TomG

When making purses from upholstery and garment weight leather, what size thread, needle and stitch length do you recommend for machine sewing the seams? How about 3/4 oz vegtan? Thanks

I haven't checked the nylon thread, but I can tell you that in the embroidery world, black thread is usually a bit thicker and rougher than any other color. I wish the 111W155 had bobbin cases, but they are drop-in bobbins. Oh well <g> Thanks for all the help and advice

Thanks Art. I went ahead and turned it down about 3/8 of a turn. I also found that my senior moment caused a couple of issues. The thread had gone behind that bottom tension disk and I had forgotten to put a larger needle in Was using a size 22. I took a piece of upholstery leather, folded it halfway down, then folded that halfway down. So I went from a single layer, to a quadruple layer. (Imitating the seam on a bag I am making) Now it sewed the length and only needed a slight bit of help to make the step up to the 4 layers. I did have a problem going down in that the back of the presser foot would still be on the 4 layers while the needle was sewing the single layer and get stuck. But thanks for the help

This is probably a silly question, but I gotta ask. If you change from 69 thread to say 138 - top and bottom - do you need to readjust the bobbin tension? My 111W155 seems too tight with the 138, but fine with the lighter thread. Thanks

Do a search on "cobra splitter" without the quotes, from the main Forum screen and you'll find a number of reviews and such. Also, SWFLHolsters has a good video on it on Youtube. https://youtu.be/jvUKPjg1vXw Hope this helps.

I have an Olfa and a Fiskar 45mm and both are about the same. As long as the blade is sharp. Just don't force the blade. The 45mm is a good general purpose size, but the large the blade, the less of a curve you can make. So a 60mm can do less curve and the 28mm can do tighter turns. I think Fiskars has a 45mm in a standard and a heavy duty for heavier cuts. You can also buy sharpeners for the blades. Later

Yeah. WAY too freely. I usually put oils on lightly with a small rag. I'm not a pro at this, but the only thing I've ever seen soaked in oil were some reins, Search the forums for NFO or Neatsfoot oil for lots of info on how to use it. Maybe some others will chime in here, but the only thing I can think of it to use some absorbent rags or cloths and keep wiping until it's as dry as you can get it. Oil doesn't really "dry" like water would. It more or less absorbs into stuff or rubs off, in my experience. Hmm.. Maybe get some old cotton towels from Goodwill and lay the strips between some layers of the towels and lay some heavy books on top? or something else sort of heavy? Good luck on it.

What kind of leather and what type mink oil? I've used the Camp Dri Mink Oil Paste and not had that experience. Sounds like you are over doing the oil or oiling an oily piece of leather.

Go back to Tandy and check out the economy punch. Their deluxe punches all seem dull, but the el cheapos I've gotten are sharp. Just look through them to find one without nicks in it. Then strop it a little and see how that does for you. Surprising, huh?

Hey Wiz. Push button? It's a Consew CS1000. It does have the up/down arrows and you set the start speed, normal reverse direction and max speed with the S.1, S.2 and S.3 settings. Is that what you're referring to?

Yup. And I just noticed that I didn't upload the gradient. Here you go.

After reading tons of threads and sites on the servo motor mod, and not being able to get a smooth response myself, I did some experimenting. I made a graphic with 3 different black to white gradients. 15, 25 and 30% from the edge. Mine motor worked best with the 30% gradient. I used some thin, translucent plastic from one of the dollar store cutting pad (abt 1mm), about the width of the paddle blade. I printed the gradient on photo, best quality mode. I then used doublesided tape to tape the gradient to the plastic and trimmed. I slid the strip into the photo interrupter and trimmed the strip so that the point at which the motor started was just inside the edge of the strip. I then tape the strip at right angles across the paddle. Setting the motor speed to 10 and the start speed to 9, I was able to adjust the strip and paddle for a smooth, full-range control. I'm attaching some photos and a JPG of the gradient. Hope it helps some of you.

Like chrstn53 said, they make a plastic tool for holding pressure on the smooth side. I think it's actually made from Delryn, but could be wrong. OTB carries them pretty cheaply. It's better than no tool at all and I do use blue Loctite.. Sometimes the red if I don't ever want them coming out... Here's a picture. Not as rugged as the Weaver version for sure.

