mlapaglia

Ill take 4 please when you are ready.

Well I found it interesting so I thought others might. I didn't figure everyone would appreciate it. Michael

It has happened on other boards. No reason to believe it isnt happening here.

I agree about the wavy stitch line. Get a stitching groover and your stitch lines will be instantly straighter. You cut the groove a set distance from the edge and stitch inside the groove. No need to try to keep it straight. You just follow the groove. It also helps the thread keep from wearing out as it sits the thread lower into the leather. Less above to get worn out. Did you put a welt in between the top and bottom leather? A side view would really be nice to see. Its a great start. Keep up the practice and you will get great quickly. Michael

This is an excel spreadsheet that will calculate the amount of thread to stitch a item. Set the average seam thickness to the total leather thickness in mm The type of thread setting is not a part of the formula Use the worksheet tab to do the calculation. The new help guide tab is the help and the ISO stitches tab explains the ISO stitches choices. We normally use 301 lockstitch I talked to someone at A&E they suggested we use this sheet for Heavy weight leather for leather total thickness 4 oz and up. the example on the sheet is a belt I did that was 55 inches total so the stitch length was 110 and I was set at 6 spi. It seem pretty accurate to me but I could be wrong. The numbers at least make sense to me. Click here for spreadsheet Michael

Here is a link to a page trom the Tippmann Boss site. The information on needles and thread sizes is the same for all machines as far as I know. As for stitches per inch use the same as you would for a manual sewing job. If you do a holster at 6 ips then use that number for the machine. How close is too close? when you start leaving bumps on the edge of the leather from the needle pushing the leather out you are too close. THe closest I have sewn is 1/8th inch. Closer than than and the needle was leaving bumps on the edge. Hope this helps. Michael

When sizing a D ring does the number, for example 1/2" D ring, mean the inside dimension along the straight edge or the outside length along the straight side. To put it another way. What Size D ring do I need to buy for a 1" wide strap? Where is a good place to buy D rings, looking for the deep ones, also called D Rings Squared, if possible. Thanks Michael

Mike, Another great job. you set the bar for many of us just starting out. Michael

You didn't screw it up you made a design change based on available conditions. It looks good. The only thing I can say is it looks like you need a sight tunnel for the front sight. You have a small one at the end of the gun but it should extend along the holster to the top so the front sight doesn't grab at any point. Nice job. Michael

Ok my turn to try, Ive wanted to be able to post at different points in the thread And I think I now know how to do it. Thanks for the info. Michael WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it worked.

The Gentleman who posted above you have a web site that has what you are looking for. He is reliable and his prices are fair. take a look at the link and see for your self. Michael

Welcome to the best leather forum there is. Im in Centennial Co. Glad to have you here.

New Machine arrived Monday. I ship the other back tomorrow. The new one is working very well. I adjusted the thread tension arm to improve the quality of the stitch line but other than that it worked great out of the box. The advantage of starting out with a dead machine for the first 8 days is that I can take this one apart in my sleep now. I can say that the problem is somewhere is the shuttle area. On the broken one the bobbin loop that forms actually goes around the shuttle and locks up against the needle thread. On the new one the bobbin thread never gets close to the needle thread at the shuttle level. Instead it forms above the shuttle where it should. I am not sure if I will hear what was officially wrong with the first one. The whole thing was caused by holiday timing more than anything. I purchased it the Mon before Christmas. Bad weather kept it from being delivered. I picked it up from UPS on Sat 12/24. Discovered it was broken on the 24th. THey were closed for the holidays til the 2nd. If you cut out the holiday and weather time , the actually time involved was less than 4 days including shipping of the second unit. I am still impressed with Tippmanns customer service and happy with the Boss. Michael

Thanks, This particular topic is a strong interest of mine. Glad to help. Of course being a little OC doesn't hurt either. Michael

