Art

Just a guess, but 3oz veg D&S (doubled and stitched). Art

That's not a mystery, it's a 104. It uses a 328S needle system, I won't guarantee the availability of parts but Bob Kovar, or Vern at Weaver would know. Art

Hi Ray, That is a new one on me. I checked and it is a Tandy product and sells for around $20, maybe cheaper with a wholesale account. Call Springfield, Kevin will probably match that. Art

Hi Cem, I am ambidextrous, and get a kick out of what amazes some folks seems quite natural to me; I take a screw out with my left hand and put it in with my right. I used to be able to use the Tandy stitch groovers with either hand, but some time in the last 10 years, they have made them so that they are a right handed affair, and I now am the proud owner or one that can't be used with either hand (I am going to have to regrind it). I liked the Tandy ones because they were cheap and I could have a bunch of them set to different lengths for decorative edge grooving. I also have the Versa Groover from Bob Douglas and a Patent Leather Groover from Jeremiah Watt. Both of these work in either direction with either hand. The Jeremiah Watt one works well for about 277 to 415 thread. you can get the Versa Groover with three tips for different size grooves. They were both about the same price, and I paid a little extra for different size tips from Bob. Both are great tools. For freehand groovers, mine work in either hand. Art

Hi Reaper, If you are contemplating a new Boss, it will be to your advantage to purchase a 9" arm 441; we are talking a few hundred dollars more and so much more machine. The patcher isn't the greatest for your applications, it only takes 69 thread. You will want to use 207 and 277, even 346 thread on holsters and some belts, especially gunbelts, you can't do that with a patcher. Tell the wife I said it is ok to get the bigger machine, you'll only end up with one anyway. Art

Singer 153W101 2 or 3, all pretty good medium weight machines, which means generally up to 3/8". It is a compound feed machine which makes it great for multiple layer leather. A lot of these machines were setup to sew pretty fast, 2000-3000 spm with a clutch motor, way too fast for general leatherwork, any dealer on LW can sell you a motor to slow it down to a crawl. Make sure it has a tight needle bar and not too much play in the shaft, some were rode hard at the factories but usually maintained well. Get a good motor and keep it oiled and it will run forever. Art

Hi Marty, I know this goes without saying, but you need to start with a leather that is very light in color. Fiebing's dyes are almost always too strong. Take a half oz of Fiebing's dye and add a half oz of DEA (Denatured Ethyl Alcohol), mix well and try an apply and wipe application to see what color you get. If you need more color, you can apply again and again till you get it right. If still too dark, cut it some more with DEA. Keep notes till you find your color. Art

Anyone who supplies C.S.Osborne, Barnsley, USM (United Global) some makers have them in two sizes 12oz and 16 oz, either will do. Call Kevin at Springfield Leather, he will probably have or can get them. Look at fitters hammer on bottom left of page here. Art

Hi Dalton, The Landis 12 used to be the staple of every shoe repair shop. There are (or were) 10s of thousands of them out there. There are used to sew the outsole to the welt on shoes. This is about the only thing they are good for. This is the case with most machines in the shoe industry. The 12 has no throat to speak of so really can't be modified to do "other" work. Of all the shoe machines, the American Straight Needle stitcher and the Line Finisher are the only items that could be used for "other" things. The model 12 had a letter designation after it e.g. Landis 12 K. Anything before K is less desirable but still functional, the G being the one most appealing to users. The price is totally dependent on condition. I have seen (more often than you might realize) you can have it, and all of this stuff, if you move it kind of deals, to $3500 from Pilgrim. You must remember that these things were in many many shoe repair shops so you will be kind of restricted to your local area, because moving it can be pricey. So locally, $1000 to $2000 if in very good shape, to the right buyer. A used machinery seller might give you $100 or $200, he might already have a few of them. Custom bootmakers are the main buyers, but there aren't a lot of them who don't have one or two already. Really, there aren't a lot of custom bootmakers. Bespoke shoemakers hand stitch or peg. Good luck with it. Art

