Art

I Oscar, I have replied in: Leatherworker.net > Fabrication > Leather Sewing Machines Art --> QUOTE(Oscar B @ Mar 13 2007, 10:00 PM) I have and Artisan 618=1SC. As have not used a sewing mach before was hoping for tip and trick to help with sewing leather. Use leather from 1 1/2 oz to saddle skirting. Thanks Oscar

Hi Oscar, I'd like to cover the machine more than the actual work to start with. I kind of assume you purchased this from Artisan and the manual that came with it is ok and you should read it, especially oiling and threading. The machine should come threaded and look very carefully to see how this is done AND make a diagram. If it runs well the way it is threaded, then that is the way you should thread it, if you thread it differently, the tensions will change. Now, you stated you want to sew everything from 1.5 oz to saddle skirting. The 618 will probably come with a 140 needle in it which should be a 135x16TRI or D system. You will need the proper system to sew leather. The 140 (or #22) will support 92 or 138 thread (use Coats poly or Eddington poly if you can't get Coats) and is ok for sewing together two 3oz to 7oz pieces however every leather is different and your mileage may vary. If you want to sew 1.5oz or 2oz pieces together, you might want to go to a 120 (or #21) needle and 69 thread, however, the 140 will do the job but you won't be able to sew as short a stitch as the 120. For saddle skirting, well, this ain't the machine for that; however that being said, it will sew 28oz combined but you will have to use a 180 or 200 needle with 207 or even maybe 277 top 207 bottom, but this is at the way far edge of what this machine can do. If you can pick-up a Artisan 3000 then you will have the combination for everything. With commercial machines, the idea from way back is to have a machine to do each job you do. You buy the machine for the job and the setup never changes. For amateurs or hobbiests this may be somewhat of an overkill, however for the serious, more than one machine is more the norm. I have 5 (or more, usually more). For most leather construction, it is better to glue together then sew. Sewing without glueing usually requires a thrid arm for most projects and there are few of us equipped that way. Try and hold both the top and bobbin thread when starting sewing, sometimes not necessary with smaller thread where you are not running the tremendous tensions you run with the big stuff, but I do it out of habit. Also, keep your speed down to start, it is easier to correct a low speed than at high, and if sewing thicker leather the needle may get VERY hot and melt and break the thread. Remember to be setup for what you are sewing. When poeple have problems with their machine they start fiddling with tension and want to retime it and the only thing wrong is the setup. Sharp, straight (new) needle of correct size for the thread and correct system for the material and machine. The work "system" just means the 135x16D or 135x16TRI for leather or the 135-17R for synthetic fabric. We're here for questions. You should go to your supplier with questions and there is Artisan who know the machines well. Art

Hi K-Man, Looks like a neetsfoot oil finish darkened with probably pro oil dye saddle tan, the finish was probably dipped or sprayed. If you want to go that way on a larger scale, contact dyo chemical. Art

Hi Hoyden, If you are using 138 poly thread you can use a #22/140 135-16D or TRI needle. When using nylon, you may have to go up to a 160 needle. If you got it from Artisan, I can't imagine it not being adjusted out of the box, so playing with anything but the top tension would not be my first choice. Normally if EVERYTHING ELSE IS RIGHT, top tension can be the fix. You have to use the right size and type (system) of needle for the material and threadsize to start with for everything to work. Additionally, you use different needle types and even a littler longer system for webbing than you use for leather. For webbing you would use a 135x17R (round point and a little longer) system needle. You can use different sizes in the top and bobbin to get a little tighter stitch and a little longer bobbin life, but with smaller thread I have not found this much of an advantage. For leather 138/138 works fine on a freshly wound bobbin, thread can get old and take a "set" if it stays wound tightly on a bobbin for over 6 or more months. As a general rule though, if you can't correct looping with top tension, go to a new needle and if that doesn't fix it, go to a size larger needle. Art

