TwinOaks

We had to tell the kids that raiding the chicken coop was cheating....

Just tried from my end and no problems. Johanna....you're pretty quick on the wrench! and unfortunately, there's no one else chatting so I ended up playing all the sounds by myself... ..twice.

Anybody comes to my little shop has to trip over my kids and dogs, so .... I think the best solution for this problem, if you've got room in the shop, is to have a customer's counter- like a parts counter. A nice place where you can write up orders, lean on while talking, etc. Add a little sign that says "customer area" in that location, and another one that says all non-employees are financially responsible for anything they damage.

Yes, bevel both edges but not where leather meets leather. Whether a pancake or a clamshell, where the leather is glued/stitched together, you'll want as close to a square edge as possible. If it's bevelled at that meeting piont, you'll have a devil of a time getting it to burnish down to a nice edge; there'll always be a line down the center of the join.

If you don't need to sew anything more than a single zipper on a single piece of leather.....you don't need a machine. You'd be better off checking with an upholsterer like Hilly suggested, or perhaps a shoe repair shop. If nothing else, do a search on this forum for leatherworkers who might be close to you. Knowing this group of people, if someone is close enough to drive to....they'd probably just sew it up and offer you a cup of coffee- no charge. If they're farther away than that, well, ask how much they'll charge and offer shipping both ways. To answer the question- No, don't buy one of the Omega machines on Ebay.

Some of the more common names/models to pick from for heavy stitching like tack, etc. that can also do materials like canvas, sails, tarps.....are Juki 441 (and clones- Artisan, LMC/Cobra, CowboySew), and Adler 205 (and clones), and perhaps a NeelsSaddlery model 5. All are BIG machines that will handle the jobs well.

Falling in with the "wrong thread size" crowd..... I just recently got a Singer 66 and was trying size 69 thread in it. Almost IDENTICAL thread problems. My issue was that the BOTTOM thread was breaking because of abrasion at the shuttle/bobbin. The thread was too large for it. On ryano's suggestion I went 1 size down, and the problem went away.

For 'common' thread, like you find at Joanne's, Michael's, Hobby Lobby, wally-world, etc., an upholstery thread should work fine....size t46-t26 (again, coats and clark measurement...I think t26=size 69 thread) but that will depend on what you can get in the bobbin/shuttle. You might want to check out the sewing machine section on the main board and search in that forum for "Singer 201". You'll dig up lots more info than I can type in two days. Since I don't have a 201, I haven't really learned the threads for it. However, in general discussions about machines, the topic has arisen and fairly well put to bed: Even the old Singers, though they can penetrate the leather, aren't designed for large threads like #s 136, 207, 277, (and the other large threads). I'm still pretty new to the sewing machine aspect of things, so I'm more or less re-typing what I've seen/read. As far as hand stitching, if you're handy with a sharpening stone/grinding wheel you can ...ahem...re-size the awl needles. If you use powertools, be careful to keep the blade cool or you'll ruin the temper. Of course, you could just retemper it when you're done. Just remember that thinner needs to be shorter so you don't snap the blade (and have to remake it). When I hand stitch, I REALLY like using waxed linen thread. That with doll needles makes saddle stitching fairly simple. It's also surprisingly strong. Saddle stitching involves passing two threaded needles through the same hole, but in opposite directions. It's one of, if not THE, strongest stitches you can use.( plus it helps you save up for a high dollar leather stitcher). Wondering about that last part? Start hand stitching, you'll understand. One last thing.....WE NEED PICS!!!! We love pics here, so post some when you get a chance.

Hi Phill, Welcome to Leatherworker.net! I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying the new hobby, and having a lot of fun too. Good news: The Singer 201 will sew lighter weight leathers and synthetics. Bad news: It isn't enough machine to do much in the way of tack...at least not with heavy thread. The "leather" needles have a differently shaped tip which is designed to cut the leather, not just pierce it. This will come into play with thicker/harder materials moreso than light ones. You can sew with standard needles. I just recently picked up a model 66 and in my search for thread, was advised to use no heavier than t46 (coats and clark #). I was using t26 and having poor results as the thread is too large for the shuttle/bobbin. The 201 is a different machine, but it just isn't set up for the really large thread like you find in horse tack. More good news: Though the 201 will handle some moderately thick leather, you'll Get To Learn Hand Stitching for the tack!!! When you do start hand stitching, stay away from the large eye needles that Tandy sells. Get some upholstery needles or doll needles. They don't tend to break at the eye as badly and you'll like the additional length of the doll needles when you need to pull a needle through the leather. Also, go ahead and invest in a good awl. The one that Tandy sells in the kit makes too large of a hole. Here's a pic made by Rawhide (Marlon) that shows the difference in awl blades: awl size comparison Any other questions, just ask. Mike

Probably the biggest issue you'll have, providing the machine will handle the thickness, is "climbing the hill" at the gathers.

