srminimo

For sale is my Junker & Ruh sole stitcher, bought from a German dealer and barely ever used. The machine is in great mechanical condition but needs tension adjusting that is, honestly, beyond my humble capabilities. Includes several extra needles and bobbins and a printed manual. I'm located in Brooklyn, for any local interest and can send nationwide (continental US). Price $550 includes shipping.

Here I am trying to figure out how to do the patterns for a hard sole moccasin and I run into this. I gonna retire... Great job!

Hi Bill, Question, will this skiver work for thinner leathers? I'm trying to find a skiver for shoemaking. Kind regards, flavio

I'm actually taking a class in making hard cases right now and the stiffener of choice seems to be chipboard. It comes in several thicknesses and feels like carton but it's actually wood. The heavier chipboard will work for a briefcase. Now, I do have to say I HATE working with it, as it breaks easily when applying rivets, locks, and such. Perhaps the chipboard at the school is the cheapest version and there is a better one, otherwise I do not see myself using it again.

Incredible work. I love the design, the choice of lining, and the hardware. Those strap ends are particularly cool.

Hi and thanks for your reply. It's definitely not a custom piece, as I've seen it twice, once on an italian guy who works for Coach, and these pictures are for an Italian shoemaker for Guidi. That's what sparked my attention, the fact that both were master leatherworkers. I'm pretty sure it's made in Italy, but a search for Italian made leather tools is leading me nowhere.

Good day all. Has anyone seen this knife before? I know it's Italian, and it has a blade on one side and an awl on the other side. Any help will be appreciated. kind regardsflavio

Hand sewn? That's incredible. How did you do the inside out pockets on the outside. I've actually been trying to figure that out with no success? cheers.

Dear friends I'm doing some pieces in Chromexcel leather and I'm wondering what is the best way to clean and polish them for delivery. The leather is VERY waxy and someone recommended to leave it in a hot place so that the waxes came out a bit and polish them with some sheep's wool, but I tried that and it leaves the leather somewhat dull. Any help would be greatly appreciated. kind regards flavio

Very interesting that I found this post, as I wanted to find out how this was done. I figured glue, but was afraid just glue would not be strong enough.

Thanks Luke I'll give that a try with a couple of scrap pieces and see what's up. Kind regards f

Hello friends Does anybody have an idea how this "washed" wrinkled effect on leather is achieved? It seems that it was done after the piece was made, as you can sort of see markings of the card slots on the other side of the wallet and also, even the sewing is wrinkled. I have heard it's done with oils, but never with what exactly. Any help will be much appreciated. sr.m

Hi Art! And thanks for your help again! I thought it might be close to a 153, but I wasn't a 100%. So far so good, it has been working like a dream and I have been able to figure everything out, but I definitely want to have a reference manual. Thank you for the help on the Highlead, by the way, you had me convinced, but this seemed like a machine that would do everything I needed, solid, and the difference in money will probably get me enough material to have it pay for itself. Kind regards and again thanks for all the help. flavio

Hello friends After a LOOOOOOONG search for a machine I decided to get a Highlead machine and, of course, while at the store I saw a very nice used Seiko CW-8. Long story short, the guy at the store said he would recommend the Seiko over the Highlead (and I saved a little bundle, too). Does anybody know where I can find a manual for it or, if there is a similar machine whose manual I can use as a reference (I know Seiko actually did some Singer machines, maybe there is a comparable Singer model)? Kind regards flavio

Oh. man, what a great site. Thanks again!

Thank you again Art. I think I have finally found my sewing machine:) I will definitely ask for a gear reduction motor. I mostly do briefcases, bike bags satchels, that kind of thing, but I have felt the difference with the gear reduction motor when doing piping work in the past. Again thank you Art. I'll share some work on the machine when it's finally in my hands. cheers sr.m

Thank you very much Art. The machine comes with a Servo motor, and I will mostly do #69 and #138 thread, but wanted the flexibility of thicker thread for some simple pieces. So it seems similar to what I was looking at (Cowboy and Techsew), closer to home, a little cheaper, and I can have it in a day or 2! I have really looked high and low for machines and I have actually seen a new Singer 153B8 for about the same price, but never a used one. I HAVE seen a Singer 153W for a pretty good price with servo and stand, no reverse (which really is not a major drawback for me), but the gentleman sort of hinted that the machine was kind of difficult compared to the other ones and said if I was looking for something I wanted to have for a long time to go for the other ones (Cowboy and Techsew). Thanks again!

Dear friends I'm in the process of researching for a medium weight cylinder arm machine and I ran into a brand new Highlead GC22618-1B at a decent price (better price than a new a Techsew 2700 and I save on the shipping). Does anybody on the forum has experience with this machine? What kind of thread/ weight leather can it handle? How is the quality of the machine? Their website says this is a similar machine to a Pfaff 335, and it comes with a #22 needle standard, but the guy on the phone could not tell me what kind of thread I could use. Any help will be GREATLY appreciated.

Thank you Ronnie I definitely will in a couple of days. thanks flavio

Thank you very much for your reply and your help. I have to say, even though this is my first post on this matter, you have already helped me out a lot in the past with all the knowledge you pour into this forum, so a double nod of appreciation for always taking the time to share knowledge and advice. kind regards flavio

Hello Leatherworkers I've been looking around here for a while but this is my first post. I'm in the process of choosing my first decent sewing machine and have basically narrowed it down to the Cowboy CB227 and the Techsew 2700 (I have discarded the option of a used machine, as the prices are around the same, and my other option was the Tippmann Boss, but it seems the price is basically the same compared to these machines and it seems it's not as solid a choice for lighter/medium weight stuff). I wonder if you can give me some advice. I will use the machine mostly for bike bags and briefcases/satchels, but will also work on wallets and smaller leather goods. Mostly leather, but also some Waxed canvas. The heaviest I will ever sew (so far) is about 3 layers 5/6 oz - some piping on three layers of 3/4 oz stuff. The lightest ever would be lining, but usually on the medium side of canvas. Also, it seems to me the Cowboy could be a Consew 227 clone and the Techsew a Pfaff 335 clone (I have actually used both at FIT here in NY). Is this true? Any help will be greatly appreciated. Flavio

English Bridle is stuffed with oils, so if you warm up the leather a little above room temperature, some of these oils will come to the surface. At that point you can polish with a piece of sheep's wool.