sbrownn

Were you addressing DonInReno's previous post?

I use mostly the Chahin bridle leather. I have been so satisfied with it that I wouldn't hesitate to purchase any of their other leather. I get mine from American Leather Direct. They have an excellent website and their service is terrific.

Aren't those pictures of the upper thread? I agree it looks terrible.

Thanks

My guess is that Osborne won't rejuvenate their quality and has already lost their customer base. I wonder who owns Osborne now?

It is certainly heavy but it doesn't take up much more space than a 441 clone or an Outlaw...especially if you just turn in over by hand. The basic footprint of the machines is really dependent on the particular throat depth. The Campbell Randall has a pretty narrow throat so it doesn't take up as much space as say a Cobra 4500; it probably has a smaller footprint than a lot of the 441 clones.

No, that is a different machine and it would be almost impossible to motorize it.

Yes, I hear you. I think Cowboy used to sell their 3200 as the head only with a hand crank knob on the flywheel. That was about the cheapest way I found to get into a leather machine that could eventually be motorized as funds permitted.

I would like to have a 441 clone as the cylinder arm and the clearance allows you to sew things I can't sew on my machine.

Well...it was my first sewing machine and it cost less than a 441 clone.

Campbell Randall needle and awl machine.

It's easier to just sharpen them myself. It's difficult to buy a truly "sharp" tool from anyone anymore. Most of the tools I have purchased with the exception of Terry Knipscheild's knives, aren't even as sharp as an X-Acto blade when they arrive.

I disagree. I have a machine that will sew belts, holsters, knife sheaths, journal covers, wallets and anything else with just a thread and needle change.

The pandemic doesn't explain the lousy tools I got from them four years ago.

Thanks.

If the sizing doesn't work out in the free version it probably doesn't work in the paid version either. This sizing/printing thing is very common in CAD programs. All it takes is either figuring it out for yourself or Googling it. I taught CAD at the university level for 10 years and I never encountered the issue you are speculating on in any CAD program. Yes, the free versions lack some of the bells and whistles of the paid versions but I doubt there is any difference in the sizing/printing aspect.

It's just a matter of figuring out how to print from the specific program you are using. You only have to figure it out once and then it's the same conversion for everything you print. Hang in there. Sketching in a CAD program, once you learn it, is faster and much more accurate than sketching by hand.

When you are making a creased edge like those do you edge them first with an edger, or just use the heated tool to make the edges? Your creased edges are beautiful.

I always learn something new when I read the "avoided" topics. Keep them coming.

I'm not quite straight on what you refer to as the "peen splitting". Do you mean the post splits where the die rolls it over?

I didn't see any trolling in the comment.

I have a tool similar to the one you mentioned but I use it with 1500 grit wet/dry paper. The edgers from Ron's Tools come with a rod correctly sized for the edger you purchase. I use the rod with 1500 grit paper as well. I strop my edgers on the edge of a piece of leather I have beveled with the edger I am stropping. I use the green compound as well. Sometimes I finish off my edges with a buffing wheel in my dremel tool. If your edges are polished to a mirror finish with no scratch marks and they are still dull then you probably need to go back a step and reshape them on a stone.

Yes, I agree that is true. The problem I had though was no matter how many splits I was using, when I got down to the last few splits the leather was already so thin that it deformed when I was pulling it through the splitter. I found a used Landis hand crank splitter for $100 that just needed it's blade sharpened and it works so well I just never use the pull through splitter anymore.

That works too.

As a first step make sure the slot in the needle that hooks the thread is lined up so the shuttle correctly splits the thread and clean and polish the nose of the shuttle. You should be able to see what exactly is happening by removing the shuttle cover and cycling the machine slowly by hand.