Ferg

Update on my last post: Epson has a direct print printer for T shirts and other fabrics that uses white ink for a measly $18,000 - $20,000. There are also Laser printers with white Toner. ferg

I have a dye sublimation set-up. I transferred photos etc. onto just about anything you can imagine. Extremely high learning curve, printers get plugged with the subbing ink constantly, many products factory coated for sublimation, very few for leather. As above, the inks are very expensive plus one source company has a monopoly on the inks. It went through a very laborious court battle for a number of years. They can actually sue you if you source from China on your own. All that said: You need a heat press, mine cost upwards of $2000. It is manually operated but Digital. I coated my own product using Auto Clear Coat. It is very expensive and a little softer than the commercially available pre-coated product. You can use a laser printer. If you have a heat press you can do a little experimenting with a laser printer. Print your subject matter onto a top grade Copy Paper, image reversed. Then you can transfer a decent image onto white leather such as Doe Skin. You would need to bake the leather with the image transfer for about 2 or 3 minutes at 300 degrees F. Leave it in the oven too long, you will get a discolored piece of white leather. There is no White Sublimation Ink unless someone has developed it since I looked. I have printed Jet Black ink onto Unfinished Veg tanned, it can look real nice. Takes unbelievable amount of patience and many, many, pieces of scrap leather. Now: Most of the very colorfully printed leather, fabric, etc. is done with "Direct Printing." The printers have a platen inside of the machine where the item to be printed lays. These printers may have come down in price some since I checked but when I looked into the possibility, a good one with decent size capabilities cost $50,000. Since we already have a CNC Router that cost $125,000 we didn't feel overly excited about another $50,000 for a printer. ferg

Catskin, No stitching with that old truck of mine but many told me it sounded like a "Sewing Machine" when it was running. I had it until about 1970. Not one bit of rust on it. ferg

First PU was a '62 Chevy with a Flat Head Six. I was building houses at the time. Put eight ply tires on it so I could work in snow and mud. Hauled scaffolding, brick and block and everything in between. Probably the best truck I have ever had. Drive a 2004 V6 Silverado now in RED. Love my 2014 Chevy Impala. No room in my garage for a Ford ! LOL ferg

Two things I notice. You appear to be grinding your knife on a very small portion of the edge. Check the grinding wheel to see if it is level across the grinding face. If not you need to use the "dresser" to make it flat. The grinding wheel should touch the entire angle of the original grind of the bell knife, yours seems to be messed up. Also, your machine has a "stone drive wheel". They can be a problem if not kept very clean. This may not be causing any of your problems now but it can in the future. The paper method of adjusting the drive wheel to the knife is an easy way to get a nice thin skive but it can create a problem also. You would need a number of different thickness of paper to set different skives. I take a test piece of leather I am going to use for a project, run it through the skiver. If it is the skive you wish no adjustment of the drive wheel and the top hold down is necessary. The distance from drive wheel to the bell knife should be the thickness of the skived leather you wish when it is finished. Distance between the top hold down and drive wheel should be set to the thickness of the "Un-skived" leather. It is not unusual to have to fiddle a little bit with the settings for some thin or thick leathers. Gloss finished leathers will feed differently than raw or dull finishes. Hope this helps a little. ferg

I believe some folks think you have to grind heck out of the bell knife to sharpen it. You only need a slight grinding as in, touch the stone to the grinder for about 2 or 3 seconds, unless the edge is pitted or in bad shape altogether. I know it is recommended to use the "rod" to get the burrs off the knife at same time you are grinding. I do not do that. If for no other reason it is very unhandy. Carefully use the rod as near straight with the sides of the bell. You only need to touch the rod slightly to the bell knife. I have never tried to hone or embellish the grind. I simply have never had to. After skiving any Chrome Tanned leather for a project I touch the bell knife with the grinder and rod. With Veg Tanned I may do the same because it is easier to remember to just do a "touch up" after each session. Distance from and angle of the drive wheel from the knife is one of the most important things when adjusting any of the Skiving Machines. There is a learning curve to this machine. If you do not wish to put forth the effort to learn how to use them, please do not complain about how you cannot use them. Machines setting idle until they rust is no good. ferg

tboyce Has a pattern for a Dopp Bag. Search: "tboyce" on this forum. ferg

You may or may not have read my previous posts on the Skiving machines. Search: "skiving machines-ferg" ferg

