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.

Hey Go2Tex I've got a different Artisan machine but a servo motor 622A, cant figure out how to change the speed, can find the needle up and down, and the direction but not the speed. Have only found the directions for the 622B on their website. No response after a couple of days from leaving a message for help from them... any chance the servo motor on your Toro is a 622A??? I'll take the heat/ac and power in to account... although for me it will be in the winter when the heater and machine are both going. Thanks Kat

Hi folks, I am trying to find out two things, if there is a Leather workers guild in BC on the left coast of Canada that is worth bothering with and 2... I belong to the Knitters Guild and they have a Masters certification program that puts you through a few years of exercises and research etc and then you are certified as a master knitter... is there anything like that for leather workers? any help or guidance would be very much appreciated. Thanks Kat

Th3y are very nice. May I ask what type and weight/thickness leather did you use? I'm new at all this and need all the info i can find. Thanks

thanks very much everyone, this gives me more to go on and figure out re: machines etc. I really appreciate the help

WOW thanks so much for the detailed help, it gives me a lot more confidence that in what I"m trying to do. I guess I am on the right track after all. This help so much thank you thank you !

Hey all, newbie here jumping in with both feet as I seem to want to do... I saw a bunch of YouTube videos by Lisa Sorrell and her amazing work ... this is my end goal, but in the meantime since I"m too far away to take any of her classes I"m hoping someone else can help me with some basic starting info... what is the best type and weight of leather for this type of work and I also noticed that she used glue that she could just mop on the surface of all her little pieces for assembly, what kind of glue is that???? also what is the best size thread and needle to do the sewing after assembly??? I've tried with some different leather but don't have an endless supply of $$$ to keep buying leather until I get it right and there is no one even close to my area that does anything other than basic beginner tooling..... HELP !!!!! Thanks folks, I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone here int his wonderful forum as time goes on! Kat

HI all, newbie here, I've seen some beautiful relief and decorative machine stitching on leather projects, cowboy boots etc and I'm trying to figure out what size needles, thread and type of leather is best to use for many rows of stitching... the best I've seen so far is on the boots done by Lisa Sorrell at custom boots. anyone have any experience that can start me in the right direction????? thanks Kat

My question also being a newbie who wants to figure this and some other things out... what thickness is best and what is the best type of leather to use??? this is confusing me far more than the braiding itself... sigh Thanks for any suggestions, Kat

This is gorgeous, as a total newbie to this wonderful craft this is totally inspiring! Can I ask a couple of newbie silly questions? What type and weight of leather did you use for the different areas? the lacing is awesome and I think I get the width but what 'thickness' did you use? thanks in advance and thanks for the inspiration! Kat