Ferg

The disc needs to be fairly tight on the thread. The disc base is adjustable,side to side. You may also have it rotated slightly so that it isn't in perfect alignment with the bobbin. When adjusted properly they work fine. I think the reason most of us build winders is so we don't have to use the sewing machine to wind plus our winders are faster. ferg

I have defended Tandy many times. The business situation in the US and other parts of the world tend to define a lot of how a company, corporate or otherwise, does business. Tandy has had to buy from China, Mexico, and Lord knows where else to stay in business. Their tools aren't much any more but what they have gives and has given thousands of young and old the opportunity to delve into a craft that almost every person can learn to do. That cannot be said for Painting, computer programing among many. I began my leather crafting 62 years ago. Tandy was in it's Heyday. Leather was high quality, tools were probably made in the US, and we had Al and Ann Stohlman among a few others. Al wasn't the best their is/was but he knew how to illustrate and write tutorials so anyone could understand them. In later life Ann became the best designer and leather crafts lady. I probably own most of the books Tandy has carried over the years. I hate attending school to learn how to do things. I devour books as though they were GOURMET Ice Cream. Frankly, I am glad those old books are still available as well as new ones I have. You need to spend much of your life in business that is highly competitive to fully understand some of the predicament Tandy finds itself in today. I spent a large part of my life building houses. The last, almost 40 years, have been in manufacturing children's wooden furniture and toys. You haven't lived until you fight for your business life in either of those. BTW: Last summer I visited the Cincinnati Tandy and bought some of the best leather I have ever used. And that is my .02 ferg

When you immerse the leather into warm water, only allow it to be submersed until the bubbles stop. With thin veg tan that can be just a matter of seconds. Your tooling isn't sharp on the edges. when too wet it leaves a blurred edge. You can actually use a wet sponge to temper your thin leather. Begin your tooling when the leather is beginning to look as it did when it was dry. Use the sponge to dampen when it begins to get a little too dry. Swivel knife will drag when too wet, other tools drag some also making your carving look blotchy. ferg

Try e-bay for an older copy that will run on your present computer. ferg

I believe your leather was too wet while you were trying to tool. ferg

If you are thinking about going into the business?????? How deep are your pockets and have you done any prep work as to potential customers? There are a lot of companies with computer equipment that can outperform "Hand Made" by ten miles. New Manual Helmold Bender with a starter set of dies might run you $4000. You will need a steel rule cutter, not sure how much they are. Angle cutters and notchers. $$$$$ Steel rule in small quantities, 30" strips, will average $1.35 per foot to $1.75 per foot. Many styles of rule available to cut different types of material. Rule comes in point sizes as with printing fonts. Most popular I guess would be 2, 3 & 4 pt. Some have the edge ground while others are shaved on the edges. Different angles of grind as well as length of grind. Different widths of rule. Steep learning curve. Die makers may apprentice for several years to become real good at it. If they are lucky enough to get hired by a reputable company they can spend most of their remaining working lives learning more about making DIES. lol It is one of the many things I want to learn to do. I am retired (long time) and simply wish to make my own dies. I scrounged for a used Bender and plan on building my cutter. Don't anticipate needing notchers or angle cutters, YET. My intent is to make the dies I want without having more invested than it would cost to have them made for me. Should be interesting in the long run. ferg

Bobby, I have to offer my congratulations also. Thank you many times over for all the help you have given myself and many others. May you have many more like this day. ferg

And how are we supposed to be able to contact you? ferg

From one old Sailor to another, boy! I am glad you are okay. How is Mom Kat? ferg

Tink, I bought a couple of those blades to have as patterns. They aren't real great quality but they are cheap. My knives have blades that were made with the shape of two of these. ferg

I bought a Consew 206RB5 from Zamir several years ago. It hadn't been adjusted for anything. Between Wiz and Bob Kovar I got it set up. I also ordered a binder attachment from Zamir with the assurance it would work. There was no way in hell it was going to work. I emailed him numerous times. He finally answered me saying, "I don't have time to waste talking to you." I returned the binder, he never refunded my money. He has crook written all over him and for those of you that have had good luck with him, good for you. Mark that up on the wall. ferg

Buying the brass is easy. There are companies selling small pieces of most any thickness you wish on the Net, just"Google" The knives I made are very easily done. I have in my shop a small bench top belt sander I used to rough out the shape I wanted. I then used 600-1000 grit sanding medium and finished with polishing compound on a "Flap" wheel. ferg

I looked for this on Campbell Randall, no luck. Where did you find it on their site? ferg

Ninety five percent of the adjustment is needed in the top, I seldom change the bobbin tension. I believe almost every dealer represented on this forum will have a chart for needle and thread sizes, just ask. Personally, I don't see all that big a problem with stitching 3.5 to 4oz. IF you don't mind spending some time for the new adjustments. BTW: I have sewn all the things you wish to do on either the cylinder arm or flat bed. ferg

Excellent design and rendering. ferg

Welcome Andy, _____from someone who lives southwest of you about 55 miles. ferg

There isn't any lining on the card slots. Just in the "paper money" space. Kidskin is baby/younger goat skin. Very nice. I hate pigskin with a passion. ferg

I have a Consew 206RB5, a Seiko cylinder arm, and a vintage Singer Patcher. I love my Consew flat bed and use it for most of my work. Couldn't do without the Seiko cylinder, it is not a favorite of mine but I am working at using it more. Drop down edge guide on Seiko with straight as well as roller guides. I have several edge guides for the Consew. For me the edge guides are a must. I think Neel's in about "Middle Ohio" or Industrial Machine in Toledo, Ohio are as close as you will get to a distributor for CowBoy machines. I cannot comment on any of the others except to say they are definitely close to being the same machines. You need to talk to the folks at each of the distributors you may be interested in and form an opinion based on the information you receive from each. If it is impossible to visit any of them, send some scraps of the leather you most likely will be using to them informing same how you use it. Layers etc. Let them stitch your samples with at least two sizes of thread and what needles they use to be returned to you before making any decision. Being comfortable with the company/companies you work with is at least half the battle. Good luck, ferg

Monica, Do you have a link for where your husband bought the fileteuse? Happy New Year! ferg

The leather on his wallet interior looks to be "Kidskin". The front of your wallets need to be at least 4 to 5oz. although I have used Kangaroo for a super thin wallet plus it wears like iron. The front panel of this gentleman's wallet may be embossed cowhide. It would most likely be backed up with cloth or some very thin leather. ferg

Nice work. Consider using edge paint for your projects. Use a radius of about 1/4" on your corners, helps clean up the edges. ferg

Bob, Nice job!!! I can see why he liked it. ferg

I have been known to work all night. Usually a fairly bad day afterward. lol ferg

I rebuilt one of these. This one is missing some parts which are available and are relatively expensive. Looks to be a great paper weight. Still, just about anything can be "Fixed" if you wish to spend the money. ferg

You probably lucked out with your knife cuts this time or they aren't quite as good as you think at this point. Leather should be the same to cut as it is when you stamp/tool. For finer detail I like to use the narrower blades, also the angled blades. I find them easier to use for most work I do. ferg