Art

Then throw it in an enclosed space with an ozone generator for a day. Art

I used to be an old iron collector. I still am, but now I collect 221s and 222s and 301s. I still fool around with big iron, but the newer stuff you can get parts for. If you are just starting off, buy new. Pick a dealer that advertises here on leatherworker.net, call him and talk about your needs. $2200 or a little more gets you a new machine. There is no guarantee you would ever get that 97 running, you might, but there is a lot of leatherwork that won't be getting done while you are getting there. On old out of date iron, the parts that break are the ones that are hard to find. A lot of them have been modified to use a more common needle system, can you make that modification? What do you do if you screw-up a needle bar or worse, can you MAKE another or PAY to have one made; or you could be sewing away on your new machine. Can't remember when I have had to sew something 1" thick. A big thick holster welt MIGHT in someones imagination go 3/4 inch, but any respectable 441 is going to manage that. You don't need a 97. Please don't pay $2200 for that 97. That kind of money should get you a Museum quality piece, running damned near like the day it came from the factory (probably better). The 97 nowadays is worth practically nothing, in working order, something, maybe to the right person, but I wouldn't want it for haul-away. Unfortunately shoe repair shops are the worst, when the owner dies or they go belly-up, everyone thinks (well everyone but buyers) that the equipment is worth a fortune. They look at prices on newer up to date compact equipment and they think the old stuff is gold. Even the new stuff goes pretty cheap at the auction. An old shop just goes for haul-away. Art

I use Barbour's Linen in the Campbell #1 1/2 needle and a #2 awl for 5cord/4cord. I use the paraffin based wax lube for the top, I'm dry in the bobbin. Never tried Linen in any of the threaded needle machines, I've run poly in the Campbell, works fine. Campbell's prices are ok. Art

I assume you went and picked this "leather" out? It is the only way to buy leather at Tandy. I would suggest that you take it back and carefully inspect what you are buying. Art

Western Holsters, 5cord/4cord Barbour's Linen. Duty and Off Duty, 277/277 or 277/207 Nylon or Poly, usually Coats Poly or Linhanyl Nylon. I have used Eddington Poly on Western holsters and it works well and looks good too. Barbour's six cord Linen or repair thread for hand stitching. I don't know what the difference between Barbour's repair and std linen is, it seems the same to me. Everything I have is left twist and the Nylon and Poly are Bonded of course. Art

Ken, Singer made a lot of 31 machines (in a few flavors) the fifteen probably the most prevalent, the twenty was an upgrade with the raised plate. These were built very well and are still around. If you buy any used machine, have a talk with Bob, he can tell you what accessories and parts are available for it. While not as good as a needle feed machine, with a Teflon foot or roller foot you can run respectable pressure and still have adequate feed. I wouldn't hesitate if the price is right. Art

Tailors machine, obviously great for fabric and also for decorating boot tops 69 thread about max 45 better. Call Steve at Leather Machine Co, get his recommendations and buy it. Art

Yes, you have needle up and needle down functionality among others. Art

A really good German one would be an Efka, they totally replace the std motor, Weaver puts them on machines, they are optional. Art

I have seen them and worked with them for a day. Fit and finish is very good. Pretty solid mechanically. Functionally excellent. You have to ignore the place of manufacture. Even the Chinese machines are somewhat multinational and the Adler will be the same, the Chinese own them now. The one thing I would recommend is to get a needle positioning motor for it. Don't let Vern screw you on that, tell him it will be the difference between you buying from him or not. Get a special coffin made, you'll be taking that Adler with you. Art

Keep working on it, you picked the hardest of the basketweaves to start with, so don't get discouraged. Master the tri-lobe and the others are a snap. Keep showing us how you are doing. Art

PJ, Too wet left. There are only two makers that make that stamp correctly, Bob Beard or Barry King. It looks like you kept the line straight, I generally recommend that you lay down a set of "railroad tracks" with a divider set to the exact width (the dots on a Bob Beard stamp) and lay that line down with a straight edge first, then go from there. Even with Bob's or Barry's stamps, you should maintain the same orientation of the stamp throughout the project, actually those stamps are so good you can get away without that, but with any other stamp, not a chance; paint a line on one side of the stamp and keep it toward the bottom of the project. Tip in a little when you get to the edges so you don't stamp where you will use your camo or border stamp. Go slow. If you get a really bad job (sometimes the basketweave and/or geometric ghods are not smiling that day), use a seeder to cover-up the junctions. It's a whole different effect, but a messed-up basketweave is in itself a whole different effect, especially with the tri-lobe. Art

