TomG

Tandy used to make a roughening brush. It was basically a cat grooming brush on a wirebrush handle. If you have the equivalent of our WalMart, or Dollar stores in Germany, check there. Or a pet store. I'd dye it first, then brush to roughen. As always, try a scrap piece first. http://www.petsmart.com/cat/brushes-combs/grreat-choice-soft-slicker-short-haired-cat-brush-zid36-11863/cat-36-catid-200088;pgid=C19a.f_V3SNSRpReCpJ8O0ID0000HTquanYw;sid=fcs3_7IyH8Ul_-Tv3Jx2-4A4shWlM9ub5LNI3EAe?var_id=36-11863&_t=pfm%3Dcategory

Yeah. I agree with Dwight.. But I think you said you wanted a dark brown with light highlights. I can only assume that you want the highest parts of the design lighter? First, understand that you are mixing acrylic sealers with water based antiquing and who knows what black dye. I never use Saddle Lac for a resist, which is what you are trying to do. If you want the tops lighter here's how I'd do it. I would use Neutral Leather Balm with Atom Wax and a block dye technique to quickly put a thin layer of LB on the peaks. Let it dry. Do it a second time. Again... Light coat applied quickly. Let it dry. Then I would use a sponge and medium brown oil dye and apply the dye in a single stroke as much as possible. Then quickly use a pad of old tee shirt the rub across the strap to knock off the excess. You don't want to flood it or it will dye those peaks from the bottom up. Let this dry. Then I'd use a brush to apply the black oil dye. Let it dry. NOW you can saddle lac it lightly. I'd forget the leather sheen. Hate the stuff, but lots of people use it.. Get you another strap and try again if Dwights cleaning tip doesn't fix it.

Why not just buy a new spring. Check with sewingmachines.com or one of the sponsors in the banners at the top of the page? Tom

Thanks Wiz. I'll go research those needles now. I obviously didn't know that was "normal" for bottom stitches. I guess I expected them to look like the top stitches when all was in order. The total thickness was 16 oz, and is probably the thickest I've sewn. I was happy with how the machine performed. Just wish I had a machine like the 206Rx with reverse. If I get to the point where I'm sewing a lot, I'll invest in an upgrade at that time <g>. For now, I've got my eyes out for a speed reducer pulley for cheap. Probably won't find one, but I can hope. I've got it running pretty slow, but the initial takeoff could be slower. Anyway. Thanks for the help and advice.

Got a dupe image...

Hi All, I am pretty inexperienced at sewing, but learning. I have a Singer 111W155 with a Consew Servo motor that I have put the slowdown mod in. It seems to sew fine, but my bottom stitches look pretty bad. I'm not sure why. I'm attaching some photos here of the top and bottom. Tops look good, I think, but the bottoms are U-G-L-Y. I know I need to loosen the presser foot pressure, but what can I do about the little circle and "thin: look to them. I think the circle is the hole that the needle goes through. But is it a tension issue, presser foot issue or a combination of both? Using 138 thread, 23 leather point needle. Thanks

2 that come to mind right away goldstartools.com standardrivet.com

I'm looking for some 2.5, 3.0 and 3.5 curb chain in SS and solid brass if you have a source for those and reasonable prices.

Fantastic. Did you do the design/programming yourself or find instructions elsewhere? Would it work on any of the servo motors like the Consew?

Agree with Heavy. Call them before blasting them.. The link you gave shows the website listing. It clearly says these are a good quality leather but is a leftover from their belt production. So they have been handled and I would expect some nicks and blemishes on various pieces.

I am trying to learn to do bags and that is exactly the bag I have been looking for a pattern for. Can you tell me where you got the pattern? I need to get a copy. I've been researching bags and have seen any number of different materials used for linings. The one I liked to idea of best was one using a fusible vinyl. I think you iron it to the wrong side of the fabric of your choice and it creates a leak resistance lining. You can probably get it at a fabric store.

Yeah.. I can understand your frustration. I was just giving you a heads up that he was showing 8 weeks now. I agree that delays beyond what you've quoted should always be addressed with an email or phone call. Hope you get it resolved soon.

I use 2 products exclusively. 95% of the time, I use full strength acrylic floor wax - Mop 'n Glo. I apply 2 -3 coats, allowing at least 4-6 hours between.. usually closer to 8+ hours. I use Fiebings oil dye almost exclusively after the final dry. I use a sponge to apply quickly and evenly and a paper towel to dab up any excess on the resisted areas... mainly the grooves left from the stamps. Otherwise, if you have missed getting the resist down in the groove, the dye can leech under the resist. Now, this method does not block 100% of the dye penetrating, but gives a contrasting effect. Different colors seem to give different results. Now, for even better protection, you can use Woodlands Latex Rubber. Paint on 3 heavy coats, letting each dry totally. As with the wax, you must get down in the grooves, or you'll have ugly streaks and splotches. Once you dye, peel the rubber off and you;ll have pretty much bare leather underneath. A couple of points.... Apply your dye quickly and as lightly as possible. The heavier the sponge is loaded with dye, the more bleed through you'll have. You just need to practice to see the effects of different techniques. Next, you can not dip dye using thiese techniques. Finally, if you dye the back side, you have a much greater chance of the dye showing under the resist. I'll try to attach a photo or 2 here. Good luck

