bcurrier

A plain, but well-made, lined, mexican loop holster, double gunbelt is typically in the $350-$500 range. Buscadero gunbelts are more. Border stamping or basketweave adds to that. Carving adds a lot more. Two-tone dyeing adds again. Terrific rig! The only thing I don't like are the buckles - easy to change. Bill

I thought a bit about the Wal Mart comparison, above. I think a better comparison is McDonalds - limited menu, relatively low but predictable quality, usually good service but can apparently differ from site to site. My personal experience with Tandy customer service has been very good at several stores, so I'm surprised to hear some of the negative stories. I was at my local Tandy today. I needed thread today and they had the only 277 locally I could find (A&E bonded poly, which was WAY too expensive, by the way). I also picked up some glue and deglazer. Tandy is reliable for decent liquid supplies (dyes, glues/cements, edge coats, top finishes, etc.), has a few decent tools, carries some worthwhile supplies like needles, rivets, etc., but a lot of the stuff is just awful. I looked through the pile of "premium" 7/8 oz. sides they had on a house special, for example. What a wrinkled, blotchy, scarred, cut & scraped, uneven, dry and faded mess! Granted, that's why it was on sale, but the regular price veg tan stuff didn't look a whole lot better. The manager, on the other hand, was great, answering questions about some acrylics he carries, and offered to mail me the gum trag. on which he was out of stock without a shipping charge. I guess I always leave a Tandy wishing they offered better, or maybe a fuller range of quality. But, as it is, it's more like a convenience store for certain types of supplies only. Bill

No smileys or anything. Were you kidding? Bill

Applying tension only aids winding the bobbin. It doesn't add tension to the bobbin thread itself. There is no thread tension in the windings to speak of. The only tension provided is by the bobbin case. Bill

You're welcome, but "J.R." is the guy at Schmetz. Bill

Just got home and I had a reply from Schmetz. Here it is: Thank you for using needles Schemtz. The system 794 S and 794 S Serv. 1 are very similar. However, the only modification made to the Serv 1 is the length on the shank (Short shank needle) All others specifications and point are the same. Best Regards, J.R. Reyes SNC, Miami

As an FYI, the Oil dye is alcohol-based also. From Fiebing's website: Professional Oil Dye A new, improved version of our traditional leather dye. Professional Oil Dye is also an alcohol-based dye created specifically for natural strap leather, vegetable tanned leather and bag & case leather. ... Bill

The other alternative to address speed would be a servo motor. I agree, though, a 555 would not be on the top of the list for leather. IF (big if) it's in good shape, it would certainly be an option for light work, though. You'd want to change out or blunt the feed dogs at a minimum. Bill

Ed, I meant to respond to this earlier, but took some time try to dig up some information on the needle you referenced ... with no luck. As far I know, the needle you're talking about is just an "S" point. The "Serv 1" is probably a proprietary designation for the construction - but actually don't know. I dropped a note to Schmetz customer service, but haven't gotten a reply yet. All things being equal, a cross would not last as long as a diamond or tri point - simple matter of strength due to the point configuration, and cutting area. Bill

Yes, indeed. Bill

Any scientific or lab supply house carries these. Try this link or go to www.fishersci.com and search on "glass alcohol burner". About $7. https://www.fishersci.com/wps/portal/PRODUC...mp;fromSearch=Y Bill

Interesting stuff. I'm assuming it has to be put down with tile mastic, but what about the joints? I can't see using grout. Do you fill them at all? I also wonder how the tiles are finished, i.e., what top coat is used, and how you'd deal with cleaning the tile and re-doing the top coat. If not coated, what do you do, clean your floors with saddle soap and condition them?

Be careful! While most gear is generic and can be patterned, there is patented gear out there too. If you make something based on a protected design, you can be sued. Bill

It's actually pretty hard to nail down the details. Companies like Artisan and Ferdco don't want to give out too much information to competitors (though they can reverse engineer the differences for themselves anyway). I've seen Juki 441 specs that differ on the details also - including some that specify the 794 as well as other different needle systems. There's actually nothing very suprising about that. Most suppliers can supply almost any head type with almost any needle system, within design reason, of course. Bill

It depends on the item. Some leather goods are virtually always colored, like masks. Some almost never - try to envision a saddle painted all over, for example. Occasionally you get surprised by something. There were some posts here recently where someone was creating traditional beadwork patterns in bright colors on handbags and such, and they were beautiful. Mike's work, above, is very well done, but between his two colored pieces, the one I like the best is the dog - the color just enhances the work enough to make it pop. Same with the "beadwork" pieces I mentioned. Leather has been traditionally enhanced with all kinds of things, from dyes and oils to conchos, braidwork and stamping, beading, gilding, and a hundred other things, but to my eye paint just isn't the best match to the material. As a result, it looks better (to me) when it's used very selectively. Bill

I don't know how the hook is set up on a Boss, but on most sewing machines, the hook catches the needle thread (in order to lock the bobbin thread) on the rise of the needle. If you have the needle down all the way and turn the goods, you can twist the top thread away and the hook never catches. Try bringing the needle back up but not out of the leather (so you can still pivot on the needle). You may have to experiment to find the right place. It's also possible your machine is mis-timed a bit. Bill

Just to show how perspectives differ, I think I've ridden maybe once in a western saddle, and that for a few minutes. I grew up riding english, and there's NOTHING to grab. Which also means, given that I'm not exactly an Olympics level rider (talk about understatements), on my behind on occasion. And all this time I've thought how nice and secure those western rigs look! Bill

I don't want to part with mine, but they are well worth the money. Bill

Personally I'd like to thank Mr. Siegel for taking the time to post a reply. Having your business discussed in this manner in public isn't a pleasant thing. Any business' rationale for sale items is theirs and doesn't really need to be defended at all, including the stock situation. If someone wants to blow out old stock, odds & ends, or 3 items on a whim, that's his call, as is policy on restock, communications, and every other topic mentioned. I haven't seen a thing in this thread regarding Siegels that would make me hesitate to order from them. With Mr. Siegel's reply, in fact, it's just the opposite. Bill

Thanks for the perspective. I wasn't writing off the stitch itself - a lock is a lock is a lock - only the appearance when exposed. Now that you mention it, I have seen it on patent leather (and plastics). Bill

The part about the bobbin thread (or loop) lying ON the underside of the material is what caught my attention. Having the lock lower within the leather is fine, but if the loop is completely exposed on the underside you might as well use a chainstitch and save yourself the trouble of dealing with bobbins at all. You do see some items with the exposed bobbin loops here and there. It looks pretty bad to my eye. Bill

I realized I misunderstood your rotary cutter use, Bruce. I thought you might be using an electric rotary cutter and wondered how that might work on leather. Bill

Amazingly complete response, Bruce, and thank you for taking the time. Bill

I came across the following on the Schmetz site ( www.schmetz.com ) regarding industrial leather sewing. Looks like the expectation generally, with industrial sewing, is not to suck the stitch up into the leather as with cloth: When stitching tough and brittle materials, it is very difficult to interloope the needle thread and bobbin thread in the middle of the material on account of the inelasticity of the material. Therefore, the loop should always lie on the underside the material. This facilitaties stitching, but can lead to the bobbin thread of the finished product breaking more easily under elevated loads. Garment industry: Stitch type 301:Lockstitch (Stitch type 304: Zigzag stitch) Laether industry: Stitch type 301: Lockstitch (Stitch type 304: Zigzag stitch) Bill

The problem is that the dyestuff itself is water soluble. So even if you dry it out and re-dissolve in alcohol for application, when the dyed goods get wet, the dye will run. Bill