bcurrier

Far heavier threads than 346 are used widely in needle machines in far heavier material weights than veg tanned leather. It's common in cheap marine sewing, for example, to stitch with heavy thread right through both material and plywood when making seats. Technical textiles, like safety equipment and cargo slings, are sewn on needle machines, too. While it's true that the super-duty machines have to be beefed up to take the stress, 346 isn't a stretch for a machine that's designed to handle 277, at least in the top thread. It may be too much for the bobbin in your machine without some adjustments, though. Given your description, if you're having trouble with 346, it's more likely the thread, needle and leather weight combination than the machine itself, or thread per se. Piercing the leather isn't the issue, as I assume you have no problem stitching with lighter threads in veg tanned leather well over 9oz. The dimensions of the needle scarf and groove determine how the thread is pulled and tensioned for a given thread and material weight. Most people think about sewing tension as only a balance between top and bobbin tensions. The reality is that the material itself and the needle play critical roles, one reason that bobbin tension is so forgiving. Describing it another way, if you use the right needle and thread combination for a given weight, varying the top tension over any reasonable range will move the stitch lock a bit, but you'll sew successfully. Use the wrong needle and thread combination for the material, and you'll get a mess that looks like a tension problem, but isn't. It will feel like pushing the machine, particularly with too small a needle, as the thread won't sit properly in the groove and will jam and pull. The fact that you can sew latigo but not veg tanned leather in the same weights points all the more to the needle, as the latigo will be more forgiving of the groove sizing. Chances are pretty high that you're using the wrong needle in the veg tanned leather, or at the outside, have 346 thread that is unusually thick. You could try 346 in the top with 207 or 277 in the bobbin, using a larger needle. You could also try another needle brand and, of course, different thread. Good luck. Sometimes it takes some figuring out. Bill

One thing I really, really like about Artisan is that they are exactly the same after the sale - you're not being given a sales line. Bill

Found a good link summarizing thread sizes. Seems to be accurate, too. http://designer-entrepreneurs.com/blog/ill...hread_Sizes.htm Linen count, by the way, is based on 300 yard hanks, and is different than cotton count (yarn size). Bill

You have to be extremely careful with thread specifications given with a slash. Yarn sizing is the basic system, but variations incorporating yarn sizing can present thread size in terms of a 1-ply, 2-ply, or 3-ply equivalent threads. A cotton count spec (3-ply equivalent), for example, can look exactly like a yarn size spec, but will refer to a very different size thread. Cord specifications confuse the dickens out of me. For some reason I thought they were completely different than yarn size specs, but can't find my references right now. Bill

It's the same size system for both. It actually could be used for any thread construction, I suppose, but in practice seems to be used only for certain types of nylon and poly threads. I've never read a description of the system itself, but believe it was intended to convey the thread size (or diameter). Tex, on the other hand, is a weight specification. It is -a- metric specification because it's expressed in grams & meters ... but it is not the metric size per se. Different suppliers may be more familiar with one system or another because of the industries they serve. If a supplier services the leather industry with nylon, for example, chances are they will use the old U.S. ticket system. If they are servicing the luggage industry, they will probably use denier. Technical textiles like webbing and safety equipment - probably Tex. The international market - metric size. Etc. Bill

The numbers ARE ticket numbers. "Ticket" is just a different word for size, and there are a number of different sizing systems. A lot of the confusion comes from the fact that certain systems are typically used only for certain types of thread (like cord specification for linen threads and cotton count for cotton threads. The system most leatherworkers use for Nylon and Polyester threads is technically obsolete. The way I deal with it from a relative sizing point of view is to bring those numbers back to Tex size, which can be found for any thread type. Tex is the gram weight of 1000 meters of thread. For comparison, the Tex size of typical household thread is about T-40. For the thread system we use, those are as follows (old ticket size first, Tex second): 33 T-30 46 T-45 69 T-70 92 T-90 138 T-135 207 T-210 277 T-270 346 T-350 415 T-400 554 T-600 693 T-700 Bill

