Trevor

Hi there Butch. I too would love a copy thanks. trkillip@ihug.co.nz Cheers and thanks Trevor "Way Down Under"

Hey there Ruthless. Try this site in the USA http://www.kmsinc.net/index.htm Best of luck Trevor "Way Down Under"

Hey there UK Ray. I have looked closley to your problem and reckon I have figured out what you want. It looks like the upright stud is indeed a lift the dot Screw stud in some form or another. The thing that I also see is that to attatch a dome fastener to the top of this is impossible without a thing which looks like this. This means that the dome will attatch to the post. BUT ! your picture is not one of these at all or anything near it. I reckon the snap head only serves to go over the top of the stud (Pointed piece or screw stud) and when the flap is closed and the book closed and dommed shut the loose pages will not come out unless ripped out. The dome head only covers the pointed shaft stud, not actually snapping onto it. Thats my theory Have fun and Regards Trevor "Way Down Under"

Some very nice work there. I too have made myself a BB phone holder and used a small rare earth magnet hidden in the back of the pouch. I glued it in place on the back part of the pouch (where the phone would pass over it and activate) and then covered the magnet only in very thin leather, just enough to cover the magnet, then lined the inside leaving a hole where the magnet can do its job but is still leather covered to allow no scratching of the phone. I have put up a couple of my pictures for you to look at and a few others. Cheers Trevor Way Down Under

This is a foot as Steve rightly said used to get real close to the edge of the work being sewn. ie Some people call them ZIP feet where they can sew a zip in place easliy without the machine having to walk all over the zipping. Can be helpful to have one of each (Left and right) in your box of bits for when you need it. The other tool he had attatched to his macine was a drop down edge guide roller. He could then sew at reasonable speed without worrying about the stitches being not straight. Cheers Trevor "way down Under"

Hi there Weaver Leather and Ohio travel bag have what you need but I belive that the best buckles come from Custom Metal Supplies for which I have given you the link. Cheers Trevor "Way Down Under" http://custommetal.thomasnet.com/item/buckles/z-4430/pn-1111?&forward=1

Its sure is a queer looking rooster. How about a photo of the other side....may reveal what it is Cheers Tk

Hey there Noah. Ive been putting in rivets for a long time and we have an aluminium rivet which is very similar to the copper rivet and burr that you see available. But the aluminium is much easier to set and looks great. All those rivets that you are talking about will be very hard to set against leather. It will only take so much pressure. and a steel rivets could rust and look like crap. If you want I can show you some pics of the aluminium ones and maybe ship them up to you. They come in two sizes which is about half inch and three quarter inch with a washer. simply put the washer on.....hammer the end so the rivet fattens slightly and then use the setter to force the washer all the way down and stay down, then cut off with side cutters and finish with setting the head with the rounded side of the tool. I use them for heaps of jobs that need a good solid and very sturdy rivet which looks OK. Get back to me if you are interested Cheers Trevor "Way Down Under"

Hi Again guys Its been years since I owned these machines but I do remember that the mitsubishi you had to open up a plate and put the screwdriver into the mechanism and then adjust the stitch length then re-tighten the whole thing. It was an absolute pain in the neck to adjust. I still have (as a collector) a Zig Zag walking foot singer 47K1. big old black thing Not sure whether it would still run or not but It has some historic value here in Auckland. It was used by the Blind Institute for years to make and sew door mats. Blind people were considered as 2nd rate citizens then but that has all changed now of course. Anyway cheers and thanks Trevor "Way down Under"

Hi there UKFossil. Yes you have a 132K6 there alright. These are a good strong all-round work horse that will go forever and ever amen. I have owned several and also a Mitsubishi DY253 I think which is the same etc but has reverse. These 132's did not have reverse untill the later models. They will sew up to about 10-12mm of leather but struggle after that. They have a short needle not the 794 but this is still OK. I have a full parts list and instruction book if you need. Good luck no I dont know what the knob is for But it isnt reverse. You can look up the serial number and see when it was made also. Cheers Trevor "Way Down Under"

Hi there This stitching looks to me to be machine stitched. Why: The marks on the leather are tell tale of the feet walking on the leather. The stitches are too perfect to be hand done. I believe that the stitching can be achieved with a little careful planning. The thread has to be the right size and the bottom thread chosen to match. I usually go one size down for the bottom thread. The machine needle (used on the picture) I believe is a twist or LR which is an unusual leather point (cutting) needle that puts a diagonal cut and the thread will lay diagonal when sewn. I believe that this can also be achieved by other ways but this is the easiest way I know of. Be sure to match the right thread with the right size needle as well. Most of the time I only use (unless for a good reason) the LR or twist needles. Both in the Toro and the Juki where that sewing pattern to me looks really cool. I would only use the diamond head if I knew that thickness was going to upset the path of the needle and skew it off in the wrong direction other than straight down. One last thing the machine that you use should be working perfectly ie the timing and foot/feet should be set at the correct height as well. Just my thoughts cheers Trevor "Way down under"

Hi there. I own a JUKI LU 563 and the difference Im pretty sure is the size of the bobbin. THe 562 has a small and the 563 has the large. Other than that the same machine I think. I still love mine and have owned 3 of them over the years. Still sews faithfully and is OK. Cheers Trevor "Way Down Under"

