silverwingit

I think you'll need a 12-ton or more hydraulic shop press for that. Search forums for "shop press." Michelle

I too was a total newbie to sewing machines until I purchased a Cobra 4 several years ago. It was an intimidating beast at first but as I practiced it became easier and easier. Once you understand tensions -- how to recognize a problem and what to do about it -- you're off to the races. And, though it may not look like it, a race car it is! I am regularly astounded at how quickly I can stitch up a prototype or final project, greatly increasing my efficiency. Someone said that Cobra 4's are not friendly to thinner leathers. I heartily disagree! I put Steve's feet to the fire about this before my purchase because I stitch a range of thicknesses from two thin layers of garment leather to several layers of 8-9 oz. vegtan. Steve was insistent that the Cobra 4 was up to that challenge and based on his word and reputation I went ahead with the purchase. Now I am delighted because my machine stitches two layers of 1.5-2 oz. soft garment leather pouches and then a holster with 5-6 layers of 8-9 oz. vegtan -- without adjusting the tensions! In fact, I can't recall of hand the last time I had to change tensions. I don't think I've eer had to change bobbin tension. The only problem I ever had was once when I first bought the machine I didn't grip the threads hard enough and it ripped them from my fingers, knocking the Cobra's timing out. I was devastated but Steve talked me through resetting the timing over the phone and I was back up and running in a half hour or so. It turned out to be a great exercise as it allayed my fears that I could hurt the machine and I also learned volumes about the Cobra 4 innards and workings. So ever since I've put a "death grip" on those threads when I first start a run and it's been totally smooth sailing. It's wonderful machine! I can't say enough about Al Bane's videos. In fact, I refer to his long, detailed how-to video so often that I made an index so I could easily find specific topics. I'll post it next here so that people can find it later. Good luck and Keep On Stitchin'! Michelle Index to Al Bane's 35-minute Cobra Class 4 Leather Sewing Machine Instructional Video Time Topic 0:00 Machine Description 1:25 Loading Thread Stand 1:35 Winding Bobbin 3:11 Threading The Needle Side 5:20 Loading Bobbin 6:49 Replacing Needle 7:40 Preparing To Sew 8:19 Compound Feed Explained 8:47 Stitching A Straight Line With The Roller Guide 9:33 Stitching On A Curve 10:22 Stitching A Right Angle 11:19 Backtacking 12:09 Removing Textiles 12:47 Changing Presser Feet 14:38 Switching Out The Feed Dog 20:33 Installing Roller Edge Guide 22:24 Lubricating - Inside Front Of Machine 23:30 Lubrication - Lower Right Cover Plate 23:55 Lubrication – Back Of Machine 24:10 Lubrication - Oiling The Hook 24:31 Lubrication – Oil Points Marked In Red 25:00 Bobbin Winder Friction Disc Adjustment 26:10 Adjusting Drive Belt Tension 26:44 Adjusting Servo Motor Speed 27:44 Presser Foot Slide Adjustment 28:40 Adjusting Hook-Needle Timing 29:46 Removing Work Platform 30:25 Installing Work Platform 31:25 Presser Foot Pedal 32:10 Adjusting Stitch Length 32:54 Troubleshooting Thread Tension Problems – Loops On Top 33:44 Troubleshooting Thread Tension Problems – Loops On Bottom 34:20 Troublehooting Tip – Can't Remove Workpiece 35:05 Troublehooting Tip – Can't Remove Workpiece 2 35:40 Troublehooting Tip – Machine Won't Move Textile

Those are fine looking ponies, folks. IMHO, Ian's spring clamp is ugly, inconvenient and would be a bear for catching threads. A better idea, methinks, is a cam clamp like this. http://www.rockler.com/cam-clamp I saw this idea on this forum and it greatly enhanced the utility and ease of use of my own homemade stitching pony (and a hearty thank you to forum member Chuck Burrows of Wild Rose Trading Co. http://www.wrtcleather.com/ for the original plans everybody seems to be using). These cam clamps are inexpensive, easy to install without modifying what you already have and they adjust with a twist. Best of all, it will cure the frustration of having your threads catch on your tightening mechanism. And, Keep On Stitchin'! Michelle

