Laurie
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Posts posted by Laurie
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why? your friend bought them to better you works, no? he bought them knowing that you're well equiped to use them as you need. as your workings call for. you're obviously an artist and your friend see's that also. you go on and customize those pieces as you see fit and hey,, if nothing else ~ you make one hell of a custom thing for him. from the look of yer work, you'll be useing those custom parts alot more than you're anticipating. your work is great
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and also, if you dont have means to get such really neat and realistic tools as these folks have mentioned above
...i give most of my work away so i'm alot tool poor and make due. my dumb but oh well!!!if you are cutting with a 36" or longer straight edge...make sure that your table, counter or bench isn't pitted. then get your ass up on your table before you cut. make sure you've marked and set your leather right. before you cut, get your other hand, and your knee, and your foot on your steel edge. before you cut. make sure that you can cut this lenth that you now have secured under the steel. (or at least yer hand at top, knee in middle. if no foot, dont cut beyond your knee, leather might have resetteled under the loose end of the steel) re check your leather to make sure nothing moved. score the leather as smarter folks than i already said, dont gouge. this'll allow you to keep whatever yer cutting with at a staight angle instead of slicing sideways against the steel edge. reason for the knee, if youre not used to cutting long lenths of heavy or light oz, its inevetable you'll stretch or sqeeze your perfectly scored piece then it'll cut wrong. hey, its worked for me for 18 years now!
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for smaller, light or heavy oz lenths of strap or thong cuts..like from 20" or less.. keep a solid, uncut piece of the the same wieght leather behind the piece youre cutting underneath your straight cut tool. i mean, if youre trying to use the steel edge and a real good knife or rotary and youre to the last few straps/thongs yer cutting, make sure you put a (perfectly straight cut) piece of that same size leather under the steel edge youre using as a guide. it'll keep your steel from wobbling off the back edge of the thong or stap if that piece of leather is skinnier than your straight edge. i do alot of small work, and i know from way back when, to buy enough sq inches to have extra to make sure that i can keep me steel balanced when making final cuts. dont know if that helped or made sence, i cant do a picture deal of this right now
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THAT IS A GREAT TUTORIAL! Thank you Nutty Saddler!!!!
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Hey there y'all. been away awhile taking care of business and all. missed the site!
bought this really cool little '52 Singer portable that i'll get picts of up another time. immaculate, she's a beaut. i messed up like crazy, i looked it up on e-bay to show the lady who had it what it might be worth, and then decided to buy. too bad for me a current bid i showed the lady was way higher than any bid i've seen the same machine go for since! oh well, i like hell outta this little thing. not quite heavy leather quality at all, but it will do on the road for light leather and jean repair and such.
i shut down my leather repair shop up here, i'm setting my paint van up as a portable full repair/alteration shop for when i get back on the road this spring. fixing to make the van easy to dump out the machines, set up and work with minimal electric, at friend's events and such. should be a great summer! i'm half tempted to head back to TX right now as cold as i think it is up here! ...seriously thought that snow, big snow, would be a blast after all these years back down south.
...i changed my mind, y'all stay warm and safe ok? be back again eventualy.
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Yep, it looks like you have some accessories for an older sewing machine. It may be newer than 1883..The date of 1883 refers to the date the accessories were patented. They could have been in production for many years after that date.
I dont doubt the parts are newer than that. the box has the stamped date is all. the piping attachments are all Singer, embossed with the old original singer 'S' emblem and the name singer across the big 'S'. I was more interested in the box itself really. not trying to lay claim that all in it is 1883.
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What the heck is that thing???
its a velvet lined wooden box with hidden hinges, it opens and unfolds as the pictures show. pretty neat huh? i'll get better picts up soon. it holds a bunch of sewing attatchments, likely more for the housewife making her family's clothing or the quilter. i just got it a month ago, so i'm still looking into it.
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Looks like you have some sewing machine attachments. They are similar to some of the ones that I have for my Mom's old Singer. The one series of items I believe are for attaching different width piping ( not sue if that is the correct term) to the edges of fabric.
yep, lots of piping attatchments in there
a few intricate depth gauges too. not familiar with the depth keepers but will keep notes as I figure them out -
This is the box that was in the treadle desk I bought sight unseen a month ago. Pretty neat. I call it a Mystery Box cause thats what a lady on another site called hers, dont know if thats its proper name but it works for me. Ill get the tape marks off eventually, and it was scratched on the trip to me. I paid 5 bucks for this box!! With all the shown attachments in the box. oh, some of the picts are sideways, my bad.
