Allan1972

Waiting for the truck to drop off the machine in the next couple hours.

Mine cost wise was about the same, I just got more for the money -flat bed attachment -servo motor -stitch guide -stirrup plate -holster plate -slot plate -a bunch of extra feet -extra light -20 more needles this is what comes to mind, I may be missing some.

I just called him wondering what I would be looking at all in to get it to Canada as my local machine company did not have the servo motor option or the extras I wanted at a competitive price. Steve came up with an option for me without prompting that I could not turn down and with no pressure to buy now. I wanted a machine and he found a way for me to get it. I called back two days later when I was ready and made the deal. At the end of the day I felt like I was doing business with a close friend. My conversation was no different than what I had with my local dealer, just Steve made it happen. I did email my local dealer about any Black Friday specials after my initial phone call, response "one price, I am not Walmart". I have to admit my wife read this before me and said you are not buying off this guy(she thought it was one of the big USA companies). She is adamant about buying local and was bewildered by the response. I know it was probably sent in a joking way but you can not read tone in an email, it was enough to make me call Steve I am not trying to make my local guy look bad, it is just what happened. I can see a time in the future that I may need to have it serviced by him, by things I have heard about him he is a good guy. JLS if you want details of the good experience PM me and I will give you more detail.

Machine is in Canada, should be here Tuesday. I had to set up a customs broker to get it cleared through customs, that was interesting. Not hard but a new experience, nice lady helped me out. Cost -$120CND for brokerage fees(I could have gotten this for cheaper if I shopped around but I liked the lady who was helping me) -GST $150CND -no PST in Alberta -no duty All in this was less money than picking up a Mach3 machine which is only 20 minutes from my house. I also have way more accessories with the cobra4-P, with the extras I bet I saved atleast a $1000. I wanted to buy local but at the end of the day I felt like I was treated better by Steve. Allan

Great looking guitar strap, I am sure he will be blown away. Allan

Congrats on the new machine, I just ordered mine yesterday. Mine is going to take a bit longer to get here than yours as I'm a bit further away. I too am very excited to get the machine, can't wait….. It is nice to get excited like a little kid once in a while:) Allan

Thanks for the vote of confidence, I have been watching a lot of videos and reading about the machine. I did watch Al's video which will come in handy I'm sure. Allan

this is what I am hoping for. Allan

I will give feedback on the machine once I get it and use it a bit. So far it has been great dealing with Steve, Marilia has always got my messages to Steve and he has gotten back to me. Steve has been very accommodating with making things work for me, (gave him money and my first born) now I have a machine coming next week. Allan

All I am really looking for is something that will cut the wear on my body hand sewing 8' runs of stitching on 13-30 oz's of leather. Not looking for anything special just some nice stitches, straight on the front and back. Takes me 5-6 hours to cut holes and stitch a guitar strap and I tend to try and do it in one sitting. Shoulders are not holding up well to pulling all that thread, to the point I have not been doing a whole lot of work. Not really making me feel good about my purchase Allan

Cobra 4-P ordered……... I ended up getting the 346 tread in 4 colours and it ships with a 277 spool so I can try a lighter weight. Will ship near the end of next week as I am in line to have my machine sent. Steve has been to shows the past 6 weekends so probably a bit of a back log of orders:) Wonder how long the shipping is to Red Deer, Ab. Canada, should have asked(guess I will send an email). I am very excited to get this machine. I'm sure it is not over kill for a hobbyist who has sold 9 items so far($1900) Allan

Just called and waiting for Steve to call back……. I know it comes with some tread but I am thinking I should add a few spools while I'm at it to save on shipping. I am doing mostly 3" wide guitar straps and have been hand sewing. I like the look of bulky tread as a feature, I think I want some 346 tread. I am thinking of using 277 for belts as they are narrower. I have been using 25 yard spools of waxed linen and braided cord from tandy so this is my size reference, would the 346 weight be similar? Allan

Looks well made, and matches the blue gun nicely;) Allan

Thanks Tex All my straps have been hand stitched(about 20) so far, I am currently looking for a sewing machine(441 clone 16.5"). Will be contacting some of our sponsors about black friday sales. I have not tried leather paint yet, have done multiple dye colours. Just did a similar strap for a customer with no studs and some Viking symbols mixed in. May start a post showing it soon. Allan

Great work, like the colours. Allan

Very nice. I am just researching sewing machines(441's) as my shoulders can't take many more long hand sewing projects. Got $2300CND but seems I am about $1000 short still:( Allan

snubbyfan, There is just something about a super heavy belt……. you either love it or you wonder why it is so heavy:) I am a fan of heavy belts/guitar straps/cuffs. Allan

I think the sewing machine would be pretty expensive to ship to Canada and I am not sure on what duties would be. You could PM me on what the machine is and the price. I am sure it will be out of my means but can't hurt to see. I checked out your site, lots of nice items there. I have been charging less as I want to get my name and work in the hands of some people. Thanks for the info on pricing and the weight of leather you are using. thanks Odin, -The base colour of the belt is ecoflow antique saddle tan. -The edge of the belt is dyed using a paint brush solid and then dry brushed towards the centre with dark brown ecoflow pro water based dye. -The sides are black ecoflow pro water based dye. -The finishing step is two coats of ecoflow supersheen. -The sides are bunished dampening the leather with water and saddle soap, then waxed and burnished. Thanks Bob, I had a hard time giving this one up, it was nice to look at. Luckily it was about 10" too small for me

Thank you for the amazing comment. I was thinking $150-200 . I have tried skiving down the end around the buckle, but not on this one. I would like to get one of those spliters, as it takes a bit of time to get it even with a head knife.

Cool strap, the pouch turned out great. Allan

I was happy to make this belt for my friend at this price but I sure would not rush to get more of this work at this price. I would be ok with this price if it was machine stitched. Thanks for the info on pricing Monica. Do you line the belt at $75? I could see that price for unlined. Thanks for the positive feedback. Where is the sewing machine located? Thanks for the comment on the sunburst effect, I am starting to get it down pretty good for not airbrushing it. I am a bit confused by your comment….. Are you saying I could charge $200, or are you saying I could charge $200 if I had some more technical aspects nailed down. If the later what do you feel I can improve:) Thanks Chuck….. I am really just pretty new to this, that belt is the 6th I have made and I am liking the heavy leather. I don't really know what the standard weight is, so just kinda experimenting. I found 8oz to be too light, 10oz just right, 13oz a bit on the heavy side but I like it. This belt is for a farmer and he carries stuff on his belt when he is working. I suspect he won't be wearing it while doing chores anytime soon;) Allan

A friend commissioned me to make this belt for her husband(it is inspired from a dog collar I made). It is light weight saddle skirting(about12-13oz) with 3-4oz deertan cow hide lining. You can probably tell it is hand sewn. Did not know what to charge as this was the first belt I have sold, she gave me $100….. Feel it was a fair price but I would feel better about it if I stitched it on a machine, would have saved 3- 4 hours work(I need a sewing machine, don't know how much longer my shoulders will last. It is a lot of thread to pull for an 8 foot run, about 30 feet. Thanks for viewing Allan

I have done a bunch with 8oz veg and 3-4oz lining, I would not go much lighter than this. Been using 10oz the last few and really like the weight, can be difficult to get on to strap buttons. I typically use schaller strap locks and it is hard to get the nut to catch the threads when installing the hardware into the strap. What part of Canada are you in, I am Red Deer, Ab. Allan

Thanks for the reply. That looks cool, what did the customer think of the hooks? Allan

Nice strap, would like to see a pic of the hooks connected to the banjo. Allan