Yes, it terrifies me, especially when I loosen one side of the blade to strop it. Even though I'm very cautious around it when it's just sitting there I'm afraid I'll brush my hand across it. So I found myself a good sturdy cardboard box the ideal dimensions to cover up the splitter. I put it upside down over it when I'm not using the thing. I did put a hole in it for the handle but that isn't going to cut anyone. My saddle maker mentor has his bolted perpendicularly to like a 3" x 6" plank that fits solidly like a tenon into a "mortis" built into his workbench. He takes it out only when he needs it. Michelle

For pulling wider strips, try one of these sheet metal vice grips. They grip uniformly, making for fewer twists, turns and bulges in the splits. http://www.rona.ca/images/0244009_L.jpg Michelle

Since you asked, I do have a few comments. You have a great start that shows you are serious about making belts. You won't improve with a little "pat on the back" so I will take some time to offer several suggestions. In no particular order: Your edges need attention. They should at least be rounded to make the belt more comfortable to wear. Even better would be proper full edge treatment. Expert Bob Park tells how: http://leatherworker.net/bob-park/FinishingEdges-2-15-11.pdf Your tooling could be improved beyond the previous comments about moisture. Backgrounding should be done last when the leather is virtually dry. You need to practice your beveling. Beveling along the edges should be done first and the rest of the tooling on top of it. Also, it's too choppy; you can see each impression when you shouldn't be able to. Search Youtube for how-to videos and practice on scrap leather. Your pear shading is not crisp or deep enough and they should have a little curve to them that follows the curvature of the underlying leaf point. Your decorative cuts are too deep, too straight and not "feathered" at the ends. When you terminate a cut you need to lighten the pressure and gently lift the blade instead of ending them abruptly. They should also be shallower and more delicate than the stem cuts. The stem cuts are too deep, too straight and they aren't tapered together at the ends like a real leaf. In general your cuts are too "mechanical" like they were done with a kitchen knife instead of with the tenderness of a fine painter's brush stroke, to make an extreme analogy. There is no reason for that long of a tongue after the position of the holes. It will be flopping around and will get annoying to the wearer real quickly The tail end that's folded over has not been skived for improved comfort for the wearer. The best way is with a $600 splitter/skiver but with practice you can do it by hand using several different tools, from the inexpensive "safety skiver" to a good sharp dedicated skiving knife or a good head knife. This guy does a pretty thorough job of showing how a belt should be made. https://youtu.be/BukX9SICOCc Single rivets on either side of the keeper will concentrate the stresses too much and eventually stretch or even tear st those points. Pairs of rivets would be preferred but I personally would hand-stitch the buckle and keeper. There's too much "wiggle room" between the buckle and the nearest rivet. That will allow the buckle to retract inside the fold. The first rivet (or stitch line) should leave the buckle snugly in position but still able to freely "swivel" to make it easy to put on. Overall, you should do a little more homework before your next belt. Get a couple ~real~ oak leaves and study their appearance. Make a strong effort to make your tooled leaves look as realistic as possible. There is a wealth of how-to resources available these days, both printed and on the internet. Youtube is a fantastic resource and should be studied regularly and diligently. Tandy has a subscription video service that costs $10 a month that is full of relevant instruction. Al Stohlman has several germane books. This web site is a terrific resource. You don't need to look very far to find superb examples of anything you might want to attempt. You need to become you own worst critic. You will know when you've done something right. With some study and more practice on scrap your next effort will eclipse this one. That's one of the great things about leatherwork. To paraphrase Joe Willie Namath, "I can't wait 'til tomorrow 'cuz I get better at leather work every day!" Keep it up, Michelle

https://youtu.be/rycY4Q96UQ8

Make her a leather box or case via one of the many solutions in Al Stohlman's 3 book set, "The Art Of Making Leather Cases." http://www.amazon.com/Art-Making-Leather-Cases-Vol/dp/1892214946/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1444406716&sr=1-3&keywords=al+stohlman Good Luck, Michelle

