Art

If you are going up to W&C, please give Matt a heads up before going. They are strictly a tannery, they may or may not be able to show you around if you just drop in. There is no retail store, going up there is a courtesy they extend at their discretion. And wear Boots not sandals or flip flops. Art

Chris and Joet, While W&C are a pretty big operation Square foot wise, they have a very small staff. Of the 3 folks in Sales, usually someone is on the road, and I think there are fewer folks in shipping. Those two "departments" take up less room than my shop. Finishing takes up a lot of room, but again, not many bodies in there. It is amazing what they do with the staff they have. Because of this, your order is pretty much custom, and handled by someone who cares. When I go there, there is always a 6'X6'X10' pile of orders waiting for the shipper to pick up. I got up there late one time and they waited while we got our order together and Matt packed it so we could take it with us. They stayed late to service me. That's customer service. Also they maintain and retool the plant July 5 to 15 so that could have slowed things down. I have no problems at all with their customer service, on top of that, the product is great. They are out in the boonies though. Art

I don't know, I've never tried the Atlas on leather and I have a better brain to do it and face XYL (ham term for Ex Young Lady). Art

I haven't seen much "new" in sewing machines in the last 40 years. Except the Shoe Industry, there is some innovation going on there. All of the Chinese machines we use today hearken back to American/UK (Singer was really International but the US and GB will claim it), German, Swiss, Italian, and later Japanese ancestry. There is some innovation coming out of OZ for sail making machines and other one off kind of devices, but copies of previously successful machines are the forte of the Asian countries. Lets face it, the leather industry is pretty much gone and machines of yesterday (and remakes of them) don't make up 1-2 percent of machine sales (except shoes and that is declining). We should be happy that someone is making machines that can be used as a base for innovative dealers to modify into successful leather sewing machines, and support the same. If it was a land office business, you would see more than four dealers at the top of the page. Art

That's cool, but go for the 25" with the best electronic system that Efka makes AND all of the Campbell accessories. I'm still in love with the Cyclone (Roller Coaster and Stitcher). Art

Probably jacked, it also looks like it might have a pebble texture, and that is pressed in too. You get it wet and press it, as the GunDr says with whatever you have handy. Art

Yes, the tannery has a big press called a rolling jack, they roll the leather through to "jack" it or make it harder through pressing. Soling leather is treated this way to make sole lifts hard so they don't squish (technical term) during use. The alternate method is to "hammer jack" the leather by beating it with (what else?) a beating out hammer. Now keep in mind that the shoe/boot maker starts with 12 iron (about 1/4") sole bend leather to start this process. You might have to be a bit more delicate with a smaller and more fragile cut. I'd find a supplier with a jack. Art

Hi Gregg, Milled slots are fun, they never seem to be in the same place or the same depth, usually it doesn't matter, but occasionally they go a wee bit too far. The thing about Chinese iron (machine tools too) is once you get it up to spec and running, it ain't bad. I have a Taiwan made 15" Lathe that took a little work to get it to .0005 about 14 years ago, it has held up this long. Art

I does make a difference which factory made the base machine. There are some factories that make "improvements" to the base machines. The good factories make improvements basically for form and function. The lower level factories make changes to reduce costs. I am not talking about sewing parts, the feet, dogs, hooks, needle bars etc. I am referring to the rods, connectors, castings, shaft couplers et al. The real item here is that nobody makes ALL of this stuff, I would be suprised if the average sewing machine factory over there made 30% of their product, some times a LOT less. Even the really No.1 top factories don't make any of some of their machines, except maybe the nameplate, usually because someone else does it better than them and they know it. You don't want a machine from a factory that chases costs to compete on price, the machines work but are designed for the trade where their are mechanics on site or call. The one thing the Chinese have is the ability to stop and change direction on a dime. If they are making something wrong, they can stop and start making it right on a dime. The dealers and sewing factories let them know when the parts start failing left and right. The machine factory made an improvement or their parts source did. The dealer calls (because his mechanic tells him that they changed this part and when I tightened it, it cracked) his exporter, who calls the factory and in their most pleasant voice reams them a new one (in Chinese this is truly amazing), the factory calls the parts supplier (in Chinese you get the feeling of people lining up against the wall and guns going off) and the parts supplier corrects the problem (goes back to old method) and soon parts are available. The new parts are shipped to the dealer, who has to re-prep the machines to include a 3 or 4 hour R&R of the part that is of course as far down in the machine as it can get. These are usually very expensive parts, which precludes buying them here (you don't think they want to "improve" a "cheap" part, where's the money in that?). This is why I like to know which factory the machine was made in. I want a 441 that is as close to the last 441 (partswise) that came out of Juki as possible. Your dealer is your lifeline, but it is reassuring to know that your sewing machine repair guy can order you up a part from Superior or Consew if you need it. Art

Badger 250. Art

I think the first thing you need to do is take a soft horsehair shoe brush and buff your project to remove the residual dyestuffs left over from the dying operation. Saddle Lac (the spray is all I have used) leaves a very glossy sealed up finish on the leather. Neat Lac (no longer made but LCI makes a version for Springfield Leather and Sheridan Leather Outfitters) will also give you a gloss finish, but is more controllable and can be thinned with LCI thinner to make for a less glossy application. If you are looking for resistance to weather, then the above or Pecard's or Montana Pitchblend paste will do the trick without so much gloss. Bag and Tan Kote leave a flat to a little more gloss look by themselves, I usually top them with Montana Pitchblend. Most important thing is to get the residual dye off first. Art

