Art

Hi rookie, I assume you are talking about a leather slicker and not an edge slicker. Barry King makes them, they are excellent. Call or email him. 307-672-5657 kingtool@#@fiberpipe.net Art

Anne from Artisan® Sewing Supplies has started up a Newsletter containing the latest news from Artisan®. It contains information on products they have introduced and word on their existing line. Steve has a maintenance corner that is always good advice. It is called Stitches and the link is here: http://www.artisansew.com/manualsfiles/Sti...sletter%201.pdf I have tried the "new" led light and while it is not a replacement for the lamp that comes with a new Artisan® machine, it does work very well to fill in the shadows you can get with those big presser feet and low worklight angles, and the price is right. There's nothing like having light right on your stitch line. Art

Bonded means in short, that there is a resin applied to the thread to keep it "bonded" together. Non-bonded (soft) thread unravels easily and gets all fuzzy when run through a machine. Art

Hi Skip, As I said in my original post: When ordering needles you say or write 1 10 pack of 794D needles Size 160 or Size 23 (They should know the 23 is a Singer size and the 160 is NM). System 794 (and Systems DYx3, 7x3, and Canu 53:20) all have a shank diameter of 2.50mm (shank is the butt end that goes into the machine) and a distance from the Butt of the needle to the eye of the needle of 60mm. The shaft or blade diameter (the part the eye is in) is the size measured above the eye and and scarf and is specified in hundredths of a millimeter (mm) and is called the NM (remember Number Metric) size. Sizes for the 794 system in NM run from 100 to 250 and occasionally over 250, however anything outside 120 to 250 may be hard to find, and extremes always require some machine adjustment. Although there is definitely some culprit that developed these systems, none of them seem really anxious to own-up to the deed. Singer is the only one that will say "yeah, we did that" on the SY system at least, but I digress. Remember 794D and the size like 180 and you can get as many of the correct needle as you need. Art

Hi Tony, Those are all good numbers except maybe the 7x2 NTW #250 which is probably more like a 10 penny nail. I think the Canu for the 794 is a 53:20MF1 and the nm180 is a Size 24 Singer. I am really worried now as most of this stuff makes sense to me in a weird sort of way. Art

S and BP (ball point) are the only ones I've seen readily in 7X3, however DYx3 has a bunch and they are all the same dimensions anyway. Art

Hi Skip, There are about 5 different methodologies or "different" needle systems. While one can make a little sense out of the Canu system, in all it is hard to figure what madness possessed the demented folks who created them. I'm sure it was perfectly clear to them at the time. The Schmetz website is a pure PIA to navigate. I can easily find the 794 S and 794 LR, but I know they also make a D and Rlr. There is more help at info@schmetz.com. #25 is the Singer way of signifying the size or diameter of the needle. 200 is the nm way to specify diameter. See table in prior email, I give nm size then Singer size. Art

Hi Skip, There are Systems and there are sizes. 794 is a system 7X3 is a system almost identical to the 794 except conical point for webbing Canu 53:20MF1 is also a system similar to the above D is a diamond point S is a spear point NM is the Metric needle shaft diameter (the base that goes in the machine is always 2.5mm for the 794 system). In the example 160 is 1.60mm The number 33 or 24 really should have read 23 or 24 which are Singer needle sizes and would correspond to a NM size of 160 or 180. A 33 would be a NM size 400 which is out of the range of the 794 system and would be a honking 4mm wide needle. When ordering needles you say or write 1 10 pack or 794D needles Size 160 or Size 23 (They should know the 23 is a Singer size. Ok now, these are sizes for Needle/Thread. This is for production, balls to the wall sewing and for less than that you may be able to use the next smaller needle. As you get more experience, you can run off the tracks a little. nm120 Singer 19 69/69 nm140 Singer 22 138/92 or 92/92 nm160 Singer 23 138/138 nm180 Singer 24 207/138 nm200 Singer 25 207/207 nm230 Singer 26 277/277 or 346/277 or even 346/346 nm250 Singer 27 415/346 or 415/415 The above table gives you PLENTY of room, like I said, when you get some stitching under your belt you can go smaller for a tighter looking stitch, however if you go too far, needle breakage gets more prevalent. You should not expect to sew the entire range above without some serious adjustments, you will probably have to shim the shuttle to get into the smaller sizes, but you can try, it won't hurt anything but your patience. Have Fun, Art

