Trox

Hi Dave, Did we not speak of this before? I told you your machine could not handle more than tkt 40 (tex 69). It might sometimes be possible to adjust machines to use a number heavier thread that the producers state as max. However, 0.9 mm thick thread, that must be tex 415 or more??. Its a bit optimistic to be mild, and of course not possible. Something good came out of it if you found some thread wrapped around the hook. Otherwise you would waste your time trying to find any spacers or get it to take any heavier threads. Producers have to be on their safe side when they state the machines limitations. Nevertheless, you need some place for all that heavy threads too. I am sorry, you do not only need more space; you need a different kind of machine construction to handle that thread size too. Tor

Hei Simon, FAV makes very good Fortuna style skiving machines and other leather machines too. Its a old well known and reliable Italian company who makes the top of the line leather machines. Ask Dan Naegle in Campbell-Randall http://www.campbell-randall.com/machines/leather-goods-machines/skiving-machines/fav-av2-skiving-machine-2/. he sells them, (LW member name is CampbellRandall in one word). This model is the FAV second machine type, first made in 1948. I must be a well proved machine, much alike its original Fortuna model. Spare-parts should not be a problem, thats the main part of the FAV business today. I have a Italian skiving machine myself, the Italians knows how to make good machines. Look at their cars, you cannot find nicer cars anywhere else. However, when it comes to leather machines, Italy is the place. (Read mainland China) Tor

Thanks Simon, I am not sure about the circumstances, I have not been able to get in touch with the seller yet. Tor

Hi all, I found a couple of knifes on French EBay who looks pretty old. They might both have new handles. The first one looks like it is from the 18 century French saddlery. The second might be a later Hungarian style of knife, or a 18 century French knife too. In the Encyclopedia of Diderot and D` Alembert, Paris c. 1760 you can see the first style of knife. It is one knife for sale on French EBay right now http://www.ebay.ca/itm/251226490712?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2648 who looks like a 18. c style. Older knifes are hard to find, you might be able to find some in museums. You can see some drawings of early round knifes in the book of R. A. Salaman: Dictionary of leather-working tools, c. 1700-1950. He dates the one with a pointed (awl) end to be from AD 1400 to 1500.

Hi Wally, It is a Adler 167- 273 or similar. Could be a 67 too it is the same machine but a bit older. Although It is a good machine, this one looks like it is in a bad condition. A lot of rust and some missing parts, seems like it has been used as a one needle. Thats also possible to do. It needs some work and parts, half the price would be enough.

I bought a new one two days ago to use for white glue. It is not necessary to use this type of container for white glue, but I think it is more practical. It has no maker name on the box or the instruction, its for sale in a couple of places here in Oslo. It looks (or feels) like it is made in Italy, because they normally do not brand their stuff that often (and Italian is the first language in the instruction). It warrants the sealing for five years. I often buy my glue in one liter boxes, even when this are meant as temporary containers they keep the glue better than the original box do with ten pairs of rubber gloves over the lid. I have had a container half full of 30 seconds fast contact cement untouched for several month and the glue is still as new. A small one on 0,4 liter will do just fine if you buy one liter boxes of glue or less. The container works best when it contains more glue than air of course.

Hi Steve, There is not that many heavy machines for sale here, it is some 45K and Adler 105. Not many triple feeds, those are expensive anywhere. Machines of the upholstery class are very cheap here, because there are no marked for them (no sewing industry anymore). The heavy machines are wanted by people who want to repair their horse tack and such. I do have three heavy machines for sale myself ( I do have a customer or two too) Adler`s 5-27, 105-25 and 204-64. Heavy machines like the 45K flatbed and Singer 7 do not sell much here, Adler are more wanted. The prices depends of the feed type, here like in the rest of the world. Generally Norway have some of the worlds lowest used industrial sewing machines prices. Regards Tor

Thank you Johanna, you are doing a great job. Have a nice Sunday.

I want a pirate flag, ha ha. Flags are nice but remember to put the countries name under it, I doubt that everybody knows what my Norwegian flag looks like. Remember cyberspace has no flag, a .net or .com can be anywhere. It has no government, laws or borders; thats what I love about it. Especially the the "borders" part of it. Still there are a lot of people who wants to create borders here too, let us just step on them. Lets us step on anti Semitic and racism too. Tor

Thank you Johanna, leatherworker net has become a important part of my live. I will echo what Kevin suggest, we need a forum for leather working machines. The "leather sewing machines" forum is already one of our largest. I do need to post several topics about skiving, splitting and clicking machines. I feel of topic if i post them in the "Leather tools" or the "leather sewing machines" forum. I know you have your hands full with the forums we already have. Nevertheless, we need a "leather working machines" forum, who will cover all other leather machines. Or maybe a new name on one of the existing forums. However, there is a possibility it will grow too big and untidy that way. I know there is a lot of members who wish there was such forum here. Please consider to make one. In advance thanks. Tor

