Art

First of all, Chinese foundries are a thing of wonder and horror. If they had OSHA folks over there, well they would go yelling and screaming in terror from the foundry. Ditto some of the other factories. I imported leather working machines a few years ago, and know what they landed for and given all the work and marketing, there is enough room to pay everyone and the rent, but nobody's living high. Brand name machines are a little different, but places like Reliable keep dealers relatively honest. Frankly, some leather machine dealers are delivering 1,000 machines a year, some a lot less, and some a very few more. Some distributors that are also importers, and often sole importers, keep their prices high so as to not step on their dealers toes. There are so few leather machine dealers, their competition (especially on price) keeps the margins pretty thin. It's a business, you can make a living, it helps if the wife works. Art

Oh Boy, I recommended contacting the distributor, Cobra (Leather Machine Co.), but guess you don't trust them. When I was importing these machines, some of my suppliers were: Zhiqiang Sewing Machine Company, Ltd. Qing County, Hebei, China Zhejiang Tianning Motor Manufacturing Company, Ltd. No.4, Wenbao Road I, LiShui City, Zhejiang, China Zhejiang Qiaoyi Lamp Manufacturing Company, Ltd. No. 16, Yuhuan Industrial Area Zone, Zhejiang, China Fushan Table Top Manufacturing Company, Ltd. South of Fushan County, Fushan Jiangsu, China Shanghai Meisong Sewing Machine Company, Ltd. No.5025 Hangtang Road, Fengcheng County, Shanghai, China Zhejiang Zhiying Sewing Machine Parts Manufacturing Company, Ltd. Xiaying County, Yinzhou, Zhejiang, China Those are off my import manifests and government import documents, so it is pubic information somewhere in the overall bureaucratic repository, hopefully digitized. This is a complicated business, and having a representative over in China is almost an imperative. This is not a high margin business either, especially on the distributor/dealer end. Art

On the worksharp we use (mostly as a handy flat hone) all the angles are side angles, not included angles. Art

If 20 is the included angle, no, read the directions. You should probably start a 20° PER SIDE, for an included angle of 40°. Art

It really depends on you. You can make it as sharp as you want, down to about 10° per side if you want, that is a 20° included angle and requires a lot on your part to keep it that way. Read stropping continuously, not pushing into the cutting surface and sticking with pretty good supple condition leathers. I have a couple of knives sharpened this way, but I know very well their limitations, a harder leather will round them over quickly. A more reasonable angel is 15° to 20° per side for an included angle of 30° to 40°. Depending on the knife steel, these hold-up very well, even in very tough leather. A 30° included angle is very easy to sharpen with a secondary bevel, and can be sharpened quite a few times before a regrind. Now, you're going to hate me, but it is what you and your knife likes, and your sharpening skills. The Ken Onion WorkSharp is a pretty good choice for the home sharpener, we use something similar, but a bit bigger. The nice part about the KO, is that you have it, and that means your knife SHOULD always be sharp. Art

Like most other business and "manufacturers" in China, that is not an easy question. For a particular "Line" or sewing machine distributor over here, their product line is probably produced in more than one "Factory". The parts for the machines are produced by many suppliers and the "Factories" put them together. Sometimes the product of a "Factory" is simply a relabeling of a product from another factory. Some of these outlying factories are somewhat specialized. For instance, one factory produces only Pfaff clones, and another Adler, and still another Juki, and then some of them are producing Mitsubishi clones AND OEM Mitsubishi machines. China is the Wild West as far as manufacturing goes and a US (or other country) importer has to balance between cost and quality. It is important to have an agent in China to coordinate and integrate between you and the Chinese factories/suppliers. Add to this the fact that a Factory could be gone tomorrow, literally, hell, they could be an empty building or making washing machines. Shanghai Huigong Sewing Machine Factory No.3 is the producer of Highlead machines and rebrands several others. As far as 441s go, I can't tell you who is making machines for whom. Parts are readily available and cheap. Please note that a machine you get in a box from China will need a half hour to an hour to make it ready. Sometimes parts aren't available and they freely substitute, it doesn't matter if it fits or works, they have a production schedule to meet. The "good" factories do this as readily as the "not so good" factories. The dealer will, "not worry about it", have the factory send new parts (often delaying dealer deliveries) which might take the dealer 2 or more hours to disassemble and install, or the dealer might not recognize that there is a problem, that's why we say go with a known dealer. If you want to know where the machine came from, ask the dealer, if he doesn't tell you, find another dealer. Art