I've got a Campbell, and it serves me very well. I have two Highleads which also are very nice machines, one of them does heavy blankets and tents and takes a beating, the other one is set up for leather and is honestly better treated, never a problem with either one. I guess if I had to, I would get Dan at Campbell to have them rebuild me a Cyclone. Art

Leatherworker.net has become an international success. One problem, we and our industry are mired in a combination/confusion of Imperial/Metric/Trade measurements. This can be a problem when trying to talk about needles and threads. The following table deals primarily with twisted multifilament threads of the Nylon and Polyester varieties. Needle and Thread.htm is attached, please bring it up in your browser and save the page to disk. Needle and Thread.htm Art

It is not apparent in the still shot, however in the video it is apparent that the whole bra/corset thing is made quite like a mask and appears to be one piece from the way it moves with her. They probably took a body mold, cast a dummy then built up the bra/corset on the dummy, then cast a mold from that. They could make many outfits from that mold and airbrush the color. To get something in leather that both fits and moves that well will be darned near impossible, much less tooling the darned thing. My suggestion would be to get a waterproof body form and drape a piece of wet leather over the form and bone it out to contour, after dry, cut and fit, then airbrush details, don't try to tool it, just paint or dye it. It will NOT be comfortable. You really need to talk to studio makeup and costumers, not leather pounders. Now the Boots, Belts, Pads, et al are right up our alley. Art

2 rosin to 1 wax, melt the rosin first then slowly mix in the wax. You have to keep the heat up so that the wax doesn't pull the rosin below its melting point. Blend the mixture thoroughly (stir it). Art

You will need a sanded or cut edge for burnishing. Do edge the outside layers, do not edge the inside edges. Art

Hi Kenny, Tension sets the position of the lock in the leather. This may vary a little but is generally consistent. I suggest you decrease the top tension just a little to move the lock a little lower, not so much as to show the top thread on the bottom, but almost. Also, if you are sewing fast and the needle gets hot, it is possible for the thread to stick to the needle. If you have a lube pot, give that a try, or spray silicone thread lube on the spool. You will have to reset your tensions when using lube. In the factories, they soak the whole spool in lube for 10 to 20 minutes, sometimes more, then let it drip dry. Weaver and others sell those little magnetic lube pots which work ok, sometimes you have to duct tape them to the machine to make them hold. Art

Hi George, Like me, you like to use small needles whenever possible, but your needle is adequate for your thread, but might be a bit small for backstitching. Check your needle and make sure it is in correctly, usually groove on the left, scarf on the right, thread from left to right. If that is ok, then put a new needle in, sometimes there is the smallest burr on the shaft and if the fit is tight, bingo, remember with the small size needle (and hence the thread groove is correspondingly small) threads are really cramped in there. Going to a 230 or 250 might solve your problems. Art

Hi Foo, If that is out of a book, please credit it. Art Moderator

Hi Caffy, A&E is probably the best at publishing their technical information, as such sometimes it is hard to find what you really need. You can find the appropriate chart here. Art

Heather @ Texas Custom Dies Phone: (888) 755-9025 Local: (817) 563-2315 Fax: (817) 563-2313 Email: hktxcd@aol.com Good People Art

In the Marketplace section, Cobra Class 3, barely used for $1500. How much is a GA5-1R on your doorstep? Art

Hi Evan, If you need X machine to do your work, then you should buy X + 1 machine. If you buy X machine, you will be using it at the top end of it's capabilities and have no headroom. This is particularly the case with holster makers, they usually try to get by with too little machine in spite of what all the holster pros on here tell them. The right machine is a 441 short arm, or better yet a long arm. The long arm 441 with all the bells, whistles, and attachments is about $2700 shipped. If you have a business, you can take that off your taxes in the year of purchase, just expense the whole thing. If you can't do that, go to the bank and take out a short term loan, $1500 down and $100 a month for 16 months. If you can't go that route, go to the Marketplace section, where there are a few machines for sale including a Luberto Classic for $2200 and an Artisan 3000 for not much more than the GA5-1R. Call them up and see if they can make a deal, so much down and monthly payments, if they are motivated it might work. Ask one of the dealers about leasing, it can work. There are many way to skin the cat, and a good dealer will know them. Art

Hi Darren, As I was approaching the big 60, I had everything from 7s to 97s. I love old iron, but moving it is a terror anymore. Kind of solved that problem by unloading most of it. Now I have turned my attention to 221s, 222s, 301As and the like, much more fun and the wife likes them too. I still have a lot of Chinese iron that I use regularly, and just keep my hand in it a couple of Landis 12s, and an old Repco Model A chain stitcher that is by far either the heaviest or more likely the most awkward thing ever developed (well other than the clicker, but that lives on a steel pallet and a pallet jack works wonders). I guess what I (now at 62) am getting at is, the older you get, the heavier they get. Art

Hi Ken, Steve at Cobra handles those machines now. I got one from him recently, and it came with the roller you mentioned. Call him Monday or Tuesday (he is at the ELKO, NV show this weekend). Art