Hi Ed, The Coats poly is pretty much tops in the Poly line with Eddington poly a close second. You can get Black, White, Chestnut, and Straw (They may call it pheasant) from FERDCO at about $18 or so a pound for white. For all other colors and sizes, call SFS and ask for Dan Bussey. 1-800-256-3892. For machines, always use new thread. Some folks buy it surplus in BIG spools and then repackage it for resale, sometimes ok sometimes not. Z-Twist is what we call "Left Hand" Twist, the best for all but curved needle machines. "Right hand" twist is properly references ans S-Twist and may be needed on curved needle machines. Coats Star Ultra Dee Thread is made from a high strength continuous filament polyester with a bonded finish. Excellent resistance to ultraviolet rays, microorganisms and mildew and is ideal for furniture, automotive and outdoor products. This is a real staple of the canvas and auto upholstery business and should be good for leather also. It comes in around 50 colors and black and white and I have seen it at about $9 or $10 for a 1/4 lb. spool. It seems that I always see this in 92 weight which is what almost all canvaswork (this includes synthetic sails, awnings, biminis, bags, and cushons besides real canvas) and auto-upholstery are sewn with. Like a lot of companies, Coats markets the same product with different packaging and a different name to different markets. But generally, Coats North America is great thread, well liked and well used. There are many things to obscess over and the price of a spool of thread should not be one of them. Within reason, the price of thread is a small part of our overall manufacturing cost and it is imprudent to purchase and use anything but the product that gives you the least trouble, no matter the cost. If you have found a thread that is running well for you, don't go in search of of a $5/spool savings, it won't be worth your time. Art

Hi Mike, They sent me a swatch card when I first started with them, however after I ordered some they sent a chain with pieces of their different products....much easier to see what you will be getting. Their Black "English" Bridle is really nice. Art

I have ordered from Siegel, Hidecrafter, and Weaver in addition to WC and HO. I don't use Tandy anymore as the Richmond store is 2 hours away and Green Top Sporting Goods and one of the best Hooters around are down there too. Momma and I make one of those trips and spend the morning in Green Top buying black powder and reloading equipment and supplies, then go to Tandy for an hour, then to Hooters till late that evening then we have to get a room...... would have to go the adult section if I continue...... but long story short, I take a trip to Tandy and spend a grand or MORE and end up with a gallon or two of Barge and some chrome tan that Momma likes. Oh, I love to go to Tandy, but I can't afford it too often. Art

I can see a few problems with that. Wouldn't want to be the one who has to receive and redistribute things. Better to order from WC or Siegel on a one to one basis. Art

With Hermann Oak (HO), you can get backs for about a dollar more a foot which about evens out if you don't have a use for the bellies. I double and stitch (D&S) most of my holster and gunbelt work so the flesh side (FS) is not that important, but if you are using single piece construction the FS is important and HO can help there by either sanding/buffing the FS or doing a "Moss Back" finish which is a pasted FS. This runs about $.35 a foot or so and is great for holsters. Moss back is also great for dress and duty belts that you don't want to DS. Their bridle is also very good for all kinds of belts and bondage gear. You generally don't need the moss back for the bridle. The down side of HO is the 10 side minimum which turns most hobbiests off. The up side to HO is the quality and consistency. Additionally, their dyeing process strikes pretty much through the leather and is quite fast, even in black. Art

Double shoulders from Siegel are very good for the price. They are on sale now. http://www.siegelofca.com/itemdetail.asp?prodid=1095 I don't have any of their 9oz but I have made holsters from their 5/6oz and 6/7oz double and stitched. The shoulders I have take dye well and are pretty clean. I don't know the lineage of these hides, but Siegel will tell you if you ask. I've never had to send leather back to them, but you can if you are not satisfied. I did have a problem with a tool once and it was replaced very quickly. I think it is important that you contact them by phone to order. You can tell them exactly what you want and if they don't have it they can suggest something similar or even more appropriate for the job. Before Tandy closed it's stores in the late 90s I ran across some calf that was the best I had ever seen, so I bought all they had which was five or six skins and a lot for me at the time. I used it mostly for cartridge loops and could never ever get that quality from Tandy (or anyone else for that matter) ever again. I mentioned to the order lady at Siegel that I needed something like that and what I needed it for and she found one of the more experienced people to talk to me. I related everything I was looking for to the new person who actually seemed to know leatherwork. Long story short I bought English Kip and tried it. It works much the same as the calf and is about the same price. You don't get that kind of service ordering over the Internet. Art

