Art

As far as air hoses go, the airbrush uses a 1/8" coupler and the compressor is usually a 1/4" coupler. If you get an Iwata hose off of Amazon it will work. I like the thin hoses as they are lighter and don't restrict the airbrush as much. You can find all manner of hoses at Dick Blick or on Amazon. Just don't get a Badger hose as they are 1/4" -- 1/4" and you would have to get a 1/4 to 1/8 adapter to solve that problem. Art

Chuck Baumann on airbrushes: I didn't believe so I got a few of the different Veda brushes, they are very very good. If you do large areas, a siphon model like the 134 (a 130 with a side sucker, which can be either gravity or siphon) might be a better investment. You can buy all three models and still stay under $100. When I got mine, they paid the shipping, maybe still. http://www.pecoglobal.com/category_s/48.htm Using Fiebing's Pro or spirit dyes, you need to cut them half and half at least with DEA, you can always add color, but you can't take it away. Fiebings is known for putting more dyestuff than will go into solution so don't be afraid to dilute. Art

The 110w124 normally came fitted with gears for 16, 18, and 20 stitches per inch. There were a few gearsets available for 12, 14, and 15 stitches per inch, but I have yet to encounter them. There were gearsets made for over 33 spi, but they would have limited use in the leather world. The needle range provided for these machines was 8-18. Anything bigger would tend to make the hole to hole distance very small and weaken the leather. I have seen these machines used with 33 and 45 thread to decorate boottops and close uppers with great success, but haven't seen any running 92 or 138. The rotary hook pretty much limits thread size and the bobbin ain't all that big either. A 31-15 or higher would be a little more versatile, but the medium duty walking foot and needle feed machines are a lot better. Art

I use a "Little Wonder" for rivets, best machine for that. I use Press-N-Snap for ligne 24 snaps. I have 2, one set up for studs and one for caps. I don't know the price today, but you may be able to get two Press-N-Snaps for the price of a Little Wonder. Having two really saves setup time. Art

No. Won't handle large thread, motor won't last. It is a home machine. It just won't sew skirting. Art

Barnsley were better known as toolmakers to the shoe trade. They made good tools for the harness trade but were not known for it in their final years. They were one of the better toolmakers. Good find. Art

Yes, if it is dry it will squeak, especially in a leather stitcher. I just lightly oil it and let it sit overnight. Art

DEA is probably your best bet for the Fiebings. I use Fiebings Pro and Spirit dyes and cut them considerably (well over 50%) with DEA. The Omega, I am not sure. Use scrap to test, not your project. Art

Hmmmm, My riveter, pushes the rivets right through the leather, they cut their own holes. I like the idea of the self feed, but we do 3/4 inch on belts, 1/2 inch might work on some of our fetish gear though, but a dedicated machine is better for us. I would take it slow with the awl holes, the awl could get right hot if you go fast. Art

I used to run into them quite frequently, but I am near Annapolis and would fix machines for some of the Sail/Canvas shops, still do for a few oldtimers. Most of the zz machines were for doing sail luffs where there is a lot of tension along the length of the seam. Most of these machines were mechanical zz with big cams on the back of the machine so you could change patterns. Some would do a zz with the running stitch also a zz (zz on top of zz). Quite a few of them had big mechanical pullers and other sewing mechanicals. It was just fascinating to get to see some of these machines and use them. Useless for leather. Art

Bee the 797 is a good machine made by Highlead, a premier manufacturer in China. If it is the LTHR model, it will have smooth feet and possibly a speed reducer and servo motor. This machine normally sells for around $1200. It does not have needle feed, but those machines (called the 618) sell around $1500 new. You would probably be able to sweet-talk Steve (Cobra) into giving you phone service if you ever need it. I don't know where you are located so it is a little hard to assess shipping and service. Art

Ok, You need more top tension or less bottom. But then you will need more bottom tension when you go to bigger thread. One of the old tricks to increase top tension is to take a double wrap around something in the thread path like the tension disks or a thread guide, this is why they sometimes put three holes in a thread guide. Of course make sure you are threaded correctly in the first place. Thread giude on top of machine is a good place to start, or thread guide right before tension disks is another. As last resort, double wrap the tension disks. Art

It has been around for about 3 years. I got to actually touch one at the Indianapolis IFolg show years ago. It is even heavier than a 441 head and if you add in a battery and inverter and it gets almost as heavy as a 441 and stand. It is a pretty good idea, and might be good for the back of a van where you could use it for the occasional job, but it's expensive for that. I've seen some portable 111s that might be something, but then you could have done something with your Consew. Art

Stitching is about the most abuse you can give the leather. First stitch, then apply RTC as a resist where you don't want the antique to take. Let that dry really well and antique just as you did before, it won't antique where you put the RTC. Let the antique dry really well and buff off any excess dyestuff. Now apply the finish like WyoSheen. You could dye before stitching, but the finish always comes last. Art

