silverwingit

Not using a curved awl & needle, this is the approach that Nigel Armitage uses. Worth a look anyway! Michelle

Those are sweet, goodfella! I am especially impressed with your molding. Such well defined corners and two pouches so close together apparently out of a single piece of leather. Can you share any information about your molding process? Weight of leather, type of mold and how it is made. etc.? Love the double row of stitches between the pouches, too. How do you do that? Thanks, Michelle

Will someone please shoot me? ;^) The way you stitch, Nige, especially where the tops attach to the tubes, is a clear indication that your hands, no matter what their size, have been touched by a magic wand of some kind. Simply amazing! Thanks for sharing. Your fan, Michelle

Cheryl, welcome to the adventurous world of Cobra 4 sewing! I am only a few months in myself and still definitely on the learning curve. But, I get better at using this machine with each project. That keeps me wanting to discover more about all this terrific machine can do. I've never even tried the holster or stirrup plates yet but want to take on a project that will force me to learn all about how those work. As to your little bag, it looks far better than my first "project" if you could have called it that. I see the stitching on the d-ring strap but it also looks like there is stitching on the front panel, maybe a rolled edge? You are brave starting with anything other than a flat bag or pouch! Let us know how you progress. Michelle PS: It took me a couple moments to realize there are two Cheryls here. :^)

I like it! Especially the innovative design and the simplicity of the leaf button closure. If I had any suggestions, there would be two. First, when you glue in a lining, you should partially bend the primary leather (where it will be bent in the final project) as you lay it in to avoid that wrinkling at the bends. Second, your work would benefit significantly by applying a hand stitched border around the perimeter of the cover/lining. It would enhance its appearance as well as it longevity by keeping that lining intact. We'll look foreword to your next project! Michelle

Chucka-chucka-chucka! :^)

Three, you can effectively advance your timing by lowering your needle height. If you lower the needle by 1/4", tighten it up, and everything works fine, you can either leave it there or advance your timing a smidgen. Might give it a try. Also, I have always found Steve to be uber helpful over the phone. I know he's encountered and dispatched problems like yours numerous times. No need to struggle on your own. Michelle

Hmm, Twisted. Simple question, but nobody's chiming in here. I'll give it a shot. If you intend to do traditional British-style stitching, and since you mention chisel I assume you may, you'll need both a pricking iron or chisel and an awl. You don't generally puncture the leather all the way with a pricking iron. It establishes the hole spacing and angle and you finish the hole with a saddler's awl. You might also be referring to a Japanese-style stitching chisel. In that case, you can fully puncture the leather and won't need an awl. Others might chime in if you can be a little more detailed with your question. Michelle

Yes, I like the cut of a nice sharp knife as well. I find myself reaching for my "Clicker" or "Industrial" knife with the curved blade quite often when it comes to detailed work or tight curves. I strop that curve blade and keep it nice and sharp before any cut, just like I do with my round knives. The curved shape of the blade allows me to get into small spaces like making the cut for a Sam Browne button hole without accidentally nicking the wrong side of the hole or finishing the ends of the cuts on a belt slot on a holster without marring the ends of the punched end holes. Michelle http://springfieldleather.com/29302/Knife%2CIndustrial%2Cw-2-blades/

Assuming you are in this for the long haul... - Forget the punched round holes - A saddler's awl, some harness needles and thread, an overstitch wheel and stitching groover will cost you less, be most universally applied, and be moderately difficult to learn. Getting uniformly spaced, straight lines, attractive stitching on both front and back sides takes some practice. I refer to this as the Al Stohlman or American style of stitching. Using the stitching groover is a bit more forgiving as it forces the stitches to lie in a line. This is less demanding than stitching without a groover. - Pricking irons cost a fortune, especially if you get a set (1, 2 and more teeth), it will cost even more. Using pricking irons also takes some practice. Tilting the chisel to go around corners, stretching to hit a corner or end point all take skill and experience. You can use Japanese (http://www.goodsjapan.jp/category/pricking-irons-stitch-punch/catId=4252442) or English (http://www.josephdixon.co.uk/products/One_Inch_Pricking_Irons.html or http://www.csosborne.com/no609.htm) pricking irons. Japanese irons will give you more of an "American" appearance with the stitches forced to be in more of a straight line. Japanese irons can also be used with a stitching groover. British-style stitching doesn't use a stitching groover and instead of the stitches lining up in a straight line, they lie in more of a zig-zag pattern that to my eye carries a certain beauty all its own. Btitish style stitching is probably the most difficult, but IMHO is the more attractive, though that is a matter of personal taste and Stohlman and Japanese stitching each hold their own beauty. Now as far as weighing cost versus degree of difficulty, I'd probably score a set of Japanese pricking irons, say 1, 2, and 6 teeth for wallets the highest (you'd also need a good mallet or maul). It would cost a bit more than just an awl, an overstitch wheel and stitch groover, but likely get you up and stitching nice appearing work the quickest. Others might say that Stohlman or still others would say that the British styles are the only way to go. Hope that helps some, Michelle

