TwinOaks
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Posts posted by TwinOaks
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Either trim just inside the line of the leather (1/16th or so) or use a rolled edge.
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The attachment via ring does have the advantange of giving more knuckle room AND being able to 'lay down', when not being used. Other than that, I think it would be a matter of design consistency- If you have a permanently sewn shoulder strap, then I'd go with a sewn on handle. If you're using Ds to attach the strap, then Ds for the handle as well, just so everything matches.
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Welcome to the best site on the internet....officially. I only have to ask "what took you so long?" We're glad that you joined, and looking forward to seeing some of your work.
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If you want to purchase new ones, you can check with Makersleathersupply.com
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You can use just about any leather you want, really. Yes, even embossed leather. Have a look at this page and you'll see what can be done with regular ol' veg tan.
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There's Tanner's Bond, Master's, Barge.....and my personal preference (since I can buy it at a local hardware store) Weldwood. They are all very good contact cements, which are chemically different from "white glue"....which is often times just a variant of PVA (Poly-Vinyl-Alcohol). As Jeff said, you won't pull it apart - but you CAN tear the leather fibers if you try hard enough.
I mix machine stitching and saddle stitching - I don't like the doubled up threads in a lock stitch (because of the angle of my needles), so I leave a tail and saddle stitch my thread locks. That also gives me the option to add a half-stitch, which leaves both threads on the same side of the leather.
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Just some plain disposable nitrile gloves (the blue ones) will improve your grip. I don't use 'leather needles', either. i punch the hole with an awl, then run the needles through. It's okay if you need to wallow the hole a little to get the needle through- that just means that the hole is going to close up nice and tight around the stitch.
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I can't comment on the use of liquid latex and paint, but for using DYE, I suggest masking first. I made a clutch with a painstakingly dyed section (hours of building up layers of diluted dye), and used liquid latex to mask off that section so I could airbrush the background. That idea worked well as far as keeping the background color off of the detailed part. However, when removing the latex, it pulled every iota of the dye out of the detailed area. I should note, that after the 'practice' I got on the first time, the second dyeing of the details went much faster.
Also - if possible, have a cut line around anywhere you don't want the dye to creep. In the pics above, you can see some areas where the dye bled under the latex a tiny bit. As long as you aren't flooding the piece with dye, the cut should stop it from going any further.
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I'll chime in and confirm what Bob wrote- I spent a while on the phone with Paul a good while back and he told me almost exactly the same thing. As to what makes a good knife - quality materials and funtionality. The SK3 has both. It certainly isn't the only knife in the tool box for many people, but Paul has blended a lightweight barrel with a very smooth (ball bearing supported) yoke. Then the addition of his super secret allow blade yields a knife that is easy and comfortable to use, and also doesn't require a whole lot of upkeep. That last part means that your time can be used for carving leather instead of working on your blades.
The other low maintenance option is a ceramic blade. By the simple choice of a non-steel blade, dulling by corrosion is removed as a factor. However, they are NOT 'ready to go' as they are purchased. There is a good article by 'Shtoink', that examines how and why ceramic blades need to be sharpened.
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Me too Jeff.....
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A machine CAN and often DOES give a quality stitch. It won't look just like a saddle stitch, but it can get very close. As far as strength...the tensile strength of the thread is pretty high, and you're not likely to break it. If you prefer the angled stitching, you can get needles that will do that. What you're going through is a little buyer's remorse. Sit down and make a double layer belt, and sew it. 10 minutes later, when you're NOT still sewing the belt, you'll start realizing that you made a good purchasing decision because:
You bought a good machine, from a reputable dealer that's going to support you and the machine long after the sale.
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That should help out a lot, but I can't make any suggestions about price. For general checking, look for significant wear on any metal to metal parts. Be sure that it turns freely - a little oil might be needed.
I'm basing this on my attempts to restore a 1915-18 Champion - mine was completely dry, but a can of good quality oil (gun lube is what I had avail.) got it turning freely. Look inside ofthe machine to see if it has operating rods and if so, check the condition of the rubber bushings. If the machine was at all maintained, they should be fine. Mine sat in a barn for 40+ years unused, so the rubber was sorta dried out. A little oil on them revived them fairly quickly.
As far as parts.....Pilgrim Sewing and Cambell-Randall are the only two places I know of - I'm SURE there are others, as the ASN is still used by shoe/boot repair shops. You might also check with cobbler's supply for the thread and thread lube. If it's a large part, you might have to talk to a local machinist and have a part made.
The Champion has several cam wheels on the back of the machine that have roller bushings in them...I don't know if the ASN does or not, but if you need the little roller bushings that fit in the cam grooves, you can use drill bit stop collars.
