BDAZ

Next Old Time jam is this Friday. Cya! Bob

I would send it out and have an actual cast made using the lost wax process. Then you can make a stamp out of heat resistant metal that can either be attached to a soldering iron branded or simply embossed into the leather. Cya! Bob

I had mine shipped to a freight Depot off I10 and save a bunch of money. If you want to come over and drool on mine, you are welcome! Cya! Bob

Rather than dip dying, I use a nylon paint brush and a plastic paint roller tray and saturate the item. I get a very even finish and I use a bit less dye than dipping. Any excess is poured back into the container. Clean up is a breeze. Cya! Bob

Dye Gone is just a small amount of ammonia and alcohol mixed with water.I usually mix a little denatured alcohol mixed with either dish washing liquid or liquid soap, The orange cleaners containing limonene are excellent and relatively safe solvents. Cya! Bob

Since it is a switch with each step setting a specific resistance rather than a continuous sweep, it it possible that the minimum resistance available is too high to produce the slower setting you desire. The minimum required to get the machine to move is around 12K ohms so I place a 10K resistor in line which then means the slightest resistance added by the pot will get the motor started. Since it is a log pot, a larger movement of the control is needed to make smaller increases in resistance at the lower end and then towards the middle of the resistance range it evens up. With the current set up on the 3200 as delivered from Toledo, I max out at around 150 SPM. I am guessing that the stock pot would double that, but I have never timed it. So from the above you may be able to calculate what your maximum speed would be with the Bob mod as described above. Plan B would be to replace the switch with a 200K potentiometer LOG (assuming that's your maximum value of the switch) with a 10K om resistor in series. That should give you greater control from 0-25 SPM but still allow full tilt. If it were me I would note what the resistance of the switch on the 4th detent before the last and that is the maximum resistance you need. Since I have no idea what the resistance of each detente is, tough to make any recommendations. Best idea would be to pull the switch and then using an ohm meter, log each detente and graph it. Cya! Bob

http://www.ebay.ca/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR12.TRC2.A0.H0.Xphoto+tent&_nkw=photo+tent&_sacat=0&_from=R40 No shortage here! Cya! Bob

I am guessing that a log pot of the same or slightly lower value would work much better than the switched resistor array you currently have since it's not a continuous range of resistance. With your foot on the pedal, how many clicks does it take to start the motor? Cya! Bob

We met in Prescott. Sorry to hear about the shoulder. I injured mine in a bike crash a few weeks ago and lucked out as it turned out to be a seperated shoulder, not then torn cuff they diagnosed in the trauma unit. It amazing how we take shoulders for granted till they go South.. Good luck and have a speedy recovery. Bob

I made a strop board with various widths of very thin strips cut from 5/6 oz leather. The thinnest is 3/64th and goes up from there. I put a thin bead of white cement on a paint stirrer and place the strip grain side down making sure it is both straight and vertical.I have 1 pair of 3 different widths, one using green and the other white rouge. I draw the tool towards me at the angle I would be pushing and there is a noticeable cutting improvement. I strop with the white abrasive prior to every use.I have some very fine needle files but have never had to use them on this tool. Cya! Bob

Do a search on vinegaroon. This is not a dye but will change the tannins to a jet black in seconds or minutes. You make it your self from steel wool and house hold vinegar. I often will dip dye and the solution penetrates the leather completely. Some folks suggest neutralizing with baking soda but I generally use saddle soap and then oil with olive or neatsfoot. Cya! Bob

This mod will not change the performance of the motor, just allows a more accurate control of the maximum speed. Do you have to turn the switch all the way to achieve full speed or does it happen in the first 25%, 50% or 75%? Based on that answer it would be possible to substitute a control that has more control in the lower speed but will still give you the maximum you need. What is the maximum speed in SPM? Cya Bob!

