Andrew Chee

That's very interesting. How do you do this inside stitch? Do you stitch it inside out and then invert it over a round core? I'm interested in finding out how it's done. Andrew

It's basically the same size as any other industrial sewing machine. About 48" x 20". You can shave a few inches on the length by cutting off part of the table but that's about it. Andrew

Hello all. I had some W&C harness leather a while back and as those of you who may have done this know, when you emboss the leather, the waxes cause the imprinted area to darken quite significantly. I know that this is due to the way they treat their leather. When I emboss on some other leather like skirting, it imprints nicely but does not have that darkening effect. Is there something that I can do to treat the surface of a skirting or tooling leather that would give it this effect when embossed? I have a stamp with my logo on it and I want to have the darkened effect when embossing it. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks. Andrew

Shell Cordovan? what was your example from? Andrew

I've tried a lot of different things. The thing that I've found works best is nylon rope. You can get it in whatever diameter you want. Make sure it's firm enough that it doesnt compress too much when bent. Of you look at my galleries you'll see bags I've made using this rope for handle cores. Andrew

Will it be seen? If it won't be seen, I've found that rip stop nylon works nicely. Thin, strong, and doesn't fray too much. Ugly though so I only use it for wallet slots that won't be seen. Andrew

I usually will glue the liner on flesh side to flesh side using contact cement. I make the strap pieces oversized. So if I am making a 1" strap I will cut 1.25" strips, glue them together and then cut 1/8" off each side. You get a clean edge that way. I use a ruler and a roller knife instead of a strap cutter but either would work well. But if you want to then edge the corners and burnish the edges, you have to be more careful about what leather you use. Softer chrome tanned leathers just won't edge and burnish as well simply cause it's soft. After you glue and cut you can stitch the edges if you want but contact cement is pretty strong stuff and you might not have to (depending on the application). Andrew

I have a 335 (the new casting) and it sews 138 just fine. Andrew

Google British museum leather dressing. It's basically fats and waxes emulsified in a solvent (I use mineral spirits instead of the nastier hexane). You can vary the recipe with different amounts and types of waxes to get different properties. My current batch has some carnauba wax in addition to beeswax which gives it a shinier finish. It looks and feels very much like bridle leather but with a slightly drier hand. Try it out. At least it will be a good starting point into what should go into a conditioner. Andrew

What is a band knife skiver? I've heard of band knife splitter or a bell knife skiver but never a band knife skiver. Do you have a picture of one? Andrew

That's almost exactly what I have: Short arm 441 clone Pfaff 335 (got for a good price because a factory closed down) 2 consew 206 ( got one for free. Some guy on craigslist was just giving it away) 441 clones are nice but they're not good on lighter weight stuff. Andrew

I don't really know. I just tend to buy a little of something when I find new sources for interesting or hard to find leathers. Andrew

Check out this thread: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=38750&hl=campbell#entry241036

Hello all. This is the latest bag that I have made. It's made of 5oz W&C tan skirting leather that I finished with my own conditioner. It's lined with natural calf skin with an internal divider with zipper pocket and slot pocket. Not really sure what to call this type of briefcase because the opening is a bit unique in terms of briefcases. Sewing the gussets was a bit pain in the butt trying to get my machine to do the tension correctly. Finishing edges was also pretty difficult. Anyways, any comments appreciated. Andrew

How are the dead ducks attached to the strap? Sorry but I've never seen such a thing before. Andrew

What is it for? Is it a collar for a pet duck? Andrew

I found this place called pergamena.net. They're the tannery that was shown on that dirty jobs show. They do veg tan calf skin that's aniline dyed. I just placed any order to see what their stuff is like. Expensive but hopefully along the lines of what you're looking for. Andrew

The answer is yes but not well. For two 2oz layers you would use maybe 69 thread at the heaviest the machine is designed to sew with much heavier thread and you will have a hard time adjusting the tension down to accomodatenthatbsize of thread. Even if you do, the large feed dog and presser foot can make mince meat out of the thin leather. What I've found on my short but expensive journey is that one machine does not do it all. You need at least two, maybe more machines to handle that range of work. Andrew

What are you going to be sewing? 1/2" is 32oz of leather. That's really thick for a bag. I make bags out of 6oz leather and my total thicknesses are usually under 15oz total at the max. I don't know what bag would require four layers of 8oz leather... Andrew

Assuming the machine is in good condition, that's not a bad price. Swapping out the clutch motor for a servo is usually pretty easy because the mounting holes are all pretty much standard (and if they aren't, drilling a few holes into the table is no big deal). You can find servos on eBay for about $100. Depending on what you sew you may want to get a speed reducer (this will give you more torque at low end speeds to help punch through thicker leather). This may not be necessary though depending on what kinda sewing you want to do. What else is he selling with the machine? Different feet and guides can be found for the machine and they're not that expensive but it all adds up. Andrew

1" thick? What kinda bag are you sewing? For that thickness you'll have to get like a Campbell Lockstitch or something... That's really really thick. Andrew