I don't know Ed, but have heard good things about his stuff. He does have a notice on his site that mauls are an 8-week item. And things happen to delay production at times - especially for those of us who do this as a second income. Hopefully he will contact you soon and get everything resolved. Luck

Ummm..You are not trying to turn the hand wheel backwards are you? That will jumble your thread in a hurry. To back stitch, either lift the pressor foot and pull it back 2 or 3 stitches, or when the needle goes down and then just starts back up, lift the pressor foot slightly, spin the leather 180 degress, drop the foot and sew the 2 or 3 stitches over the top of the originals. My only real compliant on the 155's

I have the same machine. I never did develop the "touch" with the clutch motor. I wound up buying a servo motor, modifying it to give better control and installing that. MUCH better. As for the bird's nests at startup, I pull some slight tension on the threads and it eliminated the problem. You may need to adjust the bobbin tension, but read up on how to do it before you start. And make SMALL adjustments.. like 1/8 of a turn on the tension screw. Yes, you can buy prewound bobbins. They come in plastic, cardboard sides, and sideless, which is what it sounds like you have. They also have ones with magnetic cores but I'm not sure those would work in the 155. It's a pretty light thread - mainly sized for machine embroidery and light fabric weight threads. But I use them exclusively for those jobs.I do have some 138 I think that are sideless. But I think they are "M" sized and don;t fit my machine. Someone gave them to me to use the thread to adjust the 155 when I was setting it up for leather. So a search through the sewing machine forums and you will find a virtual wealth of information on this machine and the servo motor issues. Good luck

Hobby stores sell small square tubing for model making. Not sure if it would be strong enough. You can also get solid square pins at some hardware stores, woodworking supply stores, machine tool supply stores, etc. You would have to machine it to make a cutting edge. Also, check the hobby or scrapbooking stores for small square punches used on paper hobbies. No problem with repurposing as along as it works <g>

Well, There should be about as many opinions as there are users . BUT.. I don;t use Super Sheen for anything any more. Super Sheen is water based and I found that almost anything "wet" washes it off. That's what you are probably experiencing.. I use Leather Balm with Atom Wax on top of my dye. Let it dry for an hour or so, buff thoroughly with a piece of fleece, then apply Fiebings antiquing gel. Let that sit for a few minutes and then use a folded stiff rag (like a flat pad) to wipe the surface gel off.

I make dog leashes with a twist braid on each end. I can't remember the name of the braid, but am attaching a picture. It's normally 1 strap of Latigo. I need to be able to make the handle a separate piece of leather so I can still make my 6 foot leashes, as the side I am cutting from gets shorter. (See 2nd photo.) I'm usually down to only being able to make 4 and 5 footers about halfway through the side. Does anyone have instructions on how to do this? Thanks

Bump. Still trying to figure it out. Should I move this to the Braiding section?

Thanks folks. That is perfect.

I have a friend who wants me to make her something similar to this. She calls it a travelers Journal. I've done some searching but can't find a pattern. I can probably make one once she decides on dimension for her pads, but I prefer not to reinvent the wheel <g>. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Thanks

I make dog leashes with a twist braid on each end. I can't remember the name of the braid, but am attaching a picture. It's normally 1 strap. I need to be able to make the handle a separate piece of leather so I can still make my 6 foot leashes, as the side I am cutting from gets shorter. I'm usually down to only being able to make 4 and 5 footers about halfway through the side. Does anyone have instructions on how to do this? Thanks

Black has an over-abundance of the dyestuffs that compose the color component of the dye. Black need to be opaque, whereas other colors can have a bit of translucency to them. The leather can't absorb all of them, so you get a crapload of loose particles. All you can do is keep buffing until it pretty much stops, and then seal it with several light coats of Resolene or some other sealer. And expect more to come off as you do that. It can loosen more particles. A power buffer can reduce the pain. You can also reduce this problem by going to the Fiebings oil dyes. I picked up some black from a lady who was getting rid of the last of her elderly father's shoe repair business stuff. I did a quick dip dye test a while back and had zero ruboff. I haven't had time to do more testing or confirmation of that, but just ran out of my black oil dye yesterday and will be messing with it tomorrow. Can't remember the name of it, but will post it when I go to the shop tomorrow.

There are some YouTube videos and thread here that discuss sharpening punches, knives, etc. The weird thing is that I have purchased the expensive punches from Tandy and the cheapos. The cheapos are 10 times sharper than the expensive ones. But ALL have to be sharpened or at least stropped. But you do need a piece of marble or granite, a cutting board of some sort on top, and a solid (Not Metal) hammer/mallet/maul. If you have a Harbor Freight around you, go buy their big dead blow hammer. The plastic coating really doesn't bounce enough to hurt you on punches as long as you hold firm downward pressure as you hit it. But definately sharpen the punch first.