentimental or anything. I think my parents found it in a junk store years ago.) And while its missing the stirrup straps, it turns out it has the same stirrup leather ring arrangement and a similar shape/style of tree. The leather is all dry rot, so I might rebuild it too at a later date for practice, but for now I gives some good design, tooling, and proportion guidance. There's no makers marks that I can see so far, but it does have a couple of numbers on the back of the swells (1261), and on one of the skirts (8054). Not sure if they are serial numbers, dates, or inventory numbers. I could see economy saddles like these being from a youth camp or a dude ranch or similar commercial endeavor where they might have been numbered.

Made a prototype draw knife holder tonight and am really pleased with how it turned out. Easy to drop a knife in and pull it out, keeps the blade angled back so its less likely to nick you, and also takes up less space. Its a simple lamination of 3/4" plywood bolted together and the slots in the front were cut with a drill and a band saw. Now to make a few more.

There should be a couple of tabs that stick up about 3/16" on top of the bottom roller bearings and these serve as reference marks for your blade position, separate from how high or low the roller itself sits. If you are splitting softer leathers, you would want the blade just touching the tabs, but if you are splitting harder denser leathers (shoe soles for example), you'd want maybe 1/16" or up to 1/8" gap between the tabs and the blade edge. This is because those denser leathers don't bend up over the blade as easily as they cut. If the blade is set too far forward, the material binds up as it cuts and puts extra pressure on the blade, while if it's too far back it might split easily but not accurately as the material can float and bend too much as it's cutting. You might have to do some trial and error, but it's not something you'll mess with often unless you are doing really precise work, and typically you just have to find a general area for the type of material you are seeing (softer or denser) and put the blade back at that same position whenever you take it off to sharpen. Most of the time I'll start with the blade shaving-sharp and adjusted all the way forward, and if the material dosn't want to go through or tires to bend the blade, I know to move it back a little and try again. Once you have the blade locked in place, then you can adjust the bottom roller using the studs and nuts under the bottom roller that go through the springs. Ideally, you want the roller as close to the blade as you can get it without the two touching. Some guys set it by looking at the visible gap between them and others will use paper or a feeler gauge to see that they are not hitting. This can be a little tricky since these rollers have the heavy saw-tooth like serrations, but it's better to error on having too much of a gap then to risk the two hitting. Too much of a gap just means it might "eat" really thin materials, which most don't use the 6" crank splitters for anyway. It's also worth noting that the bracket that the blade bolts too (the piece on yours that was broken and brazed) often has slots where it mounts to the frame. This is for balancing the blade to the top roller so that it splits evenly right to left, and can also help fine tune it to split 10 oz. when you set the dial to 10oz. I'll typically split one wide piece, or a small piece on either side at the same time, measure the result and adjust if as necessary, but afterwards you need to re-adjust the gap between the bottom roll and the blade. For many of these adjustments you'll have to go in circles checking and adjusting things over again, but each round it's closer to splitting easily and accurately. My experience with most splitters is that whatever dial or read-out the machine has to set thickness is a general reference, and you'll want to use a drop gauge or similar measuring tool to check your work and adjust the split thickness to compensate accordingly, because different materials compress differently than others as they feed through the machine. Adjusting the spring pressure on the bottom roller can also help with this. To be clear, I don't have any Landis literature to cite, but just experience working with different fixed blade and band knife splitters in general. I find the principals of blade position, feed roll position, and other adjustments all work the same. The parts, movements, and methods just vary between different models and manufacturers.

Not sure about a replacement blade holder, but In the past I've found on 6" crank splitters if the blade is flexing or seeing lots of downward force, it's usually a combination of being adjusted too far forward (towards the feed rollers) and/or not being sharp enough.