Needle size - 25 Thread size - 277

You gonna ~love~ it! I know I love mine! Please tell us about your experience with it. Michelle

I can't deny that there has been a learning curve. I bought my Cobra 4 package in April having only minimal experience with a home sewing machine. Very cautious at dropping that amount of money. I probed Steve over several extended telephone calls. "Steve, I want to sew pouches with thin lining leather as well as holsters and sheaths up to 3/4 inch thick and belts and..." "Oh yes Michelle the Cobra 4 can do all that, plus... And, if you ever have any questions or problems, just give me a call and I'll be all over it like a duck on a June bug." [paraphrasing] Well, I've heard spiels much like that in Times Square. However, I had witnessed the legion of satisfied customers on Leatherworker.net and seen all the praise for both the machine and the company, particularly the man behind it, Steve Tayrien and the incredible customer service he provides. So, in this case, for once in my life, what seemed to be too good to be true... wasn't! As I said I had the expected learning curve, mostly due to my getting over my fear of this apparent beast of a machine. I had to reset the hook timing once, but that terrifying experience turned out to teach me volumes about the machine, how it works and how to use it. Not unexpectedly, Steve promptly and calmly talked me through the fix and helped me better understand how to reset the tensions for my applications. Since then it has been smooooth sailing! The machine has steadily churned through everything I've throw at it from a couple layers of garment leather to a full, thick holster -- without further adjustment! Forward, reverse, slow, fast, different size thread, etc. -- no matter to my Cobra 4. This trouble-free operation has allowed me to make much progress towards getting over that hump in my learning curve. Now, instead of ~fearing~ it, I can't wait to get back to stitching with my "Dream Machine." The beast has turned out to be a big pussy cat! Thank you, Leather Machine Co. and Steve Tayrien. Michelle

One tip that I found useful in many aspects of leatherwork is how to manipulate knives, awls, etc. from the shoulder and elbow, ~not~ the hand and wrist. In the case of stitching, I get the best results by far if I first find the perfect perpendicular approach to the leather and the ideal 45 degree orientation of the awl blade and then ~anchor~ my hand and wrist in that position. I make the puncture from my shoulder, using the elbow only to adjust the position of the awl, always keeping my hand and wrist in that ideal perpendicular approach with the awl held at that 45 degree orientation. You will likely find this also to be true even when using a pricking iron. The pricking iron helps immeasurably to get the spacing correct but there is still enough room inside each slot to vary your awl orientation by probably plus or minus 10 degrees. If you want the back of your stitches to look as close as possible to their front -- and you do -- you will find your own standardized, mechanistic way to make the interval, angle of approach and orientation of your awl blade as uniform as you possibly can. Michelle

I thought of another one. It has to do with accurately centering a hole punch on a spot marked with an awl or pen. I struggled and struggled trying to "hit" a marked location with a hole punch. I always seemed to "miss" and have the hole slightly off position. I finally figured out a pretty much fool-proof method. I position the hole punch (single tool or rotary punch) over the mark and very gently depress the punch by hand only enough to lightly mark the perimeter of the hole onto the surface of the leather. Then I lift the punch only far enough to see the relationship between the temporary circular mark left on the leather to see what adjustment needs to be made in order to hit the exact spot I'm shooting for. It's then easy to repeat the process. If you do this gingerly enough, the previous (very light) circular mark will be at least partially "erased" by the next mark. Finally, when I get a temporary circular indentation from the hole punch that's exactly centered over my target mark, it's easy to re-position the punch and make the final hole. Then the action of the final punch stretches the surface of the leather enough to remove any telltale test marks. As with anything else in our craft, after you do this a few times you get better and better at it and only need one or two test shots before you hit "paydirt."