Hi, You have the right link for aussie also: http://www.pecard.com/store.php?crn=213&rn...ion=show_detail for the pecard product. Apply the Pecard's with your fingers (it is not toxic) not real heavy and just rub it in. Leave in a warm place for a day or two to let the leather absorb the pecards. If the leather is very dry it might need a second coat but this is the exception rather than the rule. After dry, buff with a soft cloth or brush. An application lasts a long time, over a year in most cases. I used to give the customer a 1oz pack of Pecard's but some of them decided that a once a week application wouldn't hurt....wrong. Now I don't give them anything to apply. Overapplication of any oil, dressing, or conditioner is all too common and the only repair that works for that condition is time. Art

Hi Stephanie, I am sorry but I pulled the trigger too soon. That pattern is copyrighted and I shouldn't have sent it. Fortunately Johanna caught it and took it off. My Bad, sorry. Art

Hi Stephaine, I can't remember where I got this set of instructions, but they work. I think I paid something for these but have no idea who or how much (not too much I guarantee). These cover pattern making and do require a little bit of sewing (construction and design) knowlege. Art **Removed attachment to make sure we have permission from the author to post it. Sorry for the inconvenience. Johanna

Hi Patrice, Don't make this any harder than it is. Wear kitchen gloves, use a spirit dye, "oil" dyes are spirit based. Get a tupperware tub (or Rubbermaid) and fill it an inch or two deep with dye thinned to the desired color. It is not necessary to apply the "grip of death" to the piece. Hold it (the leather) lightly in your hand and have a t-shirt rag ready, it will get full of dye in the next operation. Put the leather in the dye and flop it around and take the leather and rub (splash) dye all over the piece for like 10-15 seconds, drip off excess and wipe with rag. If not dark enough, go at it again. If you have the dye thinned out a bit with DEA you won't get the darkness you are fearing. After you have rubbed off the excess, hang to dry overnight (less in Arizona). It is easier to apply more dye than to take excess off. After piece has dryed, rub it vigirously with a clean cloth to get excess dye off. This is important as dyes are usually saturated and will have dye particles in suspension which will settle on the leather and will bleed under a finish if not removed. I spray most everything now but still do holsters this way. If you use a sprayer that will blow heavier finishes (spirit dyes are very lightweight and even an airbrush can spray them) and you use a standard color, you can apply the dye to a neetsfoot oil or blend and this gives a beautiful one step finish. Some of the one-step dye finishes (made for non-professional use) are water based and not as durable as two step although they are enviromentally safer. Probably more than you wanted to know, Art

Hi Ed, With Hermann Oak, they wrap it pretty well in butcher type brown paper with their mark on it. This I have stored in a closet for quite some time. With HO, I order 10 sides of a color and optional finish at a time. There is probably not that much of a break in ordering 20 sides instead of 10. On chrome tan, keep it away from veg tan and away from other colors, however same closet is ok. Closet should be dark and relative humidity or 40%-60% however in the winter, I don't humidify the closet so it sometimes it can get down around 20%. On latigo, keep it away from everything. I roll everything grain in and about 18" diameter except the HO which is about 10" diameter as rolled and packed by them. Also, mark your leather so you know what it is and especially who or where it came from. Mark the rattiest edge of a side and make it all that is left when cutting the side for use, that way you throw it in a box on your desk and you know what you need to order. If you are doing production, use the folks in the industry for their knowlege. Ultimately you have to make your own decisions, but there is a lot of willing help out there for the asking. Phone calls are cheap these days so there is a cheap valuable resource out there. Leather suppliers are a pretty tight lot and know not only each other's business but their clients business. Use that resource. Art

