mikesc

Search google ( or whoever ) for.. curtiduria españa There are more tanneries actually in Spain "than you can shake a stick at"..

Singer 20U33 will run Tex 90 ( 92 ) thread..it's max needle size is often given as 19, but it will run 21/22 needles, thus can run Tex 135 ( 138 ) , but you wont get a lot of 138 on the bobbin, and you'll not want to be running it fast with 138 in, especially not if you have the zig zag set wide.

No..it has some plastic gear parts inside ( unless it is one of the old ones ) ..Singer 20U33 is all metal, you need something that can take the impact of sewing through leather and hides..Bernina is a "crafts machine" , not an industrial, it does stuff that you don't need ( buttonholes etc ) because it is built to sew textiles for craft workers, The singer 20u33 was also built for sewing textiles, but it was built to be used more heavily, and to sew thicker materials and more layers, it only does straight stitch and zig zags , but it will do them day in day out, and nothing plastic in there to expensively break. Parts for Bernina 950s ( even the bobbins ) are expensive compared to Singer 20u33s, sewing horsehair scraps into rugs on a Bernina 950, you will be straining the machine, breaking parts or having them wear out quicker, the "down time" will be an additional cost over the parts. Review of Bernina 950 here..read the comments too. https://thoughtsfromaseamstress.blogspot.fr/2008/01/bernina-950-industrial-sewing-machine.html I have a friend who is a sail maker , huge sail loft, runs a very expensive very long arm state of the art Adler as his main machine, he also has a Bernina 217 and an 850 for smaller sail work, loves them, ( they have no plastic parts, his 850 is an old one ), isn't interested in any 950. Bought an Adler walking foot machine ( don't know which one ) for adding the leather ends to bags ( or whatever the huge sack that sails live in are called ) etc. More about zig zag machines here http://www.ashleyandthenoisemakers.com/blog/2015/5/7/bernina-217-review Almost forgot..re the Pfaff 138..it is a "full size" industrial..the needle end is further from the "post" end than on the Singer 20U33( and many others )..so you may find it easier to work with that extra space under the "harp"..if you can find one.

There are a lot more different types of leather needle point than just the triangular ones..most will cut the threads of any woven textile, because they are designed to slice a clean hole in the leather, the triangular point ones are nearer to a standard needle so may ( if you are lucky on some holes ) slide the threads apart on some holes and thus not weaken the textile at each and every stitch..If you are sewing leather and textile together in one assembly it can be necessary. But..if you are only sewing textile such as canvas ( and old canvas and tarps are liable to be too stiff for the threads too slide away from a cutting end leather needle )..why take a chance on it unravelling later at some time. Needles are cheap.

Leather needle will cut the threads due to it's end shape..you need a needle for woven textiles.

Number one is , IMO, the more practical of the two..re scissor jacks, you can get more pressure ( and they may be more stable, and faster to use ) with a "bottle jack" and so the movable element goes upwards.Some home made shoe presses work that way.A ready made system that could do multiple units at a time ( with the movement downwards as per your ideas ) could be made from a hydraulic bearing press, the kind that small garages use, here they are around $300.00, or less, ( various widths ) of usable area, and I'm sure that you have compressed air ( only needs around 6 kilos pressure ) around to drive them.

I nearly forgot, if you use oil paints ( as per above ), use artist's grade, they have a greater pigment to "vehicle or "liant" ration than student grades and also are ground more finely, so give more even control of colouring and thinning, also some student grades of the natural earth colours ( like the umbers and siennas etc ) can have a grittiness which can scratch the surfaces that you are applying it to, and subsequent coats will accentuate any such scratches. Cheap watercolour paints frequently have the same problems, in all "paints" and dyes , the pigments are more expensive than the binders, vehicles or liants, so when corners get cut to make a price point, the pigment is what has it's quality compromised, and "light fastness" is not usually as good with student grade pigments. Automotive paints are probably the hardest wearing, but the best ones require experience and skill to apply and frequently use toxic or carcinogenic solvents and binders..but they do allow effects that you cannot get any other way than to use them, and they ( when properly thinned ) go through the expensive double action detail airbrushes like a dream...and they stay on and take a wax very nicely. They also adhere very well to the insides of your nasal passages and your trachea and lungs, ( and can kill you ) so should only be used with solvent proof "cartridge type" masks or breathing systems..

Ditto with Uwe..Table and bed has seen a lot of use, and there are a lot of rolls of what might be plastic tarps and banner and maybe sail or vinyl material under those tables..worked hard, many "cliks" of cloth sewn, and it maybe a clone.

