Art

Hi Ed, I have the small Tandy, a real small (but very nice) Heritage, a 33 lb from MSC or Grizzly. For serious work I have a 288lb Hay-Budden. The Hay has a hardened face with a wrought iron body and is good for knife or blacksmith work, the others except the heritage are hunks of cast iron and are plenty good for rivets and the like. I also have a two foot piece of 20 inch H-Beam which is mild steel and can take a pretty good walloping without cracking. I wouldn't trust the cast iron ones for anything serious, but then leatherwork isn't very serious in anvil terms. I have set #8 Brass burr rivets on the 33 lb without a bit of trouble, and that's about the toughest thing you'll ever set. Also a lot of the big vises (the inexpensive ones from China) have an anvil type platform that I have occasionally used to set things; they're big and heavy and work well. Art

Hi Hilly, I know this may sound crazy, but quite often when learning to use the head knife folks grab it like they would a hammer or a kitchen knife. This is ok, however there will be a tendency to apply serious downward pressure to the knife, especially when trying to control the knife to follow a line. If you "palm" the knife you won't be able to put nearly as much pressure on the knife. My first head knife was an old Newark C.S.Osborne and had a really big handle on it, I would call it huge by todays standards. I was trying to cut a line and having a terrible time until I realized I was cutting about 1/8" into the cutting board. Now I "palm" most of my head knives and push them through the leather. If you cut into the cutting surface and try to turn a curve, you will fight against the board and possibly snap a tip off, especially on the newer really thin blades. For honing oil, some from big name companies are 100% light naphthenic base oil, more often called mineral oil, which is sewing machine oil or hydraulic fluid, the latter having a few extra detergents which can only help to keep any filings suspended in the oil. I have seen it thinned when required with kerosene. Light machine oil would fit somewhere in that category. Art

I have used Murphy's on leather for years, it is not as harsh as you suspect but is really effective in getting the grime off. As long as you are using something to replace anything that might be dried out by the soap then anything that does not "attack" the leather, abrade it, or leave something unacceptable behind will work. Montana Pitchblend, Pecard's, Aussie, Dr. Jackson's Hide Rejuvenator, or Leather Therapy Restorer are good products for application after cleaning and no more than once a year in even pretty tough conditions, they all can be overdone easily. I use Pecard's as the second step in a process that is very much like you have witnessed. For lighter cleaning, Leather Amoré is a good product as are many others. Art

Best place for Barge is Tandy if you have one locally, they only sell (supposedly) to resale accounts. Consider Master cement from any shoe supply house or have a local shoe repair guy get it for you on his next order. A lot of shoe supply houses handle the Renia line of cements from Germany, Colle de Cologne is the general purpose cement in the Renia line and works very well, I do miss the "high" I get from Master and Barge though. Art

Hi Denise, The bottom portion of the "T" is thicker and allows it to easily bear against the edge while the perpendicular portion lays flat on the surface, however the top of the perpendicular and "T" are flush, so you can flip it over and use it as a square on a flat surface. Art

Hi Denise, I get zero center rulers from the printing supply house in sizes up to 96" and even bigger. A couple of triangles or squares off the ruler give you most anything you need, but those big squares (and t-squares) seem to get in the way a lot. I find the short based "draftsman's" t-square to be ok, but my machinist's squares get used the most, the biggest I have is a 12". Your centering T is probably good for your application and it is not uncommon in manufacturing to have single use tools. If I were to design it for myself, I would have a dropped foot with numbering on both sides so I could flip it over for applications where I didn't want the foot. Art

Hi Ed, About 25 lbs. Gussets, webbing, and bearing blocks seem a little heavier, like the rest of the 441s, it is not balanced to run over 800spm, at or below 800, it just purrs along. Art

I have so few details as to volume etc. it is hard to put you on to someone. Down your way, Amex can probably do the job, they're in El Paso. Good Luck, Art

It sounds like you are awfully new to this. You need to go to the local gun shop and ask for an Ellett Brothers catalog and see if there is something in there that is similar to yours. Divide the Ellett price by four or five and see if you can make it and a profit on that. Look in Brownell's, Bass Pro, and Gander Mountain also. Don't depend on the US made scenario, Go into Wally World and almost everything they sell in the gun isle is Chinese, might have a US name on it, but look closely. They may want and buy a US made rifle or handgun, but they'll shoot the crappiest out of date Hungarian surplus ammo in it and come back asking for more. In the '80s, I imported most of that stuff, and container loads of Korean sporting and fishing equipment too. It isn't hard to do, but you have to know what you can sell and how much you can sell or you can end up feeding that stuff to the family for dinner. Art

Hi, You are only talking about 100-150 sides/pieces to make 2k feet. If your manufacturer can't source that, maybe they are not the one for the job; that would just raise a flag with me. I'm sure Steven Siegel can supply that job, and I know some importers on the East Coast who wouldn't consider that a problem order either. I also know a few custom cutters who could do the whole order standing on their heads. US made will cost you more, but if you are looking for less than a container load of product it may be the most efficient. Make your money quick, if the product is successful you will get knocked-off within a year. If your market test is a go, then you will have to go offshore with it. Art