You will also find that the drill press or lathe is great for sharpening those punches. Usually a small arkansas or ruby rod will do the inside edge (which shouldn't require much) and a flat benchstone does the outside easily and maintains a consistant angle. Move the stone in a straight line against the rotation of the punch to keep from wearing potholes in your stone. Bag punches and oval punches are also possible in the lathe, but the lathe is mainly a holding device and is turned by hand as you sharpen the edges of the tool. Art

Well, Pecards or Aussie will protect pretty well and still allow the leather to breathe. They both give a "natural" finish, moreso than acrylics or polyurethane which will seal-up the leather. Results will not be great tooling latigo, it won't hold an impression that well. Nonetheless I have seen tooled latigo, mostly border stamped. Art

Hi Ed, et al, As Promised, picture attached of some of my oil cans. The one on the left is for bottom ends of sewing machines (where the connecting rod is in the verticle column) and the one on the right is a Dritz sewing machine oiler from JoAnn Fabrics. The ones in the middle are the engineers oil cans I have been talking about. I don't know if anyone actually manufactures these anymore. People also collect these so ones without names or markings will probably be cheaper to purchase. Art

Hi again Ed, I think Steven Siegel has probably forgotten more about the leather supply business than we will ever know. I'm sure he can either supply you or point you in the right direction. http://www.siegelofca.com/about.asp or ceo@siegelofca.com Art

Hi, The Tacsew is kind of a clone of a Singer 111, it is made (or was at one time) by Tacony Corp. I think SailRite was using their machines at one time, not sure now. The Tacsew you mentioned, the 111-115, might actually be a 111-155 which is a walking foot machine, and I don't think it has needle feed and may be pushin' it for dog collars. Try before you buy. If you have the option of the Consew 206RB-5, that is a pretty good machine and has needle feed. A staple of the sailmaking and canvas industry for quite a while. The 206 is good for up to 1/2" leather and has a clutch on the shaft so if you overload, you won't blow the timing, you just back-up till the clutch re-engauges. If you are going to be using these machines in a production environment, you should learn basic maintenance and generally also have a backup machine. There are no special tricks in these machines and there are a gazillion of them out there so most industrial guys can work on them. I have an Artisan 618 that does much the same as the 206RB-5 and it is also a great machine. If you buy a 206 used have someone check it out as there are worn out ones out there and a worn out machine is worth zip. I am not a Tacsew expert so take what I say with a grain. I know the Artisan 618 and the Consew 206 and they are good machines. There are some Juki and Pfaff machines in this category but the Consew machines kind of own this niche. Art

Hi again Ed, Over-oiling generally doesn't hurt anything but it can collect dust. Also go light on the bobbin/shuttle/hook races as you don't need a pool down there. I oil very lightly there as I use a lube pot on everything but the 618 and enough works it's way down. The oil cans (even the little ones) sometimes give too much oil especially on needle bars etc, so I just squirt some on a finger and rub it on. I'll take some pictures of the oil cans I use and post them this weekend. We are now in the Leather Sewing Machines part of the Fabrication forum thanks to a little birdie who moved us there. Having a forum that runs a smooth as this one is a joy compared to the Yahoo puppy. Thanks to Johanna and her moderators for making this run so well. Nothing like a well oiled machine. Art

