Art

Hi Ed, Coats Star Ultra Dee is for balls-to-the-wall sewing, it is a filiment polyester that is heavily lubricated, it comes in a lot of colors too and is usually put-up in 4oz spools. I have only seen size 92 but i am sure there are smaller sizes and maybe larger, I think this kind of the general purpose standard of the garment industry where they don't use Astra (spun poly). There is a kind of equivalent for the outdoor industry named Coats Gral which is also a heavily lubricated poly but comes in bigger sizes. Coats Nylbond and Dabond are the two kings of the outdoor industry and in the automotive industry they use neophil which comes in nylon, poly, and aramid. Coats is doing marketing by brand name to different segments of their user base with very similar products just as other manufacturers do to present and sell their product to a larger base. Sometimes you see names on Coats spools for which you can't find any information, maybe they are test marketing. I find it is just easier to buy new thread when you need it, and stick to a couple of brands, they all stitch differently and it can be confusing to have six or more brands of thread lying around. Art

Hi Ed, Thread is put-up in spools. They have 4oz, 8oz, 16oz, and 32oz spools or KS "King Spools", all are trade names for the plastic spool the thread is wound on. Spool weights are seldom as marked and the weight is usually over what is marked. I have received spools with 13oz on a 16oz spool and that was probably where the thread either broke or was at the end of a big roll the manufacturers use. It is like a box of chocolates......, and don't be suprised if the thread weight on the label does not seem to be correct. I've had Eddington 207 that was bigger than Eddington 346 in the same color, people just make mistakes in the put-up room. I like Coats for everything except period or reproduction work, and for that I use Eddington. The Eddington is not twisted at tightly as Coats and looks more "period". I use Coats Barbour Linen on the Campbell which is setup for 4 cord and I leave it set for that. The eye-needle stitchers do as good a job with poly as the Campbell and are less of a headache, if I could only have one machine it would be a big Artisan or Ferdco and I would do the linen by hand. The Lexol I use is conditioner and has a yellowish milky appearance. Never tried 4-Way. Their cleaner works pretty well too, but I use Leather Amore from Bee Natural the most for cleaning. Everyone messes-up orders. The folks picking that stuff often don't use it and don't have a clue what it is. If you have a problem with orders at Siegel, email Steve at ceo@Siegelofca.com and tell him your problems. Sometimes they get folks who just don't care, but if he doesn't hear about it he can't fix it...and he will fix it to your satisfaction (from personal experiance). I am suprised that FERDCO didn't mention that they weigh the thead, they tell me every time I order. Thread costs what it costs and I don't chase the price, I just look for a reliable source. Eddington -- Campbell Bosworth Coats Poly -- FERDCO Coats Poly small sizes and variety of colors -- SFS (a shoe supplier), Dan Bussey -- 1-800-256-3892 Rice Nylon -- A.H. Rice Company(I can go on and on about how good this stuff is but they don't produce much of it anymore) -- Lynhanl Nylon -- Artisan Sewing Supplies (South American Manufacture of good thread but it ain't A.H.Rice) Coats Barbour Linen -- Campbell Bosworth (prepare to fork over arm and leg, they wouldn't take the kids) On the Straw or Phesant color thread, you will receive it and immediately say what have I done, this is going back. On the spool it looks yellow, however when sewn it has a very natural looking color, much better than any white (except maybe A.H.Rice natural). Art

Hi Ed, I neatsfoot oil compound can be just about anything with some but not necessarily any neat (cow) in it. This is where quality counts. I have had good luck with the compound from dyo and their and fiebings dyes. I have also used pure neatsfoot from Fiebing and Tandy (pre 1998) and found they worked well with Fiebings dyes. I spray the compound mix which works very well for me, I have sprayed the pure NF and dye but didn't like the control as much. I could do some experimentation and start using the pure, but I like the compound (dyo). Dye and oil together is not an everyday thing for me, I am more apt to spray a dye and then oil separately. I also dip dye for small items or ones I can't get spray coverage on. Almost everything in finishing is a search for some look or process you like. You have to try everything on scrap until you find something that works for you, don't experiment on some project that will bother you if it turns south. I play around a bit with things, but have tested methods that I go back to when doing real work. Holsters and Sheaths get dipped, Belts get sprayed, deglaze, dye, oil or finish all separately. Everything works, you just have to find what you like and what the customer will like. Fiebing makes excellent products that are consistant. Many companies repackage (or have someone else repackage) product made by Fiebing, some with names we all know. This goes on all over this business and many others. You can sucessfully use dyes and finishes from different manufacturers, just don't mix water and oil. Art

Nice tribute to Larry Desmedt too, you got him permanently riding, where he'd want to be. Art

Hi Patrice, Weaver is a leather, tools, machines, products wholesaler in Ohio. You need to have an account with them, a business license or tax number will suffice. They try to deal with those in the business. They also manufacture their own line of tack etc. that the wholesale to tack/horsey establishments. For them two different businesses and two separate accounts. Art

Hi Patrice, Go on the Bickmore website http://www.bickmore.com and look for dealers. If you have a Weaver account, they handle #4 also. Art

