Ferg

Seems that I bought something from them a long time ago. Don't remember what. Glanced at their site. Looks very much like an "Elderly" Tandy site. Many items, most on the lower end I would think. Only way to see what the leather is like? Visit them or buy a piece or two. ferg

I have to agree with the English gentleman. That is the weakest point in the entire stitching. ferg

Programming is something I always wanted to learn. FileMaker and others make it possible for folks like me with brain cells in short supply. LOL ferg

I am not sure what all you are wishing to accomplish but..... I wrote all the programs covering about 15 to 20 years using "Helix". Don't use them anymore for reasons we will not get into now. Apple began a program called FileMaker when the Macintosh first came out. We used it then but I never liked it. That is when I began with Helix. FileMaker is: Database management for iPad, iPhone, Windows, Mac and the web Several years ago we were getting requests from companies we do business with to handle all the ordering, billing, inventory, shipping, etc. without them sending any paper. I went back to FileMaker but use FileMaker Pro now. Steep learning curve, I never attended any classes just devoured several books written for the program. I have written programs to augment our Postal Software. We receive orders via Excel, some are .csv a few are .xls. I convert to .xls in all instances with my changes to the program. My wife comes to me quite often with a problem. Such as, needing a list of all orders with only enough info to make it very easy to see if we have indeed received an order and where it is in the manufacture flow. I wrote our General Ledger. I can print checks, I do labels. There are literally hundreds of different types of companies using this software. Please understand, I do not work or represent this company in any way. I think you would be able to do anything you wish with it. This is the link to their web site: http://www.filemaker.com/products/filemaker-pro/ ferg

Have never experienced a fire loss. I can only imagine how terrible it is to lose your home and so many of your personal items that some folks wouldn't even consider. This community will do what has to be done to help you, just let us know. ferg

You know what they say? "Whatever floats your boat!" ferg

Just a thought. The jack is very heavy, shipping high, can go to a Harbor Freight in many areas of the US and pick one up with no freight charge. ferg

A small round knife will work really well for skiving. I am afraid the knife/knives you have will make it difficult to skive. Tandy has some skiving knives. They aren't great but are better than nothing. If you get one of them make it the angle blade. The edge is ground so the "back" of the knife is flat, that goes next to the leather. If you don't have any scrap to practice on, get some or cut some of the rough edges from the veg tanned you have. Skiving by hand definitely takes practice. Some of the pig skin is fairly stiff, make sure you use what is nice and soft for your lining. For a first try wallet use the pigskin as is. It will give you many ideas for the next one. ferg

I am sorry, I was thinking the hold down roller when I read your original post. I have several of the guides. Best one is from "kwokhing.com". ferg

Years ago I painted on wallets etc. Haven't done it for a long time. The old paints Tandy sold for years, held up really well. Several on this forum do painting on their leather with great results. I will leave that part to them. There are a number of You Tube videos on wallet making. View them, save them and view several times, think about it and view again. Access web sites Gucci, Cabela's, Coach, and many others. Study the way they made their product. I am not advocating copying per se. You can learn a lot about making leather goods from these folks without ever talking to anyone of them. You need to use leather that doesn't exceed 1.5oz for the interiors. Edges need to be skived, preferably with a skiving machine but you can do it by hand. Roll the edges of interior parts, stitch with #69 thread, #92 is too heavy. The outside of the wallets need to be about 3/8" to 1/2" longer than your interior. Since you mentioned you are from Down Under, study the form wallets take in your area you wish to sell to. That doesn't mean what you prefer but what your potential buyers may want. There is often times considerable difference. You should have access to some great Kangaroo leather. One of the finest leathers for wallets. You will get other ideas from the folks on here. ferg

Roller guide is not available for the Consew 206-RB5 ferg

BuckleGuy.com or Ohio Travel Bag ferg

My comments were only meant to help and to make it easier for folks to know who and what your intentions are. Thank you for your informative answer/comments. ferg

It is possible but highly unlikely since I have to assume these folks are mass producers. ferg

Toledo Industrial Machine in Toledo, Ohio or Keystone in Philly. ferg

To add and agree with above posts. Normally, the reason for using a lighter weight thread in the Bobbin is to extend the time of use. Regarding strength, the strength of the stitch is determined by the lighter thread. Also, in your pics, you show a straight line stitch in the first photo where as I assume the second image is the Italian stitch which is a Saddle stitch. They are accomplished with different style of needle. I have one machine with a large bobbin, use same weight thread in both top and bottom. My Cylinder Arm machine has a small bobbin. In some instances I will use next smaller thread in bobbin. The photo looks to have at least two sizes smaller in the bobbin, that is totally unacceptable. ferg

Figure a flat amount that is an average cost to you for your products. Sure does simplify the books. ferg

Hi Anita, Having been in business for over 60 years I am always a little skeptical about folks having web sites for businesses with no indication of where your place of business is located. I do realize your Site is a work in progress. All of the items on your site are sold out except one or two. What is that all about? Your Domain was registered one month ago and is only valid for two years. Your SSL certificate was issued several years ago so I suppose you have been in business under another name that I came across. I believe a lot of us would like to know a little more about you if for no other reason, so we can "Get to Know You". Your products appear to be top notch. Italian Leather is one of the best there is. Elk? Some good, some not so good. One Location for you is Chicago, another is Texas. Both places? Are your products actually made in the USA or across the pond? I am not "Picking" on you. There simply seems to be a number of questions that can be asked, you don't answer. I am not interested in how you make your product. I know of at least ten or so on this forum that could figure that out. Just clear the air a bit. Regards, ferg

There seems to be lots of info for parts for the machine, I don't see any service manuals at all. Certainly there are some out there somewhere. See if this site has anything helpful. http://ebookbrowse.c...-pdf-d371663446 ferg

I just bought some Rip Stop Nylon. JoAnn's has it in a multitude of colors. It is a nice fabric. Perhaps you only seen it in the expanded net type? ferg

Honey, This printer is $30,000. My new 2014 Impala won't cost that much. LOL ferg

I might suggest you talk to Steve with http://leathermachineco.com and/or Bob Kovar at Toledo Industrial Machine http://www.tolindsewmach.com ferg

Bob, I have used those interiors, they are a bit difficult to do much additional to them. I think your best bet is to start from "scratch" making the interior similar to this liner but accommodating whatever you need for a strap connection. ferg

Whether you buy one of the machines that are constantly talked about on this site is almost always determined by how close you are to the distributor of either of them. Shipping is a very big deal to buying a new machine. I would have to say Cobra, Cowboy, Techsew, and others are so much alike these days, service and distance from same has to be a priority. ferg

Chief, I use the Weldwood "Gel" for leather, haven't used anything but water based contact for laminate for years. I normally allow the glue to dry for at least 20 minutes with a 70 degree temp in my shop. I guarantee you the leather is not going to pull apart without damage UNLESS it is two pieces of chrome tanned glued face to face. The glue will just about peal off completely when you pull it As stated above, we use the glue to "tack" the leather together so we can sew a nice even joint. I would like to be able some day to sew as fast as some of the oriental ladies do in clothing factories. LOL ferg