If you want a Boss, look for a good used Iron Boss, and that's just my opinion. As for the one or two hands topic, for years and to this day, a lot of operators sew with one hand for delicate or precision work. The right hand is used to ride the balance wheel for slow or intricate stitching as for decorative and closing work on boots using for instance a 31-15. It is nice to have the extra hand, but not totally necessary. However, doing 10 or 20 belts in a day using the Boss may not have you looking forward to the next day. If you buy a used Boss (preferably of the Iron variety) and at worst have to have it rebuilt by Tippmann, you should get by for under a grand. Then you start saving for a 441 machine in a year or so. You will usually get your money back on the used Boss. Some folks will tell you the GA5 will mark the leather more than the Boss, and it might, but it isn't anything you can't rub out with a good polished closers' hammer (also called a flounder although mine doesn't in any way resemble the fish). And you should be using that flounder to close up the holes on any stitching job on veg tan, no matter what machine you use. If you decide on the GA5, get it from one of the dealers here, that machine is made in several places, some to price and some to quality, the dealers here sell the quality variety. On eBay, not so much, if the price is too good, the quality usually isn't. Art

Alright guys, lets not bicker. Wiz, there was no reason for the "troll" remark. Tat2, just make him an offer, Wiz can take it back to M&M, he works there. Art Market Place Moderator

Melanie Machine maybe. Art

Hi Kriten, The speed reducer is different than a servo motor. It gives an additional 3x reduction in speed, but more importantly a 3.x multiplication in torque. There is a motor that has a built-in speed reducer that works well on the medium sized machines. You won't find many, if any, used machines with this motor as they are relatively new. If you buy from one of the dealers here on Leatherworker, the machine will already be set up. You basically take the head out of the box and put it on the table, you have to put the belt over the handwheel. You screw the light on and connect three wires to the light and you are ready to go. You call the dealer before you crank her up to make sure you didn't forget anything. It takes some of our dealers 4 hours of mechanic time to prepare a machine for the customer, it will take you a lot longer. That is why I recommend the dealers here, they are also the ones to know how to set the machine up for leather. They replace a few parts that are specifically for leather. User machines have seldom, if ever, been used in the custom leather trade, they usually need quite a bit of work. Art Art

Hi Kriten, Both the 1541s and the 206 RB5 are great upholstery machines, what leatherworkers would call "medium weight" machines. The Consew is built in China, The Juki in Japan, they are both needle feed, walking foot machines with a safety clutch, they both take what we call 111 feet, all this is good stuff. You will be limited to sewing about 20oz or so of leather total, either veg or chrome tan. These are flat bed machines, so you have to use construction techniques that accommodate that. If it is only $200, I would get the Juki. These machines are mostly set up for fabric sewing, they have aggressive feed dogs and presser feet, they are also set up to sew quite fast, something we as leatherworkers don't particularly care for. Sewing machine dealers at the top of the page set machines up to sew leather. They install speed reducers and variable speed motors to tame the beasts, and smooth feet if required. These machines are made by Highlead in China, and work very well, I have one which is generically known as a 618 SC-1, or Cobra Class 18. They run without problems and the dealers can provide excellent service. These machines cost about $1500 complete, plus shipping. $1500 is about the cost of a Juki 1541s head alone. Art

Hi JayJay, I usually flood the area and wipe, I use a sponge wrapped in a T-Shirt to flood the dye over the piece and rub flooding until I get the color I want. I do dilute my dye 50% with DEA, as Fiebing's is pretty strong straight, if you want more color, just apply again. When you have the color you want, rub down with another T-Shirt and let it dry overnight. When completely dry, buff with a horsehair brush, a T-Shirt or something to remove any leftover dye (important). This is the time to add some oil or Pecard's to put a little oil back into the grain. Again let dry and put on whatever finish you may want. If you are wanting to do serious bending on anything over 4oz or so, you are going to risk cracking the grain if you don't relieve the flesh side, it is the nature of the beast. When making something and you want to put a radical bend in, let's say, the buckle end of a belt, wet it pretty well before bending. Art