Hi Ed, You are going to have to test, I would start with the neatsfoot compound, then the neatsfoot oil, then the Lexol. The compound may be a little thinner than the oil, that's why I said to start there. I don't know the Bickmore products that well so Pete will have to give you the info on that. Art

Hi Ed, Don't know of a way without dye getting involved somewhere in the process. If you have sun damage or just a little color then you can cut it from the side and use it for something else. I only get 2/3 to 3/4 use from a side and the rest is scrap. The scrap gets used for small projects and the Scouts, you can make a lot of cell phone cases or rounders or barettes from scrap, and knife sheaths are another item. If you can incorporate the color difference into your finished product the "different" look may be appealing to a customer. If you want to level the color using a little dye, mix dye with neatsfoot oil or neatsfoot oil compound or saddle oil from a reputable place (don't buy bargain anything when dyeing or oiling, especially the NF compound), even lexol conditioner can be used. For really dramatic sun damage, you won't be able to make it go away with just a little dye. I am a fan of Pecards leather dressing which evens things out somewhat, but does darken a little bit, but you will have to go a lot darker for sun damage. Whatever you do, try it on a small piece of leather first. Art

Well, Sorry I stepped into your terrirory being as I only have 37+ years in the computer business. What a load of BS. Art

Hi David, If you are running at gigabit speeds you will need to have the manufactured ends, however if you are just running 100BaseT then you can get by putting them on yourself. Best way is to terminate in a receptacle on each end and use patch cables to run to the router/switch. There are 4 wires used, they go to pins 1, 2, 3, and 6; same colors on each end. Just keep the cable dry and leave a way for condensation to get out. Art

Hi David, It may be easier to just go wireless, put an antenna on the house and the barn and everything is going to be compatable with future operating systems. The ncomputing thing gets more cost effective as the number of workstations rises, however with the cost of computers today that incentive may be dwindling. Cat 6 is Gigabit and Cat 5 in 100mbit, 10 times the difference but suseptable to the weakest link. Cat 6 will probably work better over the 250 run. You might have a time finding Cat 6 buriable cable. Speeds are reasonable for wireless n routers and antennas that extend the range are redily available. Art

bcj, I think dot direct now has a $50 minimum, so in smaller quantities these are a bit more expensive but no minimums: http://www.sailrite.com/s.nl/sc.2/category.35497/.f Durable or ligne 24 snaps are the "Standard" in the Canvas industry. The ligne 20 are called baby dots and the ligne 16 are totally different and called segma snaps; you won't find 20 or 16 on boat canvas. In the canvas/sail industry most of the snaps are nickle over brass unless stainless is specified. Art

Hi ED, FERDCO sells Organ needles, crazy numbering system but great needles. Art

So go Direct to Dot. http://www.dotfastenersdirect.com/catalog.html Art

Hi Jack, They are comparable, however to be fair they should both be antiqued or not. The flower center on the left doesn't thrill me. The right one definately establishes the center of the work and the overall symmetry. The overall handling of the scrolls blend together better on the left, whereas the one on the right is very pronounced in handling that, too much definition where you don't want to see it like the ends of scrolls or where they overlap something. The accent cuts on the left are more natural and actually prograss toward the center whereas on the right they are not leading to where they should, i.e. they don't go anywhere. I like the one on the left better but would opt for a little different center. The points above are artistic critique and not technical. Art

Hi Angela, The best machine for your needs (per your description) may be the Artisan Toro 3000. You not only want a walking foot but a needle feed and feed dogs that you can adjust so they barely contact the leather or don't contact at all. The hole in the feed dog will act as a lower needle guide, however I have never needed one on my Toro 4000 P (it is in the drawer if I ever need it for something very thick and very hard and is easy to install and adjust). The only problem (for me) on the 3000 is the smaller throat when doing cartridge loops, however it shouldn't be seen as a show stopper unless you do a whole lot of them. Artisan sells the 3000 for under $2,000 which hits that target. There is the used market but used Jukis in good condition sell pretty high, higher than a new Artisan, Ferdco, or Sewmo. As far as differences go. Size matters and everything in these machines is bigger and because of larger thread, the thread path may have more tension control or lube pots may be there to keep things cool. Speed reducers are more the norm for leather machines as are servo motors (which are kind of variable speed). I went to high speed after a month or two because slow on a big stitcher is SLOW and my attention tends to wander. The bigger machines usually use a shuttle instead of a rotary hook. A shuttle is kind of like the rotary hook, but it doesn't go all the way around but instead "shuttles" back and forth in an arc. This is in contrast to some machines like the Campbell, Randall, Pearson, and Landis which all have a real live shuttle that goes back and forth like a loom and has a big long bobbin that requires a separate winder. It all does the same thing, but the rotary shuttle is a little more contemporary and much higher tech...also quieter. Art

Hi Angela, I have to know what you want to sew. Read all threads in the Leather Sewing Machine Forum and then ask some questions. Most importantly, what are you making and how much realistically do you have to spend. We have a lot of experience in this forum and we have all bought our first machine. The only primer you can get is one on sewing and sewing machines at most fabric stores which won't say anything about stitchers. But remember, stitchers are just big sewing machines. Art

