Art

Deglazer is usually primarily ethyl acetate which is much more aggressive than acetone. It will act as a solvent for some glues. I can only guess that the part on top is a sprayed on finish of who knows what formulation that you or I wouldn't recognize as a finish at all, but rather a coating, these are quite common in the upholstery and garment leather industries. Ever notice how uniform car and furniture leather is and how it NEVER crocks? When you produce 80 gazillion yards of it, you can afford special coatings. Art

Brad, The 15-91 and the 201 were a home or homestead class of machines that will sew heavy denim and leather loops and suspenders. So we are talking 4-6 oz max occasionally. These little machines were plenty heavy construction wise for the duty they traditionally performed. I have a 201 (well HAD one) and it is fine for the wife's quilting and she took it away from me for her use exclusively, "Don't try to sew any leather on that thing, use your own machines.", were her exact words with expletives deleted. Well, it WAS my machine. Seriously, those models use a gear drive motor that is not very heavy duty and there is no way to improve it. When you can find them, they are usually $40-$60 used for the motor and drive. There are many good machines that are up to the task, but buy an industrial one. If an ad says "industrial strength" or "for leather" it is usually just a home sewing machine and probably not up to the job. Art

If it is for a "dark side" shooter, I'll use Horse butt, otherwise 5-6 veg tan. You generally can get one holster from a butt, sometimes you can't. Art

Hi Ed, I use the 19 in the 618, works without much adjustment using 138/138 Linhanyl Nylon or Coats poly, just a little tension tweak. I never set the big machines up to do anything under 207, I suppose a #19 might be a little far from the hook. You'll just have to try it. Art

With Coats poly I run a 19 needle. You will get the occasional thread break, but the look with the smaller holes is nicer and you can also increase the spi. Art

Hi Jim, Why not brag about it? What machine do you sell? Art

Hi Ray, Needle size can affect tension if not correct for the thread. When you go up in thread size, you may have to get a larger needle too. Art

You two need to get out a little more. Art

Hi Darryl, The 6600P should cost you around $1500, and is a good home sewing machine. It will handle garment leathers with the proper needle, but it is not going to handle heavier (46 or 69) thread and the needles to match without some serious setup work. If you are doing work on medium duty leather then this is not really the machine for you, it is just not heavy enough. Leave your wife's machine alone, you will have a happier life. As far as sewing machines go, her's is her's and mine is her's. Art

Back in the '60s (you know, when kids actually worked on cars) I had a set of SAE for the American Iron, a set of Metric for the VWs, and a set of Whitworth for the Healy. At least EVERYTHING on one type of car was the same. Well at least now you won't find any Whitworth in anything current. I know they have British Standard too, but it was usually the same as SAE. It will be hard to convert the US to metric until someone gets dictatorial about the whole thing. So, not in our lifetime. Remember in the '70s when gas just went over $1.00? They didn't have a lot of totally "electronic" gas pumps in those days, so they went to cents/liter. They quickly found out that the guys who could charge over $1/gallon were getting all the business. Didn't take long for a fix to the old pumps to charge $1 and up per gallon. They read .059 but they were metering $1.059. Art

Hi Vikti, I use mine for applying my big makers mark, especially on really hard harness or bridal leathers which can lose about 30% of the impression over a short period. I use it with the leather on a machinists granite surface plate and double impressions are a thing of the past. Art

Hi Ken, It is good to have you back. Is that a drum throne for the base? Great idea, and will take a lot more abuse than those three legged things. Work is great and nice to have you back. Art

Hi Greg, Ellis Barnes makes a very good set of 15 tools for $125. It is a basic set but you can do a lot with it. The price makes it a no brainer. Jump on that one while Ellis is still with us. I have my own favorite toolmaker and most of my tools are by him, but I have a lot of Tandy tools that I picked-up when Tandy wasn't LF and even ones today where I might want to try something out and if I like it and start using it a lot I order a better one and wait the year or so to get it. Obviously, I take my Tandy tools to teach Scouts. I have seen very good work done with ONLY Tandy tools, and even better work done with JUST a modeling tool, and that looked like it was a Tandy too. You can and will make due with what you can afford. Art