Chaos, actually there is no need to buy live ammo for sizing your loops. There is a product called, "Snap Caps" that are dummy loads used for practice firing. Prolly cheaper than any box of live ammo and much safer. http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/general-gunsmith-tools/cartridge-dummies/9mm-snap-caps-prod54923.aspx

That turned wood burnisher is one of my most-used tools. Here's the same thing for less than 1/2 the price; http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=251258189872&item=251258189872&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466 I LOVE a 6-inch piece of deer antler tip that I polished up. You'd be amazed at how many things I use it for besides burnishing tight radiuses (exceptionally useful for wet forming, turning stitched pockets outside-in...).

Ian Atkinson show us how: http://youtu.be/yZKxHdNIiP4

One thing that is key to achieving good beveling is proper swivel knife work. The depth of swivel knife cuts should be roughly 1/2 the thickness of the leather. Using leather at least 5oz thick also helps. A nice, smooth, deep cut in properly thick leather is much easier to follow with a beveler. Michelle

Narles, One thing that will be a huge help, especially with leather that thick, is to skive along the edges of the gusset before wet molding. Skive to the inset distance (depth of gusset) on the flesh side. That will make the wet molding easier, the bends smoother and the joint thinner and easier to finish. As to wet molding, make a wooden last (form, mold) mimicking the shape and depth of the finished gusset. Sand it smooth and (optionally) finish with a water-proof polyethylene spray. The take your skived leather and form it over the last, first with your fingers and then with a bone folder, an antler tip, a modeling spoon, etc. Put a thick rubber band around the molded, wet leather and form and let the leather dry over night. Then your gusset will be the proper shape and thinness along the edge to do your stitching. Michelle

sawyer, I feel your pain. In my own case, there came a time when I sensed that I needed a big boost in my skills before I could be satisfied with anything beyond my simplest projects. What I did was find a local Master Saddlemaker with over 50 years of experience and arranged to pay him a handsome price for one day's worth of 1 on 1 tutelage. This gent does amazing carving and is a walking encyclopedia about leather and its many construction techniques. I'm not into making saddles, so we never even touched on that subject. But I did learn about how pro's do everything from casing their leather to finishing their final products. I learned about where to buy professional-level tools (Barry King, etc.) and how to use and sharpen them. I learned of several sources for leather and about an upcoming Colorado Saddler's Association trade show (terrific opportunity to sample and purchase tools, attend seminars, meet other experts, etc.). I even learned from him much about the leather business and local consumer trends in ways that made me change my own business plan. Best money I've invested in my leatherwork other than hundred of dollars worth of sharpening equipment! Check out local saddlers for the real "skinny" about leatherwork. You'll waste more money on Tandy junk if you continue to feel your own way. At least that's the way I see it. Michelle

Daniele, If I were to make a carved leather wallet, I wouldn't attempt to make an interior (pockets, zippers, etc.). Done well, interiors take a lot of experience and a good industrial leather sewing machine or extraordinary hand-stitching skills. A much more practical alternative is to purchase a professionally made wallet interior and then make a carved cover to fit it. Springfield Leather carries a whole line of top-quality wallet and checkbook, etc., interiors: http://springfieldleather.com/31/Chaylor-Fenneli-Interiors/ I'd use a piece of 5 oz. or thicker leather for the cover to get good tooling results. You'd have several alternatives for attaching the interior to your cover. This way you'll save lots of time and headache, end up with a very classy interior, and you can concentrate on the more personal aspect of the carving. Michelle

aprion, I use a clear, thin plastic sheet made for making sewing patterns. You can cut it with a utility knife or scissors. Like this, but available in most sewing supply shops. http://www.materialconcepts.com/products/sewn-products-supplies/marker-pattern-making/pattern-plastic/ Others speak of using a plastic sheet made for painters. Apparently it comes in rolls in varying thicknesses and is available at Lowe's, etc. I haven't tried it but it sounds like an inexpensive alternative to the commercial sewing product I have been using. Good luck and let us know what you discover. Michelle

Maka, Welcome aboard! It's not that we're inhospitable; I think you'd get much better response if you'd post pictures that are large enough for us to actually see your goods. These postage stamp-sized pictures are impossible to comment on. Maybe try again, eh? Thanks, Michelle

Trox, thanks for bringing this link to it's appropriate prominence instead of leaving it buried in the thread where you originally posted it. There are many LW members who are 441 clone owners and can put this manual to great use, including me. Heck, I'm already using it! Thanks again, Michelle