Black Dogg

TinkerTailor, I've had the same happen to me a few times in the past. I always have my travelling toolbox and clam with me and have amazed quite a few people that it can indeed be done that neatly by hand. One lady was not to be swayed, however, and actually threatened to report me for "false advertising" ! After she finally agreed to watch me do it, she turned around and walked away without another word after two stitches..... As the saying goes: "There's one in every crowd..." Black Dogg

Hi Vana, I don't know Waldenbuch, but I DO know Ritter-Sport chocolate! "Quadratisch-Praktisch-Gut" . I bought most of my tools from Rene Berends; "The Bear Gallery" used to be the German distributor for Tandy tools. I wouldn't bother with most of the Tandy tools now anymore, as the quality has gone down a lot (although I have heard good things about their "Pro Line"). Looking forward to more pics! Black Dogg

Craftsman, I would make it out of bridle leather in the same thickness. The bridle has oils and fats worked into it after tanning to make it more water resistant. That being said, however, I've made plenty of collars out of veg-tan and they hold up fine. If you have a Lab or Lab-Mix, their fur will eventually make the leather water resistant as the oils soak into it over time. To start out, give it a couple of coats of Neatsfoot Oil (the 100% pure kind). If you use linen thread for sewing it will last about three years. My old Lab's collar was seven years old and I re-stitched it three times. Of course, you won't have that issue with poly thread . Good Luck! Black Dogg

Look up Nigel Armitage on youtube, Revcov. He has an excellent video on sharpening your diamond awl. If I'm stitching anything long, I usually try to strop my blade every half hour or so. If it's just small stuff, a quick stropping before I start is good enough. Black Dogg

Hi Vana, welcome to the forum! Whereabouts in BW do you live? I am originally from the Ulm area, moved to the States in 2001. If you're ever in the Ellwangen area, look up Armin Dobstetter at his shop "Custom Leather". He is one hell of a carver, too!! I learned a few tricks from him when I was starting out over there. The carving on your belt looks really nice for someone just getting started! Don't worry about your English; it's good enough for us to understand and will only get better the more you read and write here . Enjoy your new hobby (it'll become your life if you're not careful )! Black Dogg

Welcome! Your list has all the bases covered as far as I can see. I have a couple of suggestions, though, to save you a few bucks: - Thread: While the 25yd. spool will get you going, if you are going to make belts/dog collars, you'll need a lot more. I would look into buying from Campbell-Randall (www.campbell-randall.com). They sell pound-sized spools that will last a long time and cost much less per yard. - Stitching Pony: If you're handy with wood (or know someone who is) make your own. There's a very good pattern in the back of "The Art of Handstitching Leather" by Al Stohlman which you can also make into a stitching horse by adding the bench. You can make it exactly the way you want it, it will be better quality and cost less. - Marble slab: If you have a company that cuts stone (countertops or gravestones) near you, ask them if they have any bigger broken pieces or leftovers. Most times they will give them to you for free because they have to pay to get rid of it otherwise. I got both my pieces for the asking from a countertop dealer. - Leather weight: I make my dog collars from two layers of 5/6oz. veg-tan. Haven't tried bridle yet, but want to do that as it seems to be more water-resistant. For belts I'd go about 8oz. or 10/12 oz. for heavy-duty tool/pistol belts. If you're going to line them 5/6 oz. should suffice. If you're going to do any tooling, either glue the piece of leather to some cardboard with rubber cement or (like I do) take masking tape and run it on the flesh side to keep the leather from stretching out of shape. Peel off slowly when the leather has dried after tooling. That's about all I can think of for now. Have fun! Black Dogg

Sorry Constabulary, I didn't mean "dealing" as in "selling all the time or professionally" but rather as in "working on a lot of machines and knows a lot about them" The meaning sometimes gets lost in translation with American slang (like German). I just figured that sewing machines being your hobby you might have some answers and you did . Cheers! Black Dogg

