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!

for any one needing to know....i did some more hunting about and discovered that the latch in question is officially known as ..... a Latch! or more precisely, a Latch and Link, often abreviated to an LNL fastener. Commonly used in racing, safety and parachute harnesses, as well as some aircraft. These are the only 2 places i have found so far that will sell the latch and link without the rest of the harness webbing attached: http://www.paragear.com/templates/parachutes.asp?group=246&parent=34&level=2 http://djassociates.thomasnet.com/category/military-hardware

Can anyone tell me what name these latches go by and where i can get them. European supplier preferred but will order form the states if need be. thanks for the help

first, apologies to 6stringgeek for hijacking , second, I also am a newb so I am looking for some further clarity here. TwinOaks, when you said supersheen is good for a first step (when using eco flo dyes), i need to understand what steps would follow? Am i correct in my understanding that supersheen is an actual sealant, which would therefore mean anything put on after will never penetrate to the leather and would therefore not have any real benefit? That said, i really dont like using supersheen, as to me it is not any better than varnish, and i do not have a great deal of confidence in the products ability to withstand outdoor elements for any real length of time. I also think the super sheen tends to hide or gloss over the natural texture and tones in the leather. But if i understand correctly it is a necessary evil if I use water based dyes? I would much rather have the leather oiled/waxed/alternative finish, but here in lies my confusion, I have never seen a product labeled "finishing oil" or some such, and i have a real hard time identifying products that are for actual finishing, ie the very last thing done to protect the work, dye, leather etc, so i have no real idea what people are saying when they say I "oiled and buffed" to finish. What product is being used for this oiling? Wax to me has always been a maintenance product for keeping the leather in good condition, but can i use it to "finish" a dyed project as well? (in lieu of the magical oil, perhaps?) I am really struggling to understand the "finishing" process as there are multiple methods, using multiple terminology, and multiple products with multiple descriptions...... Is there an idiots guide somewhere, or perhaps a thread that deals with this topic in some detail? thx i just needed to add that any discussions on Fiebing products are lost on me as the Eco Nazis here have managed to have their products listed as non importable without all sorts of idiotic expense and retarded bureaucracy, so i cant buy the products here... which is really annoying.....

Yes, i lined the back with felt to protect the paint underneath. I was a bit worried about the felt retaining water after rain and going mouldy, so I saturated the felt with scotch guard to give it some water repelling ability.

I have never liked the standard faux leather tank bib that came with my harley, so i eventually made one for myself. I have always liked tribal patterns, so I found a cool one (at least to me) on the interweb to use for this little project. Next job is a fender bib for the rear fender.

Hey Corey, for your bags, have you identified where you will get the Hard plastic inserts from? I'd be interested to know for a similar project of my own. Couple of ideas for you that have worked out for me on 2 previous projects, one for a sporty, the other for a fat bob. For the Sporty i managed to pick up a pair of trashed original HD rigid backed sportster bags from Ebay for next to nothing, i removed the moulded backplates and reused them to make a new set of bags. For the Fat bob I used 2 mm thick diamond plate Aluminum to make rigid backs and built the bags on those. I predrilled stitching holes in the diamond plate ( took forever) as well as rivet holes. stitched and riveted every thing. Additionally (and I am sure someone will yell at me for this) I used Mastick ( the same sealer used on car windscreens) to glue the leather to the plate. This added strength, but more importantly made the aluminum/leather join 100% waterproof. Using the Aluminum had the added advantage of being able to use Easybrackets to mount the bags on the bike without worrying about packed bag weight stressing the back of the bags where the brackets were bolted on. I am now on the hunt for a pair of trashed roadking classic bags to recover as a next project. Good luck

Thanks for the links guys, time to go shopping :D

Use Red locktite if you wanna keep stuff on permanently. I mean Permanently, dont ever expect to get them off. That stuff holds my Harley together, as well as the stud on my bags

Bumping this as i wanna know as well. Anyone?

Hi All, utter newbie here. I have been lurking on this forum trying to educate myself a little, really good site!! Leather work has always fasinated me, and I now find myself with time on my hands to actually get involved and start doing some of my own stuff to dress up my motorcycle. My first project is the restoration of a pair of really old and abused Leather motorcycle saddlebags, so i am looking for advice on best methods to bring the leather back to life, and to reform/shape the bags. I found these bags squished under a pile of old tyres in the back of a small Harley workshop. They had had a pretty hard life before being cast aside for about 2 years. Fortunately they have always been dry so there is no mould, leather itself is sound. There are some marks and scratches but that doesn't worry me too much as they are part of the bag's character. Some of the stitching needs to be redone as well, i may even invest the time and re do all the stitching. I know there are plenty of good restoration products out there, more interested in any tried and tested techniques or process for restoring. Also, how can I go about reshaping the leather to its former bag shape? Like i said, they have been squished under tyres for about 2 years and are more pancake than bag Would i warm them a little to make the leather pliable? Wetting them and letting then dry over some kind of frame or shaped form perhaps? Is there a specific product or process i should be using to reshape? This area is something that I have to admit i know next to nothing about... Appreciate any and all advice :D