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Ive done this knot in the dark (lol) but it has completely slipped my mind how to do even the simplest. Im sure theres tutorails here but I cant find any short of pdf files. Im not on my own pc to download alotta stuff, is there a pictorial that I can see to refresh my mind ? I hate to repeat an obvious quetion but Im not seeing a pict of the knot breakdown, probly just missing it. ? I wrap my braids in UV upholsters thread (Im from Oklahoma, its an Indian tradition to wrap) & wrap in colors according to whom Im making the particular braid(s) for. . I pull a needle thru the wrap, turn the threads & knot with drop a bit of super glue to hold the UV thread knot.Then I douch the thread wrap with a fray block for longevity of the wrap. Been doing this so long that I cannot concieve a turks knot anymore. ??
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The best way to keep the wife from making unnecessary visits to the shop is simply to rip her clothes off and have your way with her every time she comes out there, not just a quickie but do a good job. Now this will wear you out for the first week or so until until she figures out what the heck is going on; it may scare the hell out of the dog too. The frequency of the visits will diminish, especially if she figures out she may be wearing you out, but it will be a little bit of a novelty for her at first, but you must persevere. You must be steadfast in this, she will eventually learn to only come out there if she wants something, and also to make sure there aren't customers about and to lock the door, especially after the first time there ARE customers there. This will also cure the problem of the wife diddling with the thermostat.
Art
ART you have the perfect solution. I am going to show this all to my boyfriend in the morning. He gets real peeved that I stay up all hours in my shop~~~this will be my solution to him getting mad that I'm out in the shop half the night all week!!! I'll just catch him when he gets home & practice this method on him, then maybe he'll quit hollering for me in the middle of the night. Thank you!!!! ...funny, Ive had the customer-showing-up problem so far at the new shop. Hard to work when yer shop is at the house. And the boyfriend's shop is outside my shop door, hell maybe I should just give yer advice to him instead....
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Ya'll make some good points about keeping CUSTOMERS from touching tools, but what about wives?!!.....LOL. My dear bride insists on coming into my leather shop area, which is a separate little building attached to the garage. She is always "organizing" my tools and things for me. Drives me freakin' crazy. Oh and she insists on turning the small space heater way down. I go into the leather shop ready to start a project, and I can see my breath!! I've explained that the dyes and finishes and glues don't work real well when frozen, but she still turns the heat down. I've hidden the keys to the shop from her, but that turns into a whole new war!!! Anyway, just thought I'd throw my dilema into the mix. Any suggestions on keeping wives out of the shop and away from the tools would be greatly appreciated........LOL!!
Leave open a stinky non-toxic chem solution in yer shop. We dont mind our leather chem smells but the unaccustomed lol nose will reel from the 'stink' . Good luck with the heater, we chics are way trained to turn heaters down when "not in use" lol. its in our genes. She might also be worried that yer chemicals will get too warm, explode blah blah, ask her if thats why she turns down the heat ~ it'll break the ice on discussing why you keep the heat up maybe.
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Interesting topic. When i 1st started in leather, I went thru the harley clothing/jewlery pages of EasyRider & such, to find new ideas. Yeah, very wimpy way to come up with ideas but its exactly what I did 20 yrs ago. I didnt "copy" the clothes at all, wasnt knowledgeable yet enough to sew like that. I did take the keyfobs, earrings, bone necklaces, sh*&it like that. I had aquired enough catalogs to buy all my hardware in bulk for such, and had leather enough. I'd sell these almost exact replicas in unauthorized bike shops' at 1/3rd the cost of having those that had the Harley emblem on them, and for the most~part stronger made pieces. I'd buy in bulk the hardware to reproduce those pieces. and use heavy screwback conchos or whatever that in my oppinion back then had more personality than off-the-shelf HD sh*t didnt.
I do not do that anymore. Its too easy to replicate mass produced, over~reproducted pieces. The guy next door is making the same exact thing so why even bother to "reproduce without infringing on others' copyright" ?? Its a good way to practice your leatherworking but I highly suggest that ya dont put that kinda work out in quanity. It gets embarrassing 15 years later when ya go back to a state where yer young work is still in existance!
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wow, killer pictures ya'll!! I took time off work (construction work) a few years ago to work in an old established family (3rd generation) boot/shoe repair shop in Baton Rouge, so I could learn their machines. It was a great learning experience, they have giagantic old inner & outter sole stiching machines. Wish I had the picts of those huge monsters!
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Thanks for the welcomes.
I'm in Indian Hills CO, Leatherrookie. Near Denver.
Doc, yes I do get to Texas. Have good friends all over the state. I'll take ya up one that coffee on my next roadtrip, thank you.