Lots of folks use the modified arbor press for stamping, etc. Are any of you able to share photos of the work surface and any guides that you lay the leather on? I am struggling to find a way to lay my straps down and move them consistently to stamp names, etc. Thanks

There is a servo motro out there - I think it's a Consew 500 - That uses a Hall Effect transistor. These are actually a semiconductor that energizes with a magnet. So, it's either on or off. You can't do variable speed with those via the foot pedal. The ones with the optical controller, like the one on the video, are able to be variable speed. I Think the COnsew motor I got to replace the hall effect one is a 550 or 1000? I'd have to look. I will tell you that the paper vane didn't work super well. It was fine at first, but as it sagged over a short period of time, it's range and control points changed. One of the isses is that the light on the optical interruptor is way too bright. It makes the control of how much light hits sensor very touchy. And it is so bright that a piece of paper with pencil marks doesn;t work. I used a piece of plastic gift card I cut into a ramp and played with that with some success. I ordered a couple of replacement vanes and did some cutting and filing, but although I did get a variable speed, it was still too touchy for my tastes. But it at least made it consistent and I didn;t have to worry about the paper sagging. Still better than the clutch motor.

Yes. But you have to have an account before you can see the order system. It's not your standard on-line shopping cart system. You have to have your item numbers to put in or you can look up items. I generally open a catalog on one screen and the order screen on another and Ctrl-Tab between the 2. So, if I am ordering say C-54 buckle, and type that into the Item lookup box, it will show me all items with that and I can select the ones I want, one at a time. Not the most efficient way, but it works. And they are great to work with.

Tandy carries it. But after the suggestion from many on these forums, I have just switched to acrylic floor polish (without cleaners or ammonia) diluted 50/50 with water. I actually like it better than the resolene. I apply it with a soft rag. But others apply it with foam brushes, trimmed shearling and other applicators, If you do a search here for Resolene or floor wax, you will find a ton of threads on how to use it or apply it.

Well, I've never experienced this exactly, but I use a totally different technique and process. Well.. I lied... I did see something similar years ago when I was experimenting with stuff. I applied some mink oil to a piece of raw leather. It sort of looked this way, if I remember correctly, and all I could figure is that I was applying it unevenly. I never did figure out how to do it properly. As I would try to even it out, it would get darker and darker. I'd take some scraps and try applying the conditioner using different techniques and applicators.. maybe clip some sheeps wool short, or a soft rag or one of those wax applicator pads they use for car wax. Hopefully, someone with more experience than me will pipe in and be able to shed some light on it. As for the Satin Sheen... it is water based and most folks shy away from it.. not all.. but a lot. From all I've ever read here and elsewhere, Resolene, or acrylic floor wax diluted 50/50 with water is the preferred product. I found the reference guide from Tandy. It's a free download and I'm attaching it here. But it's not actually the one I was thinking of. But it might give you an idea of what's compatible... If I find the more extensive one, I'll let you know. It might be in one of the coloring and dying books I read back when. Later Eco-Flo-Leathercrraft-Dyeing-Finishing-Guide.pdf

Did you dye it first? With what? What sealer? Satin SHEEN is not a real sealer. What conditioner? All products do not play well together. Tandy has a chart somewhere of what works with what...

Weaver has a box, but it's probably expensive. And if you don't use it a look, it's probably too much effort to empty and clean between uses. I've gone to Fiebings edge enamel and apply using a ladies foam tipped makeup applicator. Since I use Leather balm with atom wax as a top coat on the surface is the leather, I found that if I have an Oops, I can quickly wipe it off using a paper towel.

Ohio Travel Bag is my go-to place. I wouldn't use the watch strap bands. That removable pin in the ones I have won't hold a whole lot of sudden impact like a dog tugging a leash, IMHO...

Maybe try leaving off the tankote on the flesh side and just use 3 light coats of Resolene.

Work outside. Brush off what you can. Wipe down with a mixture of lemon juice and water. Rinse in clean water. If it's dirty, use a cleaner like Lexol. If still stiff, some NFO might be in order

Why not try laying it flat on th e stone or anvil when you set it, instead of in the domed holder. Tom

Well, first, your edges themselves look a bit ragged. You might try a burnish first. Make sure your bit is sharp. Burnish the outer cutting edge well. Use firm (not hard) pressure on the blade and on the guide. You might try cutting a small piece of silicon paper and putting it between the piece and the slab. Then place the edger and guide in position and rotate the leather and keep the groover steady. You may want to take a couple of passes to get the depth you want. The leather looks soft. if it is moving as you cut, it's gonna look ragged. You have to keep that edge from collapsing. If you can't, I'd dump the guide bar and use a small French curve to cut against as a guide.