Art

Hi Rooster, Barbour's is available from Campbell-Bosworth, they also have needles and awls for it. I have used Eddington and it works ok in the Campbell. Art

Hi Art, It is not how thin a leather, it can be adjusted to sew toilet paper, but how small a thread. Thread wise you can go maybe 138 or 92, but not the 69 or 46 or even smaller you use on the thin stuff. When you start using the smaller needles to go with the smaller thread you may have to change the hook to needle relationship (uses shims) or it will likely skip, the difference between a 26 (230) and a 16 (100) are considerable. So, if you just have occasional thin stuff, the wife's sewing machine will do, if you need more oomph, get a 1797 from Jerry. Also an old Singer 66 can be picked up cheap for the thin stuff, or get a Sailrite (or Artisan makes one like it also and cheaper), but the 66 is cheaper. The Singer 201s are also good (gear drive can be a problem if you are not careful) and a boat anchor Kenmore or White will also work. Art

Hi Barra, I think he needs the Gear and Screws. Art

Hi Artie, There is a place over in North Beach I think, He's kind of a last resort because his prices are really high, but if all else fails try him at 305 354-8060. Art

Artie, Call Southstar in Nashville. 800-288-6739, try to find a part number for them to find. At least it's a gear, not something that "never" breaks. Also Universal Sewing Supply 1-800-325-3390 in St.Louis, lotta parts there. Art

Hi Chris, The dash numbers or subcategory numbers (I have heard them called) are used to denote differences within a particular head casting. It might be a bigger bobbin, drop feed or not, jump foot, walking foot, and also all sorts of feeding contraptions particular to certain industries, especially the shoe industry. Sometimes it was just a new "improved" model of a classic design. The Germans took this to the ultimate, having a number or letter suffix for everything on the machine (getting the most utility out of every casting). If you ever notice all the "extra" boring and/or tapping holes on some machines, that's where dash numbers and letters come into play, something goes in that hole to attach some whatchamacallit. With Pfaff and sometimes Dürkopp there are tables that define these attachments and the same positions and letters are used from machine to machine, but with Singer, it seems that when the produced a machine with a little different mechanism, the put a different dash number on it. Art Art

Hi Bruce and Randy, The machine to look out for for boot and shoe work (making not repairing) is the Singer 51. It is a post bed machine and if you find one that they don't know what they have, you can get them for reasonable prices. The ones I have seen have 3250 motors on them and go like a scalded bunny so you have to check them for wear. Artisan also has one that looks like a 51 (controls are a little different); that post is a darned handy thing, even better than a cylinder bed. They also make a 618 class machine with post and roller presser, I think it is a 4618 and a upclass of the 51, needle feed/roller presser. If anyone sees one of those on the block, let me know. Art

Vista Business. When they complain, that's a different department. Art

Rooster, It is a good medium duty cylinder arm machine, there is no reverse unless you get an R model. It will sew 2 layers of 9 oz veg tan with up to about 207 thread. Art

You all have had your pain, now it's over and other than a few residual flashbacks you can go forward. I, on the other hand, can anticipate deploying 7,000 VISTA laptops to the field in 2009 to replace Windows 2000 boxes already in place. Like my dad said, it's like hitting yourself on the thumb with a hammer, it feels so good when you stop. Art

Hey Dan, Brag all you want, you've got a machine which will take you to the next level production wise. And did I say, you've GOT a machine. Let us know how it works, and we'll always be here if you need help. Art

Hi Bruce and Dave. Artisan machines are great, but they fall victim to Jerry's refusal to beat his own drum. First time I have heard of all the accessories that come with the 3000, especially the extra feet. We never hear that the Artisan Toro's are built up from castings by Artisan, from parts to their specifications, by superb mechanics in California, not by knockoff shops in Taiwan and China. Nobody says that the stands have over-spec casters, probably because Jerry doesn't think they are bigger than necessary (they are). The sewing parts on the Toro's are as good or better than anything German or Japanese I have seen. The real quality of a machine can be seen right down under the needle plate, you need to take off the needle plate and cover and compare all the machines you are thinking of buying, do this at the next show you attend, if they pooh-pooh you, give them a pass, if they aren't proud of what's down there, what does that say. There are only three companies that have passed my test so far, Artisan, Campbell-Bosworth, and Weaver, who in each instance had a top mechanic demoing their machines. When a mechanic WANTS to teach you everything you want to know about their machines and takes all the time necessary to do so, this is a big indicator of pride in the machine, which is a good sign of quality, not the only sign, but they all add up. I HATE buying anything of significance based on price. Doing so, you can pay too much or get too little quality. You have to search for the quality and price combination that fits your needs and of course your wants. Art

