alfredleatherworks
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Everything posted by alfredleatherworks
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So I am now working on making a holster for my Bersa BP9CC, and it is going well so far. I finished the spare magazine belt clip last night. It was my first attempt wet-molding leather, and I think it turned out well. Here's some photos so far: -
Here are a couple photos of the Celtic knotwork belt I just finished. Shown with it is a belt pouch I also made, though that was a while ago.
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So I've narrowed it down to either the Consew 206-RB or its Juki equivalent (I forget the model number at the moment). There's only a $300 difference between them in price, the Juki being the expensive one at $1700 + tax. It's for the machine head, servo motor, and table, so a pretty good deal for either of them I think. I am planning on purchasing through a local dealer who been in business for over 30 years, and seemed to be very knowledgeable (and friendly) when I met with them yesterday. We talked about what I need and compared machines against my needs and budget. I'm also happy to work with them since their technician can fix my machine, if I'm dumb enough to break it, without me having to crate it and ship it out for repairs. I'm going to get a final opinion from my mentor this afternoon, and then go buy myself the most expensive piece of equipment I've ever purchased (not including my car). I'm excited though. It is one more step towards getting my shop set up, and will be worth the investment in the long run.
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OK, thanks for the additional info! Given the expense of a good sewing machine I'm trying to make sure I've done my research right the first time around. You all have helped me out a lot!
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Thank you all for replying! And @Wizcrafts, WOW! I've read your other posts on sewing machines, and now this post...is there anything regarding sewing leather you don't know? Lol! I'm very impressed by the knowledge here on the forum, and I am very thankful that everyone is as helpful as they are. I'm going to talk to my mentor about the Consew 206RB, as well as take a look at what Campbell-Randall might have to offer. Since there are different bobbin sizes, is there a particular size I should be looking for? The bobbin size has more to do with the thread I use, right? Not the thickness/toughness of the leather?
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I've seen the Consew 206RB show up in a lot of conversations on the forum, and I'm currently researaching it to see if it will fit my needs. I also keep seeing posts about servo motors and I'm not sure what they are (in relation to a sewing machine) and why they are needed.
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I am about to start training with a local leather crafter who is going to teach me how to make leather garments. I'm very excited about this! He's given me some research to do on equipment, and I was hoping people here might be able to help me out. I am trying to figure out what type of sewing machine I should get for my new shop. Previously, I have always hand-sewen things, but that is no-longer an option. I've been researching companies like Consew, Cowboy, Jujuki, Pfaff, and Singer, but I am having a hard time understanding the pros and cons of the many different machines offered by each company (much less how they compare to competing company's equivalents). I have also spent a LOT of time reading the threads in this directory. It has been very informative, and I am glad I thought to come here and check out the forum. What I am hoping to get out of this thread-posting is a recommendataion of specific models of sewing machines that I can research and compare to each other to help me make a selection. I'm feeling a bit too overwhelmed with all of the info out there and I'm hoping some of you can help me focus my search a bit. I am primarily going to be working with light-weight garment and light-weight chap leathers, though occasionally I may work with something slightly heavier. What are some good models of sewing machines that YOU use and would recommend that would work with these types of leather? Thank you in advance, both for taking the time to read this long post as well as to reply. I look forward to hearing from you all! Respectfully, Paul
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Cool! I hadn't seen it on the shelves there, but I'll go have a look again.
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Awesome bag! Very well done!
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Thanks, NV! Your explanation of things fits with what I am trying to do. I have two pieces of Celtic knotwork twisted together that are each a separate color, and then a solid black background. It's why I was trying to do a resist in the first place, because I was trying to not have to hand-paint the entire project...I'm trying to find that nice balance between time required and quality of product. I'll have to see if I can get ahold of some Clear-Lac and see how it works with my new attempt.
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I find this topic interesting as I have just had Tandy's Gel Antique recommended to me for a project I have. I've already screwed this project up once, I cannot afford to do so again. I am making a belt and intend to use a resist technique after hand-painting the knotwork that runs most of the belt's length. The background is what I'm thinking of using the gel antique for, but it will be no good if the color runs. So far I've seen a lot of back and forth on the topic and that makes me a bit hesitant to use it for the first time on a project I am already running behind on.
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Chief, Thanks for the info on the Super Sheen. It's the only thing I have at the moment but I'm willing to try something different if you've got a suggestion. I decided to do the whole belt over instead of using Kova Colors to repaint it. It will be a better product for having started over, though it's a bigger set-back than I would like to deal with right now. But I want to do this right, so starting over is the best option. I did not let the sheen dry for 12 hours, I thought 4 would be sufficient. I was wrong. Do you think that a better resist protector that would work with Waterstain? The manager at my local Tandy recommended that I use the black gel antique, saying in her opinion it would work with the resist technique better than the Waterstain. I'm used to doing single-color projects really, and this multi-color thing is throwing me for a loop. Advice of any kind is much appreciated!
