Art

I use a Chinese 441 Clone (a heavy duty one) to sew fire blankets. I use Kevlar thread and have higher wear on the thread path and sewing parts. I abuse the hell out of this machine and run it over 800 spm. I use the best Japanese parts for replacement (bobbin cases, shuttles, thread path parts, etc) and get close to the same service as original parts. Kevlar thread is quite abarasive and parts replacement is a fact of life independant of machine brand. I have a couple of Pfaff machines that do similar work on a smaller scale, they have the same problem with Kevlar thread. My heavy duty Highlead has been stroking along for 5 years now without a major problem other than Kevlar wear. Still very tight. For custom leatherwork, a Chinese clone will probably outlast the owner. I know of 15 year 441 clones (Taiwan) that are still giving excellent service. I can personally speak to Cobra, old Artisan, Ferdco, and Cowboy machines; I haven't had my hands (or eyes even) on a Techsew, but others like them as well. I like the Adler and Pfaff medium duty machines made in Germany or the Czech Republic. I wish Pfaff made a big stitcher. Parts are dear, but aftermarket are better and of similar quality. Metallurgy has advanced in the last 60 years. For used machines, Pfaff, Adler, Elna, Bernina, and Singer (quality in order) are good bets, all brands had their classics that stood above the crowd, especially for our kind of work. There was a time in the early '90s and before, that mainland Chinese castings were miserable. This has changed quite a bit and quite a few can be classified as good to very good. Taiwan castings have been excellent for many years now, their machine tools are quite competitive. Art

Mine will sew at a crawl if I want. It has a speed reducer and a servo motor. On the new servo motors, Steve fixed the variable control on the motor and was installing the upgrade and sending it out to whomever wanted them. The factory has since implemented the design and all the new motors come the way they should have in the first place. For thread, use 207 on top and 138 in the bobbin, it works for me. Art

Either the Class 18 or the 1541 would be great for upholstery work. The take the same feet (111 feet) of which there are many varieties available from Cutex (eBay) or Superior (get them from the local sewing machine repair). I prefer the Class18 for no particular reason other than I sew with it all the time and my wife loves it. The Class 18 has a speed reducer and servo motor which I find well worth any extra you will pay. I can't say for sure if the 1541 is made in Japan anymore. You pay for the service, the machines are pretty much the same. Art

All I can say is Remember Pitney-Bowles and postage meters. Now THAT was a rip. At one point. I was paying PB so much that I went back to stamps. Still got $10 in the meter, would play hell finding it though. I use flat rate now and stamps for letters. Art

The Cobra Class 4 is also a good choice. Steve also buys Singer Patchers and refurbs them. Ron also has 441 clone machines but I don't know the numbers. Art

I can rub 207 with 138 in the bobbin without a hitch. However I know folks that, for whatever the reason, cannot. Usually I ron 207 and up on the Class 4. Art

I've double and stitched 2 pieces of 9oz veg tan leather with my Cobra class 18 without a problem. I sure wouldn't do that for 8 hours a day everyday. You seem to indicate maybe 6 or 9oz bridle max, which that machine will do, but you are really at the limit for that machine. You are also maxed out a 138 thread (some of this class machine will do 207) so keep that in mind. If you can afford the bigger machine like the Cobra Class 3 or a used machine of that class, it might be a lot better and allow headroom. Dave might have a used machine in stock as they take the short arms in trade against a Class 4 (long arm). By class, these machines are called 441 clones and have very good parts availability. You know better than I what you sew, so the decision is yours. Art

If you are getting Douglas awl blades for small work, tell Vandy at Sheridan Leather that you need the smaller size. Definately use the Bearman haft or the uber expensive one form Douglas. I have both and use the Bearman one more now. Art

Not a lot, the 103 might have trimmers. Don't get a 102. Art

If your brush skills are not good enough to paint the fine detail necessary, try using an airbrush and masks for painting the borders. You have to thin medium body acrylics for the airbrush and this helps them "grip". I've used the Liquitex Ink! acrylics with a lot less fuss than using the medium body and thinning with airbrush medium or water. With a little practice, you can easily pull a fine line with a #2 or #4 round brush. It is not about "seeing" or any of that artsy stuff, it is just mechanical technique developed through practice. You can also use the masking technique with a brush, but soon you won't need it. Art

Billy, The Singer 153w101 is basically the top end of a 111. All the zipper and cording and welting feet of the 111 fit the 153w101 also. There are gazillions of new feet for the 111 all over the Internet. Art

