Ferg

The paper towel lifts the dye kinda "Wonkie". A little practice on a piece of scrap. Keep changing the portion of paper towel you wipe with. ferg

it could be Chromexcel from Horween in Chicago. ferg

It appears to me that your needle is too large for one thing. The type needle you are sewing with makes a hole that provides you with a saddle stitch. That stitch will of course have one thread high in the hole and one low, making the saddle style stitch. Don't know exactly why you got a straight line stitch previously. ferg

Apply the dye heavier than usual, wipe with a paper towel wadded up. ferg

Never made one but I sure have put a bunch on draft horses. Quite specialized piece. I believe your best bet may be the AMISH. They may or may not be willing to guide you a little. Try this site: http://traditionalcraftsblog.blogspot.com/2013/09/normal-0-false-false-false-en-gb-ja-x.html Or this: http://horsenharness.com This: https://www.mydrafthorse.com/cfwebstore/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_id=33 Another: http://www.chimacumtack.com/measure.html ferg

You will likely want to put those reducer pulleys on a shaft. The bolt will cause wobble pretty quickly since the thread surface is what they will turn on. ferg

Nope. I sent Mike an e-mail, didn't get an answer. Mike had a heart attack and wasn't doing real well but was getting better. His wife had some health issues also. He always answers my mail. I am afraid they may be having severe health problems. ferg

You will not be disappointed. ferg

You can get very close with a little work. The tension needs to be perfect top and bottom. Needle must be exactly right size for the size thread you use. All feet on a triple feed need to be exactly right. When you hit the sweet spot you will be amazed. Thin leather requires thread of "92" or "69" and smallest needle the thread will slide through easily. There are/have been, many different configurations on the needles but only a few are available these days. There are charts for shapes and type of stitch with different needles available. One heads up! If you have more than one machine you can devote to a particular type/thickness of leather you will eliminate a lot of headaches. You can get very irritated when you change leather thickness or thread size along with needles if you only have one machine. Occasionally you get lucky. ferg

Matt, You will be asked for your address and phone number so a salesman can contact you. If you do not wish to do that I would simply e-mail them. ferg

I too received the catalog with nothing but finished goods they sell. I received an e-mail from them giving some info on the leather they sell. Beautiful colors and finishes from the photos. Prices start at $5.00 per foot and move up from there. Minimum is a full hide averaging 50 to 55 sq ft. Most of their leather is 1.0mm to 1.2mm although they have some 1.8mm. All of their leathers are tanned with upholstery or wall panels in mind. That does not mean you cannot use it for other items. Leather from Asia and Italy, may be some other countries also, I didn't double check. This is a copy of actual response I received when I inquired about pricing and minimums' Thank you for your interest in Moore and Giles Leather. We have a vast variety of leathers and pricing will depend upon the leather. We have many of the leathers in our warehouse and can normally ship 2-3 days after receiving your order. Can you advise where you are located and if you are hospitality or high end residential and I can connect you with a sales person. I hate sales people for many reasons, one being the fact I have been in business since I was 18 years old, I am now 80. I seldom give companies my phone or address until I know exactly what and who I am dealing with. Don't need any more trash. Just thought some of you might like to know. ferg

Mike has had some health issues as has his good wife. Will see if I can contact him

Thanks Ryan, For the detailed explanation, exactly what I was looking for. I will stick with my present three machines for now anyway. ferg

I am curious to know some critical information about the new CB3200 Sewing Machine. Anyone who has bought one and using it, not setting idle. How much "fiddling" do you need do when changing thread and/or thickness of leather? This pertains to tension adjustments more than anything. I frequently need to change from 6oz. to maybe 1oz. or 2oz. leather. Also may be using 10 oz. and need to change to thinner material. I have a short arm Seiko that is most comfortable sewing no more than 3/8" with 138 thread. Would be nice to have the ability to sew with larger thread in thicker material. I don't want to spend more time adjusting the machine than it takes to sew an item. I know, buy another machine to augment the three I already have. That is not an option open to me. Any thoughts positive or negative, I would like to hear them. Thanks to any responders in advance. ferg

The one ton arbor press will disappoint you. ferg

Keep in mind: Belly leather is very stretchy and most often the poor end of the spectrum. ferg

You may have found this in your hunt. Bellow Machine Co. Ltd. is listed under the Salford Sewing & Knitting Machines category and is located in Unit 12 Salford Enterprise Ctre Guild Street , Salford, Lancashire. It can be reached at phone number 0161-743-0404. Looks like that may be where you should start. Wiz probably knows what this machine will do. ferg

Normally you would use heavier thread in needle with next step down in the bobbin. If the bobbin is small this allows more time between filling bobbin. Sounds as though the spring on the bobbin is bad. I agree, probably better to just get a new bobbin. ferg

You may need to turn the gloves wrong side out to repair them.

You may be referring to "Patent Leather", it is shiny but there are many different leathers with a shiny finish. I wouldn't necessarily call them glazed. Not unusual for clothing leather to be 1mm to 1.8mm. Available from many suppliers. Ask for polished finish in lieu of glazed. ferg

If you had just brought the machine in from the cold garage I would think that was part of the problem. If you are storing thread in the cold garage, only bringing into the warm area when you need to sew that can be a problem. You mentioned your bobbin thread is fairly loose, you need to adjust the bobbin thread so it has a little tension. You may be confused with tension in which direction the thread is pulled. Less tension on the bobbin will allow the top tension to pull the thread above the top surface of the leather. Try to adjust both top and bottom about the middle and then work from there. When you switch from one thickness of leather to another or change thread size, your machine will often need to be readjusted. That is why you often hear about having several machines for doing different types of sewing. ferg

Very nice design, good work. ferg

I agree with you, the archives have gotten "rather large". I think it is a good idea, why don't you make the list. LOL ferg

I believe every one of your points has been addressed a number of times. Folks need to use the Archives but then I also know few will exert the effort to research some important things on their own. That is not any kind of smart aleck remark, it is the honest to goodness truth. Few folks with the knowledge have time to write a dissertation about running a sewing machine, on the forum. You Tube has many very informative videos for the asking. ferg

SethJ, Don't get all fired up at me. You are the one putting the video on You Tube. Sorry I don't buy the explanation, you could have sent the vid to Bob. I am sure you were frustrated. Everyone of us that bought a machine with little knowledge of what to do with them has had some of the same experiences. There are folks on this board who have been stitching/sewing leather as long as I have been messing with it. I laced most things before buying the machines. Folks with good hands and fingers do some fabulous work with hand stitching, I simply cannot do it anymore. Hang in there, it gets more fun in the future. Wiz, I wasn't talking about the marks from types of metal. I was referring to the indented marks left by the feet etc. ferg