Les No6

John James neadles and awls are what I use made in England they don't come any better and cost penny's, the sizes 1,2 and 3 harness point neadles are the same size, for the price (£1.45 for 25) you may as well get a few packets of each size. The awl blades are not available on the web site you will have to email or phone them, I can't remember how much they are last time I bought some I got 6 dozen so they wont have been expensive forged every harness maker and saddler in England use these. Here's the links to harness point neadles and the catalog for the awl blades. Don't know the pack size on the awls mine are 3 dozen packs, but I think they sell them by the dozen. http://www.jjneedles.com/products/Envelope-Saddlers%27-Harness-Needles.html http://www.jjneedles.com/downloads/pdf%20jj.pdf

This is a sail makers palm for driving a large neadle through heavy cloth I use something similar called a collar makers palm for sewing horse collars the neadles used are huge and a cross between a pricker and neadle and are driven through the leather without the aid of a pricker or pre made hole with a raw hide thong or very heavy thread. With a saddle stitch you use a pricker to drive the hole through not the neadles the only time you would need to drive the neadles through is at the end of your stitching when closing off here just use the pricker handle and or small pliers, so unless you are using large neadles that are ment to be driven like collar neadles it's of no use if you are using small driven neadles, (glovers and quilting neadles) use thimbles.

The Classic and #9 are essentially the same but the Classic is better put together and has much nicer castings and neither compare to the Pearson (BUSMC) No6 in either build quality, mechanically or stitch quality (Luberto’s lack the auto thread tension mechanism of the Pearson).

Pricking wheels and irons are for pricking out and over stitch wheels are for running over completed stitches but can be used to mark out stitch spacings. I personally prefer wheels because they are faster and go around curves and bends easier and neater. Dixon and Blanchard pricking irons and wheels are forged and hand cut high quality professional tools and will last a lifetime in fact many lifetimes and have a high resale value. Goods Japan and Tandy are poor quality machine cut Chinese manufactured tat at an over inflated price. Comparing Dixon and Blanchard tools to goods Japan and Tandy is like comparing a hand stitched oak taned leather belt to a plastic belt from Wallmart. Not sorry for the rant Regards Les third generation harness maker STILL using my Dads and Granddad's J Dixon Tools.

The correct way to thread a neadle is to take the end of the thread squeeze it between your thumb and forefinger so you can just see the end of the thread, take the neadle and push the eye on to the end of the thread and down between your fingers. You can also taper the ends of threads by drawing the ends of thread under a knife and scraping the thread then wax and twist the ends and you will (if done correctly) have ends that taper to a point.

Yes on both counts, I would go for the foot and an edge guide, its cheaper and you will reduce your production time.

132k6 lower feed dog flip foot and center foot will sew leather up to around 3/8” which is enough for Saddlery (English Saddlery) and you will get feed dog marks on the underside.

K6? the model number comes before the K on Singers the number after the K denotes the subvarient you need to post the full number.

W Thacker & Sons Ltd New St, Field Gate, Walsall, West Midlands. WS1 3DJ phone 01922 622302 Don’t be put off by the lack of web site they are a 200+ year old business they don’t have a minimum order and their knowledge and service are beyond reproach. The chains look to be 3/4” the rosets 1’3/4” lead filled rope edge the piece on the top of the halter is a terret there should be one on the surcingle also although I can’t see it in the photo I mostly use bell terrets on heavy stallion sets and occasionally fly terrets you will be able to source something in the US, and you can get bell and fly terrets from Abbey. Your welcome Jax always got time for anyone from the Black Country.

Here's the Aaron Martin link http://www.aaronmartin.com/product.php?cat_id=1264&catview=162&submit=View I only get my machine needles and parts from there so don't know what their hard wares like but always had excellent service. Thackers don't have a web site ill post their contact details tomorrow as I don't have my book with me at the moment, they have a trade counter at the factory in Walsall England I usually pick my stuff up from there when in Walsall not so close as Jax though so only go about once a year.