Hi there again AKRaven I have been thinking about the machine that you have been writing about and my advice to you is this. Dont buy anything unless you have tried it out on your own leather. Dont buy anything that is old and appears cheap. Save up your hard earned dollars and buy a Toro machine or similar brand new. There are plenty around and they do often come up 2nd hand occasionally on the web. even better. I know as I have been there done that. I currently own 6 leather sewers and the one I use the most is a Juki LU563 and the Toro 3000. Even though the Toro is a chinese version of the Juki it is the best sewer I have ever used for the heavy stuff. OK if you are making holsters and sheaths and are going to flog it to death then get the very best (a real Juki or Adler) and a small mortgage. If you are like me and make the odd holster and the odd knife sheath get the toro or similar. They sew fantastic and are easy to use. and the price is very easy to swallow. Think hard before you leap and regret what you have bought. Cheers and good luck Trevor "Way Down Under"

Hi there. Yes I agree it looks very much like a 105 something Adler cylinder arm machine. This is a single foot (as compared with a full walking foot which has 2 feet) machine that will punch through about 10 - 12 mm of veg leather (with the correct needle of course) but when the foot comes up there is nothing to hold the work in place. I have one in my Garage but seldom use it any more. Because of this foot issue there are some very big teeth on the top foot which can make a bit of a mark on the work. (I sanded mine back a bit to reduce the marks) If that doesnt matter then thats fine. I eventually found my one (a 105-SP75 converted to normal it was a moccasin making stitcher) made a good sewing job but just didnt leave a good finish on the leather. I now have a Toro 3000 and its the best thing I have ever bought apart from my LU 563 Juki. So if its cheap and has had a needle bar adjustment for the 794 needles and you dont care about a few teeth marks in the top of your stitching then go for it. Put a couple of pics for you to check out as well. Happy sewing Trevor "Way Down Under"

Hi there Guys I am a current serving proffesional front line FF in Auckland City New Zealand. I also have made a number of shields for American helmets. They are not easy. Anyway after reading your article I was surfing around and found a little Yo tube video of the making of leather helmets. Thought you may be interested. Cheers Trevor Way down under http://www.allhandsfire.com/cairnsleatherhelmet.html

Hi there all. Just finished this accessory pouch for a client and he was very happy with the finished item. Pouch is a 4mm, Black Dye-thru veg, wet block moulded and heavy stitched (toro3K). Metric 8 thread used around base. SS buckle no rivets. Cheers 1 shot of it on the bike (Wet) Trevor (Way down Under)

Hi there I would say that if it is a true contact cement that you are using then yes the heat will reactivate it and it will come apart. A lot of shoe manufacturers use it and they will apply it during a early part of the production line then re-activate it when ready to stick together to another component part. Cheers Trevor Way Down Under

Hey guys, I have been making moulded stuff for years now and have managed to sell all of it. It really and simply comes down to the mould itself as to how good your project will turn out. I use some plastic and some wood. When I say wood i mean some cheap almost firewood say pine or any sturdy wood you can lay your hands on and the other is some good sturdy plywood. The plywood is great because it will handle the stress of being pressed or squashed. I will include some photos of the hand made moulds that I use. I have moulded light chrome and heavy Veg tanned leather. The difference being how much care you take of it during the drying prosess. anyway to start we take the shape of the item that you need to make a pouch for. This can be anything from a watch pouch to a pocket knife ir a small handgun etc etc. It alwys pays to have the item on hand also. This will make life very easy. Lets start with a pocket knife pouch which is simple and easy to make. Firstly make a shape that is simple and with rounded edges the same size and just bigger than your item. cut and shape the wood (made easier with a sander of some kind) this can be longer than required but must be high enough and wide enouh to house the object. see photo. You will want the edges to be rounded but not by too much. The base should be flat. Secondly make the top of the mould. Just look at the picture and you will see what I mean. Now I have used some cutting Nylon board but plywood is the best. Say about Half and inch thick is ideal. The thinner it is the more likely it could break. The sharp edges that will touch the leather (ie around the inside of the top) need to be smooth because they will mark the leather when pressed. Will post the rest soon. T

And the last photo Cheers T

last one that didnt come out

OK guys. Heres the pics that I took in the Wanaka Transport museum of the Singer 97-10. My mrs thought I was nuts talking pictures of some old boat anchor sewing machine but I secretly thought that I wish I could own it and fancy it up and get it to sew something big. Anyway I dont think the museum would have sold it anyway. (I didnt ask) enjoy the pics Trevor K Way Down Under and the rest... Regards Trevor K

Hi there Davy I found one in a museum once in Wanaka New Zealand. I was very intrigued by this bohemouth of a thing and took several photos of it. Also did a little research and found they were made in the states around the WWII area and shipped around the world. The Smithsonian Institute had some info on them. It reminded me of the Golf bag stitcher that I once obtained and it was another huge heap of steel and it was a Puritan Golf bag stitcher that did a fancy stitch not a lock stitch. If you are intersted to see the photos I will post for you. Cheers Trevor K Way down under

Hi there Randy I have a Toro 3000 and decided to grind off the skeg as you have talked about. It leaves an annoying mark so I decided to get rid of the thing. Sews beautifully now with no marks. If you suddenly decide that you needed the groove just pick up another foot. Remember that if you do grind it off to polish the bottom of the foot nice and shiney with no trace of the skeg. Cheers Trevor "Way Down Under"

Hi there All you need to do is make sure that 1. Your drill bit is sharp. 2. The drill needs to be made from "High Speed Steel" marked "HSS" on the shank. 3. Be aware of the heat that the drill will generate which could damage the leather. Good luck Trevor "Way Down Under"

Try this link. I see there are minimum orders though. http://www.dotfastenersdirect.com/index.html Cheers Trevor "Way Down Under"