Good thread! Just a few quick points that I'd like to expand on. I'm in the right tool for the job camp. As a result I have a host of different leather blades, from a Stanley cutter to a couple round knives and most everything in between; clickers, curved and straight skivers, etc. If I'm cutting a long straight line I get my best results with a freshly stropped Stanley blade and a good, thick straight edge. But that's the extent of my use of that style knife. For most other cuts I use one of my round knives. For detailed curves I use a freshly stropped CSO small round knife with the handle cut down and rounded to fit my palm perfectly. With two fingers on the blade and the handle nestled securely in my palm, the knife is no longer scary but a precision instrument over which I have very solid control. I have ~never~ cut myself with it. For less detail curved cuts I use my Weaver round knife. It holds an edge a bit better than the Osborne. For really detailed work I will revert to a clicker knife with a freshly stropped curved blade. There are a few distinct advantages of a round knife over a Stanley cutter. One has been mentioned briefly -- round knifes are push blades. This is important for me with thin leather as the push blade and curved center portion can be put to use in ways that don't deform thin leather. It's also easier to cut around corner with the multiple pass method using a push blade. Someone also mentioned that just seeing where you are cutting is easier with round knives. The round knife is actually three blades in one. With a cut that contains combinations of straight and curved segments, a round knife makes the job much easier and more accurate -- with a single blade. Just tip the blade to use the pointed ends for fine cuts and back to the curved section for straight segments. When one point needs stropping you just use the other one instead of having to drop your project and grab the strop. I feel like there are as many leatherworkers in the "he had a round knife so I had to get one as well" or have them as a badge courage or whatever camp as there are "well ~I~ don't need a round knife because ~I~ can to it all with my $5 Stanley knife" camps. It's silly, learn to use them all well and to apply them to their best advantages! Michelle

As fast, accurate and convenient as Juki 441s and their clones, or for that matter any industrial leather stitching machine, are the presser feet do leave marks. Unlike lesser machines, your Cobra 4S has a smooth feed dog that won't marr the underside of your work piece. Still, in order to pull the needle out of several layers of leather, the presser foot must exert some degree of pressure on your work piece, otherwise the work piece will be pulled up off the feed dog and create havoc (if have you've ever forgotten to put the presser foot down before you began stitching you know what can happen). The best solution I'm aware of is to use the minimum amount of presser foot pressure that will still get the job done and then to go over the resulting presser foot marks with a modeling spoon to minimize them. If you want ~no~ presser foot marks whatever, you will probably need to hand stitch your projects. Good Luck, Michelle

I've had reasonably good results with the Tandy hand roller. If you are lucky you can get it on sale for less than the $30. I say "reasonably" because I've had instances when the ribs on the brass roller tip left ridges on soft chrome tanned leather (I use Weaver edge dye which is pretty thick). That can be avoided by loading the tip with a just the right amount of edge dye and not pressing too hard on the edge of the leather as you roll it on. Other than that it's the best solution for dyeing edges I've come across, but I have only used manual tools, not a tabletop roller. That would include a small sculpture spatula, Q-tips and pieces of thick felt held in a clothespin, which all had their own limitations in my hands. Michelle

In terms of maintaining the sharpness of my edgers, I get fine results using my Weaver Strop Board. http://www.weaverleathersupply.com/Catalog/ItemContent.aspx?ItemNumber=8708&CatalogId=001&CatalogDetailId=44&NSM=Y Michelle