I was not responding to you. I am now. FYI I am not a lawyer. Only a lawyer can really answer your questions. The information below concerns a Supreme court ruling about this matter. You can copyright a design or pattern. If you want to protect it from being duplicated by others for fun or profit you need to apply for and obtain a patent. A copyright does not prevent you from duplicating a pattern for your own use or sale. A Patent does. This will raise a large discussion but read the following then read the whole item here. In Baker v Selden, 101 US 99 (1879), the Supreme Court specifically addressed the issue of whether or not something made from copyrighted information in a book was covered by the copyright on that book. The Court said, "The mere statement of the proposition is so evident, that it requires hardly any argument to support it." The Supreme Court felt the whole idea was so obvious that it took little explanation but it explained it anyway: A treatise on the composition and use of medicines, be they old or new; on the construction and use of ploughs, or watches, or churns; or on the mixture and application of colors for painting or dyeing; or on the mode of drawing lines to produce the effect of perspective, would be the subject of copyright; but no one would contend that the copyright of the treatise would give the exclusive right to the art or manufacture described therein. [emphasis added] The Supreme Court in Baker v Selden then went on to say: That is the province of letters-patent, not of copyright. The claim to an invention or discovery of an art or manufacture must be subjected to the examination of the Patent Office before an exclusive right therein can be obtained; and it can only be secured by a patent from the government. What the Supreme Court was saying was that is if someone wanted to claim an exclusive right to a product, they needed to apply for a patent. Once one copyrighted material and published that material, the information contained in the material was openly available for the public to use as they wished. Copyright only granted the copyright holder the exclusive right to publish the material, not to control how the material was used. In Baker v Selden, the Supreme Court also specifically addressed the "practical application" of patterns and rejecting the notion that a copyright would cover the dress made from the pattern: In Drury v. Ewing (1 Bond, 540), ..., a copyright was claimed in a chart of patterns for cutting dresses and basques for ladies, and coats, jackets, &c., for boys. It is obvious that such designs could only be printed and published for information, and not for use in themselves. Their practical use could only be exemplified in cloth on the tailor's board and under his shears; in other words, by the application of a mechanical operation to the cutting of cloth in certain patterns and forms. Surely the exclusive right to this practical use was not reserved to the publisher by his copyright of the chart. Under Works of The Visual Arts, the US Copyright Office lists "Patterns for sewing, knitting, crochet, needlework" as examples of what "may" qualify for copyright registration. From the US Copyright Office, Circular 40, Copyright Registration for Works of the Visual Arts [in PDF format], page 2, Useful Articles: Copyright in a work that portrays a useful article extends only to the artistic expression of the author of the pictorial, graphic, or sculptural work. It does not extend to the design of the article that is portrayed. For example, a drawing or photograph of an automobile or a dress design may be copyrighted, but that does not give the artist or photographer the exclusive right to make automobiles or dresses of the same design. [emphasis added] There is no such thing in US Copyright Law that gives a copyright owner the authority to impose restrictions upon the use of copyrighted material once it has been sold or given away by the copyright owner. There is no such thing in U.S. Copyright Law concerning the "moral rights" of a copyright holder. Selling an item relinquishes future control over that item unless BOTH parties agree otherwise or unless otherwise specifically stated by law. And, there is no protection under the so-called "common law copyright" for things that are defined as being eligible for federal copyright nor is there "common law copyright" protection for things defined as being ineligible for federal copyright protection. We cannot locate a single federal lawsuit that went to trial where someone has been sued over the use of a pattern. Consider the millions of patterns that have been sold in the last sixty years plus and not one lawsuit? It certainly cannot be because purchasers are strictly following the demands of the pattern manufacturers. Patterns manufacturers do not have the legal right to make many of the demands that they make. Of the major pattern companies, Simplicity, Butterick, McCalls and Vogue, not one has posted on their web sites anything remotely concerning customer limitations on the use of their patterns. Why do you suppose that is? They know they cannot legally restrict the use but they will tell you differently if you email them. The pattern companies are in the business of selling patterns and the great majority of them routinely lie about the use of those patterns. Pattern manufacturers and designers do not have the statutory right to control how many items are made from their patterns or what is done with these items. Imagine purchasing a book on how to build a shed in your back yard from your local hardware store. The book certainly has plans (patterns) and instructions and is copyrighted. Do you expect to have to get permission from the hardware store, the lumberyard, the paint store and the book publisher before you build the shed? Of course not. And then ask for permission to post a picture of this shed on Facebook? Of course not. It is YOUR shed. Then, after building the shed, since you no longer require the services of this book, you sell it at a yard sale. Do you need permission to sell this book? Of course not. It is YOUR book. And the purchaser of this yard sale book? Does the purchaser need to ask the same permissions as well to build the same shed? Of course not. Sound silly? But this is what pattern designers expect everyone else to do. They are stuck on stupid. And they think you are stupid. A pattern can be a template, or set of templates, for manufacturing an item, be it a birdhouse or a dress. Templates are not copyrightable. A pattern can also be drawings accompanied by instructions for knitting, crocheting or quilting. A method or procedure is not copyrightable. While the drawings themselves could possibly qualify for copyright protection, the actual instructions are not copyrightable. The only other aspect of patterns that could possibly qualify for copyright protection would be the artwork and that would only be if its intrinsic properties allowed it to be separable from the design, which very, very few designs can do. And to be enforced in federal court a copyright almost always must be registered with the US Copyright Office. When someone releases patterns into the stream of commerce they effectively have relinquished control over the uses of that pattern. What we find disturbing is that there are so many people who want to believe that a pattern manufacturer or a fabric manufacturer has the right to tell you what you can and cannot do after you buy their product. It just is not so. Imagine if General Motors tried to tell you where and when to drive a vehicle you purchased from them. Would you listen to them? Of course not! Read what Carolyn V. Peters, Esq. says about patterns and why the pattern copyright does not cover the end product. She makes a few comments with which we take issue here. A copyright statement as defined in the US Copyright Act is using the symbol © along with the word "copyright" (or abbreviated "Copr."), the first year of publication of the work, and the name of the copyright owner. Nothing else. Any other statement by the copyright owner is irrelevant, extraneous, unenforceable and improper. Yet companies, and individuals, persist in issuing what they call their "copyright statements". Pattern designers do not have the legal right to tell you what you can and cannot do with patterns that you have purchased from them. Period. Even if the pattern is a federally registered copyright, and very, very few are, their claims exceed the rights granted under copyright law. Period. They are lying to you. Period. Why are they lying to you? We think some believe what they say. We think some are just plain fools running their mouths. The rest are control freaks. None are correct. Michael