Hi Bob. I found a 1900 Singer (may 24, made in Trenton if I recall from looking up its #s) for 30 bucks in a Denver pawn shop. Its been drilled out for a motor but didnt have one. I carried it for 2 months in my work van. One day, a couple said they have "an old wood & iron Singer desk" that didnt sell in a garage sale. I paid the lady 20 bucks, sight unseen, plus 5 bucks to deliver. She showed up with a treadle desk, January 4 1887, complete!! The wood could be refinished, the iron is immaculate. I have 1900 machine in it, built a belt out of about 12 oz oil tanned leather. the original round leather belt was week, but the staple is in the new belt. The machine has a bullet style bobbin case, my 1st. When the lady delivered the desk, she had a wood Mystery Box, its stamped with the patented date february 19, 1889! And in it, more bobbins for my machine! The box is in great condition, velvet lined, all hinges still perfect, and all the original parts are in it! Talk about lucking out, right? I'll get pictures up soon.
My other machines are in storage in Louisiana, will pick up this spring & post picts. My personal favorate is a real catch. When I aquired it, it had gold stickers that named it an Admiral. While I was cleaning it up, the Admiral name started wearing off, under was gold lettering ~ Brother. So i flipped it over, sure enough, all the iron are Brother parts. I pulled the motor off, and in goldleaf, not a sticker, is painted letters "Made In Occupied Japan" I could have cried when I realized what a rare machine I had just wiped the Admiral name half off of! I've since wrote to the Brother Co, but the reply was that they have no record of any take-overs but would like to see pictures and are interested in buying the machine. No way!!! I did alot of customizing on that one, being it has 4 feet, I made it into an easy carry machine for bringing to bike parties, tattoo shop events, ect. I put a huge hand wheel on it, a stronger Sears 1950's motor on her, rewired her with an oldy Singer fixed light..It kind of reminds me of a supped-up Ford Falcon, not real pretty but a tough little thing.
My only zig zag right now is this Montgomery Ward I was given. It uses diffent top drop-in cams to change stich patterns. Never have seen such before, and the lady couldnt find the cams for it, bit its pretty neat. The motor & belt are incased. Im looking for those cams with no luck in 3 years. But its strong, Ive used it to do a full set of Colors on a friend's leather cut, it sewed over seams with ease, useing upholsters UV thread, I was impressed. With an 18 sz needle. (I'm running sz 20 in my 1900, with great results. I have to hand crank over seems to keep stitch with correct, but way worth it)
Ive been a bit busy in last few weeks with a friend's home that burn down in a big fire out here (luck, my 1900 was in my van!) that I was restoring & occupying before the fire, but I will get picts of some of my work & the machines up soon. This site is just great, looking foward to getting down to business here - checking out ya'lls styles and all the informative stuff here, talkin to ya'll.
Oh, if anybody knows of an old, beat up, non-running restorable boot machine (sleeve/pocket machine) that I could pick up, Id appreciate any leeds. I'm on a real low budget right now (fixing to get a major neck operation & am totally not allowed to work construction at all as of this week. Even have to figure out how to raise my sewing machine, cant look down for the damned neck brace they just put me in, grrr. not sniveling, just explaining) I will have to figure shipping cost into my machine budget, so the more battered the better...Thanks ya'll & ride hard, be safe ~ be it bike, horse or cage
appologies for the spelling guess its pretty clear that that isnt my strong point!!!
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Hi I'm Laurie. Typing on someone else's phone cause mine isn't very smart. I don't do alot of real computer time, so all of my time on y'all's website is while I'm on my not-smart phone. Yer website here is awesome, I am very impressed with the folks who have leatherwork time under their belt and give instruction to others who can use that kinda experience, much respect and thanks in advance for y'all's wisdom. I've been doing repairs & alterations on biker leathers since '93, my specailty is custom fittings and braiding, lacing, weaving multiple color leather into existing vests, chaps, coats, patched cuts, and such. I'm in Colorado at the moment but am on the road continually, tri-coastal. My machine at the time is a 1900 Singer, running sz 20 needle to do my lighter leathers. My heavy machine is a 1903 industrial Singer runnin a 6.8 amp 1/3 up motor.
Imnot an expert as alot of y'all here are. I just enjoy my little corner of the leatherworking world and am looking foward to talking to you all in time about leather sewing projects
How To Get Spray Paint Off Leather?
in How Do I Do That?
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Hey y'all. Any suggestions on how to remove automotive spray primer from a pair of chaps? It's not a small spot, the guy used the chap leg, smooth grain outward, as a masking deal and the whole lag almost is solid primer grey! I need to remove that primer hopefully without pulling up the leather dye. then I will re-condition the leather. Any experienced answers will be very helpful and apreciated (sp), as I can guess alot of ways to try to do this myself, but I don't want to keep experimenting with different chemicals on the old leather.