I never used them, but based on the links provided in a recent thread, this company carries linen: http://www.royalwoodltd.com/ Bill

Siegel has an excellent reference section that will probably answer more than you wanted! The URL is: https://www.siegelofca.com/reference.asp Bill

Sorry, I should have mentioned sources. You can get refined beeswax from honey industry suppliers. Dadant is the largest and carries it. Check their online catalog. www.dadant.com Another source would be 100% beeswax, WHITE candles. Typically beeswax candles go for more than they should based on cost of materials, though (in my opinion). Then again, what retailers ask for an ounce or two of yellow beeswax is obscene, too. Bill

Where the shipping is free, the leather is all premium quality, hardware is stainless and sterling, dyes don't run or fade, King and Beard stamps are $5 each, Ron and Jeremiah give their tools away, and the equipment is self-maintaining. Wait ... you have to die for that. You were talking about retirement! Bill

As an FYI, beeswax is available refined. Refined beeswax is white. The cakes they sell for sewing is typically pretty low-end stuff and is basically dirty. Bill

I agree with the comment on depth. Your modeling is excellent. What tool(s) do you use? Bill

Stall mats are great stuff. Pretty cheap, too. I used a handful for years, variously, as temporary walkways at new houses, garage mats, truck bed liner for really heavy stuff, kennel flooring, and for an RV "patio." The last use was at the RV site and they were starting to show some age & wear, so left them with the RV when I sold it. Best thing I ever learned about handling them was to use the biggest pair of channel-lock pliers I could find. You can grab 'em and drag them anywhere easily. The problem with them is that they mark. If I were to use them for a shop, I'd track footprints all over the house unless I took my boots off every time I came in. They never really lose that rubber smell either. Not sure I'd want that in a shop, either. Outdoors, no problem. Bill

With a clutch motor, you're engaging a clutch via a lever on the end of the motor unit when you press the foot pedal. You're literally slipping the clutch at anything but full speed. You can learn to finesse it, but it's not easy at first, and short starts and stops, like when reversing to lock the last few stitches, can be fussy. When you press a footpedal attached to a servo motor, you're directly controlling the speed of the motor and you have finer, and predicable control. Most servo motors also have speed range controls. Practically speaking, that increases your control yet further by limiting the rate of motor speed change when you press the pedal, if that made sense. Big leather stitchers need a speed reducer, which is a large pulley mounted to the underside of the stand to reduce motor speed even further (bonus is that it provides even more control). Make sure the machine has one, and that it's a ball bearing model. Cylinder arm machines sold for non-leather use are sometimes set up without reducers. Stands come in a variety of types: sitting, standing, adjustable, several leg types (pedestals, H-leg, K-leg, T-leg, etc), even gas-assisted. Honestly, almost anything sufficiently heavy is suitable except - in my opinion - that a cylinder arm machine needs to project out from the stand to get the maximum use of the arm. You will see cylinder arm machines set up occasionally on a "regular" K-leg stand with a big cutout under the arm, but I personally find that setup odd. The stand should come with a foot lift anyway, but make sure, as the lifter on the head itself doesn't give you as much lift as the foot lifter mechanism. The one thing you do want in a stand is a plywood top. Don't settle for particle board and don't let anyone tell you the plywood top is too expensive. Stands (at least K-leg and H-leg) and tops are unbelievably cheap. The stand should have a drawer, and these are also cheap - as little as $5 retail. Finally, casters - and they need to lock - aren't strictly necessary - but sure are handy! Bobbin winders (if the head doesn't have its own) and thread stands are normally included with any machine stand, as is a light, for that matter. Needles for big stitchers are expensive, so understanding what you're getting and how many is important. Bobbins for common industrial machines run as little as 10-25 cents a pop, but the bobbins for the big stitchers are more like 3 dollars each, and I'd want as many as I could get. A couple dozen would be minimum, unless you are going to severely limit your thread selection. Same thing with feet and needle plates - trivial cost for many common industrial machines and VERY expensive for the big stitchers. I can buy feet from an industrial supplier for as little as 50 cents for my wife's Juki lockstitch, and the most expensive binder I think we paid about $15. By contrast, feet sets for the big stitchers (these are walking foot machines with inner and outer feet) run from about $100 up. Needle plates can run from about $75 upwards of $200. You HAVE to make sure that the types of feet you want are available for the machine you're buying. Feet from Artisan or Ferdco would probably fit the Sewmo, assuming it's the same machine class, but you'd have to confirm that, as there's a lot of variation within classes. It's not unusual to have to do some fitting and adjusting with these feet, either. Any machine should also come with a few basic tools - they're usually crap, but are better than nothing. The machine should be set up and sewn off by the seller, not shipped as received from the factory. The norm in the industrial sewing industry is, on request, to sew off with the customer's specified thread and material weight (or close equivalents). I.e., the machine arrives ready to sew with that setup. You also need to verify that the machine will, in fact, sew up to its rated capacity. I agree with Art, the $150 is well worth your while. Bill

