Ferg

We ship thousands of packages, very few via UPS. They have gotten so expensive we just ship USPS (Post Office), First Class and Priority. They provide free boxes. I do know, the UPS Stores charge a premium. I think it is 35% above standard charges. Your $52 seems out of "Kilter" for sure. ferg

I don't have a Cobra or 441 clone of any kind but I do have a Consew 206RB5 and a Seiko CW8B1. Consew is a Flatbed, Seiko a cylinder arm. Wiz is familiar with both machines. The Consew came from a dealer in California. I requested a Servo Motor which works perfectly for me. I also have a speed reducer on this machine, couldn't do a darn thing with it if I didn't have the reducer. I can slow it down to one stitch at a time or let it run like a rabbit, it is 3/4 HP. This machine will sew 3/8" thickness with no problem. The Seiko came from Bob at Toledo. One of Bob's Servo motors. Wiz told me to set the speed dial in the middle, that works perfect for me with one exception, when sewing 1/4" of leather I need to increase the speed dial some so I have enough torque. Part of the time I have to give the wheel a quick pull for it to sew and still be slow as I wish it to be. If there is any difference in these two Servos at all, the one on the Consew may be a little bit more powerful. If I was doing leather work for a living I would certainly have one of the "Professional" Servos. Just my .02. BTW: I have communicated with Wiz frequently as well as talking with him personally while at Toledo. I have learned more than I could have imagined from Wiz and Bob. They have never hesitated to answer any of my multitude of questions with expert guidance. I am also sure that Steve, Ronnie, Greg and all of the remainder of dealers and professionals have the same mind set. ferg

That looks like a speed changer to my old eyes. Some I remember had a trigger like apparatus that made the belt move from one size pulley to another. ferg

You will find the self centering punches in woodworking catalogs as well as metal working catalogs. The punch actually slides inside of the barrel. The end of the unit is made so it centers in a hole. http://www.garrettwade.com/product.asp?pn=35K08.01&ch=10S09.09&EID=W6061011&SID=W6061011&utm_source=googlepla&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=CPmf5qTEqLACFUMCQAodTyDXUQ http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-58-013-Self-Centering-Screw-Punch/dp/B00002X1YB I have one of the Stanley punches. Have had it for 40 years, use it occasionally in the shop, works fine. I believe an Ace Hardware or possibly Lowe's, Home Depot, or Menards would have them. ferg

Don't mean to make your day bad, we carry $2,000,000 liability. Have never in 35 years needed it but I can only imagine what would happen if some idiot decided to sue and we weren't covered. Your cost may be decided depending on your yearly sales, ours is. ferg

I guess that could be from a "Paint" but somehow I doubt it. Looks more like "Hair On" cowhide. I certainly have not seen every hide that has been tanned but I don't believe I have ever seen Horse hide tanned with hair on. Learn something every day? ferg

My experience with most any type of tape used similar to this is the adhesive that stays on the surface of the leather. Best way to reduce the marks, not necessarily eliminate them? Use smooth dogs and/or presser feet. I also use a smooth needle plate with a slot for the needle. Doing this requires lowering or on some machines removal of the feed dogs. If your requirements call for sewing soft leather consistently I would use the smooth feet and slotted plate. The machine will need some adjustment since you do not have ridges on the feet or dogs to move the leather through the machine. ferg

For what it is worth...... I have a Consew 206RB5, love it. I bought mine with a servo motor. Not coming with a servo is Balderdash! There are great Machines other than Cobra. ferg Hello! I am looking to expand my business and it is time to get a machine that is actually deicated to sewing leather. I currently just use my Juki 98q which is great for clothes but is tearing up all my leather projects. I will be sewing mostly soft leather for jewelry but some thicker pieces for bags and such. Right now I am thinking of getting either the Cobra Class 17 or the Consew 206rb. Can anyone compare these two machines? Or if you have another suggestion it would be greatly appreciated. I want to feel sure I'm getting the right one before spending so much money.

