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Rumblestiltskin

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Posts posted by Rumblestiltskin


  1. 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!

    post-21262-0-39489500-1362043223_thumb.j

    post-21262-0-64252700-1362043323_thumb.j


  2. 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.


  3. 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 :)


  4. 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!


  5. Recent seat that I made specific to customers specs. The seatpan is the original HD Crossbones plastic pan. it was a bit nervous making it because I was afraid to bend it out of shape when I streched the leather around the edges.

    because of that i did the final pop riveting and streching at customers garage. Got a perfect fit.

    I'm not overly pleased with the beveling as I didn't get it all that even that I'd like, more practice on walking the beveler :-)

    Over winter we will fix up his bag to match the seat.

    Tom

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


  6. Hey there.. I have the same problem on Softail. Vance & Hines pipes and I've burned through 4 pairs of slacks and 1 Winter Riding Suit. I can't afford that. I found this product called the "Crotch Cooler" http://bit.ly/r5ULvY .. I'm very happy with it, and were I able to leather work I'd have made my own.

    When I received it, the first thing i notice was the thickness of the hyde. Very thick, and it's several layers as well.

    Just exactly what you were talking about.

    I hope this helps..

    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.


  7. 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! :)


  8. 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


  9. 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.....mad.gif


  10. very nice bib, i like the design...did you put a lining on the back...when i have made these in the past i have glued a very soft piece of leather on the back that covers the lacing so that it doesnt scratch the tank.

    cheers

    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.


  11. 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.

    post-21262-044982000 1309894632_thumb.jp

    post-21262-065299200 1309894751_thumb.jp


  12. 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


  13. 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

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