J'adore !! :))))

You could also look up graining and marbling ..lot of the techniques apply to "faux surfacing" and "distressing".. Parry's Graining and Marbling..is still available in print..it is older than I am..( a little ) but is "old school", that is to say it explains techniques and mixtures rather than quotes brand names and ready made mixtures in a bottle or a can which as they may one day be come unavailable are really no substitute for knowing how to make your own from the basic ingredients , oils, varnishes, glues, adhesives and pigments. There are other books that go still deeper into the chemistry and the techniques behind what is used in faux and trompe on a various surfaces ( gold foil application or "gilding" is one such technique that can be used or adapted ) Many of those I have or have had, are alas out of print nowadays, so much of the basic knowledge appears to be being forgotten or swept aside for a "quick fix" and the "in a bottle" ( so few artists and artisans these days are also interested in the chemistry of what they use ) instant remedies are taking their places. There are still many websites out there which have valuable information on materials and techniques, but a huge amount was lost to the public when geocities went dark..and a lot of what is still online is not in English. Cue chorus from "big yellow taxi"..

Products and finishes? depends on where you are..almost all the products and finishes and glues mentioned on here by anyone are unavailable where I am. I know how to mix the base ingredients and pigments, varnishes and waxes etc, ( and the techniques to use with them ) to achieve almost any finish on any surface. But when reading the names of the various products that are mentioned here, I tend to search out their MSDS, or the technical description of their make-up in order to know what is in them and what they are trying to be the "ready made" versions of.. Example almost all of the "cements" which get mentioned here, are anything but cement ( which is a mixture incorporating calcium hydroxide with aggregates and water ), what they are is, glues or adhesives, and usually woud fall into the category of "adhesives"..and from what I can gather most are variants upon "rubber solutions" ( either natural or synthetic ) in various solvent bases. Another example is when white "wood glue" or white "carpenters glue" is mentioned..I know those as PVA ( polyvinylacetate ), which if you add 10% to your water when "casing" will improve the result immensely ( unless you are going to be carving the leather afterwards, in which "case"* you'd be better casing the leather normally, then carving it before it is totally dry and then spraying a few light coats of diluted PVA over the final surface ( better still if done also from the flesh side for better penetration ) prior to any finishes being applied. Back to your examples .If I was going to reproduce those colours and those effects on leather,after cutting and / casing/ forming the leather and making any required carving and stamping on it, I'd then begin by getting some burnt umber and some raw umber and maybe some raw sienna oil paint, thinning each a little with odourless white spirit ( or turpentine which has been rendered odourless ) mixing a batch of each into bees wax ( or stearate wax ) which will need to be warmed in a "double boiler" ( for safety )..and then applying each layer either with a soft cloth ( and buffing it well to spread it and ensure absorption ) in small circles ( like you shine military boots or shoes )..build up the effect that way..try on a piece of the same leather so as to get the "feel" for how many layers and how to apply to get the precise effect that you want, stippling it on with a sponge and then very lightly spreading with a cloth so as to not disturb the stippling too much will get you that degrade slightly distressed marbled effect that you see in the darker areas, you can add to the distressing by dipping a feather into the thinned paint that has not had wax added and dragging the feather ( the "wrong way" over some areas ) <= this is how you do marble veining ( and then you use either you fingers or cloth or horn tools to "take out " the stones and "crystals" and "fractures" ) when making "faux marbre" in trompe l'oeil work..You can also use "scrim" or Hessian ( burlap ) in a sort of swiping / stroking action to add or remove "finish" on what would be "wear lines" an d "wear areas" or faux creases, all kinds of textures, textiles and objects can be used with pigments and pigmented waxes and varnishes to make patinas and faux / fantasy finishes. *unavoidable pun..je m'excuse ( hangs head in shame smiley ) BTW..if you like armour.. search for azmal here on leatherworker.net and on deviant art and at princearmory.com

Not airbrush..I already replied about that in another of this poster's thread http://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/77673-how-to-achieve-this-two-tone-finish/?do=getNewComment ( at least two threads with the same post were made )..I know airbrush. Can be done with airbrush, but the effect is not quite the same around the dark edges ( unless the person using the airbrush isn't very good with one ), too "patchy"/ irregular / mottled. Maybe a mod can merge the two threads ?

list of industrial zig zag machines here in this other thread http://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/77575-zig-zag-machine-advice/