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I was using Eco-Flow Waterstain (green and blue) to color the knotwork on a belt I've been working on for a customer. After finishing the hand-painting with the colors I applied Eco-Flow Super Sheen Leather Finish to protect the colors before applying the black for the background. Apparently, unlike using other dyes, the Waterstain covered over everything. Including the "protected" colors. It soaked into the entire belt and effectively wasted hours worth of work. My plan to fix this is to use Kova Colors to paint over top of the black. I thought that for anyone who doesn't already know, "resisting" techniques do not seem to work with Eco-Flow Waterstain. Unless I'm doing it completely wrong, in which case I'll be happy to learn the right way. I'm a bit sad though, as I was nearly done with the belt before this happened.
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New Member From San Antonio, Tx
alfredleatherworks replied to alfredleatherworks's topic in Member Gallery
Thank you for the warm welcome, and for the conversation the other night. I'll try to pop in now and then to chat more, I really enjoyed it! -
New Member From San Antonio, Tx
alfredleatherworks replied to alfredleatherworks's topic in Member Gallery
Thanks for the warm welcome! -
New Black Powder Setup
alfredleatherworks replied to Colt W Knight's topic in Gun Holsters, Rifle Slings and Knife Sheathes
Love the bag and the revolver. I'm partial to the Remington 1858, but those Colts are really, really nice. I LOVE the handle on that one too. What is it made of? -
Hello everyone! I'm still fairly new to the forum and I am enjoying seeing what everyone else is working on, or has done in the past. At the moment I am working on a commission from an old Air Force buddy of mine, a Celtic knotwork belt with a dragon head at the ends of the two knots. This is really version "2.0" of this belt as the first one I made was much simpler and not nearly as nice of a finished product. The first belt had the same knotwork design, minus the dragon heads, the edges were never burnished, and I used Ecoflow Kova Colors instead of dye or stain. Over the years the Kova Colors have cracked a bit, the rough edges of the belt have frayed, and overall I am not satisfied with how it has held up. Thankfully my friend who I made it for still loves it. This time around I am going to burnish the edges of the belt, I added the dragon heads to the design, and I am coloring it using Ecoflow Water Stain. From my research, the Ecoflow Water Stain is a quality product that will last through the wear and tear of regular usage. Also, the additions to the knotwork design, though a pain to draw up at first, were actually very easy to tool in and the look is a hundred times better in my opinion. The first photo is of the original belt that I made, while the others are of the current belt project, the "2.0 version".
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@DavidKManuel, That is a wonderful looking belt pouch! I too thought of a Rob Roy sporran when I first saw it. I really like how you've tooled it too, well done!
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2015 Keep Making Stuff Monthly Challenge
alfredleatherworks replied to thefanninator's topic in Leatherwork Conversation
I've just printed the pattern and will get started on this soon. I can't wait to see how everyone else does with this! -
I do not usually revive posts that are so old, but I found this today and though I would share it here. The article is well written, and the testing this man does convinces me that the Ecoflow Waterstain product line is well-worth my money. He shows the results of wet and dry applications, and an abrasive test (both bare, and with protective finishes). Here is the link to the article: http://www.willghormley-maker.com/OldDogsAndNewTricks.html
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Greetings! I am also from San Antonio! Glad to know there's a bunch of us on the forum!
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Greetings everyone! My name is Paul Alfred, and I am a new member here. I took an interest in leatherworking from my father, who used to run a taxidermy shop. Often he would have extra buckskin left over and would use it to make wallets, pouches, bags, backpacks, etc. I loved watching him make these things, and I enjoyed "helping" (often it was less than helpful, I'm sure). Years later, while I was in the US Air Force, I found out that a mentor of mine was also a saddler. When I mentioned my interest in leatherworking he began taking me to his shop and showing me the ropes. I enjoyed working with him, and with the leather, and I learned much over the next three years before deployments, and life, took me away to far and distant places. I have an interest in two types of leatherworking primarily. First is Medieval and Celtic leatherworking, for use at SCA and Renaissance Festival events. I have no intention of making leather armor (cool stuff, but not my thing). Instead, I enjoy making more practical things; bags, pouches, belts, book covers, etc. I also enjoy drawing Celtic knotwork, and many of my bits of artwork are drawn for leatherworking projects. My second interest in leatherworking is for reenacting, be it Celtic/Viking (or possibly Roman) items, or American Civil War and Texas Frontier items. I am starting to learn how to do classic Western leatherwork tooling, and hope to be able to create pieces for SASS members as well (I have a few friends in the SASS who are kindly asking me to learn this, lol). As of yet, I do not have a website. I have one under construction, though it will be at least a few weeks before it is up. I do have a Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/alfredleatherworks), a Google+ (https://plus.google.com/u/1/113615960789211711186/posts), and a Twitter account (https://twitter.com/AlfredLworks). Once the website is up I'll post it here for y'all to take a look at. Also, I thought I'd post a couple pictures of me, just for fun.