Please, please, PLEASE click the report button. We mods get these reports with LINKS to the offending posts. PLEASE don't PM a mod about something that offends you or whoever and not give us a link to it. We try to stay on top of things, but you can't imagine how much reading it takes. Do not be offended if a mod decides that your report is less offensive and should be left-up. If we blasted every post that gets reported, you wouldn't have too much to read. Ducking has little to do with leatherwork unless you have seen works by Al Stohlman or Robb Barr that obviously (or not so obviously) do. I would appreciate it if everyone would stick to Ducking instead of F---ing if that will satisfy normal sensibilities, but any censorship kind of goes against my grain. The vernacular has definitely changed over the years, and some of us have seen quite a few of those years, but the First and Second Amendments haven't changed much, and that is in my opinion a good thing. Artwork is pretty much what it is, expression. Botticelli was heavily into T and A and pretty sexually suggestive motifs, and Popes were paying for his work. Should we confine his work to the NSFW forums or just leave it in churches? We may be able to clean-up the language just a little, but it will be pretty hard to censure any but the most offensive artwork. Skulls don't really rise to that level. Art

Since the first napped knife in the stone age, knives have been remarkable for their simplicity, usefulness, and of course elegance. Who wouldn't want one or more of them, especially if you can put them to good use. Art

Knives, not the scalpel kind. As I have said, there are a few knives I have on or near the bench. So, the knife on the left and the one at the bottom are Bob Dozier, Arkansas. Obviously these get used a lot, because they cut so damned well and fit me perfectly. I have another Dozier that son uses and for all intents and purposes is his. He could of had whatever knife I had, but he picked Dozier. The two knives at the top are Bill Buchman knives on a pattern of the two knives used by Verlane Desgrange. You had to mention that Verlane told you to go to Bill to get him to make one or both for you. These are the 2 perfect head knives, one on board and the little one off board; they are meant to be palmed. Unfortunately, both Verlane and Bill have passed, they were great folks. Bill liked to talk with me as I always called him when he was cutting the grass. A lot of what I know about leatherwork I learned from Verlane. The next knife is a Curved Detail (read clicker) knife that Terry Knipschield makes. I use this a lot on thicker leather and I'm happy with it. The next is a changeable blade clicker knife of the more conventional design. This gets used a lot for patterning thinner leathers. The blue handle one is better for me than the wooden handle one, I have both, I use the blue one, different strokes. The next knife is not the only skiving knife I own, it is practically the only one I use. It is a Robert Beard model and it just works perfectly. This is a right hand, I have both right and left because I am quite ambidextrous with tools. If you can get Bob to make one of these for you, more power to you. Once you go Black, you'll never go back! I have a Knipschield skiver that works great also, but it is much heavier than the BB knife so it doesn't get used much. This is a Terry Knipschield Bevel Point Utility type knife which I have two of. I misplaced one and got so frustrated, I bought another. Terry got a new one to me quickly, but before it arrived, yep, found it. These can be used for pretty much anything and on my bench they do. These come wickedly sharp and stay that way depending on use. I've never had the opportunity to use Terry's head knives so I can't opine on them, but his smaller knives are just fantastic. When I say these come sharp, please keep a little crazy glue or NewSkin and Bandaids handy. Art