Black River Laser Centering Gauge Template sets make laying out rows of holes a snap. http://www.blackriverlaser.com/leather-craft-templates-gauges Michelle

The Tandy Craftool Edge Dye Roller Pen is working well for me. http://www.tandyleather.com/en-usd/home/department/leather-dye/leather-edge-dressing-1/3437-00.aspx Michelle

One thing to be aware of any time you intend to use a lining with a curve in the primary leather. You need to glue the lining to the primary in close to the same curvature. If you cement the liner to the primary when they're flat, the lining will wrinkle badly when you bend the primary leather to shape. Michelle

Depending on the type of leather, you may be able to just carefully and gently "bend it backwards" to remove the curl. You have to be careful to avoid over- or under-bending, especially near the edges of the leather as those areas require particular care or they can retain their curl. I place them firmly on a table top and make sure that my reverse bend continues to the edge. Try it and you will see what I mean. My caveat has to do with finished leathers like British Bridle Leather. The finish surface can get permanently very wrinkly if you bend it in that direction. Vegtan isn't so susceptible to that but it has its limits. Good luck! Michelle

I use two things. One, a very handy plastic sheet called "Quilters Plastic Template," available in 12" x 18" sheets from your local fabric store. http://www.joann.com/quilter-s-plastic-template-12inx18in/2183317.html#q=plastic%2Bpattern%2Bsheets&start=2 It is nice because it is inexpensive, easy to trace or write on, cuts nicely with a pair of regular scissors and holds and edge better than cardboard because the edges don't fray with use. I sand the edges to further refine their shape and smoothness. But most of the time, because I draw my patterns in Adobe Illustrator, I print out a pattern either on tracing or regular paper on my dot matrix printer. I then tape and trace as usual but don't save the pattern. That way my patterns are identical and fresh each time. Michelle

I think you'll put more time and work into that punch than it is worth. Even if you are successful at setting up the prongs as described above and then you're lucky enough to have the prongs actually fit your particular spots, it's very difficult to get a row of slots to line up and be spaced right. The punch covers and obscures the area you want to punch. Had I known you wanted to try one I'd have given you mine. I never use it. I much prefer using a ruler or even better one of Black River Laser's templates to lay out the spacing and then a good, sharp lacing punch to make the holes. At least that's the way I see it. Michelle

This can be difficult! The best way I have found is to draw a light reference line through the center of the object you want to surround. The you can start your initial line there and build your pattern outwards. That's much easier in my experience than trying to surround an object from one side and expecting the pattern to match up and meet properly on the opposite side. You still have the same issue of making the pattern match when the lines of stamps meet as they fully enclose the object. That's where careful planning comes in. I really like Bob's idea of the ruler. That's essentially what I've done but I never thought of drying them out and saving them. I'd make one in each size stamp you have. You could then "measure" the diameter of a circle or other shape the surrounds your object with the different size stamps. That's how to select the right size stamp for the diameter you want to surround. The solution lies in the right combination of stamp size and diameter to be surrounded. One other tip. Basket weave stamps all have a "natural" slope that works best with any particular stamp. With any new stamp you will need to experiment to discover" just what slope of line a given stamp "likes" the best to make the array o stamps line up best with the outline of the area being covered. Using the wrong slope is an uphill battle where using the right one makes completing the pattern in a way that lines up right and is therefore pleasing to the eye is a snap. Once I've determined the natural slope of a given stamp I make a little right angle of leather of that exact slope. That way when I approach a new area that I want to cover with a particular stamp I just use the corresponding angular "gauge" to determine the slope of that all-important initial reference line. If you have a "Bob Blea" ruler and one of these angular gauges for each of your basket stamps your basket-stamping life will become much easier. Finally, it's more important than usual to maintain proper moisture as you complete your pattern. You can do a terrific job of placing your stamp and making your impressions and then when your work dries you see how the depth of your impressions varies from one side of your project to another because it was properly cased when you started but then dried out as you completed the pattern. Hope this helps. You will likely need to sacrifice a few pieces of scrap leather to get it right for any given situation. Good luck! Michelle

