Andrew Chee

I've never used a clutch either. People have said that you can get a clutch to go slow "but" it requires a lot of practice. Servos have a lot more control. On the other hand, make sure you ask about the servo you get. Some servos have this weird thing where it goes from very slow to very fast without much ramp up. It's caused by a design problem and can be fixed with a DIY fix but better to ask your dealer for a servo that doesn't do this. Andrew

So I use double sides tape as well I get the 1/4" tape from Sailrite and it's pretty good. The only thing is doing corners of gussets. When the leather is going around a three dimensional curve it wants to push away and split off. The tape doesn't always hold it when the presser feet start exerting pressure. Any thoughts on that? Andrew

Just a question to everyone on this thread. If you have to sew two pieces grain side to grain side (and then turn the pieces out after sewing), what do you do? Do you just use contact cement on the grain and hope it holds? In my experience, nothing puts a good hold on grain to grain. Andrew

Btw, artisan sewing machines moved to San Francisco. You can look them up cause they have a lot of leather machines. Andrew

Price dropped to $1100. Andrew

I have it up in the for sale section. I had it on Craigslist too. I'm asking $1100 now. Andrew

If you're interested I'm a flatbed sewing machine, I have a consew 206rb for sale and I'm in your area. As for the techsew, they're not bad. I have a pfaff 335 which is what that machine is a copy of (at least an older model) and they would work just fine for purses. I see my bags on the 335. Andrew

Sailrite sells a seam tape thats really strong. I use that and it works well. The problem is not none of that stuff holds very well when you're sewing grain to grain around a gusset corner. Glues just don't hold unless you sand the edges and the seam tapes hold ok but tend to come apart at the worse time I'm currently awaiting a special hot melt glue roller from Japan to see if it will solve this problem. Andrew

That particular style of servo has a problem with speed control. It's actually relatively easy to fix and there' a video on YouTube telling you how to fix it. I did it with mine and the control now is great Just a thought. Andrew

So do people tend not to use rollers on a needle feed machine? If you used a narrow foot, wouldn't you possibly run into a problem with sticking on sticky material? Also, wouldn't a roller be better for sewing right up to the edge even on a needle feed machine? Andrew

Another question about roller feeds. I see that most people that use the roller setup use drop feed straight stitch machines. I don't see a lot of needle feed machines set up with rollers. Why is that wouldn't a needle feed machine give you more consistent stitch lengths when going around corners? I also don't see any left row feed dog setups for needle feed machines. Why's that? Andrew

You guys definitely have some interesting tools. I might order from you if you accepted Paypal or credit cards. Western Union and bank transfers just isn't very popular here in the US. Andrew

When you etch onto the hair on sides, does it burn the hair off or does it just darken the hair? Couldn't really tell in the pictures. Also, for the pieces where you etch the edge lines, do you cut the pieces by hand or do you cut them with a laser? Andrew

Doesn't look like the 45Ks are made for binders. You may have to rig something up custom to make it work. As for the drop down guides, you may also have a hard time since the head is kinda small. All of the Kwok Hing ones have two horizontal mounting holes and your head doesn't look like it has enough room. I put one of these on my Artisan Toro 3000: http://shop.raphaelsewing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7_46&products_id=518 This one might work better cause the mounting holes are vertical so they might fit your head. With that said, I have no idea whether it will actually fit or not. I'm actually not that hot on this guide either. There is nothing that locks it in place when it's in the down position. When you're sewing heavy leather, there is always a little bit of up and down vibration of the leather as it's sewing along and I found that it's enough to slowly lift the edge guide up and eventually disengage it. Andrew

I've tried something similar to this. I think it's called a French edge. Same as what you have except you sew over the rolled edge instead of next to it. I've only done it when The back isn't shown though. Your backs are nicely done with the covering piece of leather. Very clean. Andrew

Hello all. This is the latest briefcase that I've made. It's W&C medium brown skirting leather finished with my one leather finish. The lining is a navy herringbone wool. I think things turned out ok this time although the binding was a pain to do. Andrew

Hey trevor, do you have pics of the back of your straps? Andrew

I know this is a long shot but does anyone have one of these and have used them and might know where to get one? I've been looking for a solution for gluing the edges prior to assembly. I was looking at these big edge gluers but this little thing looks like it just might work really well and it will hopefully be less expensive too. Anyways, any info would be appreciated. Thanks. http://www.nippy.jp/en/2013/1141.html Youtube: Andrew

Hey royal, this is a Puritan machine. I went and checked them out. You should talk to the guy about his other machines as well cause he's got a lot of different machines coming up for sale. He's gonna have an Adler 205 and a Seiko CH8 or something like that. those would be much better fr holsters. The Puritan is a chain stitch machine so the back will look completely different. They're great machines but probably not for holsters. Anyways, PM me if you want tO find out hat else he's selling cause he's got a lot for sale. Andrew

No, grades do not work like that. Horween has a strange grading system for their shells: Grade #1: 2.75 SF Grade X: 2.25 SF Grade #2: 1.75 SF Grade #3: 1.50 SF Grade #4: 1.25 SF Grade #5: 1.00 SF Chips: 1 SF and under They do not sell their shells by the square feet. The larger the shells, the more expensive they are (when calculated by square footage). I guess it makes sense since the larger shells are more rare then the smaller ones. Andrew

I saw this in a japanese magazine. It was for cutting tight curves, not circles necessarily but the concept applies. You place your template over the leather, then instead of trying to cut along the curve with a knife, you cut straight down, then you make small downward cuts taking a small wedge of leather with you each time. If you cut wedges that are small enough, the end results looks like a pretty decent curve. Something worth trying... Andrew

Sent a PM.

Greystone, just FYI, there is no "cut" for shell cordovan. They are all the same cut. They are ovals cut from the buttcheeks of a horse. The grades refer to to the usable size of the shells. Andrew

What's the thicknesses you have in the shells? Andrew

A bag like this is really simple to construct. Basically start with the dimensions of the bag you want. Let's say you want something that's roughly 15" wide by 11" tall by 5" deep for example. Cut out two pieces of leather that's 20 1/2" by 13 3/4" (this is allowing for a 1/4" seam allowance). The bag pictured, although looking rectangular, actually has a taper because the bottom has three dimensions while the two is really two dimensional. If you cut the bag out so it was actually rectangular, the top would flare out when it's sitting normally. Depending on the amount of taper you want, you take your cut piece of leather and cut it into a trapezoid shape. For example, I would take off maybe 2" from the bag opening so it would sit more rectangular. So basically you take your 20 1/2" x 13 3/4" pieces of leather and mark in 1" from each side on one of the long sides. Then you draw a straight line from that point to the other end corner and cut off the excess. At the end you should have a trapezoid that's 18 1/2" on one end and 20 1/2" on the other end and 13 3/4" tall. Then you sew the two pieces together grain side to grain side on three sides (all the sides except the 18 1/2" side). Then you fold the bag so the seems line up. Find the place in near the sewn corner where, when measured perpendicular to the seam, the length is five inches across. Sew that line. Do again on the other corner. Then cut out the excess leather left by that triangle. Turn the bag inside out, and you have the tote pictured. It looks like in the picture they glued an extra piece of leather on the bottom to stiffen it. You can do that too by cutting out a 15" x 5" piece of leather and gluing that to the bottom. Hope this helps. Andrew