KatRides

Perfect, thanks Wiz, just what I needed to know to get started. I should have worded my question better in the first place. I know what Im doing in the morning, cutting scraps and setting up. But with a quieter mind to think my way through.

that was the plan but didn't want to start in the wrong direction. I've got two needle tension settings rather than one, and no idea of when to start with the bobbin thread or to just leave it

OK perfect timing, I also have a question along this line as I am about to use My cylinder arm machine to sew thicker denim/fabric combo that is breaking the denim needles in my regular machine.... I am used to household heavier duty machines and I am OK with the usual stuff I do on my Artisan but I have no idea about the necessary tension changes to make when going to a less dense fabric rather than a leather on my machine. Any coaching ideas?

my son just bought this machine apparently a chain stitcher, does anyone have any idea of any info. the stickers are gone so I have nothing to go by to start trying to find info on it. Any help would be very much appreciated. I'm going down later in the week and will hopefully have better pics of anything that may help me research it. T hanks Kat

WOW thanks for taking the time to post all those links Tom I really appreciate it ! Off reading !

Thanks very much Tom and Dirtclod, Having sewn since I was seven, many moons ago, I thought (silly me) that I could just pretty much jump in and once I spent a short bit of timeI could figure out the intracies of leather like I have with other 'fabrics' yeah OK.... but I've got some new found conficence thanks so much, I'm off to get some stuff ready to play once my thread and needles arrive !

Thanks very much, I had some interesting tension and stitch formation stuff happening int he beginning as I learned how to thread the thing and put the needle in correctly. It's a lot of variables to figure out on your own when you're starting out. I needed to make sure. I've ordered some new needles and good thread to play with and start learning, I have a lot of different leather scraps as well. So i'll be palying around next week once the needles and thread arrrive and I know I have good quality of each.

Hi All, I'm a newbie and have bought a cylinder bed machine and am trying to determine thread/needle and leather thickness balances. I've got the needle/thread ratio figured out thanks to lots of great posts here but I'm still really cloudy on the proer weights of bobbin thread, e.g. my machine can take up to 270 thread but I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't match that weight in the bobbin. I will mostly be using 69 ( occasionally) up to 207, do you generally use the same thread weight in the bobbin as yoou do in a home machine application? or is there ususally a max bobbin thread weight? The manual is horrid, I'm concerned about causing unnecessary damage to my machine. The top threading guide in the manual is also so unclear that it is pretty much useless... way to go Artisan ! I think I've pretty much got going on the basics but I'm not certain about all the intricacies of adjusting tensions for various thread weights and leather thicknesses. when I hit a problem I'm never really certain if it is something I've done wrong or if it's just a minor tension adjustment somewhere. I'd really appreciate any advice that would give me a bit of peace of mind that I'm moving in the right learningn direction. Thanks Kat oh I bought an Artisan 2618-1B cylinder machine if that makes a difference

Hey Tom, do you have an idea where those topics are? I did a search for 'bobbin tension" and the only thing that came up was this thread. I've got a great machine that I just purchased barely used but the manual is horrid, and like HuntingRobots I'm concerned about causing unnecessary damage to my machine. The top threading guide in the manual is also so unclear that it is pretty much useless... way to go Artisan ! I think I've pretty much got going on the basics but I'm not certain about all the intricacies of adjusting tensions for various thread weights and leather thicknesses. when I hit a problem I'm never really certain if it is something I've done wrong or if it's just a minor tension adjustment somewhere.

Hi Ya! As someone who had the same experience, yes you did the right thing, I made it clear for the first few folks that I wasn't comfortable opening up their vests so they needed to pick spots where there were no pockets or make sure they didn't want to use the pockets. Now that I have learned and built my confidence, AND have a machine that can sew through the larger seams and bottom thicknesses to put them back together, I have no problem popping out stitches and having at it.! Now I have to get those first few folks to part witht heir vests so I can giv ehtm their pockets back LOL. i bought a cylinder arm machine so I can get in those little icky places when I do repairs. Have fun, patches can be a blast, as are the folks who want them put on. I've been surprised with some of the patches that didn't fit the 'personalities' who wear them! and have had some great giggles! Just giv'er and remember that holes in leather don't go away! Kat

3 Hours from van plus the ferry for me, that's more than a hundred dollars per trip. I gues my visits will be few and far between for now. nuts

A google search here shows several styles, you'll need to know where the "handle" attaches to the putter head http://www.google.com/search?q=leather+putter+cover&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=Jc6iUbPCEuWjiAKr8IDADA&ved=0CDIQsAQ&biw=400&bih=657

I live with an avid golfer, he's often bugging me about a leather putter head cover. The style would depend on your father's putter style. I'll see if I can find a few pics to give you an idea. Dont know how your pattern making skills are.

Hi I just spoke to a friend who deals in liquidating estates. He bought an estate that included a full elk hide (from what he told me) He said it's soft, and pliable, and a natural color. What I dont know is where to send him to try to research it's worth. I deal in heavier cow hides and don't know much about elk other than I love it and just havent experimented with it yet. any ideas on approx value / sq ft, or where (preferably in Canada) I can direct him? thanks for any help Kat

Mine is controlled electronically, no black knob there :0( turns out the computer board needs replacing. Artisan is in the middle of a big relocation move so Gerry will be tough to reach if anyone is interested.