I've used the Linhanyl in 46 to 138 and it works pretty good in my 618. Rice Nylon over 138 or Coats Poly have given me good service, I just haven't tried Linhanyl. Eddington poly works good also, if you like the look (it's not laid that tightly). A&E I just don't like, but it runs ok. I've picked up others at consignment auctions over the years, with varying results. Some importers are trying to put the Chinese connection together, we'll see where that goes, if they have all new machinery and good quality control (always important with imports) they may have something because the Yuan is still following the dollar closely. You might have problems finding colors in ANY thread over 138. Art

Hi Drac, Not the cheapest way to go, But a Gravermach or or Gravermeister with a #720 QC handpiece is the ultimate. Barry King used to make his tools available cut for the GRS QC holders that go into the #720 handpiece. You can also cut standard tools on a lathe, you just have to reduce the diameter to fit the QC toolholder. Link to Gravermach here: http://www.grstools.com/engraving.html#gravermach Art

Hi rdb, With thinner leather and thicker thread, getting the tension perfect can be a problem. It is not absolutely necessary for the lock to be in the exact center of the leather or layers of leather, just in there somewhere, and in older manuals (which seem to be more instructional) it recommends the lock just up a little from the bottom. When I first got my 4000, I filled up 6-10 feet of old Tandy 10oz veg tan with neatly stitched tightly spaced rows. I oiled and adjusted and sewed and tried out things, and basically broke me and the machine in. Not saying I couldn't have done a project, but I think the practice was time well spent, I probably needed it more than the machine. So first things first. Which tension is main and which is aux. I use the tension at the top of the machine as my main tension adjustment. I like to use this one as the presser foot lifter releases it when the foot is lifted. I call this the "top" tension. The lower tension closer to the needle I call the "lower" tension adjustment and I rarely apply much tension here except for double wrapping it. This is my way of doing it, others may be different. Check with Steve at Artisan for the proper tension to adjust. For heavy stitching in veg tan, I use a lube pot with silicone thread lube. Not necessary with lighter threads and leathers, but it seems to smooth things out for me. Remember, with thicker thread on thinner leather, your margin for getting the lock right is a lot smaller, that's why some of us have more than one machine, one set up with a 26 needle (230) needle and 346 thread and one set up with a 20 needle (125) and 138 thread. Art

Hi Ashley, I'm not a saddler, just occasional over engineered repair. Artisan 4000P -- 346/277 Rice Nylon or Coats Poly ASE No.9 -- 277/277 Coats Poly Artisan 618SC -- 138/138 Linhanyl Nylon Pfaff 142/6 -- 46/46 Linhanyl Nylon Campbell -- 5cord/4cord Barbour's Linen If I have a stitch groove on 346 or 277 I start in reverse, nail down a couple of stitches, switch to forward and sew. When I end, I stop where I want the stiching to end, switch to reverse and take a couple more stitches. I either cut off the tails or burn them with a cautery (Bovie). When starting out this way, make sure to hold your thread ends to one side so you don't get a rats nest on the bottom. If stitching with no groove, I usually don't lock off the stitches with a back tack; instead I use the cautery to melt the threads together. It would be better to use a low temp soldering iron here as the cautery gets quite hot and will cut thread easily. I use the cautery knife (ask me how I know it will cut the thread and/or burn the leather....aaaah the smell of burning flesh) for most things except cutting webbing where I use the iron. For the Campbell or the No. 9 where I don't have reverse, I just turn the work around if I can, or just hand stitch the ends to lock and/or melt. A small crochet hook or harness needle can also back tack for you, but the machine is easier. I'd like to say I do things the same way every time, but I'm way too libertarian for that. Art

Never heard of him. NOT! He was a well known author and talented artist and craftsman. He worked at Porter's. We should all be so good. Art