Well, I guess we all started with Tandy or Craftool edgers, and honestly they work ok, flat edge but in 4-5oz leathers they work ok. With thicker leather and bigger edger sizes the Tandy tools are a little crude. I don't know what steel they use, but it does not hold an edge well, but does sharpen easily. I guess you could modify them to improve the edge or profile, but I want something that would stay sharp. After a year or two of Tandy tools, you start wanting something a little finer and somewhat more versatile. The Osborne tools are pretty good, sometimes need sharpening out of the box, but after that do a good job and hold an edge pretty well. Time goes on and thicker and thinner leathers come into play and the need for good tools becomes more of a necessity and a quest. Well, I was on a quest. I orderd edgers from Weaver, Watt, and Ron, I picked up the Watt and Ron at a show and ordered direct from Weaver. I used these for a year and found I liked the Watt and the Ron's edgers. At the next Sheridan, I went there with the expectation of buying a complete set of Ron's or Watts edgers. I liked both and would be happy with either, however these are the points that swayed me to Ron's. I could pretty much use and abuse Ron's products at the show, but I already had them and knew they both were good. The folks at Ron's were happy to talk. Ron's provided a sharpening mandrel with each tool. Ron's makes tools in very small sizes, not important untill you go after a 1-2oz piece with a #0 edger from anyone. Watt looked to be the best pricewise until I talked to the folks at Ron's. They had a hefty discount at the show and of course I played lets make a deal and bought one of everything they made which got me a hefty discount on top of the hefty discount. This made the prices comparable to the Watt tools. So I bought Ron's and have been happy with them for the past two or three years. There is a little tool called Verlane's seam ripper that is a very good item from Ron's. Works great. As far as Dixon and Blanchard go, I have a screw crease from Dixon that works great, but Steve Siegel is the only one in the US that stocks those tools and I can never get to use them to see the quality and function. You can get them from Abbey in England but I would work with Steve as his return policy is outstanding. Duey Peters makes a common edger that is well made and of excellent steel and is sharp out of the box. I have one and like it, not as much as my Ron's edgers, but then it didn't cost a much either. Art

Hi Ed, Having a machine go out of time (especially a big FERDCO or Artisan) is not a frequent occurance. This condition is usually the result of some unnatural condition like needle crash, but in my experience these machines are much more robust than a 250 needle. FERDCO doesn't even give a retiming procedure in their manual but says to call them. The two machines you are referring to can sew 7/8" of hard leather continuously. I have never pulled one of these machines out of time. For our uses, timing should not be a consideration, however stuff happens. For production machines that are run 24X6 (day 7 is for maintenance), parts wear out and need replacement and timing is just part of putting it back together. Timing is checked during maintenance and seldom needs retiming, if needed more than exceptionally, a supervisor might be notified to check the operator. Remember that the production version of these machines run quite a bit faster than our versions and do require more maintenance. Maintenance wise, use bonded poly thread, check the thread path for burrs, use a lube pot if possible (especially where you will get the needle hot), check for burrs on the feet, hook or shuttle. Oil everything that will wear (except on Campbell and older machines that have things that should NOT be oiled). Mineral oil has been used for years and works fine. Stainless machine oil works well also ander many different names. Campbell Boswell also sells machine oil for $4 or so a quart so there isn't a reason to not oil every time you use the machine. Get some little engineers oil cans from eBay (they are hard to find new), they are the little click-click oil cans we used years ago, they get into places well and they, unlike a squeeze bottle, dispense a measures amount. Unless you "get-off" on sewing machines (yeah, I've been accused of that), IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT. Art Any yes, this thread should be in sewing machines but I don't have a clue how to get it there.

Hi Holly, I use Edge Kote (Fiebings and Weavers) on belts quite a bit. I apply with a cheap synthetic sponge as an applicator, in fact Fiebings makes an applicator/bottle combo that works just fine. I do however thin it down a bit with water allowing a thin application. Thick application will give the very smooth raised edge that will crack under heavy flexing. If you want the shiny look, apply thin one or two coats of Edge Kote and after it is dry use a wax finish like Bee Natural Leather Finish to bring up a shine. Art

Hi Bruce, I played with a skiver for about an hour. it was an Artisan at a show. It seems to want to skive in a straight line, although I really didn't have enough time to figure it out. The strap cutter is really made for strips, and I could get a very even edge although I was not trying to cut a bunch of straps off a whole side or back which is what I would use it for. I will probably visit Weaver this spring and see what they use as they manufacture a bunch of strap goods. Art