kseidel

Hi Paul, Operator error is certainly the most common problem with stitching! That is the primary reason for the time span in troubleshooting this machine. I have had several new workmen over the past two years and bought this machine for them to stitch belts. In the biginning I attributed the problem to inexperienced operators, but as time passed and I ran the machine myself, it became apparent that there was a problem. I have been able to finely tune the machine and have the lock in the same position +/- 1/16 inch. Not close enough for a watchband, but ok for belts. There is still a stiff spot as if something is binding, and possibly causing the variations. Jerry at Artisan is working with me to resolve the problem. Keith

Steve, Artisan has offered to replace my 618 at their expense. Apparantly I had not made it clear to them that I was not satisfied with the machine and they are willing to do everything possible to make me happy to the extent of replacing the machine if necessary; and all at my disgretion. One cannot ask for better service. Keith

People who show sheep use a tool called a "card" to lift the wool to a uniform smooth finish. The carding tool is like a brush with thin wires for bristles about 1/2" long and all bent about half way down the bristles. The brush body is curved from tip to handle. You simply stick the bristles in the wool and lift the handle to lift and fluff the wool. In the saddle shop, a sole ruffer works fairly well to achieve the same result. Just lift the wool all around the edges and trim. I usually card the edges and trim twice to get all of the fly-aways. Keith

I don't think it is too busy. You have too many cross over stems too close together is all. Adding a few more filler items will help break up the monotony that sometimes happens in Sheridan style tooling as well as add more interest in the pattern. Pattern is a bit choppy and hard to follow at leaves and some of the junctions. Not having stems circling all around the flowers all along edges helps to avoid the "grid" look also associated with Sheridan style. As for the wool; try carding the wool along the edges and re-trimming. sometimes takes a couple of trimmings to get that smooth final bevel. Not so drastic as new clippers! Another question regarding your handstitching: do you use an overstitch wheel after you stitch? Keith

OK I'll bite............. Pretty nice saddle for a TEXAN! That'll probably get me in trouble. Really clean lines. Nice balance. Nice execution of tooling and subtle border detail. Jockeys are nice and tight..... and still line up properly. Nice color too. It is hard to criticize a saddle this well made. When you cropped the photo of the cantle you made the outside edge look uneven and I think it is smooth based on the other pics. Stitching on the cantle binding varies a bit from stitch. This is a result of the awl blade beint at a different twist from one hole to the next. With a diamond awl, keep one flat edge parallel to the edge of the binding. Did you stitch with a lock stitch or with two needles? Picture from top down shows the seat side jockeys fairly wide, especially for a small ladies seat. You did a great job, Keith

That would work fine for balance and symetry. How would you determine the desired position prior to punching the holes for placement? Use the pattern? Fit one side first, remove it and make the pattern off of the first? In any case the idea will work. Keith

Sole leather is heavy veg tanned skirting leather that is compressed by casing with water and then plating, rolling, and pounding the moisture out of it tightening the grain and making it stiffer. It can be oiled, dyed finished much like any other skirting, however there is much less penetration due to the tightness of the fibers. It can be stamped and tooled but requires much casing, and it is impossible to get the same depth of impression. It is still the preferred soling material for finer shoes and boots. There are specialized machines for cutting and finishing sole leather soles. Keith

Great looking saddle Jon! My compliments. Keith

Steve, I bought one of the Artisan 618 SC that you mentioned about 18 months ago as a second belt and chap machine. I have not yet been satiisfied with the quality of the stitching. I have sent it back to the factory for troubleshooting, but still does not stitch properly. My Juki LU 563 works well. Keith

Sounds like maybe a mistake from the mfgr putting the wrong bars in your tree. Were the rest of the measurements the same as other trees that you have from the same maker? Keith

Ryan, did you put the returned saddle on the saddle rack and check to see if the tree had more rock than before? I think it would be difficult to permanantly pull more rock in the bars with a drawdown, but I suppose anything is possible. If the tree were wet the bars could be reshaped in this manner. It usually takes a day or two of sweatting the bars on purpose to affect any lasting change. What kind of tree? and what kind of horse? Keith

Nice Chinks Steve! My base price for chinks is $525. I would estimate the extra time to be about 2-2.5 hours and my shop rate is $85 an hour. that would make my price $about $750 with extra materials (spots). I have a Standard single spot setter like Greg mentioned, they cut your setting time in half or more. It would be nece to have the auto feed. the time may be shortened, but someone has to pay for the machine. Don't be ashamed to charge more. More labor and better skills warrant better pay. If you were working for a shop, you would expect to be paid more for better skill level than an entry level workman. Keith