Not airbrush, but that kind of dark "degradé" ( with the slight marbling effect in some parts ) could/ can be done with sponges and multiple passes around the edges , each "pass" slightly nearer the edge of the piece than the previous one. The slightly "honey" effect ( softer "degrade" ) can be done with airbrush or with very soft cloths and thin colour ( allow the previous coat to dry before going over again with another coat, and working lightly , but fast and sure *) many ways to achieve these finishes. *Think "old furniture" type "sunburst" finishes ( before the airbrush existed, and yes, airbrushes have been around for a very long time, but these kind of finishes as varnishes on furniture ( and musical instruments ) have been around for centuries. Can also do this kind of "degrade" using soft cloths and semi-transparent coloured waxes, makes it very easy to get either soft or harder type blends.

Art..:) ( certain codicils apply nonetheless..see "sig" below )

The only "domestics" that you can get away with to sew light leather ( without the layers "slipping" ) are the Pfaff Select or Pfaff Jeans machines..they have a drop down ( presser foot bar driven, but built into the machine ) top "pulling foot"..the same design is available under the Gritzner ( various models ) name or as Silver Viscount ( beginning with the 4084, which is the equivalent of the older Pfaff select 4 models ) ) ..You can get 3oz chrome tan through them and 2 or if you are lucky and help them 3 oz oz veg tan. They use a Pfaff system called IDT.( integrated synchronised top pulling foot that works at the same time as the lower feed dogs ) These are manual selection machines ( push button stitch ..not electronic stitch selection )..and are more expensive tan the electronic stitch selection models..I have a Silver Viscount 4084D..( I have real walking foot leather industrial machines and other industrial leather and industrial textile machines too )new they cost around $600.00 to $800.00 , used they hold their value pretty well..they are solid machines , but they still have some plastic ( nylon ) parts in their drive trains..they are used by a lot of costume makers and tech schools to teach pupils on..The older Pfaffs were made in Germany, the Gritzners too ( now they are made in Asia ), the Silver Viscounts are made in Iran..Best is an older Pfaff Select or Gritzner..or a Silver. The walking foot attachments that I think you are looking at ? ( that attach to the presser foot bar ) are crap..sorry no other way to describe them..the "Pfaff Select system isn't perfect, but it can do light weight leather in combination with other textiles..and you get 3 step zig zag and stretch stitches etc..Ideal lingerie machines...and they can be run slowly.. HTH :)

Just one thing, your conversions from inches to mm are off ..1 inch doesn't equal 26mm, it does equal 25.4 mm*.. so 1/4" = 6.3 mm..( approx ) IME it is safer to work with 1" = 25mm as most manufacturers of tools seem to work with 1"= 24mm or 25mm..A 1" nut can be tightened with a 25mm socket or spanner ..a 26mm will slip just enough to be annoying. HTH :) Of course, it depends on where the machines, or other things were made, as to what system ( metric or imperial ) they were made to. China tends to make to metric ( even if they mention imperial ), India makes imperial ( but sells in metric countries at 1"=24mm ) which makes buying certain things awkward in Europe depending on where the things were made. Thread ( engineering , not textile ) measurement systems are a whole 'nother can o' worms..and then there are Singer thread pitches, counts etc. :(( NASA and metric measurements are best not spoken about. :-o *Under 0.5 safer to "round down" to the nearest "whole", rather than "round up" to the "nearest whole"..and then there are "thou", both sorts of "thou"..metric and imperial.. Very good idea for a "resource thread" though :) ..another would be actual practical "sewable" thickness under foot of non modified machines ( flat bed or cylinder/post etc ).

The rod could be a "threader rod" ( used to pass the thread down the inside of needle bar ) of a 29K or similar machine.

Personally any machine with the makers name and other ID marks ( serial numbers etc ) deliberately removed ( which this appears to have had them all removed ) I would not touch.I would have strong doubts that the machine was actually the legal property of the person selling it.

He used to be on here, last in 2015. http://leatherworker.net/forum/profile/58812-mini5/ currently has a shop on pinkoi https://en.pinkoi.com/store/mini5-leather-craft-life

You wouldn't be perchance thinking of the "sew wrong" ( known in some quarters as the "sailrite" ) a "pseudo-industrial" zig-zag if ever there was one..the Trabant ( or Reliant Robin ) of "sewing machines" ?