You are obviously a great artist with the air brush. I am an old man by many standards and come from much more subtle times than you. That said, How about using some art that refers to Patriotism, wounded soldiers, doesn't matter what country you wish to aim your product. I realize your jackets are more to the liking of Motor Cycle enthusiasts and modern music aficionados. Doesn't mean you couldn't waiver from that. You are an excellent artist. You need to widen your interests. I think your pricing is about right. Just my .02 ferg

Nice job. Isn't it great to do a refurb when it comes out so nice? You done well. ferg

Bobby, As always, your work is inspiration to everyone viewing. Must be busy, haven't seen any posts by you for awhile. ferg

I have bought from Tandy for many years but I have stopped. We have visited the Columbus,OH store twice in the last year, the quality of product is the worst I have ever seen it. Plus: very low stock on hand. Haven't even bothered with the Cincy store. The flyers from them are almost entirely "Junk". I don't get it. ferg

You didn't say what size your thread is. First, you should make sure the thread is the correct size for the needle or vice versa. ferg

This won't necessarily answer your question but, A Motorcycle jacket of best quality has 50 pieces to it. ferg

Wouldn't expect anything but "Pretty" and well done from you Tatyana. ferg

Very nice. ferg

I use the ready mades occasionally. They are useful even at some being high priced for a wallet etc. that does not meet my criteria for completely handmade by me. I believe you should make note to your potential customer when the interiors are not made by you. ferg

You and your countryman are some of the best Art Craftsman in the world. Great work. ferg

Firstly: The machine will handle 138 thread just fine. Do you have it threaded properly, double check even if you think it is okay. Tensions set wrong. Too small needle for thread you are using. ferg

Your stitching is nice except for corners. Just need a little more planning and practice. Your inside pieces are not the same size. Consider Kangaroo leather, it is normally much better thickness for interior work. ferg

BIGGUNDOCTORYour right it doesn't but it sure helps! ferg

I know what you are getting at and I concur with Dandton. My next comment may rile you and some others but anyway, your hand stitching isn't all that great. Back side isn't very good at all. Your awl holes are too big for the thread you are using. Mostly due to lack of experience. Experience at doing leatherwork is very important and that means many hours of practice. Keep at it. Machine sewing gets a bad rap some times. When done properly it has a fantastic look and can outlast hand stitching. Plus, when your hands are as arthritic as mine, you will learn how to do a lot of stitching with a machine. Take samples of your leather to machine dealers. Let them show you the stitches the machine is capable of. I am sure you would be able to find one to do what you wish with the proper needles and spacing. ferg

I know a little about skiving machines since I have one. If you have money to throw away, I would like to give you my address. LOL That is a piece of junk if I ever saw one. Must have a half pound of rust on it. Seriously, save your money and when you have $1500 to spare get a new one. ferg

I have a few comments: First of all, no one at Toledo Industrial put a quart of oil into your machine. I believe that may be your frustration talking. Also, If you are getting less than top notch service from Bob and/or Bobby, there is more to this story than you are telling. Did you say you had loosened some fasteners? Obviously you did not know what you were doing and may indicate somewhat, why you think you aren't getting service from Bob. If I am completely wrong, I will be the first to say I am sorry. Sit back and take a deep breath and ask Bob for help in the manner you should. ferg

Two things I notice: Needle too big for thread used making the holes too large. Increase the stitch length a bit. Having large holes and short stitch length makes the piece weaker on the edges. You done well for first time with the stitcher. ferg