Hi Pete, Other than crushing them a little on installation, you might have received marine snaps. The stainless ones come in hard to get off, nasty little ba***rds, and holy canvas Batman I'm going to have to burn these off with a torch. In high wind areas, we use the latter. Most marine supply or canvas shops carry a $10 or so tool for snapping and especially unsnapping any of the above. Most of the bargain snaps are ok, but occasionally you get a run of them that just aren't right. The nickle/brass snaps are usually easier to snap/unsnap than the stainless ones. I have found that DOT/Scovill seem to make reliable stuff and a wide variety. You can end up with a mountain of snaps if you go with DOT or Scovill direct as their minimums are high, but there are a few distributors who handle the full line at lower quantities. Art

Bob McDougal's Sewing Machines in Houston TX, 713-864-2601, for needles and stuff, you'll have to give him the serial #. I think it uses a 206x13 needle. Art

Hi Ray, You want to be running 1700 rpm (or 14,000 inches per minute) or less, If you run on 50 cycle then you will have a motor shaft running 1450 to 1500 rpm depending on the efficiency of the motor, this is of course for a 4 pole motor. You can adjust the speed by changing the pulley diameter or even the burnishing wheel diameter. You don't nearly need the 2-3 hp motor Pepin is using, 1/4 to 1/2 will do and TEFC (totally enclosed fan cooled) motor will give less trouble (protects from sanding dust and lint). The motor plate will also have the Frame Size which you will want to match if you want an exact fit. But if someone just gives you a motor, you can usually make it work. Art

Hi Ed, I did the same thing once and I think I got A&E which I wasn't particularly happy with. I hate to base my judgment on one spool of thread, but I wasn't happy with it. Art

Hi Richard, I use the Press-n-Snap for that application, seems to set everyone's stuff. I have 2, one for studs and one for caps, you can get by with one, changing dies. They cost $103 now, I bought them for $80 years ago. Here is a link. Here is the cheapest. Dot also makes the Snapmaster which is twice as much (or more) but you can get more dies for it for the lift the dots and twist lock type snaps. Art

Hi Ed, That looks like something Jerry already imports, just with the Sailrite name on it. Call him and talk about it. Art

Hi Roo, Yes, but upon your death you must leave it with some aboriginal people or Torres Strait Islanders with expressed instructions that it never be sold. Art

Hi Ed, That thing ships with a #25 needle (200), it is a big flatbed machine with drop feed and a walking foot system that is adjustable. This ain't no Sailrite. This is more of a fabric machine, maybe for tents and tarps. Remember, it is flat bed not cylinder, so you won't be doing any bags with it. As a portable, where are you going to stick the motor? Art

Hi Ed, It might fit in the trunk of my Lincoln, and while I can probably put it in, I'd need an engine hoist to get it out of the trunk. The only carrying case will probably be the pallet they ship it on. Art

Hi Guys, I don't know where you gre getting your motors from, but the 500 watt motors go for about $160, you might find some cheaper, and they will defiantly be more expensive if they have the needle positioner. I have found that these motors are generally commodity items and if the price is cheaper, then the motor seems to be cheaper also. I have found most of the belts I need at NAPA, for something exotic you need to call Gates Rubber and find out who distributes for them in your area; these places most often have any type or size of pully you need -- just take the old one along so they can see what you really need. I don't mind if the vendors occasionally come on board with a suggestion, actually, I wish more did it. There are a few of us here that won't let them blow smoke up anyone's kilt (or skirt), and I won't let anyone abuse this forum with advertising. The Singer 31 class is a good machine as are some of the other older iron, however in my experience, a new machine will lay down a better stitch, top and bottom, than an older one. The new machines are tighter and the technology is more advanced especially in the areas of precision and metallurgy. Nonetheless, an old machine in fine shape and at a good price may be the ticket for the financially challenged. If it is your first sewing machine, try if you possibly can to get a new one from a real dealer or distributor, someone you can pester with questions while you are learning. Art

Hi Schno, Montana Pitchblend has an oil that is Mink Oil and Pine Pitch. The paste has beeswax added in. Pine Pitch is to some extent antimicrobial as is beeswax. I have also used Pecard's conditioner for years with excellent results. I can also recommend the Bee Natural Saddle Oil with anti-fungal additives. With the Montana Pitchbend Paste and the Pecard's, you can get little 1/2 oz paks that you can give or sell to your customer for maintenance. Art

Hi Ed, F8 during boot for safeboot mode. Read for more info: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315222 Art