Andrew Chee

Hello all, updating my post to move all the information from Craigslist to here: Price is $250. I have a Weaver Leather hydraulic clicking press for clicking out leather pieces using clicker dies. The press was purchased new from Weaver leather and has been used sparingly. Comes set up with the clicking plates and cutting pad. I replaced the manual hydraulic press with one that will run on compressed air as well. The setup is in like-new condition. Please text me if you are interested. The price is firm. Thank you Andrew

Updating my post and moving all the information here instead of linking to Craigslist (since the links expire every once in a while): Up for sale is a Cobra leather machines H10 top and bottom field leather skiver. The skiver is in good condition. I purchased this used from another person. I have fixed it up with a new bell knife, bottom roller, and sharpening stone. I already have another skiver and I find that I don't really have a need for a heavy duty skiver afterall so I am selling this one. It comes with all the accessories listed in the pictures. It has a servo motor attached. I am selling this at a bit of a loss because there is some minor damage on the machine. The back cover for the rear gears and one of the rear gears was damaged during transport. This does not affect the function of the skiver but it is still slightly damaged nonetheless. The machine comes as is. It is ideally suited for skiving heavy leathers. I realize that I don't usually use anything over about 7-8oz so this machine is necessary for me. Attached are pictures of the machine doing edge skives of 5oz leather down to about 1oz. If you are interested in the machine and have heavier leathers to try out, please bring it with you. I will give you an overview on how to use the machine and adjust it. Text me if you are interested. Price is firm.

Hello all. I have an American hand crank leather splitter for sale. I just recently bought a wider Cobra splitter so I don't have any need for this one anymore. It is in excellent working condition. I stripped it down and cleaned it up when I first purchased it and it is now adjusted and splitting well. The splitter comes with the original blade as well as a brand new one. Both have been professionally sharpened. I live in the SF Bay area and would prefer to sell locally to avoid the hassle of shipping something this big but I will entertain shipping if this doesn't sell locally. Please PM me if you have any questions. Thanks, Andrew

Hi Dwight, what grit do you use for your final sanding of edges? I've found that the sander works great for leveling the edges. If I have no curves in the piece I still prefer to cut the straight lines because you do get a cleaner edge. But with curves and corners you can't beat a sander to level the layers. Andrew

Just a clarification on the stirrup plate. I have used mine on an Artisan Toro 3000 and I have found that the plate needs to be used with a right toe foot instead of a left because there is not enough material on the left of the plate for the foot to press down on. Also, I found that with the stirrup plate on, my sewing thickness goes down to about 1/4". At least that's what I've observed on my machine. Andrew

You can get something like that made probably in the $40-50 range. Not sure if that would be considered expensive or cheap to you... Andrew

Also, the hidehouse in Napa, CA has a veg tan kip skin. It's calf skin so it's in the 2-3oz range and the look and feel of it is like your typical veg tan skins. Not sure if that's thin enough for your needs. Andrew

Is his website still valid? How do I find out what he carries? Andrew

Elect ration, are you Siegel of California? I'm confused cause I thought they went out of business? If not, are they still distributing? Andrew

It's been a while since you originally posted this. Just wanted to find out how the splitter is working for you. I heard that these older bottom feed only splitters are not that good at handling harder veg tan leathers but is good for thinner softer stuff. How is yours working? These bottom feed only splitters tend to be cheaper than top and bottom feed ones so I might be interested in finding one if they can handle the work. Also, if you don't mind me asking, around how much did you end up paying for it? Andrew

The tabs themselves are 5-1/2oz. I split the rest of the wallet down to to maintain a slimmer wallet. That's why the main outer piece is sewn together. My splitter can't do more than about 5-14/" or so... Need to get a wider splitter... Andrew

Hello all. Here is a mid-length wallet that I just finished. Ten card slots. Leash loop. Sam Browne stud. Entire wallet is made with 2-3oz W&C skirting. Any comments appreciated. Andrew

Wow. Those are amazing. Do you sell them? Do you have a website? Andrew

I think this is why it's important to describe your process to people. There are things that individuals would do that a factory usually wouldn't. For example, when I use copper rivets I set them by hand and then peen them and dome both sides. Factory set rivets don't usually don't do that. On stressed areas that I I sew by machine, I hand backtack the beginning and end stitches. This is stronger than just machine backtack. Most factories don't do that. Let's face it, many factories make very good quality items. I think you have to sell yourself on the individuality, quality, and details of your work. Andrew

Maybe you should market your goods as "made from start to finish by a single craftsman". I've seen people say that and it's (at least to me) as good if not better than saying hand made (which as people have noted could mean pretty much anything these days). Truth though us that people nowadays who really care about this probably want to know more about your whole process beyond just the label of "hand made" so if you have a website or something you should include a description of your process. Andrew

You can see an earlier thread about it here: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=47424&hl=%2Bpfaff+%2B335+%2Bflatbed As for smallest thread, I don't know but I'm sure it can handle pretty small. The smallest thread I use is 69. The thing works just fine on fabric and light weight leathers. It does fine on heavier leathers too, just won't go over a certain thickness and thread size. Andrew

I have a 441 clone and I have all the different plates. They are useful for different operations. The open vs closed center foot isn't as important. Having an open toe does help in the sense that you don't have to thread the thread through the hole. But other than that, either is equivalent. Left toe vs. right toe is useful when you want to sew right up to the edge using a guide. You can sew closer to the right edge using a left toe. The only time I use the right toe is if I'm using the harness plate. The harness plates (at least the one I have) is designed to be used with the right toe. The harness plate elevates the leather so you can sew closer to a bump. I sew handles that is leather wrapped around a rope or some other kind of corp. The harness plate lets me sew right up to the bump in the handle and still sew straight down. As for a Pfaff 345, I don't have that machine exactly. I have a Pfaff 335 and that machine maxes out at a 138 thread. I had a guy make a flat top attachment for it and it's great. I would say that a cylinder machine with a removeable flattop attachment is always preferable to a flat bed of the same type because it gives you the flexibility to switch and do different operations. The negative is price and availability of attachments. Cylinder beds usually cost more than a comparable flat bed and many times you would have to get a flattop attachment made. Andrew

Hello all, I have a Cobra H10 top and bottom skiver for sale. I am selling it in the SF Bay Area. Local pickup only. For more information on the item, please check out my Craigslist posting at: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/app/4305013229.html Andrew

Hello all, I have just put the press up on Craigslist. You can see the listing here: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/app/4304998791.html SNPR, I didn't see your message. If you are in the bay area you can contact me either via PM or the Craigslist add. Andrew

It will definitely not handle 277. I sew 138 top and bottom on mine with no problems. I wouldn't go heavier than that. Andrew