BDAZ

Oh My..well the leather may be "defective"? Dried out, incorrectly tanned but certainly not right. I'd contact the seller and ask for a proper blank as this one is not carving properly. Good Luck! Bob

Would you mind sewing a single layer of 4-5 oz and see if you can get the knots centered with 207? Thanks! Bob

Some of the pre cut belts are NOT vegetable tanned and consequently, they won't get soft when you case the leather and will be not be suitable for carving. I assume your scraps are veg tanned. Cheers! Bob

Waiting for things to dry is an integral part of leather work, if a customer can wait for me to hand stitch a piece then they can wait for an item to dry properly. Not worried about the customer waiting, it's my time that is critical. If I can save time in the finishing process I can be more productive, keep my prices lower and sell more product, As I mentioned, this is not a hobby for some of us and I cost my time at $25 an hour of actual working time. I also suggested that it could have been due to a weak mixture. Actually the mixture was fine but I suspect the immersion time should have been a bit longer. It was probably only a couple of minutes, however, I do my dipping on my patio / spray booth / wood shop where it was well over 100F at the time. So both making and using vinegaroon is a faster process. Might have just been the result of the high temperatures. Wet forming takes minutes! Cya! Bob

The leather was fine and the item turned a really dark brown from blue black. Obviously not the same problem you had with what was apparently a poorly tanned hide. The customer decided she actually preferred the color and kept the item. The bubbles can appear immediate if at all and are most likely the reaction of the residual vinegaroon and the bicarbonate. I did not suggest that one wait for the bubbles to stop, however I don't buy your "damaged leather" assumption. I find that for production work, if I am not using drum dyed, I spray two coats of stain diluted 50/50, takes about 5 minutes, a light oil, another couple of minutes then resolene 2 minutes and a spray wax finish of about 30 seconds. Total time under ten minutes. With vinegaroon the same product required significantly longer dry times, 3 or 4 heavy oilings, which is not inexpensive, and a lot of rubbing and waiting. I would guess 5 times as much time and effort as a spray coat of dye. In addition I buy my Feibings locally so no transportation and hazmat charges and cost per item is a fraction of what I spend on oil, even Costoco EVOO. No cost saving what so ever, unless of course, you work for free. I don't. Again I find the long (5-10 minutes) soak in Vinegaroon stiffens the leather and requires a lot more finishing work. Not cost effective. I do use it for "hobby projects" because it's fun to home brew. Cya! Bob

it happens from the UV in fluorescent bulbs and CFLs give off a lot. I am not sure how much effect an incandescent bulb would have. I am in the wide format printing business and for certain advertising applications we have to warn about being too close to fluorescent lighting to avoid color changes. Cya! Bob

You may see bubbles forming when the leather is placed in the baking soda. That's the reaction wit the acid. I am starting to sour (no pun intended) on vinegaroon for commercial projects. I had one item returned because the black morphed to a deep brown. In addition it requires huge amounts of oil to restore the leather, lots more time and I never get the same finish as on a spray dyed leather. Cost wise, I think it's cheaper to spray dye than using Vinegaroon. Cya! Bob

I rarely make belts for standard buckles...is there a standard length for the tongue slot? Thanks! Bob

I started by making a replacement belt for a Zuni buckle...$10,000 later I'm in the leather business with no dining room, family room and one less bathroom. I figure the belt cost $200 an inch! We need a 12 step program! Cya! Bob

To beautiful to carry..need to be in a museum! Cya! Bob

I Spoke to Bob Kovar this morning and he suggested using a lighter thread. I switched to 138 with similar results. I suspect that stitching a single piece of 5 oz. leather doesn't have enough grip to keep the knot centered in the middle. I assume with 2 pieces of thin leather there may be some more resistance to pulling the bobbin thread up. I will try two pieces of 3 oz and see what that looks like, though that's not something I would usually stitch. So to summarize, I'm pretty much where I started. Thanks for all the input. I wonder if anyone with a heavy leather machine can successfully stitch a single layer of 5 oz with 207 thread? Cya! Bob

Toledo sent me a lighter tension spring and that helped. As I said, the tension on the needle is noticeably less than on the bobbin which is maxed out. The machine sews flawlessly on thicker leathers but not on 5-6 oz. I think there is some inherent tension in the thread path that limits the machine to thicker leathers. Cya! Bob

Thanks Twin Oaks. I am aware of the set screw and do loosen it to make adjustments. The tension screwe is locked down all the way. There is quite a bit of tension on the bobbin, and measurably less than on the needle. Thanks! Bob

