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

Once you try the "roo" you will find how great a leather it is. Wish we had access to it as easily as you folks. ferg

I got a new iPhone 6 a couple weeks ago. Bought a "Holster" type case that is practically bullet proof, of course I don't like it. Would have made one to begin with but no time for fun this time of year. I am thinking of making one from Kangaroo. It is thin,supple, and wears like iron. I thought I would like the metal clip, doesn't appeal to me. Need to come up with some better ideas, it most likely will be made of kangaroo though. Machine stitched since my old hands won't let me do much hand stitching anymore. Will probably use either #92 or #138 bonded thread. ferg

Very nice. Asian folks have a knack for the fine arts, as you do. ferg

I bought one from Zamir, what an obnoxious BoZo. Okay I shouldn't have said it but believe me, if you can get screwed he will find a way to do it.

That's nice. !!!!!! Congratulations ferg

To me the obvious answer is to have a company who makes clicking dies, make you a hammer die. That small should be no problem. ferg

I suppose you know it is Chinese made. To get a current price you have to give them too much info for me. Alibaba lists the machine. ferg

This is going to be a bit different situation than most. Circa: 1953 I was stationed in Memphis Tenn. for a training school. (Navy) Saw a man making leather items and thought I could do that. Soon I found myself stationed in Key West, Florida attached to a Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron. So many people with nothing to do. I bought a few tools and some leather from Tandy store in Miami. To make a long story short, I eventually made leather items for almost everyone in my squadron and another in the same hangar. Spent most of the money I made on these items to buy more leather and many tools. Didn't have much free time then so I didn't need much money. First mistake most folks make? They think this is an easy way to make money. You will work your butt off, put up with some ignorant customers, etc. Tandy was my source for info and materials as well as tools. They "ain't" what they used to be but often get a bad name they don't deserve. Seldom buy from Tandy anymore. Sew most everything with machines and still enjoy doing this even if it has been sixty one years since I made that first wallet. Accept nothing from yourself but near perfection in everything. Never think "okay" is the way to go. ferg

I cannot see my interest in any of these without further explanation of purpose for each one. I know, you may have no idea either. LOL ferg

I have no idea what the quality of these are. May give you a place to start. http://www.google.com/images?client=safari&rls=en&q=fossil+watch+faces&revid=833578718&hl=en&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ei=SYYhVPzyKsidygS49ILQBQ&ved=0CEEQsAQ ferg

Your testimony is enough for me. I am not in the market for more machines but Bob Kovar at Industrial Sewing Machine is exactly the same as Steve. Thank goodness we have folks like this to depend on. Your Alaskan living would not be for me, winter time anyway. I have been many places in a number of lands in my almost 81 years. Haven't had the pleasure of Alaska as yet. Stationed in Key West during Korean War. Wife and I vacationed there couple years ago. Have fun with the leather and machines, it is addictive. ferg

I have two sublimation printers. Truth is, a number of printers can print with the sub inks. My printers are low to mid range price wise. One cost about $900 the other was $600. Subbing inks are very expensive and will clog a printer head for no other reason than to aggravate you. My heat press was $1600, it is 16" x 20". Transfer paper depends on what you are going to use it for, hard surface or soft, cloth or wood etc. Sublimation has a sharp learning curve, one of them is not positioning your sub-strate. Ceramic tiles, jewelry pieces, plaques, etc. etc. are coated to take the sublimation inks. I have coated my own product with good results. I presently have $5000 to $8000 inventory of sublimation substrates. ferg

You can, but the surface does best at the renderings if it has a coat of white. Alternative is to use white leather such as Doe Skin. You can use a color/mono laser printer onto top quality copy paper then transfer the image to the leather. Yes, you need a heat press. Image has to be baked after the transfer. Sublimation is an expensive hobby/business. Extremely frustrating, the results of much trial and error will blow you away. ferg

i am including in this post information Wiz gave me when I first obtained my Consew. I am sure he won't mind my inclusion. Quote: When you get your new Consew 206RB set-up, rotate the hand wheel towards you (CCW direction) from the top and watch the action of the pressor feet very closely. If the machine has been properly adjusted by the shipper or seller, you will notice that as the inside foot and needle come down, just as the needle reaches the plane of the feed dog, the inside foot makes intimate contact with the top center of the feeder. As you continue to rotate the wheel (slowly), the feeder will move backwards, as will the inside foot and needle. When the feeder reaches the end of its travel, as determined by the stitch length setting, the needle and inside foot will begin to lift up. At this moment, the feed dog moves under the throat plate surface and is brought forward, to begin the next cycle. If the feed dog is lowered to avoid marking the bottom of the leather, the inside foot will push the leather down into the now basically evacuated, rectangular slot in the throat plate. The leather will tend to stick down into this gap and will fight the action of the needle and inside foot. This will either result in broken needles, or stitches that vary in length. You will immediately lose a good portion of the preset stitch length, due to drag. Further, since the leather will give at the bottom, when the inside foot comes down under pressure, the timing of the lifting will be thrown off. The inside foot may not lift when it reaches the back of the preset stitch length; it may in fact lift late, and less than normal. You see, the inside foot depends on the solid bottom provided by the steel feed dog to perform its lift and move action. If the inside foot stays on the material too long, the outside foot will also stay down too long. This will further reduce your available stitch length, due to pronounced drag of the double sprung pressor feet. Lastly, you will lose any semblance of an equal reverse stitching action, as the timing of the lifting and lowering of the alternating pressor feet are tied to the feed dog being at the correct height, at the necessary time in the cycle. If the teeth on the feed dog present a problem for critical jobs, I would recommend purchasing another dog and have the top milled or ground flat, then polished. Then, raise the height of the feeder to match the original setting above the throat plate. This will give you the bottom feed and support needed to both move the material and actuate the alternating pressor feet. This assumes that there is enough material inside the feed dog to grind off the teeth and not cut through to the underside of the oblong hole, enlarging it to a ludicrous size. End Quote: ferg

I think from your video the feed dogs are too high in relationship to the presser feet. I definitely would not continue to force the rotation of the the machine until this is properly adjusted. BTW: The man telling you this is normal is full of it. You can actually adjust the dogs until they are not above the throat plate at all without doing any harm. Do this adjustment then test until it is correct for your material. You can easily return adjustment to original position. There are several other things to try. I feel more info is needed to keep you from doing something to the machine. ferg

Agree with the LED lights. I need lots of light on my subject when sewing. I have two of these on one of my machines. Tip: Aim the lights toward the path of the needle on your work. ferg

From your description, you probably need to do some adjusting in the height of feet on the "full" down motion. You should not be tight on the feed dogs. When you have the head "UP" from the table so you can see the underneath works, there is a set screw toward the left side making it possible to adjust the fed dogs. You can loosen the screw and see the dogs move up and down. Only move a slight bit to see if that helps your situation. With that problem you need to do a little experimenting to get the proper adjustment. Wiz may step in here for you, he knows this machine forward and backwards. I have a 206 RB5. ferg