Cumberland Highpower

You know, I have one just like that in my junk pile. Kinda the same reason as yours! It's a 3450 RPM motor, that's about double what a normal clutch motor for the average sewing machine motor should be RPM wise. Are machines that need such a motor though....

That's an interesting point. I never cared for a treadle machine. I always found it distracting and less controllable. Less controllable that you have to keep a hand on the flywheel for braking more than you would with an electric motor. Of course each to their own style and preferences. I've probably watched 200 Japanese videos on youtube and the older treadles are real popular, even for light leather machines in production environments. Over there it's just because of the tradition and many don't want to pay for the electrification of older machines.

What color were you aiming for? Use Feibing's oil dye (Pro dye nowadays). Dip dye your part and lightly work any dye that didn't absorb after 10 seconds or so so it does absorb. Some dyes such as med or dark brown require 2 dye events to get a consistent shade/color. Use a quality leather!! Herman Oak is the best for dye work. Not only does it absorb dye evenly, it dries more quickly than imported leathers. Don't use a daubler/foam brush unless you're just doing edges or something real small, same for an airbrush, why would you torture yourself with that? You'll run the risk of uneven penetration and streaks, plus it takes longer if you're making more than one item. Make sure your dye is blended well and at a proper temperature. Really cold dye will not give good results.

Your bobbin tension isn't supposed to be too high, rather on the light side. That's something you need to experiment with based on your work and threads. Start with a light tension on your bobbin and adjust the top. Once you're pulling the lock to where it needs to be, see if you like the look of the stitch. If the stitch needs to be pulled tighter, tighten the bobbin a little more and then reset the top. You may also need a different needle as well. Run black on top and white in the bobbin and it's easy to see what's going on.

I've dyed allot (thousands) of holsters black after they're sewn. Assuming you use black thread, it's not a problem. Use the Pro Feibing's dye. I hate the cheaper stuff, it dries the leather more and leaves more residue to buff off when it dries out. I do the same with dark brown blends on black thread. I always use poly on the things I dip dye. If it's lighter shade you're after you need to dye your work first.

I totally agree with you about not wanting a clone. The real deals are almost always better. I remember a few years back I was at a place and saw a stack of shafts from Juki 441 clones, they were bad parts removed from new imports and replaced with what I guess must have been OEM Juki parts? I remember commenting on it and was told they were soft or out of spec, something like that. Buying a rebuilt machine isn't always an issue. Those machines were made to "make money" and as long as critical parts are tight and in spec it's good to go. A good looking machine helps allot in pride of ownership/use though. I've got a couple real dogs here w/no paint and been rebuilt a few times but still turn the $. These 1341's you're seeing for sale are like I said mostly recent imports that are refurbed. It's not really that the factories in Asia are using something better and getting rid of them, it's just that it's become a profitable thing lately for US importers to bring them over. That gravy train might vanish after Trump's Tariffs? I've myself "imported" 2 machines lately from Japan. Bought on yahoo auctions...(Seikos). The weight would be a killer on a 1341 though, probably not practical? The machine heads I bought from Japan cost $120 to ship, the other $325! forsewing.us probably has the better refurbs, is that where you are shopping? I thought about buying one from him a while back. I think the guy that runs that place is Chinese, likely where they're from? There are 341s around and I occasionally see the Nakajima parent machines for sale on FB Marketplace. A new 1341 is like 5k plus....If you call that "Industrial Sewing Machine Man" (google him) he might be able to get you a good price on a new one. He's kind of a broker/middle man.

I think allot of the 1341s you see on the market right now are imports. I don't mean imports as in back when they left Japan all new and shiny. There are lots of them being imported from Asia as off the floor used machines and are being refurbished here in the US w/paint/decals etc. Basically machines that have seen hard use and cleaned up. They're still good machines, bullet proof and all. Just not 100% what they appear

420RPM gear motor

Try looking on FB marketplace for a Consew. Sometimes I see them around the $600 mark. You can always make an offer, sometimes sellers actually want to sell! Singers are decent machine generally. It's harder and harder to find one in good shape at a reasonable price though. I've got a Nakajima 180 in the classifieds here for sale. it would work decently if you bought a SMOOTH presser foot. (You'd only need a smooth presser foot, the feed dog can stay serrated for bite as you're not displaying underside) a unison feed/triple feed machine could be a little better though for larger upholstery panels of leather like you plan to sew just in case you had some slippage.

I lost the heating elements for my Randall R-32s when we moved some of our machines. I wanted to order a couple heater cartridges, but I can't remember what I had in them. Can anyone measure an element diameter x length? I'm thinking that I might have had 22mm or 20mm heaters, but I just don't remember. Looking to buy a couple on Ebay or Amazon on the cheaper side of life.

They're good holsters, I've owned a couple and they usually just came with the gun. (I cheat, I've been a FFL/Dealer for 15 years). Too bad they have such a lead time. That cuts about 80% of the customer base out, as most gun owners have ADHD....

I tried to sign up for an online account with them, but won't let me. Tells me my email is already registered (??) and then when I try to reset password it just says "email does not exit" Exit, not exist? lol. How are you placing your online orders Tom? I couldn't find any sort of cart or purchase page. Well, I guess my final gripe about C-R today is the freight they're charging. I just looked over my invoice and they charged me $32 shipping for a 3lb billable box that was 5"x5"x3". Looking over my UPS rates It would cost me $8 (Ground Saver only $6.78) to UPS the defective wheel back.......... Windfall Profits on shipping must be the new norm, reminds me of last year when Weaver Leather charged me $26 or whatever it was to ship me a 2oz plastic ball for an Adler. (I'm also in OH like Weaver). Starting to think I'm in the wrong business.

They might be a bit awkward Tom, I guess I'll find out? I know when I use corded thread cutters it's always a bit so. I thought about the alcohol creaser setup, but I think it's too slow for production work. We'd be looking at making a few hundred creases in a day on small pieces. Watched some Japanese Youtube videos with that type of setup and was impressed though.

That's about the only way to get hold of them it sounds like... Sometimes I get good service. I'd say about a 75% success rate getting what I need/want. The order I just placed was for blades and a set of NSB wheels. I think I spoke to the Janitor? Instead of a matched pair of NSB roller wheels, I got ONE roller wheel...And on top of that it was bored out .004 undersized and wouldn't fit the machine... When I called back at 3pm CT they were closed up? I'm sure I'll get it resolved ok tomorrow or so, but I'd probably put that down as one of the less stellar customer service days...I was really counting on those wheels for an order that is supposed to go out Friday. I know they must be busy and have lots of customers/orders etc. Have you ever been able to reach them via email or the contact form on the website?

Those videos really are an inspiration. If they could squat/sit in the dirt and work away to create useable items, so could I. Kinda reminds me of my younger days....LOL