Hi Brent, Wow, here's an example of maybe needing some perspective? Next time throw a dime in there or something. Assuming those holes are not for a 1/2 inch diameter buckle tongue for King Kong, and that this might be a watchband, it is probably 346 nylon, it is left twist and bonded but loosely laid (twisted) but is not cotton, hemp (Cannabis), or Manila. Thought that was a belt till I noticed the pin holes were sewn shut, don't know what size if it is a waist belt. Art

I have found that a wooden box (or an old Aluminum box they used to wheel food trays around in in hospitals) with a couple of lightbulbs hooked up to a cheap thermostat works pretty good for a drying box. The lightbulbs burn any humidity out of the air in addition to providing heat. I keep it in the furnace room where it stays warm all the time so the lightbulbs never have to cope with winter weather. I think the low humidity is probably more important than the temp. It is either that or move to Arizona. Art

Hi Sharp, The old Convex -- hollow ground -- straight bevel controversy again? Been there done that on the knife-list 10 or more years ago. Convex is great, I like meat behind my edge. However, that is not an easy edge for the average leatherworker to profile, and the newer head knives are getting thinner and thinner to the point that the Convex is getting darned near impossible, not quite, but darned near. While you and I probably have a Bader or a Burr-King where you can get a long run of belt to effectively produce the edge (although the Japanese used to do it with a rock) the average leatherworker doesn't and the hollow or straight is much easier with readily available tools, and very easy to maintain. I do agree that convex is better if you have a thick enough blade to pull it off, the J.Cook blades would be candidates for a convex edge, and even the CSO blades could be done to effect. The last .030-.060 of most convex edges are straight bevels anyway. Art

Hi Guys, They do make a "big" wheel for their 111 product, ask them if it will fit the 206. Art

.3639? And it was the CRC Standard Math Tables, that was many many moons ago. Art

Hi Whine, Yes there is a solvent for PVA (polyvinylacetate) glues. The darned stuff sticks to everything, that's why it is used so much (you can buy it in tank car lots). So..... GlycolEthers such as Butyl Cellosolve or Carbitol DE can be applied on the dried glue sparingly, let soak in for at least half an hour, and then wipe off the softened glue with a scrubber or something that won't take off the fluoropolymer (Teflon®-PTFE or FEP) coating. In other words, dump some Cellosolve in the pot, let it sit for a 1/2 hour or so and clean it out. You can get 2-Butoxy ethanol (ETHYLENE GLYCOL MONOBUTYL ETHER), but everyone calls it Cellosolve, here in small quantities, a quart costs $10. This is another one that is sold by tank car lots mostly for industrial cleaning and as a solvent. http://www.chemistrystore.com/butylcellosolve.htm Glycol Ether must be handled with respect. Avoid contact with eyes and skin. You should read an MSDS first. Art

Don Carlos also makes one in that pattern. Art

Hi Andrew, Dave's idea works for other things too. It is not uncommon to have many more than one draw gauge set at your most used widths. The little Tandy stitch groover is great for decoration, and cheap. If you want a two or three line decoration it is always easier to have two or three tools set at your "Standard" width than setting the same tool three times for a job. Tandy tools last longer if you are not messing with them all the time. Art

Hi Tony, Chandlers were usually specialty machines that were modifications of standard production machines, much like Ferdinand was for a while. They usually weren't one offs but they were low number production runs. There were some medium heavy weight Chandlers like the 305 in various flavors. They also made some of the very specific machines like bar tackers. All Chandlers were production industrial machines and were good machines, but they were used every day so be careful. I don't know about parts for them anymore, so that might be a concern. Call Ron at Ferdco, he would have more specific knowledge. Art

Hi Apex, If you screwed-up, you sure didn't make it very obvious. If the holster is for right hand, put the thumb break on the other side for anatomy sake. The design is very good for the first time. I like the finish and the photos are excellent. Art

Hi Dave, Weaver has a pretty decent factory. Might have to do a little handholding to get them started, if they want the work. BTW, I fixed your link, Art

There are several flavors of the 797, most with walking foot, I think the 1797 is just regular drop feed. Better get with Steve at Artisan on that. Those are the same as the Mitsubishi (and a lot like the Brother 797) and are good solid machines. I think they also have a 797 that has a deeper throat and is taller, not sure on the model number. Art