Changing back and forth has always been a problem, hence most folks that do it a lot have two machines. For fancier wallets, sizes 46 and 33 look nicer along with shorter stitch length, you can get those sizes in a ton of colors and put up onsmaller (weight) spools. Billy, you might also look for a Singer 153w101 as it is a good cylinder arm machine only no reverse. Bob might be able to get you into a good one inexpensively. Art

In his Bio it says his specialty is holsters. Art

The reason the clone manufacturers make clones is simply the availability of parts. Many sewing and parts suppliers handle parts for the 441, and that includes clones. Your local sewing machine repair shop (or Steve or Bob or Ron) can order you a part for a 441, and now even a short arm 9" 441 because there are enough of them out there to make handling parts profitable. Had to worry about those 9 inchers when they first came out, but they were an instant hit, especially at their price point. Watch out for any newer machine design wise as as not everyone (actually no one but the original designer) will have parts for it until it becomes a hit. When buying a new machine, ask someone in the biz (not the guy you are buying it from) if parts are available for it and ask from whom. In the industrial world, all the Chinese stuff seems to be a clone of something popular, if it isn't, start worrying. Art

Bruce, After half a bottle of Wild Turkey, I can't read anything. Now folks know how we read all these posts Art

Bob and Dan, There are shows throughout the year that are attended by some of the dealers on this forum. Wickenburg, AZ and Sheridan WY are the big ones, but the boot and saddlemakers roundup in Wichita Falls TX is also another good one. These are opportunities to put you hands on the machines and get some one on one instruction from Steve and Dave, and Bob. You can also take delivery at a show and save on shipping. Art

Go see Bob Kovar, at Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines and let him SHOW you what a 441 is and what different machines you can get to do your projects, His info is in the banners at the top of the page and I included a link to his website, Art

Cuy the closest, Steve is over the mountains in Ontario, CA, you could drive over, visit and pick one up, save shipping and it is a great machine. Traffic is much better than driving further into LA. Art

You already have a Class 4, just get a Class 18. There are tons of feet for those machines at very resonable prices. I have one, never a problem. Art

A lightly used short arm 441 clone. Call Steve at Leather Machine Co. or Bob at Toledo (I'm not sure if he does used 441s). You might have to add a few bucks or make some other arrangements, but you need a big stitcher. Art

You can hand crank a Landis 12. Art

Hi Chris, I use the Soft body and the hard body professional. I also use the Ink! product in the airbrush; don't try and paint with it, it is thin. The basics are kind of less expensive in the pigment area and you might have to base coat them on dark backgrounds. The hard Body tubes and soft body in jars are opaque which is what you want if you can't base coat. I am surprised that the Angelus paints are giving you problems as I have had others tell me they are very good, especially for leather. Please test everything on scrap until you get the desired result. Just a little titanium white will brighten some colors up dramatically. I have had some tell me that they use the basics to "extend" the professional line. The basics are considerably cheaper. Art

I assume you are using Angelus Paint not Angelus Dye. Angelus paints are great as far as coverage goes. but as with anything in the paint world, when going from dark to light, a light color base coat is always better. It's like Painting 101. Use 3m blue or that green "froggy" tape to mask off the area, they work good on leather. Prep the leather with a "deglazer" to get good adhesion of the base. To tell if you need a base coat, practice on scrap. Depending on the original color of the leather, the color you want might be ok to apply without a base coat. If you are brushing on some of the heavier body paints (Liquitex Heavy body in tubes) a base may not be required, a little sienna in titanium white gives a pretty good flesh tone that covers without a base coat. But when spraying the thinned medium body acrylics and especially the inks, a base coat is usually necessary, like I said, you have to try it. The reason I use Liquitex acrylics is I have been for a long time and I know how they work; you can develop the same knowledge with Angelus paint. Angelus Paints have a good website (much better than Liquitex). Art

In that case, I would say buy a new punch, and modify the broken one to cut belt ends or corners or whatever. I guess a handled clicker die could be made for the missing punches, but the new pieces might approach the cost of a new set. The problem with grinding a punch back a long ways is that it changes the size, because of the taper. Art

You are telling us nothing. What is major repair to an arch punch? Repairs are going to exceed the cost of a new punch. As far as the dies go, Texas Custom and Weaver Leather can handle that. Check on an Amish or Mennonite smith in Eastern Ohio or the Lancaster area for tool fabrication. Art