Additives are usually a part of the casing process. When you strop the knife, make sure you've got a mirror-like finish on the primary bevel on the swivel knife. That lets you know it's a smooth as you're gonna get it. My strops are generally cut offs and scraps of leather...and I'm forever making a new one because I keep losing the ones I make from scrap.

$.45 piece of paper???!!!!! Hey everybody, 2MadJacks has extra money to throw around!!!! You can also get rolls of 'craft paper' pretty cheaply- less size limit with that. There might be a few rolls left of that hideous Christmas gift wrapping paper that your significant other bought on clearance, and it's got a white/plain side to it..... For more durable "master" patterns, I like the plastic pocket folders from wallyworld.

Hi Shavonne, The issue isn't with the sewing machine if it will sew the thicknesses you want. Most 'industrial' machines are straight stitch anyway, so that's only going to come into play if the machine won't handle the thickness. Since your machine will handle the thickness, that only leaves two other components: the attachments and the materials. Since the lighter material gathers as you want, well....then it's the material. The thicker material is too stiff/slick for the foot to handle, that's all. You'll need to manually add the gathers and ruffles, then run them through the straight stitch. When you get ready to do it, try a couple of scrap pieces doubled up and see if the machine will handle the thickness.

I have no idea if this would work or not.....but instead of latex, have you considered other 'modern' materials like vinyl? It should sew pretty well, depending on thickness, and since it's a plastic should hold moisture well.

Hi DGA, to Leatherworker.net!

I tried Johanna's suggestion of using glasses for circles/curves but it didn't work out so well for me. I couldn't see what I was trying to draw when I took them off to trace them..... Then again, I have a 'circle template' left over from my engineering days, as well as some other drafting tools.....well, they're leatherworking tools now.

Mike, you tried the 'shine didn't you?

I've got a pair of live oaks in the yard. They're almost mirror images of each other, so......Twin Oaks.

I play classical guitar....sorta. I don't have a classical guitar, so I play classical style on a steel string acoustic. Singing? Forget it. The last time I sang in the shower, it was so bad even the water ran off.

Mods, When this topic runs it's course, I hope it gets 'pinned'. What I've read so far (just a few posts) is EXACTLY what part of this site is all about- fellowship. Here we have Barra, going walkabout, and he's been invited to stay with some members. No questions, no 'conditions', just friends. Barra, if you plan this right, you might be able to spend all your time here jumping from spare bedroom to couch to spare bedroom, and never have to see a hotel!!! Just don't forget the camera, several memory chips, and LOTS of batteries. ( and shouldn't that read "have swivel knife, will travel"?)

My inexperience talking here, but I was under the impression that when using a machine, you should have a slightly smaller thread on the bottom. The OP states that 207 is used top and bottom. Could this be an issue as well?

Thanks for sharing some of your techniques, John. I'm sure this will clear up some questions for a lot of people.

The "best" option IMO, is to resize pics to 800x600 and save in a .jpg format. That gives a pretty good image and doesn't take too long to load (for those of us not on cable modem). I've had some issues with larger pics being too big for the screen, which requires scrolling. As far as resizing, most graphic programs can do it. If you don't have one, Irfanview is a pretty capable program and it's free. It's certainly capable of resizing/reformat pics as you need for here. The process is to select the pic, go to the file tab, select "save as" (which saves a copy with a new name)then choose the option to resize the freshly saved pic. Doing it to the renamed pic (such as "filename2.jpg") allows you to keep the original pic as is.

Thanks for taking the time to post this. I'm hoping to have a few skins in the near future and it's a good tut. Additional questions: 1. When prepping the skn, regardless of the tanning solution, does it get descaled? 2. DCKnives, for the solution you listed, is it liquid glycerine or is it like a glycerine soap bar dissolved? 3. For the washing and drying process- what do you wash it with? Just water to clean off as much 'gunk' as you can?

Hey, welcome back! It was looking like you'd dropped off the planet ( or were doing a stretch ) For your buckle....do you have any metalworker friends? If so, you could get some heavy guage stainless wire, twist it into a 'knot work' buckle then have them heat and press it flat for you.