Roger

thanks bill, i know it's a lighter machine but, comparable to the flat bed machines i am looking at. i would think the cylinder machine would be a bit more versitle but, being new to sewing machines in general i am relying what ever input i can get. price is the biggest issue at the moment. i need to get something and get to using it then i will look to move up.

thanks david! seat orders are still rather slow but i am pushing and begging along with letting guys know that i am not booked up so i am starting to get some work. i am close to investing in a sewing machine and am going to start producing some bags to take up the inbetween time. yes...that red is my custom mix of ox blood and mahogany

thanks ken and tom! the seat is black and the "red" tooling is a combination of ox blood and mahogany. i use it quite a bit when i need a deep red

well almost! i still need to buff it out and cover the bottom

thanks for the reply dave! i have heard nothing but good things about the guys at artisan. i will try and give you a call some time soon.

still looking around and found this machine. yamata 335a looks to be another juki 441 clone. walking foot, 135x17 needle and will handle 207 thread am i better off going with a cylinder bed machine? it only a few dollars more than the flat bed machines i was looking at.

ok.. now on to needles and thread! what size and type needles should i try for 138 and 207 thread? what thread should i try and where to get it? the machine uses the 135X17 needles i guess i should also add feet and accessories to the mix. should i use certain feet or a guid of some sort to get nice straight stitches on strap edges ect?

thanks for the responces! after reading here and doing some more looking around with what you guys suggest, i am now looking at a consew 206RB-5 i would love a heavier machine like the artisan 3000 but, i need a smaller machine to get things rolling and will look to upgrade if and when.... money is everything at the moment so if ican have this machine pay for it self quickly then i can start saving for something bigger. at the moment i am thinking about small bags, straps belts ect. i have no idea about any of this stuff so thanks again for your input. let me know what you think about the consew machine

i see a bunch of Gempsy and yamata machines on ebay. any input on these? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=120182622064

both very nice heavy machines but, more than i am looking to start out with.

i am thinking of purchasing a machine to sew up to 18oz or so. i'm looking for suggestions. i need to spend as little as possible but have a machine that will do the job. the top end of what i'm looking for seems to be an artisan 797 ABlther. also is the new version worth the extra couple $$? for sure i want a walking foot machine with a servo motor. i see quite a few machines for under $1000 but need some input

any pics of of the back? what size dee rings should they be? should they be mounted vertical or horizontal?

thanks for all the replies! between a few hours of looking and what you have posted here i think i am going in the right direction. pretty much all the pics i could find were of the straight on shot of the front. i'm going to do some playing but it sounds like i may need some lighter, softer leather for the gusset than i have at the moment. thanks for all the responces!!

i use pecard leather dressing on all my motorcycle seats and bags. it blows the aussie leather conditioner away

i no nothing about them. i need some basic info on size and construction. from doing a search i see there are quite a few variations. i would probubly tool a simple pattern into thew flap like the one in the pic that was send to me. also are they generally linned or does that vary depending on the use? here is the pic that was send to me

i have a request to make a few sporrans. anyone here make them that could fill me in?

DAMN HE FOUND US!!! welcome to leatherworker ryan

i repaired an old tood bag for a good customer of mine this summer. i was hoping a had a pipc of it but, i didn't take any since it was a repair job. the gussets were riveted on so what i ended up doing was making a mould and wet forming the gussets. it came out great! just something to think about for the next one

i'm sure this box would be quite a lot to ship. like i mentioned ...send me your shipping address and i will see about sending some other scrap to you. nevere been to hawaii..... maybe some day............

It's yours! pm me your address and i will get it out to you.

curt, i would think this box would be way too much to ship to be worth it. i have another box started and may be able to send some of that your way. pm me your address and i will check on shipping.

When ever i get a box full of scrap leather, i like to send it to a beginner. It's mostly 3-4 oz but there is also some 5-6, 7-8 and maybe some 10-12oz scraps. most of it is plenty big for some small projects or practice. this is a large box that a side came in and prolly 20 or so pounds of scraps all veg tan. first one to speak up gets it!

thanks! i started on it about a month ago and haven't had the time to take it any further.

thanks for all the compliments and comments! sorry to hear that everyone is slow. i guess i'll have to try and push a bit harder. i finally get my stuff into four or five magazines and feel that it's finally getting to where i think it needs to be and it slows down like this!