zikman

Hi guys, recently bought a cowboy cb3200 machine. Got it all set up and been playing around with it. Very easy to pick up, which is great... but I haven't quite got everything perfect yet. Specifically I'm having trouble with the top tension seemingly being too high. Here's a few pics to illustrate. https://imgur.com/a/mv9R8 I've done a ton of research and troubleshooting. The top thread tension is as loose as it goes and I've toyed around with the bobbin tension, which doesn't seem to make a difference. The stitching seems to come out fine when I sew two layers of 5/6 oz. Buy anything less than that doesn't come out right. Is it a problem with needle/thread size? Or something else I might not be considering. It's kinda driving me mad. I've read through every forum post, watched every video several times and I still can't quite figure it out. Thanks for any help!

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A word of warning, this particular leather that you've posted is very pliable and has a little stretch to it. Not quite what he's looking for. More suited for lining or garment work. The other weights of that leather have a firmer temper like most veg tan that you'll find.

Can you explain your process a little more? How did you punch the holes?

You can use bontex as a stiffener for bags. It's a little funny to work with, but I don't have a ton of experience with it. For the most part, you have to find the right leather that is the perfect combo of thickness to stiffness ratio. That might be the most difficult part when first starting out. Unless you live in a large city with a garment district.

Definitely dilute your dye when dip dyeing. If you are working with thinner stuff, you may find some small warping or stiffening. Always rub off excess dye and rub in some neatsfoot. Do give a day or so between each process.

I need to re order a spool of 2 and 3 ply natural stuff in the coming week. Lemme know about group ordering.

I only use fiebings pro oil dyes, diluted with denatured alcohol in my airbrush set up. Check harbor freight for a small pancake air compressor and a quick change air brush set. It's dead simple. Not a fancy airbrush by any means. Best for dyeing pieces one color, not for intricate patterns/designs.

Yeah, I'm always annoyed by their shipping. I've definitely put off ordering from them because of the steep shipping costs.

Here you can see how small a footprint the weaver press has. http://i.imgur.com/8fyXA8B.jpg I believe the price is about $450 with the plates and shipping. I don't think you can use the plates in a harbor freight press without a bit of modification.

DANDTON: Yes!

you can get a shop press with steel plates and a custom die or two from weaver for about $500-600

Exactly! Making the same identical piece over and over again is almost unbearably tedious to me. It's always so hard to stock up inventory for shows and other events.

I don't really know if this is even worth posting or if it's something that others experience. It may just be me. But I've realized that I don't specialize in any one thing. I see new designs or product ideas and get enticed by them and want to try my hand at making something new. I'm always coming up with new designs and pulling them off to various degrees. I'm great at making one offs... But I hate it. It's labor intensive. It's mentally draining. But once I've done it, I think "what's next". It's a terrible problem, especially when trying to establish my leatherwork as a business. I don't know if anybody else has dealt with this. It may be unique to my personality and something that I need to work on. It's incredibly frustrating because I feel like I'm never happy with anything that I put out.