Ed the Hunter

Lead is going to be absorbed into the leather project if it comes in contact with a lead block. That means anyone handling the project afterwards will be coming in contact with the contaminants. Lead exposure occurs through inhalation, ingestion and absorption through the skin. Children and pregnant women are at higher risk then men, but lead can accumulate and be stored in your body for up to 30 years. Using a lead block when punching holes is likely to only be a minor exposure concern, however, if you do enough of it, over time you could end up with a significant chronic lead exposure. After spending 30 years in the hazardous materials consulting field, I would discourage using a lead block as a base for leather working. IMO, a softwood stump, or better yet a soft hardwood stump, such as a large diameter piece of aspen firewood, placed on end, with a piece of heavy leather on top of it is the best choice.

I bought the Tandy chaps pattern package a while back. I was not impressed with it. The instructions were limited and and the sizing was even more limited. I was fortunate enough to have my own set of chaps to work from as a guide. But the Tandy package won't be a whole lot of help for someone with limited experience.

I've made a few corsets. I actually prefer making them with leather or at least partially out of leather. How you sew them is really dependent on the weight of the leather you are using. A heavy cowhide leather will act as it's own strength layer. A lighter weight lambskin leather on the other hand will have a lot of stretch and may possibly tear from the tension placed on the seams. Boning, boning, boning. If you want to control stretch and distortion, you will need to use plenty of boning. The larger the corset size, and/or greater the waist reduction, the more boning you require in order to maintain the integrity of the corset. If you are using lightweight leather, you may also need to run a strength layer under the leather. I personally like white cotton denim, since it is not nearly as expensive as herring bone coutil.

I agree, oil is not a magic fix for everything. Thread caught up in the hook definitely causes most lock ups. I have saved a lot of money though, Simply by cleaning up the thread tangles and oiling the parts. When my jukinwas locking up bad, the local service centre tech told it was likely either the timing or the hook was bent. Turned out I had been oiling everything except the bobin case components. I found a video online that showed me what to oil and I haven't had a problem since. Proper maintenance fixes and prevents a lot of issues. Oil is just a cheap fix to try before digging into more complicated options

I'm not familiar with your specific model, but my personal experience with my machines is when they start acting up and it seems like something serious is wrong, more often than not,there is a moving part or parts somewhere that needs to be oiled

I did do a search, but I missed those. Thank you.

I have a Juki walking foot and it knows exactly what type of threads it likes. I am asking specifically how to determine the correct stitch length. when you look at a leather jacket for instance, it is generally short delicate looking stitch, horse tack on the other hand is more often than not had stitched with a heavier thread an a longer stitch pattern. Belts and dog collars on the other hand can be found with any of a variety of stitch lengths. Is this determined by the thickness of the thread, the thickness of materials etc. and if so, what is the basis of the decision?

Is there a general rule of thumb when it comes to choosing the correct stitch to use on your machine. For example is it based on the strength or thickness of the two pieces of leather you are joining, or is it purely for cosmetic reasons. I have spoken to people at sewing centers, leather shops, and sewing machine service reps and nobody seems to be able to give me a straight answer. Thanks

I embroider my beadwork straight into the leather of my mittens and mocasins. You should be able to stitch through the leather and lock your beading down to the hat.

I just got a juki lu-562 walking foot sewing machine. I can get it to sew thinner leather, but when I switch to thicker leather, the thread keeps breaking. Would increasing the needle size solve this issue?