Andrew Chee

I think any vegetable tanned leather would generally fit your bill. The link you sent to Etsy all looked like chrome tan leathers which will not be as firm. Not really sure what look you're after though so hard to say. Andrew

I have a Toro 3000 and have been happy with it. They seem to be inline with the other Chinese clones that other dealers sell. Andrew

From what I hear, laser cutters tend to blacken the edges if the leather (since it is burning). If you're working with black, it might not be a problem. You could send some of your stuff out to be laser cut by some company just to see the results and then you'd know what to expect before spending money on it. Andrew

You can also get the dies made and have a company click them out for you. Weaver does that. Andrew

Thanks for the info. Do you know anything about the thread system? I see numbers like 60-50, 50-40, 40-30, and 30-20 and I have no idea what they mean or how they convert to the sizes that we usually use. Andrew

Does anyone know anything about this machine? I see some for sale pretty cheap. I'm looking for a needle feed machine with reverse that I can set up with a roller foot for leather. I want to be able to sew a max 138 thread top and bottom through light/medium leather (maybe 15oz total max). Can this machine do this? I looked up the manual for the machine but I don't understand the thread sizes suggested. They say a 130 needle (size 21) can sew a "40-30" size thread. What is that? Anyways, any help would be appreciated. Andrew

I'm interested to hear people's experiences. Especially if you have some pictures of things you've made with it or just pictures of the leather. Please share. Thanks. Andrew

That's actually a bit of a complicated question. Depends on the type of bag you're making? Are you making a turned bag (sew inside out and then turn it right side up)? If so, you can do a drop in liner (depending on how you design the open of the bag) or you can do a bound edge liner. If you're doing a bag where the stitching is visible on the outside then doing a fabric lining is more difficult. What is the design of the bag you're making? Andrew

Sorry to break this to you but there is no such thing as "fully equipped". There is always another tool to get... Andrew

As for dyeing, angelus makes these felt pens that are good. They open on one end and you pour some dye into them so you can use whatever color you want. They basically work like a felt up market but with dye instead of ink. Makes it really easy to due edges without running. Andrew

You don't have to stitch them. You can use contact cement and that will hold. It's not an area that takes a lot if stress. Bear in mind that if you want to do a good job you are going to have to skive the edge down to about half thickness. So if you're gonna do a 1/4" fold you will have to skive a 1/2" area. Then when you fold there won't be a bump. Andrew

Hello all. Does anyone know if there is a distributor for Nippy Japan in the US. For those not familiar, they make leather working machinery and they have some machines that are very interesting to me. Their website is www.nippy.jp. If anyone knows who might carry their stuff here, please let me know. Thanks. Andrew

Yeah, we were at the petting zoo which my kid and I saw a goat just standing with its head against the wall. Thought it was kinda funny.... Andrew

I think anything smooth and flat can do it. You're just trying to rub out the marks. Depending on the type of leather you would get varying levels of success. I use a bone folder. Same concept. Andrew

Hehe... That's not really that easy to answer. That will depend on how thick and heavy the leather is. I would say either a Pfaff 335 or Consew 227 if max total thickness was under say 15oz. For more than that, you would want an Adler 207 or Juki 441 clone (Cobra Class 3 or 4, Cowboy 3500/4500, etc...). Now, since you mentioned stitches visible on both sides, you're getting into needle and awl machine territory and those are in a class of their own (price wise as well, and no cylinder bed exists for those). What I learned getting into this hobby is that there is no such thing as one machine that will handle everything. I currently have four and I want more... Andrew

Are there more machines than these? If so, can you list them? Andrew

For your unable to close problem, it doesn't look like a leather thickness issue. Assuming your leather is indeed 3oz, that thickness is just fine for a wallet. The ones that I have made are 3-6oz on the outside and the interior pieces are about 2oz. The problem looks like you're making the external panel the same size as your internal panel. You have to make the external panel about 1/4-1/2" longer so that when it folds, things don't bind up. I'm not sure what Dwight is saying about needing multiple pieces on the inside. If you look at my wallet below, the inside is basically a single panel like yours. To make the outside panel larger, there are two ways to do it. You can just cut a piece that's longer. When you sew it, you will then have to leave a gap when you get to the spine of the wallet. The other way is like in the wallet below, you cut the outer piece in a trapezoid shape so the open end of the panel is slightly longer but the closed end is the same length as the wallet. I hope that helps in thinking about the design. Good job on trying to come up with your own design. Andrew

The seam in the middle was cause I didn't have a splitter wide enough to split the entire piece. I don't think it would wear as well with the seam down the middle... Andrew

Basically sewing machines may/will leave marks on the leather. The walking foot may leave tracks on the top. I usually have less of an issue with the feed dog leave tracks cause my feed dog are smooth. Whether they leave tracks also depends on the type of leather. Not just veg tan vs. chrome tan. If I use W&C skirting leather, I don't really see much in terms of tracks. If I use W&C harness leather, the tracks are more apparent. This is probably due to the wax content in the leather. These tracks can by minimized by controlling the foot pressure but in many cases, you may not be able to eliminate them. It's just a matter of a small metal foot pressing on the leather that causes the tracks. Some people use roller foot machine to help minimize tracks. I've still seen leather goods where you see the tracks. Probably the only way to ensure you never mark on any leather is to hand stitch. Andrew

Updated my gallery with the second rev of my wallet. This time I used hand boarded W&C harness leather. I got a wider splitter so no more seams in the middle. Left the outside piece at 5-6oz. Andrew

I think what Nvleatherworx says is good. One thing that bothers me is when I see things that are termed "hand made" and the quality is not very good (the edging is poor or the stitches are not straight and even) and people try to explain it away by saying its hand made. My personal opinion is that it should be made better than what some factory in china can make them. Otherwise, why not buy it from the factory in china? It'll certainly be cheaper. Andrew

Your backside looks about right for a lockstitch machine. The back is never going to look as nice as the front... Andrew

Can you take some pics to demonstrate your setup? Andrew

Hello all. I have a Pfaff 335 and a Consew 206RB. On each of these machines, the reverse is spring loaded so I have to hold on to the reverse lever when stitching reverse. I would like to have both hands free. Is there a reliable way to modify the reverse so that it either is not spring loaded (like a 441 clone) or use a pedal to set the reverse? Anyone done this? Thanks. Andrew

Are you interested in selling the Efka? Andrew