Hi, nice stitches. I classify this work as heavy, remember very few machines of the upholstery class can sew with more than tex 207/138. I use my 441 with threads like that too. I use my upholstery class machines with threads from tkt 40 to 15 (tex 69 to 207), any thicker I use my 441 or heavy Adler's. I think we agree on this anyway. Thanks Tor Rubederubes, You are right, the 867 is the latest flatbed triple feed of the upholstery class. Arm machines ends on 69, the 69 is a horizontal hook small arm that will not take heavy threads, the 269 has a vertical hook with more capacity. New machines today is 669 horizontal hook and 869 vertical hook. I do not know what you budget is, these machines are pretty expensive new. All is of the upholstery class, the 869 will sew with threads up to tkt 10/3 (tex 270). The 669 will sew with threads up too tkt 15/3 (tex 207). Both machines has feed dog that can be deactivated with a few steps and can be used for binding operations, this is a new feature you do not see on many other machines. Thanks Tor

I agree with Les No6 on this matter. I have both big Adler's 105, Adler 204 and the 441 clone along with machines of lighter duty rating. Despise what the dealers will tell you; the heavy stitcher's are no good on light stuff. Machine of the upholstery class will work much better on what you want to sew, from fabric up to 11 to 12 mm leather. However, not with very thick thread. Most stops at tex 207/138 in bobbin, a few does tex 270. Look for a Adler 269 or similar it has a bit thicker arm than the 335 or the 69. It also have a larger vertical hook that can hold more/thicker thread. It is a preferred machine among European bag makers. I use a similar Pfaff 345 for those same jobs, I use it with threads from tex 69 to 180. With any thicker threads I use my 441 or heavy Adler's. Tor

I echo what Billymac says. I use the same one and I use it for fast contact cement. I cannot do without it.. Before I spent a fortune in glue and twice as much in thinner. It is constructed in a smart way, when you do not use it you lay it on the side like on Billymacks pic and the glues vapors keep the brush soft. It also makes the glue thinner again, I wonder how I did manage without it before. It is a must and no other compares to it. Tor

Thank you Bruce, I think it no point in playing the lottery this week, I got my share. Ha ha. Have a nice evening, I hope you still have some aquavit left. Tor

Thanks, it has a cool retro look. The advantages with this old model is that it goes in true every door, new ones are pretty big. I guess it is pretty old, it no auto adjustment of clicking height and so on. Tor

Lucky again. Three years ago, I came over an old German clicker press for sale here in my hometown. Used clicker presses are seldom for sale here. It was an old Sandt 8 ton press and the seller wanted 1100 $ for it. I wanted it badly, but my budget said no. I just had to forget all about it. Here the other day when I was cleaning up my email inbox, I found the emails about the clicker. I wondered if the seller had sold it or if it still was available. I sent him an email, and the seller answered “call my”. I called him and he told me he still had it. Since I had spoken to him three years ago he had to close down his leather business and get an other job, he could not survive economically. The clicker still was in his old workshop and it had to be moved out yesterday. He said; “I got to move it. So if you still want it, just pick it up and it is yours“. The answer was of course “yes, thank you very much Sir” I am grateful for the machine. However, I feel a bit sorry for the guy who had to close down his shop. I know he had trained six years in UK schools to become a saddler and now he have to work with something completely different. He still has a small workshop in his basement and is in need of a heavy stitcher. I do have three for sale and I will provide him with one at a very reasonable price, which is the least I can do. I still have not been able to get it in to my shop, because of the amount of snow here for the moment. Its no rush, I still do not have any tools for it either. Therefore, all tips about clicking dies and embossing plates are highly welcome. I have won some polyethylene stamps from duck traders on EBay, I do not know if they are any good. I have a maker stamp in the same material and that is very durable. Time will show. I will also need a poly clicking board on top of the wooden blocks; the wood is not hard enough. I have three wooden blocks for it and they all need to be leveled again. (The picture of the press is of low quality). Thanks Tor

Yes Knut, the prices are criminally high. I cannot afford to stay in hotels here, I use my lavvo tent or rent a cabin. I mostly go on fishing trips anyway and in the summer time. If I go anywhere in the winter time my bearing is south to south east, ha ha.

