TwinOaks

Still check with the dealers. There are clones of the 206 by various companies...Cobra, Cowboy, Techsew, Consew......yada, yada, yada. The different versions may have slightly different specs.....for example, one may have a 7/16ths lift capable of sewing 3/8ths...and one may have a 9/16ths lift capable of 1/2". There's also the question of which motor you'll want. Most (actually I think ALL) of the dealers set the machines up with DC motors for more torque at low RPM, and/or speed reduction pulleys. You can still sew fast with them, but it will allow you to slow waaaaay down when needed and still be able to sew.

Ditto what Dirtclod said. You may think you don't need a -441 type machine, but when sewing leather...ALWAYS get more machine than you think you'll need. You have some fairly specific requirements, some of which (thread cutter) may require some accessories. Call Steve at Cobra, or Bob at Toledo and tell them what you need as well as what size thread you want to use. Both dealers have exceptional sales and service records with our members here, and it may come down to who's closer, which could save you on shipping. There's also a better than "good" chance that they can set the machine up before shipping so that you have an absolute minimum of adjustment to get started. A final suggestion: If you can, opt for a machine that has "triple" or "Unison" feed. It combines a walking foot, feed dogs, and needle feed to provide the best option for multiple layers of leather.

Ditto the comments on lacing....and I'll add the following: Being "weird" in the current social sense of the word just means that you don't fit a preconceived idea of "normal". But I have to ask....Just WHO decided what normal is? I suppose there are a lot of 'weird' people out in the world, and they came up with weird ideas....like having a carriage that doesn't need horses, or wanting to fly, or having little boxes that make lots of calculations for us and allow us to communicate in almost "real time" with other people all over the world. Maybe even deciding that they wanted to cut an image into the surface of a piece of leather instead of just painting it. So, if you think you might be "weird".....congratulations!!!! There's more than a few of us here that passed "weird" a long time ago......c'mon, catch up!!!

I picked up the multi size burnisher from Tandy last Christmas, thinking it would be useful....and for a while, it was. It WILL slick down the edges, but that is not the final step. If you haven't read Bob Park's (Hidepounder) tutorial, you need to take the time to do so. The Tandy version is 'okay' for slicking things down, but it requires additional preparation of the edge. Glycerin soap is good, so is Gum Tragacanth. But all you end up with is a slicked edge. You still need to use a medium coarse fiber material to finish the burnish. I've used canvas and denim, both with good results. If you use old blue jeans, be sure it's going to be a dyed edge, because there's a small chance of some color transfer (depending on the denim, of course). What I use: Belt sander w/ 80 grit...AND occasionally a dremel for small areas. Then I use a rotary burnisher made from Ipe (ee-pay)...I shameless borrowed the idea from Spinner and had a local guy turn it for me. It works pretty well, but I'll still probably ending up with one of the ones Spinner designed (Now made by Ed the Bearman or his son......contact member 'Bearman') because he spent a lot of time deciding on which wood to use and this one still leaves a bit of room for improvement.

Bifrost, First off, that is an outstanding piece of work. I hate to point it out to you, but the amount of fabric differs only in the amount of fabric between the card slots. Where you are gluing the top of one fabric piece, then gluing the bottom of the next piece, you could leave the fabric uncut and glue only once. The amount of fabric in each pocket is the same. However, individual pockets may be more work in the beginning, the result is that if the glue fails on ONE pocket, none of the others are effected by it. My personal preference is to make each pocket out of a single layer that is mounted to a separate panel......see Kevin King's tutorials for the how to.

Hi, my name is Mike, and I have a hundred year old sewing machine.....

I have used alcohol and deglazer on a q-tip to do this. I have also used liquid latex (mold/model maker supplies) to pull dye out.

There's also this one: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=16830&st=0&p=107705&hl=+hipster%20+billfold&fromsearch=1entry107705 post #8

If it's like the one's I've seen on some boots, you can probably use a piece of thin suede. Give the folks at Springfield a call (they're open on Sat.) and tell them what you're working on. As it's part of a boot, it's most likely analine drum dyed leather....which means that water won't effect it much. This is probably a good time to stay away from veg-tan. ETA: I went looking, and those 'kilts' can be found on Justin work boots (and probably others). If you can't find a suitable leather, you might be able to check with them.

Ditto what Chief said. The common opinion on here is that the best awls are made by Bob Douglas. If you're having trouble stabbing through the leather, see if the tip has a burr on it. Even though you aren't cutting with it, it still needs to be stropped and occasionally be sharpened. . The "stitching awl" is decently handy for emergency repairs because it's a compact yet complete unit. I'd carry one in a saddle bag if I was on a calvacade, just in case. If I'm at home, I'd stick to diamond awl and two needles. The saddle stitch has an advantage over most other stitches because it has two threads interweaving between the stitch holes. If one of them breaks, there's still the other one holding the seam together. A lock stitch is two threads as well, but each thread stays on it's own side. Inside the stitch hole, the threads wrap around each other and come back out of the hole on the same side it went in. If one of those breaks, the only thing holding the stitch in place is the 'lock' (the wrap around the other thread), and it's more prone to unraveling than the saddle stitch. I'll give you a personal example. I used a Tandy kit to make a Leatherman pouch, and used a stitching awl to sew it. When I wore down one of the threads ( I am in an aerial bucket truck most days) it unraveled to the point the tool fell out. Later (and before I learned about welts) I made a pouch for my electrician's knife and sewed it with a saddle stitch. Since I didn't have a welt, I end up cutting the threads at the mouth of the sheath where the blade dragged across them. It didn't unravel. Sure, the seam was 'open' where the blade passed it, but it never unraveled past that. When I noticed it, I decided to see how bad it would get. 3 months of daily wear later, it hadn't unraveled but the seam had opened up another two stitches. So, I started a loop two stitches back and restitched the 6 that had been cut and now it's back to proper condition.

