Trox

If you read my post, I like your design part from the spring. It would not work for me. Sometimes i need the jaws to press hard, other times not. I thought you wanted some inputs? If you want sell it, you can add it to the " for sale" section. Thanks Tor

Take your awl and push true that pine Wood without supporting the jaws. If the Woods still do not move it would work. Its not the matter of holding the weight alone. Do some real time testing and you will soon see what we are talking about. Good luck Tor

I have seen many different saddler horse designs, and I like parts of your design. However, the spring as the only locking device.... it will not work for heavy stuff. If you added another wheeled lever on the opposite side; that locked the jaws. Then you would have something that might work well. Tor

Hi Big Jake, thanks for your update on Heritage mod 84 splitter. Intresting defination of the skiver/splitter. Although English is not my native language, I would call them both pull true splitters. Regardless of the means of locking the handle or not. The model 84 are still for sale with CS Osborne and Campbell Randall,who both have produced them for about hundred years now. And made them in the USA too. Like you I also believe that both the Tandy and the Heritage are made in China. The strange thing is that the Tandy model is the most expensive of them and the Heritage is the second most expensive one. They might both be good. However, Why not buy the real deal instead. Have look at the Campbell Randall, it's a real beauty. http://www.campbell-randall.com/shop/index.php?route=product/product&path=1_143&product_id=13842 priced to 545$. It would be my choice. Thanks Tor

Thank you Steve, I already have such machine, I made one my self some years ago. Not as nice as yours, but still doing the job. If yours had been available when I made mine, I would have bought yours instead. However, there must be lots of other 220v users out there wanting this. Perhaps if you made it available without the table for international buyers, to get the shipping price down. Just a suggestion. (I guess the motor weights a ton anyway) Thanks Steve

You are welcome, I did not do much. Tor

Nice Steve, not my voltages.... part from that it looks perfect. I liked the stand too, our benches are alway full of something. You have really thought this through. Good job Steve Tor

Knowing that those attachments was that easily available and to a decent price; was my reason for buying a 441 clone. Did you come up with some good modifications Wiz. Anything you care to share? I love a good modifications Thanks Tor

Here you go http://www.duerkopp-adler.com/en/main/Support/downloads/index.html?action=search&prop0=%2Fcommons%2Fdownload%2Fpublic%2F205-370%2F&prop1= here you find all kinds of manuals for it. Tor

Thank you, that is an option. But I am afraid it will take to long and be more expensive that the options I already have. I can order the the small Blanchard sizes from 36,57 $ to 42,11 $ from Denmark (who is close to Norway where I am located). I see that CS Osborn sell them for 43,67 $ each regardless of size and Dixon's (from Abbey) cost from 26,64 to 28,30 $ each (for the small sizes). The Danish option, Leaderiet.dk is the only European leather shop that sell tax free to private customers outside EU. In fact thats the only shop I know about that do this. We do have to pay that same amount in import tax and in most cases we pay that tax twice. The Dixon are the cheapest ones, but they do not describe their sizes other than in numbers. Those numbers do not tell me much, other than they are getting bigger with increasing numbers. A friend that bought some new Dixon told me they was not as good as he had expected them to be. A bit "sloppy" made was his word, I would be very careful using this description when I have not seen them. The older Dixon tools I have are very good, and nothing are made as they use to 100 years ago. That goes for all the mayor leather tool manufacturers. I guess I answered my own question, or maybe you know about some other options. The price differences are not that large on one tool, but buying several punches at once it will matter allot. Ovals for screw presses on the other hand, I have not seen many of them.

By the way, as I mentioned above; I am looking for some small good oval punches. I am long past buying cheep tools and some Blanchard's, Dixon or Osborn will do fine. I would prefer the Blanchard's over the others if the prices are similar. Oval punch bits for screw presses will also do fine. If anybody know a good supplier, please let me know. Thanks Tor

It seams as its greater than mine, you right. I am sorry, I guess my mind was set on that "problem" when I read about it the other day. The site turned up in my google search when I looked for the knife. Sometimes you read what already in your mind, instead of what it actually says. My mistake. This mistake costed me some time and dollars too. Nice to deal with Fineleatherworking, they ship fast too. I should probably have dealt directly from Blanchard, because not I remember I need some small oval punches too. With them I am close to that magical minimum buy limit anyway. I think I am starting to be a bit absent-minded. Thank you for setting me straight Tor

Hi Django, yes, this French company offers exactly the same Blanchard knife, its stamped Vergez Blanchard. However, you have to place an minimum order at 100 Euro here too. Its priced at 23 Euro, the same price as if you order it direct from Blanchard. Therefor, It makes no difference if you order it here or directly from Vergez Blanchard. Hi DavidL, I have not received it yet. According to the tracking system, it past true LA yesterday. Tor