You can depress the foot pedal then turn the hand wheel. Should be easy to turn now but only while you depress the pedal. Ferg main concern as of now. the hand wheel is getting hard to turn once in a great while, maybe every 10 rotations, i disconnected the belt and took the needle out to ensure that i wasn't getting friction from that as i was moving the material during my adjustments and it continued to still happen i called a repair guy i knew to see if he could swing by and haven't heard back yet, i have also oiled the machine as per the instructions any ideas? i was hoping to have this operational to get some work done tomorrow thanks

Wiz is best one to help you with this, I a sure he will jump in any minute now ferg

I think the large pieces, notebooks, are a different story. I think they look better if the leather in the spine area is glued but the back needs to be bent at least a third of the way when gluing the liner. ferg

When you make your next wallet liner try this: Do not glue the liner to the back at the "spine". Let the liner move independently of the back at this area. ferg

My observations: Your needle appears to be too large plus the wrong kind/shape for what you are trying to do. Looks as though you have a diamond point, you need a "S" or similar. To select the proper size needle for the thread you are using, thread a needle holding the loose end of the thread up so the needle can slide down thread easily. If it appears to do this too easy try next smaller needle. When you back tack make sure you don't allow the leather to move away from the path you were sewing. When you finish a stitch line move the hand wheel until the "take-up" lever is at the highest point. This will release the bobbin and needle thread so you can pull out 3 or 4 inches to snip. Hope this helps ferg

Check with Bob at Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines, they have a banner at the top of these pages. ferg

Chris, Fine work and design as usual. ferg

Tanya, Your selection of design is excellent as is your tooling. Very nice. ferg

Randi-Lee, I have a grand daughter in Agriculture College now. She has loved horse since she was a little girl. Her dad says she will need to stick with their Boer Goats until on her own. LOL I have many great memories of growing up with draft horses. You love them, take care of them, they will work without any argument and Love you ten times over. Our big black Percheron colt use to tease me all the time. I was short, only about 12 or 13 years old, he was a good 15 hands. Every time I tried putting a halter on him he stood on my foot, just enough to keep me down. ferg

Yes ferg

Kitty, I have only one negative comment about your work. My view is based on some of my knowledge of marketing plus we have a daughter that is a successful Graphic Artist. I assume the graphic below your comments is your calling card image and of course anything else you may wish to use it on. If I was viewing the image for the first time I would have absolutely no idea what the Script on the piece said. It is obliterated by the design and the fact you have possibly gone overboard with your obvious abilities. Just my .02 ferg

i want you to PM me. We will discuss further. ferg

I'm not Wiz but I can answer the one question you asked. The thickness a machine will handle is the total of all pieces you have to sew through. A majority of the flatbed machines sold by dealers on here will handle 3/8" comfortably. You need a little space to get the material under the feet so that space may be 1/2" to 9/16". There are also cylinder arm machines that will sew relatively thin leather up through about 7/8". Wiz can fill you in further but you need to talk to any one/or more of the dealers on this site. Give them all the information you possibly can. There is a certain amount of information you will need to study to see what machine is best for you. BTW: When making heavy bags and such, skive the edges so you do not have such a thick seam/joint. ferg

I wish I had written it. I celebrated my 78th this past January. I so much want to see our great nation and yours, be just a little like it used to be. We have been to Canada several times but hesitate these days because of the "Hassle" of returning to the States.. A favorite cousin sent this to me with no acknowledgement of the author. I imagine it is in the public domain or someone was feeling nostalgic one day and wrote it down. If I can find the author I will certainly let you know. Meanwhile, please share it with everyone. Just tell them the author is unknown. regards, ferg

I'm sorry but do you really want to anneal the plates you have? Come on, the curve on a belt, let's assume it is on the portion on the person's back side, is so minimal. You can "work" enough curve in the "Tag" by hand to conform. I agree with the annealing for more stringent curves/arcs as in your wrist. Jewelry making is a whole different story. ferg

I have a Consew 206 RB5 flatbed and a Seiko CW8B short cylinder arm machine. They both use the same needles and feet among other things. They will both sew 3/8" easily and on occasion 1/2" leather. If I had to do it over again I would probably buy a longer cylinder bed with a table attachment. Down side to having the latter combination is the need for changing from a cylinder to the flat bed more often than I would care to. Call Bob Kovar at Toledo Industrial Sewing. (Banner at top of this page. If you don't see it right away, refresh the page until you do.)Tell him what you want to do. He may have a used machine that will fit your price range but you could get a Cowboy, brand new at good price points. Bob will set you up with a machine that works right out of the box and can put together a "Kit" if you will. When you get the machine to your shop/home you can be sewing leather in less than an hour. Stay away from e-bay and definitely Craig's List. My Consew came from an E-bay dealer. Nothing wrong with the machine except it was setup for fabric, they assured me it was set up for leather but the needles and everything else he sent weren't correct. "After service" stinks, so be aware. ferg

Oh boy!!! I am picky!! The word "Stocklist" is spelled "Stockist". That must be the kind of attention they pay to the making of that wallet. I have seen youngsters in grade school do better than that. I have a problem with folks telling a person that is just beginning in leather, that their work is beautiful when it isn't. I do not think doing that helps anyone. I, as everyone else was a beginner at some time. I am still learning, every day. ferg