I use scalpels a lot, I have so many knives that I am firmly in the collector category. That being said, I'll just go by the knives out on the bench or within easy grasp. I have two Swann Morton #3 retractable holders (they have newer ones now that I don't like as much) with 10A and 11 blades, these are used a lot for smaller trimming and even some cutout. I also have a 22 blade, which is just a big 10, with a bigger #4 handle. Of course, sometimes the 22 doesn't hack it and I use #60 and even a PM40 which is kind of a honking big 10. I think the #60 uses a #8 handle and the PM40 has a handle unique to it. These pretty much cover most of the cutting, and the blades are replaceable and fairly inexpensive. The difference in Swann Morton blades and Indian etc. blades is that the SM blades stay sharper longer. Just my experience. Blades can be resharpened and stropped, to what I might call varying degrees of success. Get a Needle Holder (suture needle holder) to hold blades when changing them. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0008F6GZ0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 While these are great for changing blades, they are a little better than ok for holding sutures, but then again, so are needle nose pliers. You can get pretty deep in scalpels for less than $100 which is pretty economical by a long shot, and you can try out some of the exotic blade designs on the cheap. On top is big daddy, a PM 40 Swann Morton handle and blade. Next down is Swann Morton #60 with a #8 Handle. Third from Top is a #24 blade on an after market #4 Handle. These big handles are cheap and feel good in the hand. You can also find them in #3. Next down is a Swann Morton retractable #3 sporting a #11 blade. The newer models are a little clunkier and feel cheaper but still work fine. Last down, a bare #3 handle from all over eBay with varying quality, this is NOT a Swann Morton but still works fine. On the right are a pair of Mayo Hegar Straight Needle Holders great for changing blades. Grab blades by the spine with the edge away from you. On the left is a Swann Morton Retractable Craft Knife. In my opinion, stiffer but not as sharp, not nearly as sharp as a SM scalpel. The handle is not well cast and kind of clunky. Quarter for size comparison. Art

There are two methods: Buy a knife when you need a knife, you will have fewer very used knives. Buy a knife when you see a knife, you are a collector (join the club), you use the same knives you use if you follow method one, but if you get one dull or break or drop it, oh do you have backup. Or.........Buy a Utility knife and Irwin Bi-Metal (Blue) blades and a couple of scalpel handles and some blades from ebay, then when you really need something different, go for it. The only thing that is really good about a head/round knife is seeing the cutting line. Art

Pecard's -- Montana Pitchblend -- Dr. Jackson's Hide Rejuvenator. Any of the three, not all of them. Art

You really need to get George Hurst doing an airbrushing video.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Art

On line finisher machines, they have one spot for brown and black for each of brushes, burnishers, and buffers. Ain't no way to clean them, you never would get it all and it will transfer. Art

Kind of standard on a line machine like a Sutton or Landis, not sure about the Chinese machines. It is the power equivalent of the buffing brushes used in shoe polishing. They are 2" wide by 8" diameter and run on a 1 5/16 inch shaft. They usually have a couple of set screws in the collar. I think Supreme has them for around $90, they come in Black and Brown. Art

Ok Ray, send me a paypal invoice for $74, or just give me your PayPal email. Art artvanhecke [at] gmail [dot] com

Watch carefully the depth of the blade. About 2 11/16 inches is the bare minimum after sharpened. The blades (at least the original ones) were hollow ground on the bevel, flat obviously on the flat. If you bridge the back of the bevel and the edge with a stone, you can lightly sharpen the blade. You need to remove from both the front and back of the bevel evenly to retain the same geometry. The blade will sharpen easily as you will be removing only a little bit. Blacken the whole bevel with magic marker before stoning to make sure you are removing from the edge and tail of the bevel only. If you are removing metal over the whole bevel, the stone (and associated hollow) needs regrinding. During stoning or grinding you will bring up a burr on the flat side. Stone the burr off of the flat on a medium to fine stone. The stone should be big enough to lay the blade flat on the stone. No back bevel ever. Don't be too eager to sharpen, strop yes, but there are just so many sharpenings in one of those blades, and you have got to know it's already been done a few times. These machines were used in the shoe repair world extensively, and occasionally a piece of nail got through or leather would double over and distort the edge. You have to make sure grinding won't reduce the depth of the blade to less than 2 11/16 inches or some other more serious work will be required to get the necessary blade alignment. Also, the blade alignment system was subject to wear, both on the blade and on the machine. Most of the markings on the top were in irons 1/48" not ounces 1/64". Art Landis Model 30 Splitter.pdf