I think Colt may be right. Colt what machine did you purchase? I hope Bob Kovar chimes in tomorrow, but it was never an issue and the machine does an outstanding job on all the heavier sewing I usually do. This order is unusual because I usually make this item with a lining and then there's no issue, but the customer wants these unlined. This is a repeat order and the customer is happy but I would like to come up with a solution. This is my best customer and his business is worth thousands so I'm not going to give up. I was able to alter the electronics so I have the perfect rage of speed. I'm sure there must be a tweak or hack to make this work. Thanks! Bob

There seems to be plenty of tension on the bobbin and this has been like this since new. I have the bobbin tension cranked all the way down. I have removed the bobbin basket to clean it and check for any thread, dirt etc, but all is good. Sews perfectly with two pieces of 5-6oz but not one. The machine is advertised as a "Heavy Duty" leather machine... Cya! Bob

I quote from my initial posting: "I have never been able to get the bobbin thread on the single layer to pull down to the middle of the leather no matter how tight I make the bobbin" Thanks! Bob

I tried the 25 and it made no difference, also played around with the tension with just marginal improvement. The knots are still visible from the top but they are below the surface. Thanks! Bob

I can't get it to sew the 5 oz. What you see is as good as it gets. Bob even sent me a lighter spring for the upper tension but it didn't make much difference. I initially thought this machine was not capable of sewing a single 5 oz layer. Thanks! Bob

I have finished my first batch of product so I can do some testing tomorrow. At this point I'll try anything but there is a noticeable difference on the tension between the bobbin and needle when I loosen it for the single layer. Any looser and the springs will fly off.. Thanks! Cya! Bob

Many of my designs require stitched two pieces of 5-6oz black drum dyed together and then jumping to a single layer for a decorative stitch then back to the two layers. I have never been able to get the bobbin thread on the single layer to pull down to the middle of the leather no matter how tight I make the bobbin nor how loose I make the thread tension. I occasionally will use a marker to touch up the thread so it looks ok or even use black in the bobbin when only the top is visible. The image shows the transition between two and one layer with the tension readjusted to minimum. Is 5-6 oz. too thin for the 3200? I am using natural poly 207 top and bottom with a 24 needle. Any suggestions? Thanks! Bob

I agree with Slick on ALL points. Hardly worth responding to Camino Ridge's inane comment though, I think the OP stated the mark isn't visible and is on the inside . With the potential liability issues with a holster, I wouldn't want my mark on it. Who knows if 3 owners from now, some guy blows his balls off...they'll come looking for the manufacturer to join in the legal fun. I too would welcome the reasoning behind the request. We could all learn something....or not. Cya! Bob

Is white label production part of your business model? By white label if you mean unbranded..no, if you mean private label, yes. I do make products with other logos on them designed and manufactured for a particular company. I do put my mark on the back with my web site URL so if there is a problem, the end user can contact me for a fix. Again, I don't sell to the end user. My commercial work is all my own design, and are practical items including various instrument cases and straps. I also do custom work which I tool and enjoy much more than the production work.and charge a lot more for OR give away as gifts. The commercial work pays the bills and dovetails well with my other business activities. JSL, sorry if I came off rude.. Not sure what movie avatar you are referring to but I don't think Coho is necessarily claiming to make custom designs. The issue is whether the customer has the right to demand a brand free item. I too have to get back to the sewing machine... Cya! Bob Cya! Bob

JSL, this thread is about making products for sale. The fact that Coho is getting repeat orders means he's making the right products at the right price. It doesn't mean squat if he can or can't tool. Nor does it mean squat whether you do or do not have a makers mark. You are imply your work is so good that you don't need one. That's wonderful;l but beyond the scope of this discussion. We are discussing makers marks and their use in marketing ones products. Since that's beyond you and you are so far above those of us who need and use makers marks, I don't see why you even bothered to comment on this thread since your comments are essentially irrelevant. Best get back to your swivel knife... Cya! Bob

Neither you nor Mr. Coho are John Bianchi. I get paid handsomely for the work I do whether my mark is on my products or not. If you are, in fact, "toiling away" without sufficient compensation and you think that part of that insufficient compensation is having your makers stamp on the back of a holster, then suit yourself. By all means ask the customer why or even charge a bit more to "delete" the stamp but don't confuse commerce with ego, unless this is just a hobby business, then business decisions and customer satisfaction are incidental to basking in the limelight! Cya! Bob.

Don't confuse ego with customer service. Maybe he wants to give them as gifts and doesn't want the customer to contact you for pricing information. Maybe he wants to say he made them? Who cares...the customer is paying your price and it doesn't cost extra to leave the stamp off. Get over it. Cya! Bob