Does Kingmax set the machine up specifically for leather, or do they just sell it as an industrial machine head? I ask because there is a lot more to a "leather sewing machine" than just the industrial head.

In that case, Chief has an excellent reply. I started off using "Barge" contact cement, but swapped to "DAP Weldwood" when Barge changed the formula. It can be found in most hardware stores, and also has a low V.O.C. formula. The bond is strong enough that once it's set, you'll actually pull leather fibers apart if you try to separate the pieces. I haven't used the Tanner's Bond brand, but it has fantastic reviews from many of our members. For me, it's an issue of availability, as I prefer to use materials and supplies that I can source locally.....I'm terrible at making sure I have enough supplies before I get to the middle of a project.

Welcome to Leatherworker.net! You can find some excellent tutorials in the "pinned" topics at the top of the " Holsters, Rifle Slings and Knife Sheathes " forum. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask and we'll help out.

Since you're asking on a leather forum, I'll presume you want to stick leather to something...the question is 'what'? Leather to leather? See Chief's answer. Leather to art board? To cloth? I like 3M adhesive sprays. I use the 3M spray to attach liner fabric to wallet backs (thanks KK), and to stick art pieces together. I've also used it to stick pigskin to vegtan. For thicker or heavy use items, I spread a thin coat of contact cement (Weldwood) on both pieces. For seams on small items, I like double sided seam tape. I built a wallet for my son and just used the seam tape to hold down a folded edge - worked fine for months until it was left out in the rain Large items...cement to the edge.

Typically, garment leather is chrome tanned, and unless you are looking for specific water shedding properties, you don't need to further seal it. You might however wish to test a piece of it for color fastness.

It's usually very helpful to wipe down the surface of the leather before dyeing it. I usually use plain ol' 90% alcohol and a clean washcloth. All you're doing is removing all the gunk that has gathered on the surface. The reason for doing this is that before you got the leather (and perhaps after) there's no telling who put grimy or sweaty hands on it. Those sweaty hands leave a residue that can act like a mild resist. You also don't know what may have been laid on it, or how much dust has settled on it.....anything that CAN clog up the pores...probably will. If you have any the leather left, give it a wipe down before the next application of dye. If you are sure it's in the dye, shake well.....and hold the bottle while you're shaking. You can add a bit of high % isopropyl alcohol to help dissolve any dye particles that have fallen out of solution. I have some OLD dyes that were in my father's kit (35+ years) and there was nothing but pigment left in the bottles. All the alcohol evaporated out over time, and all I needed to do was add the isopropyl to it, swirl, shake, and let sit to make sure it was all dissolved and then it was good to go.

I live in Alabama, and have for a LONG time, but since I was born in Savannah, I guess I can chime in here since I'm FROM Georgia. I've still got family all over S. GA, and also in the ATL area. I don't get over that way much anymore, but you never know.....

Unless you specifically delete it, it's saved automatically. Just tryin' to help.

Open your browser, select "history", and look for the pages you visited on Sunday. Unless you clear your history daily, you should be able to go back and view the exact pages....in order if you like.

Inconsistency on length sounds like a presser foot issue. If you don't have enough pressure one it, the needle will pull the leather up, and off the plate, when you are on the "up" stroke. It'll also allows the needle to move the leather backwards...which is probably where the lack of consistency is coming from. Try holding the leather in place after you complete the down stroke and see if that will make the tpi more consistent. If the leather is lifting, you'll need to increase the presser foot tension. That will also hold the leather in place so that the thread/knot can be pulled into the leather.

Mike, I got in LOADS of trouble about a year ago when my wife asked me what fragrance perfume I liked (for her to wear, of course). I offhandedly replied "I like the smell of Hoppes #9." She spent a few days looking for it at various department stores and finally asked where to find it. When I showed her what it was........ouch. And I wasn't trying to say that you should use the gloves. When you've got permanent indentions in your fingers...that just happen to be the same size as your needles...well, there's not much need for it. But for some of our new members that haven't got the hang of it yet, it's a good aide. At least until they realize they need that pair of smooth jaw pliers.

That's why large/heavy items like sewing machines usually ship as "freight". You might want to check with a shipping company before giving up.

What I get is a multi pack in the fabric sections of wally world and they're labeled as 'upholstery' needles They are from 2.5" to 3.5" long, depending on diameter. I use the two smallest pairs - the smallest for linen, and the next size for back stitching the threads from my Boss (277, and it just barely fits in the eye). Yep, Mike, I was talking about the Tandy needles. After the second, and third broke at the eye, I went and found a locally replaceable substitute. I wouldn't mind stitching with a 5-6" needle, though - I'd be able to push it through just about anything I hand sew and have enough to grab that I would't need the pliers. Tip for hand sewing: Use nitrile or rubber gloves (over a finger and thumb) for increased traction on the needle.

It looks like you may be pulling the stitches too tight for the thin leather.

Once you have your powered machine, the Boss will really show it's worth when you try to throw your powered machine in a truck bed and drive out to a friend's stable to do some tack repair.......especially when you find out that there's no electricity there. If you are in a set location like a store front, or a workshop, then you probably don't need both. If you every need to travel with it......the Boss is under 40lbs, and can be set up just about anywhere.