Try to get a hold of Constabulary here. He is from Germany and deals with all kinds of sewing machines and parts. I'm sure he can help you out. No worries about buying from him, either. He ships everything quick and very well packaged! Best of luck with your machine! Black Dogg

Welcome to the forum, howitzergun!! The Osborne tools are very well made and definitely worth your money! The company is almost 200 years old and is still making their tools in the USA. Here is their website: www.osborneleathertools.com . I have a few and hope to add more as I can afford them. Your English is excellent by the way! Best of luck for your shop. Black Dogg

Makiba, all of the above is good advice. I'd like to add that the best thing to learn hand-stitching step-by-step for me was Al Stohlman's book "The Art of Handsewing Leather". It is VERY detailed and even includes plans for building your own stitching horse. Well worth the investment!!!! Best of luck and have fun!! Black Dogg

Hi rmr, I second the "bad idea" with the super glue: when it dries, super glue gets really hot for a short time and after it is fully cured is brittle. My concern with the heat is that it could melt the thread (when using nylon or poly) and once it is dry will make the thread (nylon, poly or linen) brittle as well. If you have the ending in an area that will flex when in use, the thread could then break and pull out. Also, it will probably leave a small stain unless you're really fast with the wiping off part. I usually backstitch three stitches, four on heavy duty items, and cut the thread off as close to the leather as possible. Then I go over it with overstitch wheel. The backstitching itself is enough to lock the thread in place. I have never had even the first one come undone yet. Melting with a lighter sounds like a good idea; I use mostly linen thread but on my machine I have poly and will give that a try. Black Dogg

As an add-on to the machine pics, here's the thread stand I bought from Constabulary last month. It's in great shape and I made a wooden base for it to stabilize it better. Perfect size for the modern one pound spools and to have the brand matching my machine is the icing on the cake! If you see any "for sale" posts by Constabulary here you can buy with confidence!! He shipped the stand out the day he got the money and with the tracking I was able to follow it right to my door. Everything was packaged really well and came fairly quick (customs opened it and that delayed it somewhat). Thank you, Sir!! Black Dogg

Welcome to the forum, Mill Iron !! According to the instruction book (which you can see here DEAD LINK REMOVED) your machine used a "System 88" needle. I don't know what size that would equate to with modern needles; it's the old German neddle numbering system. Your best bet is to give Campbell-Randall in TX (www.campbell-randall.com) a call. Take exact measurements of your old needle; length, diameter, ... and tell them what machine it is. Also, take a magnifying glass and look on the barrel (the thicker part of the needle), there might be some really faint numbers stamped in. I had the same problem a couple of years ago with my Cl. 18 and (after talking to one of the most friendly customer service reps I've ever dealt with) was able to buy a dozen packs of old German-made needles from Campbell-Randall. They also sell thread in all different sizes and can get you going again! If you want to get your machine running like new again, take her apart and use some acetone and/or kerosene to clean all the accumulated dirt and old oil out, lube her with a good sewing machine oil and put everything back together - that's what I did and mine is working great again. There's some pics in the "Leather History" section under "Duerkopp Patcher". Good Luck with your search! Black Dogg

No "clean-up" needed as far as I'm concerned! Nice work, indeed! I like to go down to 5 SPI when I make sheaths with a real heavy welt (like two or more layers of leather for the welt itself) but that's personal preference. As for pattern making, I still have my hang-ups every now and then and I've made about two dozen sheaths so far. Practice makes perfect, though; I just take every mistake as a learning experience . Keep up the good work!! Black Dogg

I never used poly thread for handsewing yet, but I can't see why not. I'm not familiar with your particular thread, but if it's made for shoes it should be stout enough for other leatherwork, too, unless you're doing really heavy (saddle type) work. Like I said above, I can't see any advantage to tapering when I'm using needles, but, like everything else, everyone has their own preferences. Just try it on some scrap leather and see which you like better. It does save a lot of time if you don't taper. Have fun!! Black Dogg