It should wet mold although I haven't used Wicket & Craig English bridle leather I do use the real thing (English bridle leather from England) the leather is dressed, termed stuffed over here with cod oil and tallow which makes it water resistant but it dos take on water if you work it a little under water to open the pores up once it's toughly soaked mold as usual, beware though some cut costs and use cheaper alternatives to cod oil and tallow such as petroleum jelly, don't know how this would behave.

The chain fronts are pyramid fronts not flat fronts and the same chains are on the sides of circingle not shure whether Thackers make pyramid fronts they do make flat fronts in a range of widths in brass and nickel and I don't know whether they make them long for the circingle I've only used them on brow bands, they make every thing else that you want. Aaron Martins have pyramid chains with screw fittings which they sell by the ft haven't used them so don't know what the qualitys like, you could use clincher links instead of the chains, personally I much prefer chains.

You can beg to differ all you want but you don't need much speed control on a skiver in fact you can just use a regular motor with just on and off as a lot do. Skivers are not difficult to use most of the know how is setup and adjustment it's quite easy to pick up even for a complete beginner such as your self. And as far as motors go you control the speed of a clutch motor by how HARD you press the pedal, with servo and electronic clutch (Chinese servo) you control the speed by how FAR you press the pedal, Since you don't need pin point accuracy with a skiver and once proficient you just want press a go the cheaper and more reliable clutch motor is a no brainier.

It's usually on the plate how many poles it has and speed but some just state speed, 1725 is 4 pole, 3450 is 2 pole, the 60Hz is the supply frequency.

4 pole motors have half the speed as mentioned and twice the torque compared to 2 pole of the same size (shaft power=speed x torque) and the motors run at full speed or there about all the time when on and produce enough torque to maintain that speed until the maximum load then at which point the torque drops to starting torque (very little) its the clutch that varies the speed, load, you dont start the motor under load ie clutch engaged. You would be better off replacing the motor with a 4 pole, there's no point in putting a servo motor on a skiver, the Chinese servo (not really servos) motors are more expensive and less reliable than than a cheap clutch, 1/3-1/2hp is all you need. And as Tom says check the head running with a fault will only make things worse and this is the important expensive bit.

1/2 HP is more than enough but I certainly would run any machine at three times its rated speed, turn the skiver by hand with the motor turned of and your foot on the pedal to see if every thing turns freely if it is free there is something wrong with the motor, you would be better of changing to a 4 pole motor any way. Single phase motors have no start up torque and depending on type have separate start up windings these have very little torque and just spin the motor up to speed at which point the main windings kick in, so if the motor spins up to speed and has no torque the starter is working and the main are not, also make shure it's not a three phase motor with a capacitor wired to one of the inputs a trick used by some disreputable dealers the motor will spin up on single phase but have no torque.

You want a skiver used in book binding these are for the thiner softer leathers and called paring machines you need to start with much broader strips of leather broad enough to pull through the skiver then glue these together with good contact adhesive when dry cut into widths that you want. Here's one in use and can be found at book binding suppliers. http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=KPvDZOf-O98&feature=related

DangerDan isright 1080 makes very a good knife the old knives are made from hot forged (hot rolled sheet) 1080 or simular including leather knives and cut throat razors, if you are making a knife for cost reasons don't bother once you factor in the cost and time it's cheaper to buy a good quality head knife such as Dixons. There are many factors that go into making a good knife, profile (compound taper), and heat treatment, get these wrong even if you are using high end crucible steel such as M4 you'll end up with a poorly performing knife. Old saw blade are probably going to be 1080 or similar and will be the wrong temper for a cutting edge only the teeth are tempered hard the rest is probably sping tempered, this steel wants annealing making it easier to work once you have done all the cutting and most of the grinding then heat treating to the required temper (hardness, toughness) then finishing and the cutting edge ground.

Just remove one needle and its associated bobin on lock stitch machines.

You will be very hard pressed to find any Pearson parts unless you break a machine for parts, if you want No6 parts try Aaron Martins see if they still make them some of the parts are very reasonably priced while others are not. For everything else you’ll have to have them made for which you will need a part to copy, and if the original part is heat treated it must be heat treated and vice versa. For parts making look for model engineers and suppliers around your way a lot of these will have a machine shop more than capable of making most parts. And here’s a picture of the most underrated Pearson sewing machine.