Let me know what the "switch" says. It should be plug and play. Look at the connector where the switch plugs into the board. Cya! Bob

It's tough to be a photo tent for cost ($11.00) and foldability I sometimes put it on a piece of perspex and light from below as well. This one is 17" on a side. Cya! Bob

It can minimize stretch but not strength since you are perforating the leather to a lesser or greater extent. Cya! Bob

Looks like standard antiquing on a carved image.. Cya! Bob

This is the final configuration I have come up with. A slight turn of the knob (with the pedal fully depressed) will run at around 16 SPM and fully turned counter clock wise the maximum will be will be 150 SPM. This is a range I am completely happy with. If there is any interest I can order a bunch of jumpers, resistors and potentiometers so you can just swap out the existing pot. I will be putting shrink tubing on the exposed parts, this is just to show what it looks like. If you are handy with a soldering iron you need: 1 x 100k 1/2 watt Log (or Audio) pot with a 1/8th split shaft +-$2.00 1 x 10K 1/2 watt Resistor +- $0.25 1 x JST 2-Pin M+F Wired PCB Panel Battery Connector,JC2 +- $0.50 I'll be sending one to Cowboy Bob on Monday and he can try it and see if it's worth the effort. The mod involves removing the 4 screws on the motor housing plus loosing the pully cover and allowing the housing to drop free. Carefully pull the connector that runs from the speed control to the board. I believe it is marked JP2. Pull the knob off the pot and then loosen the nut and remove the pot from the cover. Plug in the new connector noting that the ribs go into the slot on the connector. Push in firmly, replace the pot and turn fully clockwise. Replace the knob so it indicates 0. Replace the housing and reinstall the 4 screws then re-tighten the pulley cover and you are ready to sew. Excuse the crappy soldering but I was in a rush to get this done and back to sewing! Cya! Bob

I just received my 20K pot and wired it in series with a 100K pot and discovered that my threshold resistance (The minimum amount of resistance in the circuit that is required to start the motor) is 14 ohms. I think that a 100K Log pot with a 10K resistor in series is just what the doctor ordered. The 10K will allow the pot to kick in at the ideal part of the log curve for a gradual speed increase. I have extended the jumper to an identical jumper mounted on the back of the motor housing so I can test various components without removing the motor housing. Cya! Bob

Other than the extra capacity, I can't see the advantage of the 4500. If I were looking at all the accessories that come with the 4500 package, then it would have made sense, but for my needs I can't see a 4500 would be any advantage. I'll post The next product that has some decorative stitching. All my items ship withing hours of being finished. PRETTY COLD! 52F is FREEZING! Good luck with the machine and check out the mods if you ever get into more intricate work. Cya! Bob

I have been thrilled with mine. I ordered it with the same stand as the 4500 and the flat bed, roller edge guide and a few more accessories. I recently completed a few mods to give me exceptional low end control. I bought mine from Bob at Toledo and the service was excellent. I would not, however, use UPS! They recently destroyed a 2 ton arbor press that was delivered in pieces with parts falling out of the broken and crushed box. I opted to pick it up at the local trucking depot and it was on a pallet, shrink wrapped and I was able to easily but the parts and boxes in the back of my CRV. Assembly took about 30 minutes. BTW Fransesco, I used to go diving off Catalina out of San Pedro...brrrrr! Cya! Bob

A Cowboy 3200 sells for $1595 at Toledo. It is a slightly lighter version of the Cobra 4 / Cowboy 4500 and stitches up to about 1/2" of leather. I purchased one a few months ago and it's a winner: Cya! Bob

A 2 ton arbor press for stamping. Cya! Bob

Go to your local granite place and ask for some scrap or samples. They are more than happy to let you pick through the scrap pile or dispose of samples no longer necessary. After using a 1 ton for a few months, I invested in a 2 ton and what a difference! Much more accurate, more working room and much easier to get a crisp impression. It also has a deeper throat so I can stamp much bigger pieces as well as larger custom stamps. Cya! Bob

First off I have already done the pot mod and replaced it with a 100K pot. I generally work on intricate pieces with some straight sewing and I like to work at 30 SPM for the intricate stuff and 80 SPM for straight line stitching, no faster. I want to be able to set my maximum speed for a piece leave it there, consequently the pedal is less important to me than the speed setting. Prior to the mod, only a fraction of a turn would take me from 0 to 80. Now it's half a revolution of the knob and the speed increase is gradual and repeatable. I have done the magnet mod and I suspect it may be problematic, reducing the amount of travel that triggers the transducer. Maybe my magnet is angled a bit too much but it ts definitely an improvement and could be incorporated in the manufacture of the arm, with a longer angled or tapered magnet since the transducer works on the strength of the flux. Cya! Bob

This is about more accurate maximum speed control. CYa! Bob