Do I wish some makers of YouTube videos could find and use editing software? Yes. Do I wish YouTube video makers would use cameramen? Oh yeah, it is just so much fun when the most important operation in the video is demonstrated totally out of frame. Then the idiot tells you that he has demonstrated the most important concept in the whole video or even the most important thing in the whole discipline, and tells you to go back and review it. But worst of all is when the YouTube video producer honestly doesn't have a clue how to professionally do what he is trying to teach. If you haven't done a few hundred or a few thousand of them, don't try to teach one. There are however several good qualities. One is that a high percentage of YouTube videos are really better in effect, and better for you physically than Ambien. My Doctor put me onto this. The longer the video the better. More power to those who provide us with these gems. Art

3-4 oz is marginally better because it deflects less, but the difference is pretty much negligible. Art

Montana Pitchblend Paste. Art

I've seen this happen on more than a few knife lists over the years, including the knife-list which was very prominent in the '90s. Grind vs. Forge, Stainless vs. Plain Carbon, Exotic alloys and metallurgies vs. low chrome tool steel. They used to go on and on ad infinitum; in fact, they're still going on today, I am sure. So I guess we can entertain this again here. Now we are going to have some ground rules, that will be enforced by yours truly. 1. One short sentence (not like a lawyer does either) that states the point you are trying to make or defend. You can go on after that, but this rule just keeps things from going off into the weeds and confusing things. 2. Posters may not disparage the birthright or genetic origin of others unless definite proof is available. Also the lineage and morality of those in someone's birth line are out of bounds. 3. Any and all other rules of Bulletin Board (remember I'm Old) etiquette must be applied. Thanks, Art -- Moderator

I hate to say it, but hype and marketing has more to do with steel used in a knife than suitability of purpose. Especially knives made by production knifemakers, or should we call them knife manufacturers. The whole idea of a custom knife is CUSTOM. Benchmade knives very seldom see a bench. This pretty much goes for any maker/manufacturer making over 500 total knives a year. The only reason I offer a count so high is that some guys (and gals I guess) can average 2 knives a day. But really, anyone who has their blanks profiled by CNC machinery the likes of a water jet, is not a real custom maker. If the maker takes a piece of steel, marks a profile on it (with custom design for user features or desires), and takes it over to the Burr-King or Bader and grinds away everything that doesn't look like a knife, they are a Custom Maker. Manufacturers look for different steels to set them apart from other manufacturers and to attain the marketing hype of using a steel that is used by a particular custom maker. While the steels used by manufacturers tend to vary over a short period of time, a custom maker might be using a steel he has been using since the '80s or '90s (I'm old). I don't have any problems with custom knives made of 440C or 1085, or O-1, or D-2, or BG-42, or ATS-34, or 154CM (the old stuff). Those same steels from a manufacturer....meh. You should want to know where your food comes from and generally how it was handled; the same goes for the steel in your knife. Art

I can get on board with a lot of it, but I draw the line at the often used term "knife steel". There ain't no such animal: unless you allow any steel someone made a knife out of to reside in this "category". So many things are made of steel, that steel with out some definitive designation is just steel. Even if you go with only steels above the eutectic (say about .77C), only a very small percentage is used for knives. Any reasonable tool steel at close to the eutectic or above can make a darned respectable knife, if properly treated. The other consideration when selecting a steel is what the purpose of the knife will be. An knapped obsidian knife may possibly be one of the sharpest knives obtainable, but is kind of worthless if you want to chop or pry on something. Osborne has been using the same 1065 or so for as long as I can remember, and their knives are really first class (for the price and availability). I've seen a boat load of these (and own more than a few) that all act and react pretty much the same. Knives that can obtain at least HRc 55 or so will make a good knife although I like them a little harder. Every steel used for a knife is going to be a tradeoff, no one steel is good enough, cheap enough, and easy enough to work (including heat treatment), to make it an "industry standard" and become a or the "knife steel". Art

Use #8 or #9. Art

Don't know where you are, but the Weaver auction might be good for your hardware. That is a harness community up there and the machines will be appreciated. Art