Rumblestiltskin

Thanks TwinOaks, they're already isolated in my back room well away from my work and leather storage area. I have templated them anyway in the event I can get the customer to see sense and bin these.

Fair Call Shtoink, Its one of these "Customer has to have what customer wants" deals. My first suggestion was to bin them and replace, but customer "has" to have these restored. Already told him there is no guarrantee as they are too far gone.

Oxalic Acid, now there's a new thing worth knowing. No Lowes in my neck of the world but i should be able to find a substitute, thanks. That Tandy video is good info too, Lemon Juice, what can't it do!

A customer of mine brought in a pair of motorcycle saddle bags for restoration. They are pretty far gone (i would have chucked them) with a lot of outside damage as well as internal nastiness, but these particular ones cant be bought anymore so he wants them restored. They have been sitting in a damp basement for a year, and the inside is all nasty with white mold and mildew (see pics). Whats the recommended way to treat this and prevent it from returning? Thanks in advance!

For some bizarre reason here in Europe I have a hard time finding good quality hardware at prices that dont require a second mortgage on my home. I found this site for a company based in Czech republic that deals mainly in hardware for pet products, collars, harnesses and such. I have no affiliation with these guys, just thought I'd share the web link for others to use. Although based in Czech rep, they ship globally, pricing is real decent, and quality is not at all shabby. Pethardware.com I just received a shipment from them in good time and so far I'm real happy with the products.

Thanks for the info Billy. I am so looking forward getting going with this machine

my biggest fear is impatience. I catch myself rushing something and have to reign myself in to avoid a start over because i missed an important step or just screwed something up because I wasnt focusing.

Howdy All! Next week I take delivery of a fully refurbed Adler 30-1. This machine has been stripped and rebuilt by sieck machinery in Germany, new innards where required, new dc step motor, 12 month guarantee. I paid a little above average for it but considering it will be "like new" it's a bargain for 1200 bucks. So, now the learning process starts! Until now all my stitching has been by hand using heavy waxed threads. I never really paid much attention to thread sizes etc as i only ever used the one size (which i dont even know off the top of my head). With the machine I'll have to learn what threads the Adler works best with. I am assuming waxed threads won't feed all that well in the machine so I need to work out what threads I should change to. I primarily produce motorcycle bags and heavy leather items using 8 - 13 oz leathers, so I'd like to know if there is a resource describing thread sizes for the Adler, or what the popular choice is by other Adler owners for heavy leather items. Any advice appreciated. On a different note, I'll also pick up a Bernina 117k in a couple of weeks for the smaller stuff, for a measly 150 bucks including a massive sized work table

Thanks for the feedback Mike. As you mentioned, i do buff the leather after the dye has dried, I think maybe i am not putting enough elbow grease into it and maybe leaving some of the solids behind. Thanks for the vinegaroon tip, that looks to be excellent!

Hi All, I am having issues with Feibings Black retaining its color fastness, both during work and afterwards. Neatsfoot seems to be drawing the dye out of the leather when i apply it resulting in parts that look faded. Bagcoat goes on OK, but doesnt seem to offer any real protection to the color in the event that it gets wet. Color doesnt run as such, but tends to come off the leather when rubbed. is this a regular thing or perhaps I am doing something incorrect? I have no probs with any of my other Feibings colors, just the black, and it is only recently started happening, perhaps my dye is tainted or i got a bum bottle? on an entirely different note, does anyone have a home made receipe for a deglazer for veg tan leather? Many thanks in advance!

the work on the graphics is brilliant! Really like it, nice job!

Very nicely done. What's that lacing type called, i really like it. what method did you use to wear and abuse it? creative dying technique, baseball bat???

Good ole Capt Itch Crotch cooler! Larry makes some very cool stuff, his holsters are darn good as well. And to top it off, he's a really nice guy.

A fender bib with a twist I finished recently.

Many years ago i used to do a lot of stitching on a friends old foot treadle Adler, one of those big standing up beasties. I really liked that machine, especially the control you had with the foot treadle, as it would only stitch as fast or slow as your foot could move. Made it easy to start stitching and control the speed while stitching. Yesterday i had a chance to use an electric Adler, and made a complete hash of my project as a result. the bag i was making looks like it has been attacked by a rabid sewing machine! I will have to recycle the bag as smaller projects and start over Biggest problem i had was just starting a stitch line. The foot controller had way to much travel before the motor kicked in, and when it did the dang thing would just take off. Using less peddle and giving the flywheel a nudge to start slower didnt help much. The guy that owned the machine says its normal and i just need to get used to it. I need to master the thing quickly as i have a lot large projects that need to be machine stitched as hand stitching will just take far to long. I dont mind hand stitching, but i've too much big item work ahead of me to have the time to do it by hand. Any advice from stitching aficionados on electric Adlers is most welcome! I haven't given up yet, i will master the Beast!