Hi, I haven't received it yet but I will post about it when I do. I purchased this knife to use it to cut out leather from cardboard patterns. If it has an double edge I will re grind it to have one on the right side only. This to get close up to the pattern without cutting in to it (I am right handed). I was told this blade was much thicker, stiffer than the other types on the marked; It has to be seen. Anyway,I know it`s a favorite of many European leather bag makers. I have also made some knifes myself, out of high speed hack saw blades. However, I find them to flexible. I have tried out many other US and European clicking knifes with changeable blades. And the same goes for them too, they all are to flexible. Most blades are only 0,8 mm thick, and thats to thin, they will flex and follow tracks in the cutting surface. I am sure you have experienced the same problems. Most of the time I trace the pattern on to the leather with an (round) awl and use a head knife to cut them out. I hope this knife will save me some time, at least on thinner leather (bag leather). INFO TO FOREIGN BUYERS ON FINELEATHERWORKING.COM (like me) I you are not able to check out from their website (international shipping). Please contact the shop owner and he will add your country to the shipping list. He is working with the list as we speak, to add as many new countries as his able to. When I tried first try to check out my country appeared in the shipping list, but I was still not able to check out. If this happens, he have to add your country to the list. Send him an email and he will answer it right away. They did not expect that many Europeans to buy from them, since they are much closer to France. I was told to update you all about this and now I have done my duty. Very fast and good customer service by the way (this are my own words) I guess than many find European dealers with high minimum orders difficult to deal with, I do not blame them. Most of the times I buy for more than the minimum order anyway, but I do not like to add unnecessary thing to my order just to qualify. I understand the work load and that small orders do not pay. This is the same for all of us that do sell something. Nevertheless, I think it is disrespectful to the customers to have such rules. I do not have to mention any names here, but there are at least two big American dealers that do this (one way or the other). One of them recently had to rethink their market strategy, I guess they needed to sell more. Others has prepaid memberships to price their goods higher. Customer do not look kindly on to this systems and choose other options if they are able to. I am not talking about small tools companies like Blanchard and CS.Osborn, I am willing to pay extra to have them around. I am talking about greed and not need here. And I know the leather worker business can be very hard to survive in, but I still think the best business is to threat your customer right. European dealers has much to learn from their US counterparts when it comes to customer service. I buy 80 % of my tools and machine parts from the USA, despite the higher shipping costs. That speaks for itself. Thank You Tor

Hi John, I did not mean to be a "smart aleck", I just happened to know about those famous Scandinavians. Western history in the other hand, I know very Little about. Thank you for posting. PS. I would love to See your holster pictures. Tor

Hi John, somehow I can`t open your holster pictures. Tor

Hi John and thank you. Its a small world, in fact there are more people of Norwegian heritage living in the USA than Norway. A small correction; his name was Arvo Ojala not Orvo and its a Finnish name (they are both Finnish names). He was from Finland not Norway, its not far from Norway and we have a borderline to Finland. We always have discussions with the Finnish about famous people, we argue over Santa Claus too. Is he Norwegian or Finnish, to me it does not really matters much as long as I gets what I want for Christmas, He he. No, jokes aside we have to give them Arjo. Copenhagen "er en deilig by" is a lovely city, one of Europe nicest cities. I like it very much, and tanks to your father I will find my way around there too. Thanks Tor

The Swivel knife is new to me. The other knife is a Furrier`s knife used by fur makers (furrier`s). They use razor blades and thin utility blades, here in Scandinavia every leather shop sells them. They are not expensive. Tor

Nice story, all I know about this; is that Matt Dillon in Gunsmoke was played by James Arness (AKA James Aurness). His father came from same place as my father did, Kristiansund in Norway. His fathers name was Rolf C. Aurnes, Aurnes is a place not far from Kristiansund. He changed his name to Aurness after he came to America in 1887. His son James (Marshal Dillon) later lost the "u" to Arness, It sounds much more American does it not. Matt Dillon and Gunsmoke was huge in Norway when I was a kid, the hero being of Norwegian heritage probably helped allot too. Thanks Tor

Hello, remember your needle position before stop to you move your/ lift your foot. Make sure the hook has locked the top thread before you move the work or lift the foot. See if that helps. If I have general problem with uneven top tension, I will check the top thread threading and use all available thread guide holes on the machine. Then you get more control over the top tension. It can be to double the times the thread goes true the top threading guide for example. You also takes the twist out of the thread that way and makes the tension more stable. However, Its seams like you have a problem that are related to moving your work/ lifting the foot. Then its related to the needle position or take up spring travel. Good luck Tor

Its not an exact replica of a 29K-72. The -72 has a long arm and big bobbin, the machine in the picture is a short arm with small bobbin. Not that this matters much anyway. This is a cheap clone clone model, it do not cost much regardless of brand. Try out machine and support. Good luck Tor

Just what my Singer 29K-72 silver blue color has together with allot of other casting errors inside the head too. My advise is getting an Adler class 30. LOL

Hi Marjan, thank you. I use to deal with Bosko Ko, seams like he is family. Perhaps his not around anymore, It was a personal email: bosko att kwokhing dot com (anti spam display format). I will try the other email. Thanks Tor

Hi all leather tool freaks, I have been looking for a place to buy this style; thin blade brass handled pattern cutting knife for a long time now. Blanchard's L’Indispensable Knife is just what I am looking for. To buy this knife you have to place a minimum order of 100 Euro with Vergez Blanchard a Paris. Not anymore, you can now buy this knife Blanchard knife from http://www.fineleatherworking.com/leather-tools/indispensable-knife USA for 44 $ including the blade. I just ordered mine from them, because I need this tool now and nothing else. With Blanchard it cost 23 euro ( 31 $ including the blade). Then of course you have to buy something else to fulfill the minimum order of 100 Euro. I know that many of you have looked for this tool for a long time, bought similar tools with thinner blades (not any good) and some has also made their own. I followed an auction on Ebay a couple of moth ago where one went for nearly 100 $, crazy. Its been available hidden inside Blanchard's web site for some time (I do not know for how long), I have not seen it. Thanks Tor