Hi Barra, You need to move to San Francisco, or maybe West Virginia. Art

The "mesh flesh" is the sure sign of Naugahyde (Uniroyal) but is also indicative of other "pleather" products. It is really polyvinyl chloride which is extremely stretchy, hence the woven stabilizer. I have never seen the Nauga in the wild, but I understand that they are a very large animal that has the sole ability to shed it's skin in a perfectly "tanned" condition on huge rolls. It was indigenous to a region around The Borough of Naugatuck, Connecticut, but that population has become practically extinct. A new herd of these creatures was discovered in Stoughton, Wisconsin, and are still being exploited today. Art

Generally it won't work. The machine needs to be slower (about 1750 rpm works) and the wheel needs to be harder (oily wood or veg tan leather or felt). I use felt (medium which is actually quite hard) and work a groove in with a piece (or several) of hard veg tan, use some bees wax while working the groove into the felt. If you have a drill press, that will work also. I also have a geared head lathe which I have used, but kind of a lot of machinery to have spinning when a buffer will do, I have a little Baldor 1/4 hp that I use. Art

Sure does. Art

Hi Gunter, Will Ghormley made the rigs for the movie, and sells patterns here: http://www.willghormley-maker.com/OWC2.html Mike Pugh is the only maker I know of for the bridgeport rig, at about $200 (clip and mushroom. To purchase, please email michaelwpugh@hotmail.com. Or call Mike at 262 880 4325. Art

Emil, Call Matt at Wickett and Craig. 1-800-TANNERY. http://wickett-craig.com/ Art

Hi Daniel, Call Dan Preston at Proleptic.net and see if he knows someone who has them. Dan is pretty tied into the shoe repair industry. He publishes a mag called Shop Talk. 207.495.3600. Art

Hi Dan, They do that because they will tarnish just sitting in the box. Good luck finding unplated ones. Until then, the best thing to do is polish off the plating using 140 polish-o-ray on a sewn wheel. You will need to make a jig to hold just the caps or a shield to protect the leather on an installed snap. Put a screw stud onto a piece of wood to handle the installed snap. Unless you can luck into some old stock somewhere, this may be your only option. How did you fix the ones that were returned? Art

Even at one stitch a second, you will be ahead in no time. Once you get comfortable with controlling the machine, you will go a lot faster. Start slow, it makes the same stitch no matter how fast (or slow) you go. You might want to start with 277/207 or 277/277 as 346 may look a little big. One problem some have is trying to use too big a thread or too small a needle. If you start having problems, go down a thread size (or up a needle size) and see if it helps. Art

Resolene will protect, but it leaves a plastic look. On tooled leather it just takes all the depth out. I've seen tooled saddles done with it and I just didn't like the look. Maybe it is just me. I sure would do a test piece to see if you like it. Art

You take it hunting or shooting and he gets to clean it? Sweet deal. Don't switch to black powder, there may be a divorce. I guess you could seal it up with Neat-Lac or one of the sheens, however, a little oil won't necessarily hurt and will disperse over time, not too sure if bore solvent is going to do it a lot of good though. You might want to switch to Ballistol, it is more leather friendly. Art

Hi Grizz, http://www.santaswardrobe.com/santasupplies.htm#belt%20buckle 3 7/8 inch belt. So they are out there, just a little pricey. Art

Methyl Methacrylate resin or PolyMethyl Methacrylate with comonomers such as Butyl Acrylate added to increase impact strength. There are more than 15 brands and formulations starting with Rohm and Haas in the '30s with the name Plexiglas (used for a long time for windshields in aircraft), they were bought out along the way by Dow and Lucite became a name. Others are R-Cast, and Per-Cast, and Perspex. The smallest amount I have ever been able to buy is 55 gal drums, although they would have been a lot happier selling me a tank car load. It is a resin and hardener as I used to get it. Mix up the amount you need and go like hell, it doesn't have much more than 20 min pour time. Not my favorite stuff to work with, but it makes a nice table top. Bubbles can be a problem if you are a little too energetic when mixing. Altogether, I think buying it precast might be better. Art