carsonauto

I know Ian Atkinson talks about putting it in the oven @ ~50C for 10-30 minutes immediately after wet-forming. I've done that one a few times (with the leather tacked to a piece of wood), I just put it in the toaster oven @~50C for 10 minutes, I'd take it out and re-do some of the forming--just to get really crisp lines. Then put it back in for another 20 minutes or so. I just did it until the leather was completely dry and took it out (so that I wasn't actually baking the dry leather) I suppose in that case, like anything else--you just need to keep a close eye on it. Anyways, it worked beautifully. Everything I've done this to turned out really quite stiff and strong. In a pinch, I've used a heat-gun to do the same thing. Just my experience, but I'd be interested in learning about boiling it too. Following his video quite closely, I was able to make this my first time: And the leather is remarkably hard.

I ran into this problem today, sewing upholstery leather to 5-6oz chrome tanned leather that was really soft. I was able to a get a passable stitch using the technique Nigel Armitage talks about (look him up on youtube), for tieing a small overhand knot on one side of the project, which will "force" the thread to lay in a cross pattern. It worked for me, cheers.

Very cool! Never seen something done like that. Is it all cut with a swivel knife? (How did you transfer the pattern?) Any beveling or stamping?

Good to know. Thanks.

So, the $38 stamp should not be used on an arbor press?

Welcome from Sudbury I don't think anyone has mentioned it, but Tundra Leather in Hamilton is apparently a great place to go to (I haven't been there yet--it's a little more out of my way )

Haha, it's hit-and-miss. You're either reliving the moon-landing, or fighting with the moose in 6 foot deep muskeg. Not much of a happy medium around here. And while hydro is pricey, I'm okay with it for what I'm doing. Though you make the servo motors very attractive, I'll admit.

Thanks a ton Wiz. I'm going to meet with the guy as soon as I can, look for the things you mentioned, and hopefully pull the trigger on this. It's extremely reassuring to hear positive reviews from yourself.

Thank's for responding. I know Wiz is a big proponent of the servo motor. Can a similar effect be achieved with a reduction in the motor pulley? I know all the machines at work have clutches, and I don't mind them (though, I haven't used one of the servo motors) Thank's for the advice Wiz. I'll admit, I've read many of your topics and guidelines, and when I saw you sewing on your National, I thought to myself, "Wow, that's a sweet setup" I really appreciate the thorough advice. You would use #138 top and bottom? I have no issue with changing pulleys, and I'm perfectly fine to sew at very slow speeds (Much slower than your video of you sewing up a rifle sling). Is it possible to reduce the motor pulley less than 2"? (Does upping the torque that much lead to increased stress in other parts of the machine?) Lastly--If I were to reduce the thread size, and use a smaller needle, is it reasonable to assume I could do simple garment-work? (Thin coats, jeans, bags...possibly shirts, etc.---I only ask because I have no knowledge of using an industrial machine like this on thinner material) Again, thank you for the extremely thorough advice. Carson

For the last 3 weeks, I've had the pleasure of working with a local leatherworker, doing odd jobs, and being exposed to sewing machines. I've been fortunate enough to have a $4000 Adler for my leather sewing--and I"m absolutely sold on the idea of buying a machine for myself. Industrial machines almost never come up for sale around here, and I was surprised to see this one come up. I found it almost impossible to research this specific machine. I intend to go to my local sewing repair shop on Tuesday to find out if I can truly still source parts for it. This is the listing My question for you guys is--Without a body of research on the machine itself, what can I do to see if the machine will work for me? I intend to sew leather up to 3/8" thick (and rarely, maybe, up to 1/2") How can I find out if this machine is capable of this? If I bring some scrap leather with me, will I be able to try the machine out on the scrap leather, or would there simply be too much calibration/needle/thread fiddling to be able to try it out? Is it normal to take off covers and examine the gearing and linkage, or is that pretty much assumed to be up-to-snuff? And lastly--Are there any "general" tire-kicking, or things to examine when buying a used industrial sewing machine? EDIT: It appears the machine is generally the exact same as a Highlead GC0618, if that helps Thanks a lot, Carson

Just gave it a try. I printed the picture, decided which lines to cut--traced those lines, as well as a couple guidelines to guide my shading. This was my first try at pictorial carving. (First time using the smooth beveler and matting tool--love the smooth beveler) Lines cut: Beveled + some shading (using modeling tool): Pretty much done modeling: Dyed the hair black: The leather was still a bit wet when I took the pictures. I'll see how it looks all dried out. Wondering if I should apply anything to it. I'm curious how antiquing gel would work on something like this. This was a ton of fun though. Great challenge idea.