Hi Ed, I have 1.5, but if 2.5 works for you then go for it. Almost all of my tension is in the upper. Art

111 feet will not fit the 3000. They will fit many many medium machines out there though. The Ferdco feet do fit the 3000, however they will require some height adjustments. Art

Feet and accessories are a wonderful profit item. The importers usually put their own feet on the machines after removing the "blanket foot set" (inside outside feed dog and plate) from the machines as shipped. The manufacturer sells a boat load more machines set up to sew fabric/canvas/webbing and heavy leather stitchers are more from suppliers to that trade like Artisan and Ferdco. They can have them made over here or over there, but volume is low, so prices will be high. The ones I have seen from Ferdco look like custom machining, Artisan feet seem to be more elegant in design, more curves and look more "Artistic". They all work the same though. Do your best to order all the accessories you want when you get the machine, get as much as you can wrapped up in the original deal. Big stitchers don't sell every day, especially in tighter times, so make good deals when you buy, be prepared to walk if it ain't your way, but remember, those folks have to eat too. But volume makes the difference, you can get 111 foot sets for $30 a set while $250 a set is not uncommon for special feet for big stitchers. And No, the feet are not made of gold or even silver, they are made of the same metal used in Porsches, Pfaffs and Adlers, the rare earth unobtanium. Art

I know it was 40 years ago, but I used to buy them for $1.90 a CARTON at the Commissary. We only got 20 butts to a pack though, but then we only made $1 an hour, and were happy to get that. But that's progress. Art

You just oil the big stitchers, you don't change the oil, there are usually no reservoirs or wicks like in smaller machines. I think the videos are from Raphael Sewing up in Montreal. Art

It sounds "normal" to me. Bottom stitches always look tighter especially when the bottom is flesh side. If you are getting PF tracks, reduce PF pressure and never sew wet. If sewing chrome tan or "soft" leathers, then use the lowest bobbin tension you can get by with. What I do is keep separate bobbin cases set to different tensions. For your machine they are about $10 apiece for good ones. Art

Hi Milen, I think that machine will work great for you, plenty of room for bag work. The right foot/holster plate combo is a good setup for putting gussets into bags, you lose some capacity (thickness) with the holster plate, but you have a bunch of excess with that machine anyway. Leave the feet stock (unmodified) till you see what your use will be. Judicious use of the grinder can go a long way to making life easier in certain applications, but give it some time. Artisan's are great machines, I put more mileage on mine in a weekend than some folks put in a year/lifetime and they just keep running (800 spm continuous for 32 hours on a weekend, stopping to change bobbins and oil). If you ever have problems, Artisan service is probably the best out there over the phone. Do not hesitate to call Steve if you have a problem, he is great. Art

Hi Mad, There are a few choices for heavy stitchers but I will try to narrow it down a bit. There are new and used, but I will try to keep it to fairly recent vintage and or completely remanufactured units. Criteria: Heavy Machine Castings No belts in drive system except to drive head flywheel Capable of easily stitching 3/4" of Sole Bend Readily Available Parts Needle system is readily available from supply vendors Accessory parts are available to handle most sewing configurations Needle feed (or Awl), Walking foot or Jump foot Drop feed (if important to the application, e.g. blankets, webbing) Cylinder bed or Post bed Adjustable Stitch Length withing range of 4-8spi Thread sizes 207 (Tex-210, Metric 13) to 346 (Tex-350, Metric 8) and 415 (Tex-400, Metric 7) 9" minimum throat size Juki 441 and clones Around in Juki form since the late '70s but available since the mid '90s in clone format from Taiwan and Mainland China. A very reputable machine that in stock format isn't the greatest machine for leather, but with a few modifications to needle plates, presser feet, and feed dogs, and addition of a thread lube pot, turns into one of the primo heavy leather sewing systems. Highlead GA2688-1/Artisan Toro-4000P This is a 441 clone on steroids. Machine casting is much heavier and things are a little beefier, but sewing parts are 441 (which is plenty heavy in it's own right). A 16 1/2 inch throat and high head gives a lot of clearance for most anything. I have both Highlead and the Artisan machines. They come from the Huigong No. 3 factory in Shanghai and are in my opinion, very good machines from an ISO 9001 factory. The Highlead machines come from the factory set up to sew heavy fabric or webbing and run a little over 800spm with a 3/4hp clutch motor. Not exactly your daddies leather stitcher but just what I need for padding contracts I have. Small animals, children, and sane individuals run from the area when I am using it, but you easily get used to it and wish at times it were faster. The Huigong machine as marketed by Artisan as the Toro-4000P is a completely different machine personality-wise. Different feet and needle plates more in tune with leatherwork eliminate most top and bottom marking and the motor drive system with a speed reducer and servo motor will sew a flat out rate of about 180spm and a crawl so slow it can be measured in minutes per stitch if desired. The torque available from the speed reducer really precludes the need for a 3/4hp motor and the 1/2hp provided is more than adequate. The pedestal stand from Artisan, with heavy duty casters makes it easy to move the machine, but it remains very stable platform while sewing. Artisan Toro-4000R/Cowboy CB 441/Ferdco Pro 2000/SewMo 441/and Others When the patents ran on the Juki TSC-441, it wasn't long till they got in line to start knocking it off. Ferdco actually used the Juki 441 as the base for their machine until the patents ran and the Taiwan quality got to the point where they were satisfied with it. Today, all these machines are pretty good. Some are made in Taiwan and some are made in Mainland China, I can't tell which is which. In all, I have used the Artisan, Ferdco, and SewMo and found them very good, I don't think any of them will be better than the Ferdco Juki Pro 2000 (original), but they don't seem to be much worse. Artisan Toro-3000/Ferdco Pro 2020/and Others Take the popular 441 and take 7 inches out of the middle and lose the integral bobbin winder and replace with an external one (off of drive belt), so now you have a 441 clone with a 9 inch throat. These are little brothers to the 441s above. Most are supplied with all three feeds, Needle, Walking foot, and Drop. Changing to non-drop is a matter of taking out the feed dog and strapping on a slotted needle plate. Adler 205-370/Cowboy CB 205-370/SewMo 205-370/probably Others The Adlers and their clones are excellent leather machines and sew really well, but extremely thick stuff is not their best suit. Feet and needle plate variety is not as great as the 441s. They also don't "feel" like they have as much room as the 441s. This is really a German thing, if they make them smaller, they'll go faster and in production these machines scream. If I had a factory, I'd want Adlers or Pfaffs in it. Run like hell, run forever, made of unobtanium. Campbell-Bosworth/Union Lockstitch/Other Needle and Awl These are really great machines, most from yesteryear, but work well in the production environment. I use mine and have it setup to sew linen on holsters and belts. Campbell will machine you whatever part you need to do whatever sewing operation you need, but this is not the machine for the newbie or the faint of heart, especially the Union. Not a big machine in the throat area, but there are few things I have problems with. That's it in a nutshell. Art

