Colt W Knight

Very interested to hear more about this. I didn't know cowboy made a rotary belt punch.

What type of oil/wax goes in the lube pot? Im going to be sewing a big run of synthetic collars in the near future that will be Brahma webbing and neoprene/rubber padding.

Got back from my honeymoon to find my new Cowboy 4500 delivered and waiting at Central Supply on campus. Got the machine assembled and started sewing yesterday. I manage the Grazing Behavior Lab at the University of Maine, and build GPS tracking collars for livestock. Up to this point, I have been struggling and powering through with hand tools and my Consew 206RB1. Not anymore. I have a my Weaver Rivet press and Cowboy 4500 to do the heavy lifting. This machine effortlessly sews up these heavy duty collars. The next machines on my wish list are a clicker press and the Weaver rotary punch for punching buckle holes in the GPS collars. Big props to Bob Kovar at Toledo for working with the University purchasing depart (very convoluted process). This winter, I am collaborating with researchers in Australia to develop a youth program for teenagers in rural communities to improve digital literacy and promote technology in agriculture. Essentially, we want to introduce students to modern precision agricultural tools and software to give them a jump start to either their career or college studies. They will learn about GPS, GPS research in livestock, building tracking collars, and competing in a poster competition by presenting research performed with the GPS collars they made. Quick question - My hand wheel is pretty hard to turn by hand, so I have to give it a little gas on the pedal to turn it. How hard/easy should it be to turn this hand wheel? I can adjust the pulleys and belt, but I don't want to go adjusting things before I know what its supposed to be like.

I own a consew 206 rb, and it is a great machine that will sew up to 3/8" thick leather with up to #138 thread, which really is too small for holsters. Most holster folks use 277 thread. The consew will sew the hell out of belts and two layers of 7/8 ounce leather( I do it all the time), but it's not a holster machine.

You can find a used machine for under $500, but you will have to do some serious looking. You may find that used machines can be worn out factory machines, or like new, been sitting in the spare room for 20 years. I bought my used Consew 206 for $400, an my cowboy 4500 was about $3000 new

Ive got the big Weaver MT900 foot press with the autofeed hopper. This things has literally saved me countless hours riveting GPS tracking collars. I also have a benchtop hand press that I used to set rivets and grommets. Works better than hand tools, without question.

Yeah, you will need a #23 needle for that #138, some folks get away wih #22, but I have to use a #23 Your bobbin thread should pull up without any tension

Yeah, Id say you need to adjust something somewhere else, I have a Consew 206 and I never have to max out the top tension to get it sew things correctly. When I had a similar problem, turned out I need to reduce bobbin tension by like 1/8 of a turn

I have used Mop N Glo for several years now on purses, whats, boots, jackets, guitar straps, padfolios, holster, and other odds and ends. I thin 50/50 with water, and air brush it on. 2 thin coats and I'm done. I'll give it 3 or 4 if I want it shiny. 2 gives me that nice sheen I'm looking for. I have yet to have any cracking issues. Generally, cracking issues in finishes are caused by heavy applications. This is true with just about any finish.

The weaver shock absorption mauls are my absolute favorite. I was making them for a while, but the shock absorption mauls from Weaver are just much easier on my hands.

Extra Virgin Olive oil will not become rancid like other vegetable oils. The US Calvary used Olive Oil and Castor Oil mix, the castor oil gave the saddles a water resistant property.

I get by simply honing my nice scissors I use for cloth and garment weight leather. I take them apart, and run my find sharpening stone on the angled portion. Then strop it on a piece of leather with polishing compound. I try not to touch the back side. If there is a nick or something, I lay the back flat and work the scissor back and forth to keep the back nice and flat while grinding off the imperfection. You can really get a lot of sharpening done with a nice whetstone if you know how to use it.

I used the Safety Clutch on my Consew 206 once ( stupid mistake on my part right after I bought the machine). My consew 206 is a beast, and it is a canvas sewing machine. Plus you have readily available attachments like binders that would come in handy on a bag machine.

I have used 100% extra virgin olive oil for nearly 20 years on horse tack and Ive never seen any bug issues.

I air brush mop n glo over angelus. Works very well. I can add semi to gloss sheene based on how I thin my mop n glo and how many coats

I use 3M Super 77 or High Strength 90 to glue fabric to leather, which works extremely well. Spray glue both sides, sitck them together and I use an iron to get out the wrinkles and really set the glue. However, the issue is the edges. Cloth will fray along the edges if you don't use some sort of binding or anti fray spray( sold at joannes). On the purses I make, I like to use synthetic fabric like nylon or polyester so I can melt the edges with a lighter to prevent fraying. Cotton will fray forever.

I would river and s titch strap tabs.

I use 3M High Strength 90 spray glue for that application

One of the biggest issues I see with dye bleeding through to paint is that the clear coat wasn't given enough time to dry/cure. Plus, like any painting, the base color will show through white until you get enough coats on to make it opaque. I airbrush mop n glo thinned 50/50 with water. If I give it 2-3 coats, and it dry for a day, I don't get any bleed through. If I only wait till its dry to the touch it will bleed through like crazy.

Sorry, I didn't read the whole thread, but what are the CONS to this foot setup?

I drove from Arizona to West Virginia, all highway, but the roads do suck in New Mexico and Arkansas.

I drove mine across the country with the head on the table. All the welds in the table broke loose. Had to re weld the table when I got to my destination.

A 227 isn't big enough for holsters, I'd look at Cowboy 3200 or 4500.

My Consew 206 will sew that combo without any trouble. I think what you really want to ask yourself is what size thread do you need/want/ While my consew will sew webbing onto 10-12 ounce leather without much trouble, it can only sew with #138 thread, which I consider kinda small for heavy duty applications. Do you need a cylinder arm, or will a flat bed do? Also, will you be limited by throat space? A lot folks need that extra space between the needle and arm to make turns or manipulate bigger items. Are you just sewing straps? or making bags? etc... I believe, Cowboy, Cobra and techsew all make a smaller version of the 441 (Cowboy 3200) that will sew 1/2" thick with heavy thread for about $1000 less than their full size 441 clones.

Most folks use a swivel knife to carve leather. It has a thick blade that leaves a wider groove to set your beveled, and ball bearings to make cutting curves much easier.