lowes48

I refer to my straps (and everything else I make) as 100% completely hand made - hand cut, hand marked, hand sewn, every step. The whole "hand made" issue is aggravating to me as a maker also. But from what I've found the guys and gals that are REALLY into whatever hobby (guns, knives, watches, gadgets, outdoor/survival gear, etc.) know how to find US and appreciate the time and effort that goes into truly handmade, bespoke product! I say don't sweat it and let the minor league dealings go as they may!

Yes, call Bob! I had what most likely will be very similar questions to what you will have of him just yesterday and within a matter of a few minutes my order was placed and has already been shipped with an ETA of Monday! Customer service at it's finest, IMO!

Just got a 111w153 myself so all this is very interesting!

Yes, nice write up! I'm looking for a cheap route for a machine myself, but as I can see from your posts, the cheap route ends up being expensive and time consuming a lot of the time!

Hey Guys, Does anyone here have any ideas on how to straighten this watch strap? I built this for a customer a little over a year ago, and it's obvious that it's been worn hard, but I've never seen one "twist' like that before… Do any of you know what I need to do to straighten it out so it won't twist again? The customer isn't upset about it but I want to help if I can! Thanks in advance for the help!

Hey Guys, I've got a request from a customer for a train-themed belt... Do any of you know where I could procure a locomotive stamp or something similar? I've found a couple on eBay, but they're a bit cheesy (they look like something a kid would use at summer camp). So any and all suggestions are welcomed! Thanks in advance for the help!

Thanks for the info Guys; I checked the motor and it can't be changed. And #92 just isn't large enough to suit me, even though I'm sure it would be more than enough as far as construction is concerned. Oh well, at least I have a table now! And the hunt continues... But I'm still going to keep the Singer as it might come in handy down the road for different/smaller projects.

Hey Guys, As stated above, a friend gave me a Singer 241-12 mounted on a table with a 220v motor installed. It's not running now and he says it needs a oil pan for underneath the machine. I do a limited amount of leather work, and it's all hand stitched, so I would like a powered machine to speed things up. I want to make more belts, but with just the punching and stitching on the last one taking over 5 hours, I don't think a perspective customer would be willing to pay for all the hand labor! Just like everyone else, I want a powered machine but I don't want to get in too deep money-wise. I know I'm going to have to change the motor to run 120, and do any repair work needed and replace what is missing to get this one going, so it might be a lost cause. I figure if this one won't do what I want I could at least use the table when I find a suitable machine. Sounds reasonable doesn't it? Can any of you give me info on the largest thread size this old girl will run, and if it's worth my time and effort to get it going? Is there any value in what I have now that might make it attractive for trading-in at a shop? I'm pretty sure it won't do over 138 thread but maybe someone knows something I don't! I really want somthing that will run at least 207 thread since all of my stuff uses that size or larger. It's looking like a Tippmann Boss is in my future if I want to sew heavy thread without breaking the bank! Thanks in advance for the info!

Fine job! I bet that took a long time! I hope your fee was enough to cover having sore fingers for 3 weeks! Merry Christmas!

Thanks for your post Wiz! I really appreciate your time and effort with my (and everybody else), response. You are a wealth of knowledge and have been a handy resource to me already! Merry Christmas!

Hey Guys, I have been making custom watch straps for about 3 years on the side for some extra cash and as a fun hobby but I have recently brached out to do other things like a ranger belt and some small wallets and cases. I have been hand stitching exculsively, and I use it as a "selling feature". But when it comes to hand stitching a belt the time and effort isn't worth it IMO so I want to get a machine to speed things up and get the best use of my hobby time! I found what appears to be a nice Consew 225 locally, and I plan on going to look at it sometime soon. I will take some leather and some thread to make sure it will do what I want, but I do have a question on the maximum thread size the 225 will handle. I don't know if the machine has a slow-speed servo motor, etc..., but if I can get a screaming deal (real close to FREE!), I'm hoping any add-ons won't kill me and the overall cost won't be that bad. Anyway, the thread size I currently use on my stuff is 207 and 277, and some heavier stuff that came from Tandy. I just want to make sure the 225 will run with this size thread. If it won't can one of you gurus suggest a similar machine that will run 207+ thread and doesn't cost a fortune? Thanks in advance for the info and I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Hey Guys, 1st post but won't be my last! I am working on a small leather pen case and I think I have the plan down for what I need to do to get the result I want but I wanted to ask before I make a big mess! Anyway I am to the point where I'm going to sew on a front piece of leather that will act as a series of pockets for each of the 4 pens I want to put into the flap over case. My idea was to sew one side of the front piece of leather in on the far edge of the case, place a pen in under the upper leather I just sewed in then sew the leather on the opposite side of the pen to create the pocket. I would then proceed to the next till I got to the other far end of the case. Does this make sense and sound like a logical plan? The leather I'm using is not very thick (uppolstry thickness) so it is very soft and pliable. I used a piece of 10 oz. wrapped in the soft leather for the back, so I'll get the rigidity I need from that part. Any help would be greatly appreciated and for reference I have included a couple of pics swipped from the interweb that show some differnet pocket styles that would be OK for my project. The picture on the bottom is pretty close to the style of pockets I want to make. Thanks in advance for the help!