Hello Dan, and welcome aboard! Thanks for the history lesson. As they say, the history is written by the victor, and you are the current victor in the machine industry! Keith Seidel

Art, I'm not sure where you got your info regarding the landis being a campbell copy. Actually, the Landis was being mfg long before the Campbell. The Campbell is a clone of the Randall and they are almost identical machines and most parts are interchangeable. The landis #1 was the earliest of the line and was a treadle powered machine introduced in the early 1800's. There were four machines in the landis line up. The Landis #4 was introduced to stitch beads on car and truck tires for the model A;s and T's with spoked wheels. I have only seen one #4 still in operating condition, most being run to death in the early automobile rush. The #3 is the most popular of the Landis saddle stitchers. Many are in use today and they run from $2000 -$3500 depending on condition. Parts are scarce; a few of the most common to wear out are now being mfg. There were some nice Landis #3's at Kings in Sheridan for sale last week. Keith

Thanks, That saved me a lot of typing! (and I don't type very fast) Keith

Depends on the stain. I dye and stain parts before assembly, but never oil before everything is assembled and edges are finished. Keith

Hilly, Thanks for the compliment on the website. We are in the process of a complete update( past four months!) so check back occasionally to see new features that will be loaded soon. (I hope) What is happening with your skiving... I think your skiver is cutting too deep and "chattering" leaving a washboard like surface. You can adjust the skiver by bending. You probably have already tried bending allong the length of the blade, but you need to bend it widthways changing the pitch of the blade. A small pair of vise grip pliers works well to bend this area: regular pliers wont hold tight enough to bend the blade side only and not twist the whole cutting end. I use three different skivers for most of my skiving like ground seats, skirt plugs, horn wraps, and "album spines" like you are wanting to do. One is bent to cut shallow. one medium depth and one deep. French edgers are great as are gouges and channelers to define your corners and folds, but the skivers work very well for the larger flat areas. A buffing wheel is also very helpful for making the skiver blade smooth and keep it sharp. I can use one blade for several weeks usually. Another tip for skiving is to wet the area to be skived on the back side. Not too wet, but a little moisture with a sprayer or sponge will make the cut smoother and easier. Keith

I used black and a dark burgundy veg tanned kangaroo hides to make the lace. Keith

Why not make the cap smaller? How small will you make the neck of a wood post horn? Keith

I support Peter's reply. Let your leather dry more before stamping. The most common mistake made in tooling and stamping is trying to stamp leather that is too wet. In this case the beveler is actually tearing the leather away from the cut line. When the leather is dry enough the color will be the color of dry leather and when you stamp, the tool impression will burnish dark into the leather without tearing any fibers. Practice stamping with drier and drier leather untill the leather is so dry that the tool bounces off of the surface and does not make much of an impression; then you will know what is too dry. I think you will be surprised at how much drier the leather needs to be to make a good impression. Keith

When using the skiver tools available, best advice is to shape the tool changing the angle of the blade to control the depth and shape that the tool removes. Most tools cut too deep from the factory, but when shaped will yield a good result. Keith

Hilly, Do all of your stamping and tooling first. Then wash your leather with an oxalic acid mixture. This will clean all of your hand prints and open the pores of the leather and make it receptive to dyes and oils. Wait to apply the dye until the leather has dried at leas to damp. It does not need to be completely dry. The oil dyes apply more uniformly. De-glazer is almost entirely isopropyl alcohol. Keith

Ok, Black dye can present some unique problems. You do not need to start over. You do need to seal the surface so the color does not rub off. The Kiwi polish is a wax finish with black pigment. The wax will dry hard enough to stay color fast, but not permanant. If you buff the polished surface with a brush or soft cloth like you would a pair of boots, that will take most of the residue off. Then you will need to seal the surface. For black, lacquer is best. you can use a spray on or apply with a cloth or woolskin piece. If you spray, you will get a high gloss "painted" looking finish. I prefer Neat-lac and apply with a woolskin for a more controled finish. Two coats of lacquer should seal the black from rubbing off. Work the lacquer into the leather fairly well on the first coat. You can use it fairly liberally. With a woolskin, you can get a gloss, satin or flat finish; depending on how much you work the finish as it is drying. Experiment on scrap for the desired finish. If you work it too much or too long, it will get gummy. Good luck! Keith

Carving the lining on the inside of a belt makes the belt more flexible. I thought of it as purely decorative for years, then discovered that one could make a thicker belt with a carved lining wear as comfortable as a thin one. Keith

you might check out a hook and awl machine like a campbell or randall. They are strictly leather machines designed for saddlery and harness work. You can get many attachments, different feet and bottom plates. No feed dogs, awl feed.