Hei Knut, yes they do. The wealth is for the people who works with oil, mostly people from the western parts of Norway.We have poor people here too. General, with economical growth it rains on everybody. 30 to 40 years ago it was Sweden who had the money. I am afraid whats going to happen when we cannot use more oil, Norway have not prepared them self for this.

That is the right term. We are outside the European union. However, inside it with one leg because we need to sell our oil and fish to them. Right now it seems like our policy has kept us out of trouble, the economy crises never hit us and we are one of richest countries in the world (if not the richest). Now a lot of other Europeans want to come here for work. Nobody want to be a craftsman any more, everyone want to sit in front of a PC. Immigrant from eastern Europe do the manual labor... you can see where it all going to end. The shop only carries goods the gray middle class "Ola Norman" wants. In my eyes we are getting poorer this way. Its a good thing that the currency is strong, even when they devalues it all the time to ensure customers for the oil. When the world do not need gas and oil anymore, we are done. Thanks for the suggestion, I do not have the extra energy to take on more work. I guess I have to keep on feeding the customs and postal service.

Thank you, no unfortunately it does not always work out cheaper in the end. We must pay tax on all goods with a customs value (goods included shipping/ handling on the Norwegian border) more than 200 NOK ( 36 US$). In addition we must pay the postal service to declare the goods for us, its a minimum fee about 100 to 150 NOK. This brush alone would have been tax-free. However, I do not have to buy much before I pay extra tax on it. I have to pick it up myself on the post office too, because they alway claims your mailbox is full or the packet to big. When this is the same story with almost everything I need for my leather work, then I am easily tired of it. They came up with this rule to protect the Norwegian marked against cheap Internet shopping/ shopping in our neighbor countries. Especially the food trade, most Norwegians go to Sweden to shop to a third of our prices. The government want to keep Norwegian farms even when they cannot compete with foreign. They also tell us foreign food is dangerous, especially meat. The problem is that it is the other way around. And in my case where they want to protect goods who do not exist here, all the tings I want to buy do not exist here. Soon I will have my own shell in the post office, I am there nearly everyday. Thats why I want the dealers to step up to their responsibility. If I was a producer and somebody want to sell my stuff they had to sell it all, not only the the goods that suited them the most. This is something I do not like about Norway, others things are very good here and makes it worth living here. Thanks Tor

Hei Knut, vi har begge deler men ingen av dem har denne. Jeg mener det er forhandlerens plikt aa bestille inn varer, samt ta kostnaden for frakt og eventuelll toll. Det gidder de ikke hvis det er varer som koster lite. Samtidig er det ingen av de store varehusene vil ta inn komplette vare utvalg fra en produsent hvis noe av det konkurer med sine egne billig varer. De driver for det meste med juks og fanteri i vare handelen her, ulovelig pris samarbeid osv. De to du nevner her er vel bland de bedre, men matvare magasinene driver bare med juks. Selv om det er mange forskjellige store matvare kjeder, er det ikke mer enn en to tre forskjellige eiere. De forskjellige kjedene er bare der for å skape en illusjon om pris konkuranse, noe som er helt fraværende. Man skulle tro de var nødt til å selge alle varene til en produsent og ikke bare velge å vrake de som passer inn i deres egene hyller. Det var ikke slik i gamle dager, da hadde en hoved forhandler av et merke alle varene og hvis noe manglet bestilte de det opp med en gang. Det er klart jeg kan kjøpe denne børsten i utlandet som jeg er vant til å måtte gjøre med mesteparten av det jeg trenger. Jeg begynner bare å bli lei av å fly på posten og fore tollvesenet.

Thank you mate, It seems like the I`m talking about is not a steel brush, its a special nylon brush. Its still works better than any steel brush I have tried. http://www.widgetsupply.com/product/BCQ41.html I wanted to buy it in Norway to avoid keep feeding the Norwegian customs and the postal service, thats the responsibility of the local dealers. The Dremel company tells me to order the brush # 538 from one of their dealers, so far I been ordering 16 pieces from four different Norwegian dealers over a period of one year; and still no brush?. What do you give me? It seems that I have to pay for the transport and customs myself, whats the point of having local dealers. Thanks Tor