I like it! I like the looks of it and the verticality of it. Space on my workbench is hard to come by. I hadn't even thought of a vertical rack. I don't think I'll wait to find such a nice piece of wood to explore the idea, though. Thanks, Michelle

I don't know about Horween but I do know that Nigel Armitage puts his maker's mark on British Bridle leather, which is also very difficult to stamp, using a c-clamp. He clamps it down tight between pieces of wood or metal (can't recall which) and lets it set for a period of time. You might ask him for details. Michelle

What Halitech is describing and what all the Nigel Armitage videos show is classic British saddle stitching using a European pricking iron (Dixon, Blanchard, etc.). A pricking iron is used only to mark the position and angle of the holes that you then complete with a diamond shaped stitching awl. The mark the pricking iron leaves helps guide the awl but you need to practice a LOT to ensure that you approach the leather with the awl at EXACTLY a right angle to the leather or it will exit the back side of the leather irregularly, degrading the appearance of the stitches on the back side. But Japanese-style stitching is quite different. Japanese stitching chisels aren't designed to be used like European pricking irons. They're designed to punch through all layers of the leather you are stitching. This means that an awl and the precision required to use it effectively is not required. You do need to make sure that you hold the chisel perpendicular to the leather so that the chisel holes will line up on the back side, but I find that far less challenging that making those pesky exiting awl holes line up with the British stitching style. No problem whatever punching through both layers of 4-5 Oz. leather with a good, sharp, polished Japanese stitching chisel. The only time you would need to use the method in Nigel's video (above) is when the thickness of the layers of leather exceed the depth of the chisel's tines. Then you proceed just as Nigel demonstrates, but once again you don't need an awl. One last thing. British Saddle makers only use a stitching groover when the stitches will be exposed to high friction or wear. Brits just pull the stiches tight and that usually makes them lie far enough below the leather's surface for all practical purposes. You didn't mention the nature of your project but if the stitches won't be exposed to high wear, you might try eschewing the stitching groover. I actually prefer beauty of fine hand stitching that isn't lying in a groove. Take a close look at some of Nigel's beautiful work to see what I mean. To me, stitching groovers are way over-used. In my opinion, they are a crutch for folks who can't stitch well because even slightly errant stiches will fall into that groove. Try using your Japanese stitching chisel as it was designed to be used. You'll like it, I guarantee! And please tell us how you do whatever you decide. Michelle

I just noticed from the latest Leather Crafter Journal that our own Bob Park (alias Hidepounder) has received the 2015 Al Stohlman Award! Congratulations to one of the finest leather crafters out there! No one deserves this more than Bob Park not only for his talent and experience but his willingness to share them so freely. We've all benefitted in one way or another from his generosity right here on this forum. Thank You, HidePounder for setting the bar so high! Michelle

You can put some bees wax on your thread and then impregnate it with buffing compound. You can also use a series of increasingly fine-grit sandpapers wrapped over just the right diameter wire or even a drill bit. Also, Weaver offers a "Strop Board," which is what I use with success. https://youtu.be/yRLtXTpMCAE Michelle

One thing I found out real quickly from my saddle-maker mentor. I was having all sorts of problems with my beveling until he showed me that my swivel knife cuts needed to be much deeper. Only then do you have a "ledge" deep enough to follow with the sharp side of your beveller tool. Once you have a good, deep swivel knife cut you need to put your beveller deep into that cut and follow it closely but leave your beveller tool just a smidgen above the leather. Then when you strike the beveller sharply it will bounce off the leather for a brief moment. That's when you time your move of the tool a slight distance and repeat the cycle. You will develop a rhythm with this that will let you move smoothly along your cut. Eventually, as was said earlier, with enough practice you will get nice, smooth beveled edge. Keep at it! Michelle