Welcome to the forum, Bruce! I wouldn't worry about squaring them off unless they are really badly worn. Over time they will conform to your strike even without sanding them down. Also, I would reserve one of those for heavier tasks (punching holes, setting rivets/snaps/.... ) so you don't have to use your "good" mallet for that. Have fun!! Black Dogg

DTrap, quite nice for the first project! Did you sew it by hand or machine? If you handsewed it I would imagine you had to predrill the holes. Also, I'm curious why it had to have such a heavy welt? Is the blade that thick? Keep up the good work!! Black Dogg

Alex, I started out doing it exactly as Stohlman says (tapering and all) but over time found out it is easier to just pull the end of the thread through like you would for regular sewing. I think the tapering is only an advantage if you are using hog's bristles since they don't have an eye. Historically, "tapered ends" or "waxed ends" (as they are called over here) are the way to go. Have you tried the Bear Gallery in Munich for your thread; when I was still over there Mr. Berends used to carry unwaxed linen. If not, give Campbell-Randall a try; they are over here but I believe they ship internationally. Their linen thread is the best I have used so far and pretty reasonably priced. Here's where you can have a look: http://www.campbell-randall.com/shop/index.php?route=product/category&path=43_60_62 Good Luck!! Black Dogg

Better late than never, Constabulary (got a little busy last week and forgot ) So here are the close ups of the head. I took off the cover plate in the last one so you can see the (formerly plugged with dirt) inside. I took everything out and cleaned it off, even got the bearing on the main shaft to turn again (after soaking it in acetone for a while). All the bigger internal parts are stamped "910"; with the serial number being "4910" I'm guessing that was maybe the 910th machine built in the fourth year since starting the Cl.18 model ????? Would be interesting to know how their numbering system works. The pattern in the cover is etched in quite deep, looks like it was pressed in by machine rather than engraved by hand. Enjoy! Black Dogg

Thank you both for the compliments! Mine is the only one I have ever seen with the fancy scrolls & paint. Also, if you look closely (kinda hard to see in the pic) the company crest in center of the base (above the treadle) is a really fancy casting, not just the triangular type I've seen on all the others I've come across. My guess is that the later machines were made plainer to speed production. Black Dogg

What size needle and awl are you using, chapelstone? Normally, the awl will make a big enough hole for the needle and thread, without using pliers. Also, the hole will shrink a bit once you're done sewing, so I wouldn't worry too much about it being too large. I use size 000 needles (been told by a few people they are too large, but that's what works for me) and have no problem pulling them through with my bare fingers even on the return stitching at the end of the seam. It might take a while to develop some strength in your fingers if you've never done this before, too. Black Dogg

No offense, Bekka, but that's known around my area as buying a pig in a poke. Whoever wants to help you needs to know at least some general details and a rough idea of the design to be able to give you a quote. Like Katiefiorito above pointed out, leather is quite expensive. Speaking for myself right now, I can't tell you whether I'm the "right person" (meaning I'm able to carry out your design) if I don't know a thing about it. Again, no offense, but that's how I see it. Godd Luck with your search! Black Dogg

Well, I finally built a slide-on table for my old machine and thought I'd put up a couple of pics for your viewing pleasure . She's an old Duerkopp Cl. 18 I brought with me from Germany and got all cleaned up and going again last year. The serial number (4910) and nice acanthus leave paint make me think that she's a real early one. In the third picture you can see some stitching on a scrap piece. Top row is really fine, next is about as coarse as she'll go and the last two are a nice medium length stitch. Enjoy!!

Wow, LLWork, you got me beat ! I thought I had the smallest shop. Where I used to live I had to move my bed to get any work done! I know whay you mean about having to move at a moments notice; happened to me last year. Right now my shop is in boxes awaiting set-up in my Cabin once I get the finish floor done. No room in my new apt. for a set-up. Counting days..... Black Dogg

Lightingale, check out this thread: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=51729&hl=%2Bcopper+%2Brivet+%2Bjig I bought one of these jigs and they are great! Takes a bit of practice for consistent Rivets, but you save some money over the ready-made ones and you can make them the exact length you need. Black Dogg