I think it should have a drip pan underneath the head, they only drip if you over oil them (which is not necessarily a bad thing, better than under oiling). Servo motor is nice, add a speed reducer and it can be quite slow if you want it and half-fast if you turn it up. You can get by with just a slow (1725 rpm) clutch motor if you have to, they did it for years. The 3450 rpm motors are too fast for leatherwork except on assembly lines. When you get the servo motor, get the smallest pulley available, poor man's speed reducer; and get the 3/4hp (550 watt) servo motor to make up for not having the speed reducer, it's only about $10 more. Art

Be careful sewing heavy leather or multiple heavy leathers with the medium duty/upholstery/canvas/sailmakers/trimmers machines. They will sew the heavy stuff; I have sewn up to about 23oz veg tan with the Artisan 618 SC-1 LTHR (LTHR means it has a speed reducer on it which is kind of important with heavy sewing). The place you have to be careful is when walking the machine uphill or downhill (changing thickness). When the machine walks uphill or downhill (downhill is when it usually happens) it can put a lot of sideways shear on the needle and a little 110 or 120 needle just won't take it. Not a biggie, but make sure you find ALL of the needle as pieces can end up in the shuttle race which can gall that up if left in there. The 226RB was made in Japan and if still tight it will outlast you. Parts aren't terribly expensive either. Art

Hi BB, Presser foot pressure won't make much difference, and the dogs are about all the feed you've got. You can't file the dogs all the way to smooth, there won't be any feed left. You can knock the tops off the ridges on the feed dog which will make them less sharp and cut down some on the marking. Problem is you might have to up the presser foot pressure, might work with duller dogs. Grind or file, but be gentle, and take the dogs out to do it, you don't want to get filings in the shuttle race (or anything else). Gluing pieces together before sewing will help feeding, but transitioning up hill going from thin to thick may require that you push or pull the work to assist in feeding. Try to design your work so the bottom of stitching is not visible; not always possible but try. Art

Hi LadyJ, There is an adult section, however not unmoderated. I have not had to edit anything so far, but there are lines that folks can't cross. I draw the line at kiddie porn or anything in purely bad taste, however I am very very tolerant and enjoy a healthy adult imagination. Art

Yes, drive 2 hours, test out the Juki and buy it if it is in good shape. Same machine class as the 225 and Singer 111. all the available cheap 111 feet fit it and parts are available. Art

Hi Crystal, The Singer 29-4 has a feed dog, it just happens to also be the presser foot. The foot moves and the needle doesn't. The foot can also be orbited on its axis to change direction. Leather thickness 6-8oz single layer, not a lot more. Good shoe patching machine and good for sewing patches and emblems on sleeves. This is not a general leatherwork machines and was and still is a staple in the shoe repair industry for shoe tops. When you want to sew 18-24oz veg tan, I don't like the 51W54 either. Save up enough money to buy the machine to do the kind of work you do the most. Buy new if you don't have a clue. Art