Hi Dan, Great to have a new machine. For a while you will be making things just to sew them. Have fun. Art

Hi Heather, You can sand the back, gum it, or both. When sanding use sharp new sandpaper. If you have a real "stringy" back, 60 will do to start and you can get progressively as smooth as you like, don't get so aggressive as to sand through the leather, you just want to get the fuzz down. Alternately or even after sanding, you can use Gum Tragacanth to smooth the finish even more. This is traditionally called a "moss back" or a "gum back" by the tanneries. For lining, it really depends on the application, from "same as front" to calf or kip, often a less expensive pig or goat, if not seen or obvious, any scrap you have left over may do. For holsters and belts, I tend to use the same stuff both sides, same thickness, each half of the overall thickness I want, especially true if I am depending on the overall thickness for strength. Art

Hi Bruce, They are pretty similar. The throat plate is a little different on the 20, nothing special as I recall, just a good drop feed machine. Art

Hi Mike, You have an air lift presser foot system. The knee lift actuates an air switch to energize the air solenoid that actuates the presser foot lift. This is quite often tied into a computer control system to allow the machine to accomplish a series of actions to accomplish a particular sewing task. If you have one of these computers attached, you will need to get a manual for it. These systems are most often Pfaff on Pfaff machines. Pfaff was most often a one source solution. I can point you to some folks if you need help. Art

Hi Randy, Actually, it is quite easy to mold and once dry holds well. It is a rather hard tannage and you might find some hard patches (like the center is still rawhide) up in the sholder/neck area. Nonetheless, for belts and holsters for heavy duty use, there is nothing better. Dip dyes well too. Art

Hi Wes, If you are talking Black, then it is better to have your liner material drum dyed at the tannery. On other colors, after dyeing and the piece is perfectly dry, buff off the residual dyestuff. I use a 1HP Baldor buffer with a 10" loose wheel. My buffer runs 3600rpm which you have to go lightly with. I use the big buffer because that is what I have, something smaller (especially for the inexperienced) would probably be better. The object here is to get all that excess OFF the leather, if you get a little carried away, you can do the dye job over. I finish it off with Bag-Kote. I even hit drum dyed with the buffer lightly just to catch any leftovers. I edge finish with an acrylic like edge coat, which is very colorfast and non-crocking when dry. Art

Hi Bruce, After looking a little more, the Blue when used on a dark background, challenges my eyeballs. On a light color, it looks great and is unobtrusive. Art

for some reason the slashes after brucejohnson are backslashes ???Art Using FireFox 3.0.2....Put real slashes in and it works fine....Art

Clear your cache and try loading this: http://www.brucejohnsonleather.com/brucejo...ses%5Cindex.htm

Hi Bruce, Great job. The links for Purses and Bags and Briefcases in the gallery are broken. Art

The Singer 99 was a 3/4 version of the 66 and was the quintessential (which kinda means it "owned" the term portable sewing machine) portable sewing machine of the first half of the 20th Century. A lot of them were provisioned in a tabletop style case and were hand crank and later on with motors. The tabletop style case usually had a top, making it into a carrying case, and the early ones were usually beautiful as were the machine heads with elaborate decaling. These machines were also sold in the treadle style of cabinet for home use. Singer made these machines from the 1900s right into the '50s and '60s, and they made a bunch of them. They were made for sewing around the farm or homestead and will sew pretty much whatever you can get under the foot; you might have to handwheel it through, but generally it will do it. The motor driven ones however, suffer from a puny motor that won't last very long in heavy service, and only develop any power when running full speed. So, this is NOT a leather sewing machine, don't expect to sew holsters with it, it will probably do most wallets after a fashion, but nothing very thick. It won't handle large thread, so don't try, it is a standard, portable home machine of the first half of the 20th Century. Tell us what kind of work you do and we can make a few suggestions. Art

Hi Billy, Do this totally at your own risk, but the stuff thinner is made of is: 50% or so solvent petroleum naptha (aliphatic) like Coleman camp stove Fuel. 25% or so Toluene 25% or so Acetone Be careful. Art

Hi Roo, I don't like to correct an Aussie about something like Vegemite or a Brit about Marmite, but they are both made from leftover brewers' yeast extract, a by-product of beer manufacturing, and various vegetable and spice additives. Maybe you meant Bovril, which some of us will spread on toast, you'all might want to try that stuff instead if Vegemite. I put Bovril in gravy all the time, and it is a beef extract. Art