10 big myths about copyrights explained. excerpt 10 Big Myths about copyright explained An attempt to answer common myths about copyright seen on the net and cover issues related to copyright and USENET/Internet publication. - by Brad Templeton Note that this is an essay about copyright myths. It assumes you know at least what copyright is -- basically the legal exclusive right of the author of a creative work to control the copying of that work. If you didn't know that, check out my own brief introduction to copyright for more information. continue here 10 big myths about copyrights explained. Michael

First the belt already exists. Second it was just something I was wondering, one of those questions that if there is no answer its no big deal. I know it would contour at close enough to the same rate as a non-stitched belt that it would not matter. I was just curious about the horizontal stretch. Sometimes I think to much and strange things pop into my head. Thanks both of your for the comments. Michael.

As a general rule the patterns from Tandy are copyrighted. Therefore if you make a collor where the pattern is a Tandy copyright then it would be considered a derivative work. They can only copyright the changes they made not the original pattern and then can only distribute with Tandy's permission. Chances of them being allowed to copyright a Tandy copyright is probably not likely. Read the following link. http://copyright.gov/circs/circ14.pdf. It will help. Below is a portion of that page. Copyright Protection in Derivative Work The copyright in a derivative work covers only the additions, changes, or other new material appearing for the first time in the work. It does not extend to any preexisting material and does not imply a copyright in that material. One cannot extend the length of protection for a copyrighted work by creating a derivative work. A work that has fallen into the public domain, that is, a work that is no longer protected by copyright, can be used for a derivative work, but the copyright in the derivative work will not restore the copyright of the public-domain material. Neither will it prevent anyone else from using the same public-domain work for another derivative work. In any case where a protected work is used unlawfully, that is, without the permission of the copyright owner, copyright will not be extended to the illegally used part. As a general rule most people are wrong in cases like this, where they start with someones copyright as the basis. All the above is my understanding. I could be totally wrong. Only a copyright lawyer or someone who does this as a profession can give you accurate information that you can follow. Michael