I had to read that twice before I realized you didn't mean prison!

Unless you buy a Juki 441 (or perhaps a Seiko) in this class of machine, you're buying a Chinese-made copy of the Japanese Juki (big bucks). Sewmo machines are Chinese, as are Artisan, Ferdco, Leighton, and others. Artisan, however, assembles their machines in the US and runs them in here. Setup is important in any sewing machine, but perhaps even more so in the big stitchers, as local support may be next to nil. I didn't know there was a Sewmo copy of the Artisan 3000, which is more or less a short-arm 441 type, but knew there was a Sewmo copy of the normal, 16.5" arm 441 type, comparable to an Artisan 4000. What's the price you're being quoted? Also, is the motor a clutch motor or servo, and are any accessories included (feet, needle plates, light, etc.)? Bill

I've heard they're OK, but make sure you're comparing apples to apples on the price - head, stand (whether included or not, and type), motor type & size, any accessories included. Also, compare warranty & support. Bill

Melody, yours is a perfect example of a well-thought out strategy. The only thing I'd add regarding pre-set fees is that they can affect your tax position. Net positive adds to your taxable income, net negative could be treated as an expense or perhaps as an operating loss - have to check with a tax person on that one. No problem either way, as long as you allow for it in your year-end cash position. Bill

Agreed. That's the difference between sales tax and income tax. It's fundamentally profit that's being assessed when it comes to a company's income tax, so cost of goods, labor, misc. business expenses, etc. are taken out of the equation. Conceptually, it doesn't matter how the business recoups expenses, i.e., whether embedded in the sale price, as with labor and other cost of goods expenses, or paid directly by the purchaser as with shipping and handling. Bill

I pretty much agree with you, Peter. I'd add bidding collusion to that - mostly by sellers to bump up bid prices. Bill

I think handling charges are pretty much BS, especially if the vendor is in the mail order business primarily. Shipping varies considerably by carrier and delivery options, so really has to be charged separately, unless there ARE no options offered. Bill

Boy do I hear you concerning late and off-hours auctions! When I go to a live auction these days, I'm pretty worn out by the time it gets to 10:00 or 11:00 PM. I've gotten in the habit of asking to have items brought up early if I'm only interested in one or two. That's usually not a problem, as long as the auction isn't being conducted simultaneously on-line where people are relying on the lot order and any time estimates. Bill

I thought it was a mistake and maybe was $1,800, so dropped him a note to ask about it, as well as the accurate price. Answer? Nope, he's looking for 18 grand! Blew me away! Bill

I don't think it's cheating either. What I do think is that the fixed end date & time format that creates sniping introduces a bidding aspect that winds up wasting bidders' time and encourages over-bidding through uncertainty. It's EASILY fixed by automatically extending the auction's end by, say a couple of minutes every time a bid is made in the last 5 minutes of the auction. Bill

I stopped using Ebay a few years ago after uncovering one bidding scam after another - plus, the initial attraction for me was the true auction format. Most of that has given way to a pseudo-auction mechanism that's really a front for retail selling, and the prices generally can be found - or beaten - anywhere. I also routinely screen Ebay OUT of search results. Bill