Ferg

I am a little confused by what you are actually wanting. I have quite a few Magnetic fridge blanks for Sublimation that I will sell. They measure 3 1/2" x 2" Let me know if you are interested. Ferg

I have a Cowboy Post Bed. They will sew using thread #33 - #138. Mine has almost all movable points with a sealed ball bearing making this a very quiet machine. Maximum under the foot of mine is about 5/16" and maybe 3/8" some times. I wouldn't recommend trying to sew "hard" leather with it. Absolutely amazing to sew hats and shoe uppers or anything else that has finish sewing inside an article. Won't do shoe soles. It simply isn't configured to do so. Mine has top and bottom roller feed and I love it. Bob at Toledo, set mine up for what I wanted to do with it. I have changed the upper tension to accommodate different thread size with absolutely no problems. There is a specific type of sewing machine to do shoe soles. Very expensive and they begin at about 600 pounds. Ferg

Thanks, TonyAllenBernier has been extremely helpful, with patterns and freely given help. Several others plus Pinterest has a wealth of photos of hats/caps for inspiration. I want to try embellishing some of the patterns I have with ideas I have gleaned from Pinterest. It is a fun diversion from the every day hum drum. We are officially closing down our wood shop manufacturing operation come July or August. Looking forward to time to do whatever we wish. I have been in business for almost 70 years. We believe it is time. Just celebrated my 86th Birthday this last week. Ferg

Wanted to take a rest from the shoe making and since we have a 10 month old Great Grandson, I thought I would try my hand at making HAT'S. I like the Gatsby style among others which is called about a dozen different things. I had some Navy Blue denim in the shop along with some lining material. Decided it would be best if I tried making a prototype first to see if there was any point in going forward with this idea. Made mistakes as in stitching, not quite where it should be and other things that bug me. Also want to make a leather Gatsby for my youngest brother, he is 76, lol Anyway, here is one photo of the hat resting on a candle vase. It was both a little frustrating and one heck of a lot of fun. My new Post Bed Cowboy made the stitching a piece of cake for the most part. I just need to learn where to put all the stitching. Next week I will at least be making FINLAY'S cap. Ferg

A little bitty metal bur. Ferg

That doesn't make it sound as though you have much more than fire wood. That's a shame. In good condition they may be worth something. Ferg

I am just East of Dayton. Wouldn't do anything without seeing them. If they are in the condition I think they are, not worth much since most would need refurbishing at best. Are they under cover now? If they are open to the elements and the varmints they are losing value by the day. I could maybe make the trip to see them. We are very busy right now, a little later perhaps. Ferg

Again, How much do they want for them? Ferg

BTW: I may be interested Ferg

How many are there and what is the price? Are they in pairs or have you even got that far? Ferg

I agree. Italian leather is the tops. Only problem I have is after using it I have difficulty with some of what is tanned in the US. Ferg

I have a Cowboy CB 8810B I can sew two lines of stitching with my single needle that you would be hard pressed to know it wasn't two needle. Mine has top and bottom drive wheels. I have stitched within a Millimeter of the edge. I can only hope I really learn to use this machine. It is a "honey". Very quiet probably due to all the sealed roller bearings it has. Only a few spots to keep oiled. I sewed some 1/4" leather, (two pieces) the other day. Only thing you need to do is adjust the amount of down pressure on the upper drive wheel. Didn't try it with 138 thread. Had #40 on the machine set up for shoes . Size 12 needle had no problem with piercing the leather. Ferg

I haven't watched it completely. You are right, it is mesmerizing. I love to watch other craftsman with the skills he has. Ferg

I have no experience with an RB-1. I wouldn't trade my RB-5 for anything. Noisy? Never heard that before. When oiled properly, it sings to me every time I use it plus it has reverse. Ferg

Since I am older than most of you, eighty six in January 2020, I remember a lot of those things first hand. My only connection with the Prison System was a number of years ago. One in Southern Ohio made wood Pallets. They weren't getting them out fast enough so they were looking for a small wood shop to make the parts for the pallets. The material would be supplied by a prison farm sawmill and brought to our shop. The material would be Cottonwood. Grows where it can get lots of water and is obviously dripping with moisture. Later, they decided to supply "Junk" Treated material. When still wet from treatment this stuff can rust most any metal it is aligned with. We were very close to taking it on until I checked with some shops that were using the material. Ferg

I don't see your pic either. kJ is on the right track. You probably are not using the correct machine for the job. How many layers of what thickness material are you trying to stitch? Ferg

It is a great machine if it has been taken care of. $300 makes it worth looking at if you can, try it with some leather you will be using. I wouldn't trade mine for anything. Don't degrade it. That machine is equal to a CowBoy, Ferg

It was originally intended to be just a Data Base program I believe. I needed to count letters of different colors in personal names, it required one short line of code. Definitely not for everyone. It has gotten too expensive as most of the older software is these days. I just continue to use what I upgraded to several years ago. lol Ferg

You won't like my answer but this is a different twist to your question. I have used "FileMaker" since it's inception many years ago. Not free but if you wanted a program that will even talk to you. this is it. I have written every Data Base we have ever used with exception of the very first, using FM. Have written billing invoices with hundreds to thousand of entries that populate whatever I need. While it is automatically doing that everything is totaled for anytime I wish to access the info. It essentially does my taxes for me. I know, not the answer you were looking for......... Ferg

I know, I have been called more than crazy for having all the different use equipment I have gathered over my 70 years of questionable adult life. I am not counting the 16 years before I supposedly became an adult. LOL Try anything you wish. Some times that works, some times it doesn't. Ferg

I have the building, I have maybe $1000 in tooling and equipment, probably have four or five thousand dollars worth of dies for various and sundry items. I can make whatever I want at any time. I have a CNC two head router and write my own programs. Seems that is called convenience. Ferg

I have an old rejuvenated bender for steel rule. Don't get the idea that this is a piece of cake. High learning curve and expensive. I bought my bender at a good price, it weighs about 50 pounds. Dies are expensive and you need quite a few to make much of anything. Specialty router bits for cutting the grooves. A die cutter to cut accurately. Steel rule resists bending, Several thicknesses and widths available. I enjoy doing the dies, no intention of doing it for anyone but myself. Ferg

Kinda playing on Bob's business isn't he? Ferg

All I can say is...you haven't looked very hard. BTW: It is Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines, LLC Bob Kovar is one of the most honest dealers you will ever confront. I think my trip last Saturday to get another machine from him was either my fourth or fifth time buying from him and his son. Ferg

RYAN, I know mom and dad and your siblings are all very proud of you. First out of the bag, you are a fine Artist. My wife and youngest daughter fit that expression also. I can see very few problems. Having never taken on a Saddle project I don't know a lot about it. You done a fine job in my old eyes. Ferg