Single layer 8/9 oz 1 1/2 inch belt. All belts slowly stretch, some very slowly, like a two layer gun belt. Would a single line of stitching help slow down the stretch of a single layer unlined belt? Michael

Based on the picture Id do as you said but Id add a set of track lighting over each work bench so you can move then to suit the project. This assumes you have the money for the lights. if not make sure you have the can lights for the bench over the center of the bench and on a separate switch. There are many times I shut down all the lights but the ones over the bench and work. Helps me to focus sometimes. Also I can light the room but turn the ones over the bench off if there is too much light from the window but not enough to shut down all the lights. Michael

Holly, Natural light is the best but you wont get that all the time. Florescent lights are the worst for letting you see the true color of the leather and the dyes. I am from the old school that says incandescent lighting is the next best thing to sunlight. Lights directly overhead, can lights or track lights, will give you the most even coverage for lighting and color. I would still put a goose neck or two around the bench, maybe one on each side to give you good fill lighting. Low voltage track lighting is not very good for the same reason as florescent because of the color of the lights. Until they get LED's perfected Id stay away from them too. For the color of the light reason. If possible set your ceiling lights on 2 or 3 switches so you can shut down what you dont need at the time. I prefer 2 can lights over each bench with a center light or lights in the room for general lighting. Let me know if you need help designing the layout. Michael

Im not sure if its fool proof but I have a line on my tensioners that I use like a clock face. For 277 thread and 16 oz the primary is at 3 o'clock. when I use 4/5 oz I have to increase it to about 6:30 So I keep a list using 16 0z as the standard. For 4/5 it says increase to 6:30 For 24 oz is says decrease to 11:00. When done with the leather I am doing I always return it to 3:00 making sure to go the correct direction. Its not exact but the little I have been able to use the machine it has worked for me. Of course due to another situation my machine that was supposed to ship yesterday will now ship today, I hope. So I wont have the replacement machine until at least Monday Let me know if it helps Michael.

Thanks Mike, In a way I'm glad it was broken. I was beginning to think I was being too picky but Ben said it was broken. I should have it by Friday. I have that article bookmarked. I was reading it while i was trying to get the old machine to work. One thing I noticed it its possible to have the top tension set at a few different places and have the stitch look right. Since you can compensate with the lower tension you can have the tension set way to tight or loose and still make the stitch look correct. The problem is you then get into dropped stitches and tensions that are so tight its difficult to move the handle. I figured out how to set the shuttle tension with a 1 lb water bottle and a loaded bobbin. Once I had that set and the top tensions reset to factory setting I made small turns on the top tension and was able to dial it in without a lot of other issues. Thanks Michael

The fix I had didn't hold for more than a day. It went back to being almost impossible to push the handle at times. I set it aside until today. I called Tippmann and they are sending a new machine. They agreed there is something wrong with mine. I can not complain with that kind of customer service. It is as good as I have heard. By Friday I should be up and running. Thanks for everyone's help and hand holding. Michael

One of my kids got me the Tandy Al Stohlman round/head knife for Christmas anyway. I sharpened it, took longer than what I would consider normal. Tried it for 3 days and returned it. I could not get it to keep an edge. It also had a very tinny sound when tapped. Sounded hollow and cheap. When I took it back I told the guy that Al Stolhman would cry if he knew it name was on a piece of carp like this. I'll wait and get a better one when I can afford it. Too bad my kids didn't read this thread before they went shopping. Michael.