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I haven't used it, but the brand has a good following on here (and elsewhere) and the reports say that it's a good thread.
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Of course there's a way to handle this!!! You'll need a set of wing dividers, and here's what you do - measure how much short or long the odd stitch will be. Then divide that number by 3, 4, or 5 (whichever is easier) and subtract/add that from/to your standard stitch size. This new stitch size , either slightly less or slightly more, should cover the odd spacing. Then set the wing dividers to the new size and mark the holes. You spread the variance over 3, 4, or 5 stitches and it is less noticeable than one or two stitches that are different.
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Look at the advertisers at the top of the page - those that are sewing machine dealers often include some of that basic information.
General info: We typically use 3 types of common thread, cotton/linen, polyester, and nylon. There is also 'Artificial Sinew' (which is nylon), and it is used in some applications that are to appear 'period correct'.
You can use any thread in any leather, but sometimes it's preferred to use one over another. Linen has the longest historical use for just about all applications and can still be found in things that use chain stitching. Linen is used because it's easy to wax the thread with a liquid acrylic wax which locks the stitches in place once it dries. Redwing shoes/boots use this method for sewing the upppers. Nylon is often found where strength and durability are a concern, specifically Bonded Nylon - saddles, holsters, sheaths, hard use items....long list! Polyester (aka Poly) is also used in those things but may also be found in purses, bags, wallets, et al., because it can have a softer feel to it - referred to as 'the hand' of the thread. I.e. a soft thread to the touch is said to have a soft hand.
The size of the thread is dictated by the size of the thing being sewn. You wouldn't use really thick thread for something like a wallet liner, nor really thin thread for a saddle. This is partly for aesthetic reasons, partly for the physics of sewing. Just about all machines use a lock stitch (some use a chain stitch). A lock stitch is two threads entering and exiting a stitch hole and crossing each other once, just like hooking your fingers together. That place where they cross each other is often referred to as the knot. For the stitch to look good and actually be 'locked', the knot needs to be between the pieces that are being sewn together. If you have very thin material, it becomes difficult or impossible to keep the knot between the layers, which results in the thread not being locked in place, and possibly slipping. For example: Using thread that was thicker than either of the two pieces being sewn would result in the knot resting on either the top or the bottom of the sewn piece, as it can not physically fit between the two smaller pieces.
On the opposite side of the spectrum is sewing thick material with thin thread. To have any significant strength, there would need to be MORE stitches because the thin thread isn't as strong as thick thread. This creates a problem with sewing leather because if the stitch holes are too close together, you end up perforating the leather just like a paper towel.
So, you end up with thick material requires thick thread, thin material gets thin thread. There are exceptions, but I did preface this with "general information".
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I'm also going to offer a counter argument to Jim's preference of not glueing. I try to always glue my edges because I think it adds to the appearance and longevity of the finished product. That said, I also like nice solid looking edges (reference Hidepounder/Bob Park's tutorial on edges).
A glued edge is less likely to separate over time. Use and abuse certainly will show on it, but I don't want any of my products having a edge that looks like well worn book pages. With a quality glue/cement you'll have a stronger edge as well. IF your stitches do get worn and break, a glued edge will still try to stay together. It *might* still separate, but it's not a forgone conclusion. An edge that's ONLY stitched has nothing else holding it together, so if a stitch breaks, it will separate.
Here's an important note about gluing edges - Don't use so much glue that it's sloppy and glue is running all over everything. If you take time to read the instructions, most products work better. The first couple of times I used a contact cement, I had 'glue boogers' on the edge from the glue being squeezed out because I used a lot of glue (more is better, right?) and stuck the pieces together while it was wet. Those glue boogers are a PITA to remove, make a bump/gap in the finished edge, and are harder to dye. So, following the old adage "When all else fails.....read the instructions", I did. Hmm...it said "apply a thin layer to both pieces and allow to dry until tacky"......sonuvagun! I followed the directions and when I put the pieces together they stuck right there, with no squeezed out glue, no sliding around, no problems at all.....and the glue was all the way to the edge with no bumps. Now when I glue edges together before sewing, the result is uniform and I end up with two (or more) pieces of leather acting like a single piece which means that I have ZERO movement of the leather.
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The misaligned stitch line is the result of a tilted awl, nothing more. The solution is to keep the awl in the same position by 1. Practice, or 2. use a jig or machine. You didn't mention how you did your sewing - i.e. Did you place it on a table and pushed awl through, or did you hold it up so you could see both sides?
