Cumberland Highpower

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

Has anyone been able to contact Campbell/Randall in Texas by email or the online contact form? I've probably emailed and sent requests through the online contact form 20 times in the past 2 years with never a reply or an undeliverable reply. Always end up buying elsewhere or finding an alternate path forward...I was starting to wonder if they've changed their contact email? I called in an phone order last week when I was in town, so they're obviously still in business. I received an email from them with an invoice from the same email address they post on the website. I replied back to it within 2 mins asking the cost/availability of a heating element and nary a reply as usual...... Am I the only one they never reply to? Starting to think I've been Blacklisted or something. I'm one of the oddballs I guess that like to do business via email and actual mail. I don't have cell service in our area (I don't have a cell anyway) and I'm not on the land line.

Was it the cost that led you to purchase a Chinese creaser? If you had to do it over again, would you have bought a Regad? Just curious. We've not used heated creasers before. I'm guessing we'd use then a couple times a year, likely 8hrs continuous for a week or 2.

I've got a couple UL machines and a spare for parts. They're getting allot easier to get ahold of with the onslaught of cheap Chinese machines. You'll get one sooner or later. I paid $800 for my first one at auction 20 years ago, the 2nd afew years back, $250. My parts machine was $30! LOL. First thing I stole was the motor/table/variable drive from it. The UL is a great machine for belts/harness/strap goods. Not all that great for holsters, but does work decently if you're experienced. Thing about the UL is that it has to be a real tight machine or you're have endless problems with it.... I remember talking once to a holster maker at Milt Sparks. If I remember right he said they had 7 Randall/Campbells operating. That was some time back though, they could be up or down. I know DeSantis operates some as well, at least 2.I actually sold a Randall to Gene Desantis on the cheap. I say 2 at least, because he shipped me a Randall Crate to ship the one I sold him.... You must be mentioning the Landis 16. That's a good machine for holster making and I have a real nice one but almost never use it. The Randalls are a little better for holster work, I really prefer the awl feed for holsters, but that's splitting hairs.

I've been looking at Regad Creasers/finishers a little. Never used one before and know very little about them. Id say I'm drawn to that model, mainly because it looks like a quality unit and is made in France. Or...is it? Are they really French made or are they just a repurposed China soldering iron with the tips made in France? I've seen some Chinese alternatives, but I'd prefer a quality unit that is consistent and can be used 8hrs a day when need be. Looking to put a hot crease in chrome tans including horse and calf at times. Are there any "other" non Chinese alternatives to the Regad units? Maybe something made in Japan?

Why not? You can always put it back together. I'd consider $400 a reasonable tuition if you want to learn to make these types of holsters. I've probably got 2 bushels of parts from holsters I've cut apart/deconstructed over the years! LOL

There's a trick to it to be sure, but if they can do it so can you. Pull up on the bottom of the loop a little. My guess is they ran stitching from about the trigger area up the flap and around part way. Then folded over the loop and stitched it to the back. I cant' tell if the X came first or the stitch band around it. Pull it up a bit and see. Looks like the X came after judging from the way the thread is cut. They just then folded the holster from the look of it and closed it up. Looks like in a 2nd set of stitching (I can see a stop and start on the backside of the closing stitch. Might give them the chance to flip it over and finish stitching from the front? I'd guess they just thumbed the loop back real hard and ran a narrow foot past it at that point. I think I can see some wrinkles from the flex still present? At the same time I think the stitch length in that tight spot varies allot, it may be a short stretch of hand stitching, an inch or 2?. It could also just be the sign of a serious fight trying to wrestle the holster around/past the presser foot? I can't see those guys doing any hand work though. Anway my best guess from the 2 photos. It's just a guess. I've stitched allot of holsters over the past 25 years.... You should take a flat shoe knife and cut the entire thing apart. You'll get a good look at the stitching that way.

Does anyone know of a source in the US for chrome "Russia" pattern leather? I can't seem to find anything suitable here. I know ILCEA makes it in calf, but I can't find any of it here either. I'd buy some from Grande Italia but the freight is a killer.......

Well, I can't tell you from looking at the photo how it's assembled all the way, I can tell you it was Stitched on a Randall with a slim and narrow presser foot.. (Hook and awl machine). No Juki can make such fine work. Milt Sparks uses Randalls.

WTB Slide plate for a Seiko, part no. 8137 Can't seem to find one.