Agree with jimi, the floral decorations on the 45K have the shading ( known as "halftone", like the way Black and white newspaper photos were printed ), so the lettering would have had it too, it is either worn out , or the angle that the photos are taken from doesn't allow for the "halftone" to be visible on the lettering..If you imagine the way that a decal is made.. This is how you make a gold foil decal with linework ( maybe some colour ) and some "shading". From the sewing machine surface side outwards.. "Size layer" layer of transparent slightly sticky varnish/glue mix to hold onto any foil or "leaf" layer and to hold onto the surface that the decal is being applied to..in the Singer movie the woman wets the surfaces first, which makes me think that this lowest size layer is made with water ( or something dissolved in water ) activated glue or size varnish..Then again it may have been a bowl of "solvent" that she had ( and a more sticky solvent activated substance used in that size layer ? )..exposure to chemicals and dangerous substances and work conditions safety was not a consideration then..You got injured at work, if you could no longer work, you might get a "one off" small payment from the company, if you were lucky..and then you had to fend for yourself. "Foil" or "leaf" layer..can be beaten "gold leaf" or any metallic "leaf"..Singer movie looks like Gold leaf is used..sheet size corresponds..sheets of gold leaf used to be bigger than they are now..most gold leaf used worldwide now comes from Australian goldmines and is beaten to "leaf" and sold by Chinese companies to world market. "Size layer"..layer of transparent slightly sticky varnish/glue mix to hold onto any foil or "leaf" layer. "Line work".. layer of additional colour ( if say you have a black outline with a red inner line or colour area.. Singer "red eye" domestic machine decals for example..every additional colour requires another additional layer. Halftone layer...printed in closely spaced black dots of varying sizes ( known as "halftone grid" ) to give 3D relief effect "Line work" layer...( the drawing layer with the swirls , design outlines or lettering outlines. Colour tinted clear layer.. if required Transparent clear layer... that is only lightly attached to the paper, rubbing from the outside of the paper support, or water can allow separation from the paper. Base layer of paper support,... often similar to grease proof cooking paper, separates from any clear layer easily.. Of course to make the decal you actually do that in the reverse order..beginning with the paper layer. and go back up that list..The Transparent clear layer can be very hard wearing , and may not need any clear coating or varnishing after the decal has been applied..and it can be quite thick..as long as it detaches from the backing paper when burnished. Very high grade decals used to be made this way..letraset for example..some companies still produce gold foil decals. I think that the replica decal company at keesew and others just use gold coloured pigments ( screen printed decals ) but you could also use polyester film foil like for hot stamping.Whether there would be a worthwhile market for real foil decals for sewing machines is another matter. Yes..I have owned specialist printing company that amongst other things did some decals..and also been a signwriter ( brushes and airbrushes etc ) and gilder. still have all the equipment for signwriting , airbrushing, custom painting and gilding. A little research shows that in the USA genuine leaf decoration work is largely around Fire engines, with some companies offering "custom" design services..reading a few sites these "decals" are more of a sticker ( vinyl based but with metal leaf or real gold leaf )..but you might be able to get a quote out of them if you can supply images..quite a few results came up when I searched, having done gold leaf, lettering and design , gilding etc on various surfaces in the "non vinyl" way ( as well as a whole load of vinyl graphics and lettering ) I'd say their examples look reasonable ,you might give these people a call. http://lionet.paulconwayshields.com/ They seem to be competent..of course without actually seeing "in real life", this is not a customer recommendation..maybe also talk to some people who have custom gold leaf work on their Fire engines. HTH

That 5th image ( where it is unbalanced on the stand ) makes me uneasy, the urge to reach out and grab it to save it from falling and breaking is very strong.

There ya go..images of Singer 45K21 showing decals.click on them and then on + and they'll be the same size as if you zoomed on them in the ebay ad.HTH

Looks like the wrong fitting for it to be a 20U ( the screw is on the side on them )..the website of the rug manufacturer shows a better shot of the machine here. https://mosaichides.com/ho-made/ Juki ? ( a guess based on the end plate on the head, and the colour ), and Juki LZ-1280 and LZ-2280 series machines have the foot attached that way, as does the Singer 107W 457U..Feet are interchangeable between those models.Maybe an older Juki..AFAIK the Singers 107s etc were black..the 20U series came in either of two shades of pale blue( my 20U33 is blue ), or "bronze" ( like my 211 ) or white. That machine looks to be the same "bronze" as my Juki . This ad lists a lot of industrial zig-zag machines ( scroll down to see the machines that the foot will fit ) that have the foot attached in the way the rug company machine does. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Compensating-Zig-Zag-Foot-Left-For-Singer-107W-457U-Juki-LZ-1280-LZ-2280-/162167318281