As you have a standard awl, you need to do something to mark it. This can be a flat spot where your thumb/finger goes, it can be a spot made with a marker...anything. Do this so that you can have the awl in the same position in your hand for every stitch. That addresses consistency of stitch angle. Next, try Dwight's method. If you're worried about stabbing the awl too far through the leather, just add some 'washers' made out of leather- just stack them up on the awl blade until you have 'the right amount' of blade sticking out. (For consistency's sake, I use the little 'hole centers' that are left over from punching holes in leather).
Another option is to use something like a stitching horse/saddler's clam. It has a pair of jaws that hold the work in front of you so that can see both sides of the work. Start the awl on one side and look to see where the tip of the awl starts to penetrate the leather. If it's not where you want, pull back and adjust. The often overlooked utility of the clam type holder is that if you place the stitch line at the edge of the jaws, the jaws themselves can act as a sewing guide. It's next to impossible to get the stitch too low because there's a jaw in the way. Insert awl, and if it feels like you're hitting something solid...you are! Just adjust up a little bit, and you'll be on the line. It still requires practice, though.
As far as using a jig or machine, there have been several types posted on this forum. The simplest way is to just insert the awl blade into a (**unplugged**) drill press and use that to punch your holes. Just make sure that the blade doesn't change orientation. Other tpes of jig/machine do the same thing - it's just a method of keeping the awl blade perpendicular to the leather, and giving a little leverage to the operator.
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The only way I know to make it 100% waterproof is to dip it in a hot mix of oil and wax. This has the downside to making the leather rigid, so for tack applications, it's probably not what you want. This method is often seen in period recreations like mugs, tankards, and flasks that you might find at a ren-faire. It's also popular for certain types of sheaths.
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$600???!!!??? GAAAHHHHHH Yer Killin' me!
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You should inspect the punches before use to ensure that they are not nicked or have a rolled edge, and that they are sharp. If they aren't, you need to first stone the edge flat, then sharpen them. Chucking it up in a drill is the easiest method to ensure roundness. Be sure to de-burr the inside of the punch as well.
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this might be useful -
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During any disaster, as long as you have a smart phone and the battery has juice in it, you will be able to use Bitcoins.
My whole intention here is not to promote everyone into becoming a Libertarian and denounce fiat currency and take up Bitcoin, my intention is to bring to the leather community another viable means of gaining a larger market for their leather work.Just an interesting note on the first piece quoted- One of the tornadoes damaged the high tension power lines from Browns Ferry NPP....it safely SCRAMed, but that also left the whole area with no power. After 24-36 hrs, the batttery backups for all the cell towers started failing, which meant that any comms that weren't 'peer to peer', were useless. The phones themselves were working, but the towers to which they connected weren't....so, no calls. Even land lines are run through electronic multiplexers these days, not hard wired back to the central office. That left only two comm types for this area - satellite, and (HAM) radio. The sat comms might be a viable transaction method, provided the other end of the transaction still has power.
For part two of the quote- Thank you for bringing this topic up. There are members here from just about every nation, and places where BC is accepted/used, it's certainly worth having every option of serving our customer base. Perhaps for some folks who deal internationally, this could open new avenues of revenue. My vote? Keep it up.
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Also look up how to set the timing. You're machine is acting up, so you might as well learn how to 'fix' one of the most common things.
On some machines, there's a little shim plate that adjusts how far the hook is from the needle. As was mentioned in a thread somewhere, the needle should NOT be bottomed out- it should be raised a small amount above 'bottom-dead-center', as the thread loop forms when the needle is on the rise.
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It sounds like either the thicker material is causing a little needle deflection, the thicker leather is keeping the needle too high (needle bar adjustment **I think**) or there's an issue with the needle/thread size. To test if it's the latter, see if a thinner thread will work when using the same needle and leather thickness. It could be that the thicker leather is 'grabbing' the thread and not allowing the hook to grab the loop. Or, if it's the former, the slight deflection is moving the needle too far away from the hook's path. It'd probably be easiest to see with the bobbin out of the way so you can see where the hook is in relation to the needle.
Some of the better sewing machine gurus will have more useful input than this, but it's something to get you started.
What Type Of Leather?
in Leatherwork Conversation
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I am curious about the method you're using - whether you're wet forming, trying to cut to size then build, what kind of seams you're using, etc. I'm not trying to pick apart your construction method, just trying to see where the assembly challenges are.
For example: Tramps mentioned wet forming- is that something you're doing? And if so, are you starting with an oversized piece so that you can wrap and tack the edges, or are you trying to fit pre-cut sections and running into alignment problems after stretching?