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

ditto ferg

I also have a 29-4 that I redone. It didn't need a lot of restoration when I bought it. I stripped the paint, repainted it the original black and built a modern stand for it along with a Digital Servo. Works nearly perfect. I don't expect machines built 100 years ago to be perfect, even when I go over them. ferg

I certainly agree with you on sewing "Wet/Damp Leather". With my couple years of sewing with two different machines I have no idea why you would want to unless the leather being sewn was/is very hard. The feet make marks on dry leather I can remember what it looks like when damp. If the OP's video was placed on You Tube, shame on you. Bob and Bobby do everything asked of them and then some, they know what they are doing. An individual not having sufficient expertise to run a new machine should not be trying to put someone out of business with the reputation of these folks. Hope everything is working for you. ferg

Comments I found about the Radiata Pine: Common Uses: Veneer, plywood, paper (pulpwood), boxes/crates, and construction lumber. Comments: In the southern hemisphere, where pines are to a large extent absent, Radiata Pine is the most commonly planted and cultivated pine. It is valued on plantations for its fast growth and utility as both a source of construction lumber as well as wood pulp in the paper industry. I would suppose it was readily available where ever the units were made while the Oak wasn't plus difference in cost of the material. ferg

They use a folding machine to do their rolled edges. It has a piece of metal with a semi-sharp edge. Pressure applied with the machine indents the leather. Same technique with the little decorative groove above and below the slots. Now for the simplistic way of doing this: If you do not do metal work, have a machine shop make a piece of stainless steel bar with a "V" formed on one edge. The point should be slightly rounded, you do not want to cut the leather. You can place this piece of metal onto the leather and strike with a heavy mallet. There are numerous other ways to do this, but this is the simplest. ferg

I think you are attempting to use the wrong product in the wrong way When using the oil it should be applied to the outside of the item. You will need to apply a "finish" product that seals as well as finishing the leather. You may have some problems with your selection of color product either way. Some testing on a piece of scrap would be well advised. ferg

Skiving machine is an invaluable unit in your shop. Fairly high learning curve in using them but well worth the time and effort to learn to use them properly. Buy the best machine you can afford. Just about every clone, made in China, is the same machine with a different name attached. Some have very poor machining on some very important surfaces. I have a top and bottom feed and wouldn't consider only bottom feed. My top feed mechanism leaves considerable to be desired. I intend to rebuild that myself making it an excellent piece of equipment. ferg

Almost sixty years ago I started tooling leather just as you are doing. I did watch a man tooling once or twice but the majority of my education has come from text and simply practicing what the photographs and text tell me. Al Stohlman books are some of the best available. You are striking the tools way too hard. Ease up a bit and try not making your impressions so deep. When you do some tooling on bodies of figures use the modeling tools and follow same procedure, light touch is better. ferg