Hey--when you get the time, could you add me? Thanks

You just shape it by hand. I guess you need to make your paper pattern, to make sure the gusset will fit to the front and back "plates". Once you know the pattern is going to work, just bend the gusset, and fold down the edges. When I did it, I ran a gouge 1/2" away from the edge of the leather, and skived the edge down to meet the depth of the gouge. This way the edges were thinner and more pliable (and they wouldnt bunch up as much). Once its wet, bend the gusset round to the position it needs to be in, and then bend the edges down until they're 90 degrees bent. You'll need to pinch the leather where it bunches up. Basically just bend the edge flat all the way around, and pinch it into a bunch every so often, until the edges are flat.

Let me know if it works. I've got a little pouch for a motorcycle I'm working on, and I'm going to try it. I've got the gussets wet formed, just waiting to be glued. I think it's going to work out

There's a video in the Tandy Leathercraft Library, where it shows how make a bag with a gusset like yours. In the video, he wet formed the gusset first. (He curved it into the right shape, and bent the lips down. As he was bending it, the gusset lips "bunched" up in a couple places, but thats okay. Once it's dry, he test fits it, making sure everything is kosher. Then, one side at a time, he cements the edges. As he is pressing the cement down, he presses the "bunched up leather" down, and the glue holds it. By doing this all the way around, the edge was glued securely, and the bag was basically done, minus the stitching and edge finishing.

It looks really good, I've never seen one of these before--how does it work? Does the leather hook just kinda keep the holster in your pocket while you draw it?

The Tan Kote is a finishing product--it's supposed to be applied on top of dye (or undyed leather). If you don't seal the dye, then it is likely to rub off, especially if it gets wet. (Basically it makes the leather a bit shinier, it tends to darken the colour a tad, it will smooth out the flesh side of the leather a bit, and it provides a bit of water resistance) I buff the dyed leather vigorously with denim scraps, and I like to finish buffing with white sheepskin (the white shows if any dye is still coming off). Basically, start with denim (or a dry rag), and just buff the snot out of it. This will pick up all the extra pigment that is just sitting on the surface (like a black dust). After buffing, it is less likely to rub off some dye, and the finish will adhere better. People apply tan-kote in different ways. I know some people like sheepskin or terry cloths--but I find that both tends to leave little hairs and fibers in the finish. So, I use cotton rags. Just dip your cloth in the tan-kote, and smear it all over the leather. You want to work quickly, because the tan kote will get tacky relatively fast. Once it gets tacky, you can't really touch it--or it will leave smear marks. Just work it into the leather quickly and evenly, and let it sit to dry. I find that after an hour or so, it's dry enough to do some more work to the leather if I have to, but I wouldn't apply a second coat until at least a couple hours later.

Looks great! Do you have any advice on making mitre joints?

Beautiful work. I have one question--how do you achieve the two-tone look? Is there a particular resist that stands up to the dyeing?

Thanks Jeremy. I'll definetely look into the Sticky wax--seems like a great idea. I appreciate the part numbers too.

Hi guys, I've made a few things to this point, all stitched with Tandy's Waxed Braided Cord. I don't really have any complaints--Ive been making sheaths, and pouches (hand-stitched)--and the thread works well enough for what I'm doing. But, I'm looking to buy more--and the Tandy stuff seems like--well--a ripoff. And I'd like to educate myself on the advantages of each kind of thread (for hand-stitching purposes). For example: Springfield leather sells: Waxed Thread Linen Waxed Thread Nyltex Waxed Thread Polyester Waxed Thread Waxed Braided Cord Tandy sells: Waxed Braided Cord Waxed Linen Thread Waxed Polyester Thread I'm also looking at Maine Thread's Waxed Polycord. Really, I'm just wondering what the advantages and characteristics of each kind of thread/cord are. And when would you use thread instead of cord? Again, Thanks