As I explained the centre foot isn’t needed as far as needle feed is concerned it doesn’t come into play at all unless you are using fine needles. I also neglect the walking foot mechanism which isn’t common to both unison and needle feed, and the bottom needle guide is important to both, the through plate, feed dog is a must for unison feed, as is the centre foot otherwise you have needle feed jump foot. As long as you have the bottom needle guide no problem.

In essence the unison feed mechanism is an elaborate needle feed jump foot where the lower and upper needle guides are brought into contact with the item being sewn thus compressing the material while the stitch is being formed (not needed on leather) and binging the needle fixing points (needle guides) into the closest possible proximity to give the needle the greatest possible rigidity in the direction of feed. You should really be using a bottom needle guide with a slotted plate it’s an important component, the feed dog is a through plate needle guide, under plate needle guides are the same but are flat on the top you can grind down the former if you can’t find an under plate one (Ferdco used to sell them). With a slotted plate you now have needle feed jump foot and the upper needle guide (middle foot) should be removed, most needle feed jump foot machines don’t even have them such as the Juki 421 (441 without middle foot) the problem (when using slotted plates) with the upper needle guides on unison feed is that it presses down on the leather when feeding, pushing it into contact with the plate whereas with needle feed jump foot the upper needle guide doesn’t come in contact with the leather and prior to the needle feeding the needle lifts the leather a little clear of the plate giving complete freedom for the needle to feed. Under plate needle guides are adjusted so that the front of the needle is in contact with the front of the needle guide as the needle feeds, the needle is now fixed at the needle bar and at the bottom (and supported somewhere between by the upper needle guide if used) and is now ridged in the direction of feed, the guide needs readjusting when you change the size of needle. In summary the lower needle guide is an essential component irrespective of plate used upper needle guides are expendable in most cases and are only needed when using fine needles for extra support, cutting the front out of the middle foot renders it useless as a needle guide, if you are unhappy with the middle foot just remove it now you have a needle feed jump foot (421 the model intended for leather) irrespective of throat plate used and regular feet can now be used for the jump foot. As you have probably realised by the time you’ve read this far the problems you are experiencing when using slotted plates are due to the needle flexing because it’s not properly supported.

WEIRD! That got me puzzled for a couple of minutes the machines back to front I found the manual it’s in the link below the grove on the needle faces down the arm and the scarf facing out and the needle is threaded from left to right so have you got the needle in the right way. http://www.supsew.com/KnowledgeBaseArtefacts/Documents/Seiko/Seiko%20Operators%20Guide%20for%20TE%20TF-6B.pdf

Highlead GC2698 and Global WF9335 are Chinese copies of the Pfaff 335 the Highlead GC2268 and Global WF970 are Seiko LCW8B copies same size of machine but takes a heavier needle there’s no difference between Highlead and Global just a different paint job. And parts are interchangeable between the copies and originals. One other point is that the machines will have quite aggressive teeth on the feet and bottom needle guide (feed dog as some refer) these will mark your leather they serve no actual purpose, so mention when you buy that you want a smooth feed set for leather, this should be no problem, but if it is and you go for the 335 copy Pfaff do a leather feed set which will fit but you can just grind the teeth of the feet the bottom needle guide just fill in the teeth with metal epoxy but make sure it doesn’t void your warranty.

Adler’s are a better build and steel than the Chinese copy’s you could also check the serial number with Derkopp Adler, I googled united and there is a US machine dealer with that name that sells Adler’s but the machine is very cheap the last good 205 I saw was £1000 more than that price. The 45k is in the same weight class as the 205, the only difference is that the 205 has a better feed mechanism so gives more uniform stitch length and it’s a cylinder bed apart from that will do the same thing the old Singers are also very well made. The price of a machine depends on make and condition, and Im not that familiar with the lighter class of machines as I am with the heavy.