Thanks Johanna, Wilco. Art

You've been spoiled, the Campbell or the Randall will give you the tightest stitching available. The next choice (but would never be your real choice) would be one of the 441 stitchers from one of the advertisers at the top of the page. They can be set up to sew a pretty tight stitch, and needles are available to sew different stitch lines. As for the Campbell or Randall, Sales, Service, and Support is available from Campbell-Bosworth. Once you get a Campbell and use it for a while, you'll find out it is really not that complicated. They are not inexpensive though, well they ARE American Iron. Art

Ryan, 1. I am an importer and hold a license. 2. The last thing you need to do is educate me, as you have asked Steve a number of times to have me find out import information for you. 3. You still didn't answer the question, Who makes (what factory) the cb4500. Art

Old Touch-and-Sew I think. Garment weight only, 33 or so thread is max, anything else will "untime" it. Art

I had heard that they were looking to China for a 441 clone, has it finally happened? I know with the new investors they would be working the clones before long. Vern is a great guy on Adler machines, give him a little time to figure out the 441. The machines might be the same price, but add up all the accessories you get with either one. There is also a possibility they will be doing an Adler Clone, there are a few good ones out there,. Art

Ryan, You still didn't tell the op who makes the cb4500. Like I said before, Sewing machines in China are a complicated business. The Cobra 4 is made by Zhiqiang, that is what he asked about. The AK-20 is made by AnKai in Hunan province. I have to fill out the import paperwork on everything imported, I have to specify point of origin, so I have to know where it comes from. Even Highlead (Huigong No.3) doesn't make everything they sell under the Highlead name. New Century does have quite a bit of manufacturing capacity, but they are not the ones holding the export license for Cowboy, it is Xinyi Cowboy Sewing Equipment Co.,Ltd, which doesn't have more than a minimal real manufacturing capacity. Bill Jiang came on Leatherworker a few years ago and stated Cowboy used to buy rebranded from everyone, but now made everything themselves. This seems to be a different story from what you just told. I took him at his word and drew the conclusion that New Century Holding was doing the work. So, who makes the cb4500? Art

It depends on the quality of the belt. 1. Fix the Machine, no reason to have this happening again. 2. Extreme high quality, say some choice words that may make small children, the women folk, and the dog hide in the closet (cat won't care), then redo job. (nobody likes to hear that, but that's why it is called custom leatherwork not a product of Malaysia) 3. Take out stitches and restitch if you can get them in the same holes. 4. Hand stitch a repair, winding the saddle stitching around the stitch on top or remove several stitches and saddle stitch the repair, sometimes this might pass inspection. Use a lot of beeswax so stitches don't unravel. 5. Just keep the foot down and go over the thing a second time (will make the thread really stand out). Good Luck with it. Art

Hi Ray, Art favors the Cobra machines, only because he knows them well and has a bunch of them. They haven't let me down. I also prefer Campbells for linen work. I also like Highlead machines of which I have three or four. The Cowboy machines seem to be treating everyone fair, and the USA dealers I know are excellent. I used to import sewing machines (and other stuff) and I know where they come from, believe me, that is a complicated business over there. Both of the machines come from good factories, and I wouldn't have a problem buying either one. The Chinese show you whatever face you want to see, and generally tell you what you want to hear. They will stick companies between the customer and them to do this. It is just the way they do business over there. You need to deal with a reputable distributor so you won't get sold a pile of crap, or worse, a machine that won't do the job you need it to do. There are more ways to get burned by doing business in China than there are at a flame thrower convention. Art

After dyeing and drying (it must be dry), I buff with a horsehair brush and a loose wheel buff, to remove the leftover dye. I have not had any problem with Lexol, or Bag Kote, or Tan Kote, or Pecard's, or Montana Pitchblend, or Leather Balm with Atom Wax Neutral. But you have to buff EVERYTHING. Art

Hi Jim, You can also go to: David S. Greenberg Atlantic Sewing and Leasing Machine, Co. 902 Main Street Northampton, PA 18067 phone 610.502.2846 There is also Westchester Sewing in Nanuet NY, about 5 or ten miles over the line above Yonkers. John Caruso is the owner. Art