Allowing editing after a short time (and hence deleting) may cause the thread of the topic to be broken. Folks would be replying to posts that don't exist. It's that simple. Art

Sorry to see you unloaded your Consew. That puppy can be configured for luggability with a SCR motor. The Sailrite machine and it's siblings (they are all kind of clones) is a nice little machine for the back of the truck for repairs, but it is not really industrial. You can get smooth feet for it, but there are plastic parts inside and no safety clutch. Sailcloth and Sunbrella are handled pretty well, but a lot of leather no. Add it up seams equal 2oz + 2oz + 3oz welt + tape to hold together equals 8oz or there abouts. In occasional use maybe ok, but everyday use no. Go and get your Consew back. Art

The Medea Airbrush Cleaner is great for Acrylic paint and ink (real thin paint), if you use small tips (.2 or .25) you might get some clogging and have to constantly clean the airbrush. When this happens, I keep a bucket of water and clean in there, just dunk the whole thing in (be careful of the tip as you will probably be running without the cover) and spray, take out and clean the needle. With small tips and fast drying paints, you will have to clean the needle often, sometimes just milking the buildup off the needle with your fingers. Spirit dyes, if thinned appropriately (1:1 or more) usually spray pretty well, even with small tips, just remember that they dry fast and if you are going to let the brush set for 10 or more minutes, keep a bottle of cleaner around and run some through the airbrush so the dye doesn't dry in the brush. If you do a lot of close work, you may want to go to a gravity feed later on, but it seems most of us learned on a siphon feed, and they can't be beat for large areas. Art

I mean to come up an 1/4 inch from bottom dead center, in the forward direction. As far as backstitching goes, it will lock in the loose ends. Backstitching is the easiest way, but pulling the thread through to the backside and tying it off works too. Also burning off with nylon or poly and squishing the thread against another while it is still soft will work also. Even when backstitching, I like to pull the top thread to the back so there isn't something sticking up. This is more important with big thread as it is sometimes quite obvious. Art

I'm pretty sure the 155 Anthem has PTFE needle bearings so you should be able to use alcohol to clean the airbrush. Put some in a jar, dump out the airbrush, hook up the jar and spray some alcohol through the system. You can back flush if you think it is particularly dirty. Depending on what you are blowing, you might want to disassemble and clean every time, or not. Art

What machine did you purchase? Art

I dye inside and out. I also spray Bag Kote in when finishing. If I use an acrylic finish on the outside, I use something like Bag Kote on the inside to allow the leather to "breathe". I use only Fiebing's pro or spirit dyes. Make sure the dye is dry and buffed before finishing, you don't have to buff or brush the inside. Art

You either love Bissonette edgers (with the hole in them) or you don't. I have been using round bottom edgers for so long I guess I don't care to learn how to use the Bissonette. I use Ron's edgers although I do have the occasional Gomph and Early Osborne. With early tools (1900s and before), the leather trade was dominated by horse gear, and they used horses for horsepower. The leather was big and heavy and the #4 and #5 edgers were king. These things were huge for the 12-16oz leather used at the time. If getting an old Gomph or other early edger, do not get a #3, get a #1 or #2, even a #0 if you can find one. Check with Bruce Johnson for good used tools , or call Vandy at Sheridan Leather and get a good Douglas reconditioned tool. If you need some advice on Bissonette edgers, call Bruce Johnson. Art

I would not worry about calling Steve, he lives for this stuff. I wouldn't worry about the tension. The instructions call for a double wrap on the upper tension disks, this should be enough. When backstitching, start 3 or so stitches from your desired starting point and stitch Back to your desired starting point, then put the needle down and come up 1/4 inch (always cranking the handwheel towards you) and shift to forward. Repeat this procedure on finishing your stitchline, sewing back 3 or so stitches from the finish point. Going forward-back-forward like a regular sewing machine is just putting too much thread in the same holes if the needle is sized properly. Remember when changing direction, needle down, needle up 1/4 inch, shift direction lever, sew. Check timing; Take off needle plate, take thread out of needle, move direction lever to center (0 length) position, put needle down (remember handwheel, sometimes called the balance wheel, toward you from top always, never back up), raise needle 5/32 inch and look at the point of the shuttle (hook), it should just be intersecting the needle at the scarf. Is needle inserted correctly, thread groove on left, scarf on right, threaded left to right. Art

Master. White can, get the thinner too. Art

Thirty to Thirty-five inches around the outside and as many as five #7 holes. I click 9 oz latigo and sometimes I double up, but only with big wide-open dies, the smal intricate ones are hell to get one piece out of, nevermind 2. Art