Hi Ed, Don't use that in a machine other than a needle and awl machine like the Campbell. I use the Campbell emlusion in my campbell and yes you use water to thin it, it sometimes gets a little thick setting in the pot. Use pure mineral oil in your Ferdco or Artisan, Lily Stitching oil is a good brand or you can use Silicone Thread Lube in the lube pot also. You can get Lily from Weaver. Campbell makes a machine lube that has some additives and is not pure mineral oil; I use it in the Campbell and the No 9 with no problems. It is better to use pure mineral oil for automatic and wick oilers. In summary: Lubricating Machines without wick or auto oilers -- Campbell machine oil or Pure Mineral Oil Lubricating Machines with auto or wick oilers -- Pure Mineral Oil e.g. Lily Lubricating Thread on needle and awl Stitchers -- Paraffin Emulsion e.g. Campbell Lubricating Thread on other than neeedle and awl Stitchers -- Lily Stitching oil or Silicone Thread lube. Art

Hi Regis, There is also a Leather Factory in New Orleans, but I don't know what their status is. Art

Hi Regis, There are Tandy stores in Atlanta and Montgomery which I'm sure Jim Linnell hits in his travels. Also Jim Simmons does some holster classes I think at Hidecrafter in Ft. Worth. Art

Give John a call, he is easy to talk to and maybe Jim will know also. My guess is Ethyl Acetate. Art

To be exact, I would drop Steve Siegel a note. If anyone knows, he will. He's at ceo@siegelofca.com Art

Hey Hoyden, Artisan does have a guard for the speed reducer that screws to the bottom of the table, however I haven't seen anything for the main machine head belt which goes through the table as the winder usually goes there. Artisan may have those lower guards in stock, contact Steve at Artisan. There has been a campaign of late to "safetify" almost everything even things that poke holes and cut stuff. The sewing machine is not escaping this epedimic. They now come with guards on the presser foot bars to keep you from becoming part of your work. For machines that run close to the speed of light I can maybe understand this, but for a function where you actually have to see what you are doing it is more of a hazard than not. I wonder what they would have thought of those old 5 inch wide line shaft belts in the old factories. On the bigger machines they run belts on the outside of the wheel and I can see covering that, but belts on the inside of the wheel like the smaller machines are hard to cover. Art

The 618 and it's brethern was designed for an industry where they just want to back tack and they really don't care what it looks like. Few of the machines (read none probably) in this class sew the same stitch length in reverse as they do in forward. In the big machines where the stitch length and reverse are basically the same mechanism, they put a "wedge" into the reverse lever to compensate for the difference in geometry. With most machines you can manually lock the stitches by staying in forward and manually lifting the presser foot while the machine is all the way up and lowering the needle into the previous hole and lowering the foot and continuing on. If you are using the correct thread, this will always look a little "bulky", but not much more than a reverse back tack. Another way is to not back tack and use a small drop of thread locking glue, then cut the ends off after it drys. Don't use too much as the leather won't take stain if and where you get it all over the leather. Another method is to use a heat source (I use an electric cautery knife) to melt the fibers together in the first hole (and last), you have to go lite so as not to burn the leather. I have seen some manufacturers (boots) use a torch to "flame" the thread ends and that works although it takes a LOT of flame for thick stuff like 277 and up. The person who does this is called a "flamer" which doesn't necessarily connote a bad attitude on the Internet. There are some folks who use a small crochet like hook to come up through the second hole and grab the corresponding thread and pull through from each side then lock them off. I've also seen them use small harness needles to pull the thread through. For production (some of their machines especially needle and awl machines don't have reverse) they just run a tight loop and cross their main seam to lock, then flame or trim the ends. You have to make sure you don't get your tails in your stitching when doing this. After doing a couple hundred of these things in a row, you get pretty good at it. There are probably a couple of dozen ways to skin this cat, so everyone chime in. Art --> QUOTE(Oscar B @ Mar 14 2007, 11:19 AM) Thanks Art, Guess will still do the heavy stuff by hand for awhile. On start and Finnish do a three four stitch back, but don't like how this looks and wonder if doing something wrong? This leaves a bunch of junk looking thread. Oscar

I skive dry, but I am missing something here (wow ain't that a revelation). When I skive I am tapering an edge to just the grain for folding over or any of a number of reasons. I put the leather on the cutting surface grain down and put a piece of glass on top of the leather with the edge of the leather revealed. I then use a head knife or a special Bill Buchman knife with an angle and one ear lopped off (this saves knuckles from that missing ear) to run down the edge laying against the glass. The further back I have the glass, the more gradual the skive. I also do this with french edgers (Ron's) in the bigger sizes. You can also do this with a surgical scalpel with the big bellied blade (not #10 more like a #20 that uses a different handle than the #10 although the #10 might work too). I also use the cheap curved skiver fron Tandy with the injector blades for small stuff, it works really well if sharp so change blade often. The expensive skiver from Tandy is too bulky but might be ok for belt ends or something. Guess there is more than one way to skin a ferret. Art