Hei Lucas, If you need a cylinder bed triple feed for that thread size your options are the Juki 441 or the Adler 205-370 (or a Chinese clone from one of them). I do have a lot of German machines my self and I love them, I also have a Chinese clone machine that work very well. These two above models are the industry standard of heavy saddler's machines today, there are a couple of other brands of heavy triple feeds (lock stitch machines) as well but they are not very common. The Adler (Now Dürkopp Adler) would be the most expensive of them, they both have the same shuttle (and bobbin obviously). They have a foot lift on max 20 mm and can handle Tex 415 (European size: tkt 8 polyester ). I understand you skepticisms toward Chinese products, I have been there my self. However, today almost all German machines are produced in China. Industrial machines are made for production use 8 hours, 7 days a week. Ask yourself how many hours a day your machine will run. I ensure you the quality of todays Chinese machines are more than good enough for a saddler's work shop, It will be out dated before you break it. The most important thing to remember buying Chinese is to choose something with support. The most popular heavy saddler's machine today is Chinese clone based on the Juki TSC 441, it is a pimped up version with a higher foot lift and set up for leather work. This means a different needle plate, feed dog, feet's and in some cases a bigger hand wheel. Examples is Cobra 3, Cobra 4, Cowboy 3500, Cowboy 4500 and Techsew 4100, Techsew 5100. Artisan 3000, 3200 and 4000. They are all 441 clones with 9 and 16,5 inch arms. Both the Adler and the Juki are originally set up to sew fabrics, the needle plate (nåle plate), feed dog (under transportør) and feet's (over transportør) has to be changed to sew leather. For fabrics we use segregated feet's and feed dog, for leather they have to be smooth. The segregated ones will mark up the leather badly. Original Juki or Adler attachments are very expensive (price on these attachments from Dürkopp Adler will be around 10000 DKK), Chinese ones a lot less http://www.tolindsewmach.com/cb-acc-pack.html http://www.leathermachineco.com/catalog.php?category=11. They will also fit the original Juki machine. New price for a Juki TSC 441 is about 4300 to 4600 Euro head only, the Adler 205-370 costs much more. Then you will need a table motor etc. Price for a 441, 16,5 inch clone machine (set up for leather) is about 2600 USD, 9 inch arm is 500 $ less. Clones are also available in Germany, France and the UK. Sieck International in Germany sells the Cowboy machine under their own name http://www.sieck.de/en/machines/sewing/ . Price with clutch motor is about 2000 Euro, with the German Efka pro position motor (best available) 2500 Euro. They are not set up for leather work, but comes with a stock blanket plate and feet's. They also sell used German machines. About motors; You will not be able to control a clutch motor at slow speed (unless you practice 8 hours a day for a very long time), you need a good servo motor to have slow speed control. When Chinese machines now have acceptable quality, I cannot say the same thing about their motors. They are cheap and will need a speed reducer (V belt gear wheel) to be stronger and have better low speed control. A option is a pro position motor like the Efka 1550 or Equivalent in Ho Sing. With this motor your needle will either stop up or down, and you have a lot of other options. You will also find these motors made in China, however they will not compare. You will find all the info you need about your questions in the pinned post top of this forum. I receive the same questions almost every second day. In your case all of your listed machines will be able to sew true 10 mm. However, not with that thread size. Only the above mention two machine will be able to exceed tex 210. They are both heavy stitcher's (Grovsøm maskiner på Norsk), have large horizontal shuttle hooks that ables them to handle heavy thread tension. The rest of your list is classified as upholstery type of machines with vertical rotating hooks. The last category you will find pretty cheap used here in Europe, the heavy stitcher's are always expensive all over the world (They are not that many and there is always demand of them from people who want to repair their horse tack etc.). I do not know you budget, a cheaper option is to buy a older heavy stitcher with single or double feed. Like a Singer 45K, Adler 5 or Adler 105. If you can manage with a flatbed they will cost less. These machine will do the same job, but will mark the bottom side of your wegtan leather. If you are sewing crom tan and upholstery leather this will not be a problem. I do have three older heavy stitcher's for sale (maybe one is sold already) Adler cl. 5-27 cylinderbed with all saddler's attachments, Adler 105-25 cylinderbed and a Adler 204-64 flatbed. (Two of them is double feed and one has a jump foot, they will all handle tex 415) I have not advertised any of them yet, if you want more info send me an PM. I am based in Oslo. I hope this will answer some of your questions. Lykke til. Tor

Very Nice plough Spooky, and the knife has lot of blade left. I have a Dixon myself of a later pattern, they are made very sturdy. I often use a steel brush before polishing on a buffing wheel. If you have a drill you can buy a cheap polishing wheel and some polishing paste, you might need it for other stuff too. Its a lot of work to polishing it by hand. Tor

If its a red label with a woman in a red dress, and a hard sailing tall ship its a Løiten linie. If its only a tall sailship in smooth waters, its probably a Lysholm linie from Trondheim (middle of Norway). There are more than 260 different Norwegian aquavits, the linie is matured in sherry oak barrels passing equator a couple of times to shake it well. It has to be served tempered, not ice cold as we use to drink it before. The linie is the most expensive one and has a mild flavor, Skål.