Looking for a 4:1 or 4.4:1 type gear reduction motor. The type that was pretty common on Randall machines in the past. (Strap cutters, embossers, etc).

found a set

Well, I think that's a bit of a stretch...LOL. I think the relative should just give it from love and affection and all that

Of course you should buy it! That's a great heavy machine. It's a needle feed true jump foot. Really about the best setup for leather. That machine probably sold for 7k new back in it's day 30 years ago. Parts wise it's 95% a Seiko CH series machine. Seiko still makes these models and parts are available. I highly doubt this machine was used enough to wear out anything. The handful of parts that Ferdinand made for it in the conversion are not available, but any machine shop can make them. Those parts are just simple metal shapes you could even make with a vise, hacksaw and a file. Shuttle hooks, bobbins, feed dogs, needles, needle plate, etc are all available. Presser feet are probably same as Seiko CH7. Being a true jump foot/needle feed machine, you only really need ONE presser foot. a narrow open toe. You can do the same work with that as with all the feet combined on a "modern" unison feed machine. I'd buy it for $800 myself. Want to sell it? Don't waste your time calling dealers...Hoffman Bros won't know anything. Everyone you talk to will try to sell you a Chinese clone of a Juki like it's made from gold and your machine is made from...poop. You'll just have to learn your machine and learn how to source your own parts on Ebay, Alibaba, Yahoo Auctions Japan, Cambell-Randall, College Sewing machine, etc. Study the Seiko CH series. Like I said before, I don't think you'll need anything other than feet/needle plates/dogs. Seiko builds quality machines. It seems like allot of folks get into the hobby and when they buy something they don't know what they have, how to work on it, how to tune it, etc and expect a dealer or someone else to hold hands and walk them through it. The one thing I would try (I've never tried it on a 900b) if I were you, would be to use a 328 needle and lower the needle bar. A shorter needle will have less flex and give you less issues with breakage. you don't need a 794 needle for most work.

All the places I would have recommended closed. Allot of those old machines just used sandpaper sheets. The horsehair wheels are pretty pricey though.

Anyone know of a good inexpensive supplier of U cut table tops? Looking for one or 2 for a standard set of K legs. Plywood w/formica top. I'm lazy to make my own.

Hey Gerry I actually saw those units on ebay as well. I've not owned one, but did some research a little. Seems like most commenters said they didn't have good low speed control? If you have 2, how do they suit you on the slow? Most of my shop is wired with Nema 6-20 outlets, but might want to take this machine other places from time to time because of it's smaller size.

I'm looking for a cheap (yet decent) servo for a machine I'm setting up. It's a wimpy machine that I want to run at a pretty low SPM. as low as 30 maybe. Thinking to order in an ISM CB-55D in 110v, although I looked a bit at some of the Reliable Sew Quiets as an option. I don't know much about the Reliables, how low can they go? I've got a couple ISM SV-71s in 210V. While I REALLY like these I do have some problems with my supply voltage. At times in summer my line voltage goes above 246v and when it crosses that threshold the ISM's will error out. That's not really a "problem" in a big way. I just plug in a small idler motor in the circuit that gets it down a bit and problem solved. Anyone have any experience with the CB-55D? How about the "Reliable" 6000 and 6050?

When I was a boy my mother went through allot of home sewing machines. One day my dad bought a Necchi BU in a cabinet from a hoarder for $20. She still has the Necchi and I think it was the best home use machine ever made.

I guess I'm the only risk taker on this forum? LOL

Looking for a set of roller wheels for a Randall NSB Beveler. I need them for 3/4" straps. Can be steel or aluminum as long as the contact surfaces are in good shape. Let me know what you have

I think they're mostly sealed bearing units? There is a sleeve that moves in the housing that could use a little oil, it slides back and forth when you engage it. try lubing that. CM's are tough and can last just about forever. I have one on a Randall that was made in 1984 and I use it every day nearly. I've adjusted the Cluch/Brake a couple times since I've owned it over the last 20 years. You can buy the friction plates and bearings for some of the better ones, but buying a used CM is often cheaper. They're not obsolete at all and are still made. There are just better and worse uses for them these days. Servos are great when you want a positioner and on leather stitchers for beginners (and non beginners) I find CM's on heavy sewing machines that are run full throttle for long durations is best. I highly doubt you'll get any Chinese Servo to last 40 years though, more like 5 if you use it allot. Maybe an Efka or Mitsubishi can make it to 50yrs? I can tell you one thing that's a negative about Servos, you can't tell from the sound if they're on. I recently put a needle through the tip of my finger when inserting a bobbin on a Seiko. Lucky for myself the needle didn't shatter....If it had been a CM I'd have known it was on.

So I came across this old post and am looking for some similar input here in 2025. I've contracted a run of belts with these types of tips, but find them to be a bit of a pain. I've got 1" tips to attach. Is there a die or punch specifically made for these types of tips? After looking online at some photos of production belts, it seems I see a mix of some sort of custom fitting and belts simply fitted to a leather tip with an English point. The later appears to have some taper visible before entering the tip? I'd like to cut this particular run of belts on my Galli. If there is a pattern or readily available "punch" of some sort I could install or modify to cut it, would be great. Any thoughts or advice? This is the first batch of belts with tips I'll have made.

I've been working on some small leather goods and would like to machine stitch them with linen. I've never sewn with small gauge linen, and have been looking at the Meisi sz40 superfine linen. Mainly because I like the feel of linen in general and I like the colors they offer. Cost wise it's pretty expensive.... I believe this thread is "Waxed" although I don't know to what degree as I haven't ordered any just yet. I'd like to run this in a machine, either LSC-8b-1 or a Te-5b. Ideally in the Te-5b, I feel like the shuttle/long hook may allow for slightly better stich quality. Does anyone have any experience w/this thread by machine?

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