TinkerTailor

One of the big advantages of the saddle stitch is that you can cast the thread, effectively twisting the threads around each other inside the hole. This adds a great deal of resistance to unravelling when the stitch catches on something or wears away. Ever seen a pair of work boots that look like the stitches are just dots, and they still are together? Another tip you would like, and can not be done with a lock stitch: If you use 2 different colours of thread for a saddle stitch, the stitches will alternate colours on both sides..... I do like your stuff and have shown it to people. I also respect you for makin it work.., However, saddle stitch is better.......

Help in what way? I am somewhat curious about analine dying leather. I already have a resident cloth dying expert, as well as the facilities to do that type of thing, I have little info on analine dying of leather.

Do you have a way to measure the minor diameter of the thread? The major diameter can be smaller sometimes because the tops of the threads have either worn off or were overly deburred during manufacture, however the minor diameter should stay close to the same. If the minor diameter is too big, the screw wont fit. Here is a "thread" that has some good info: http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/general/sewing-machine-screw-thread-sizes-225457/ http://www.gewinde-normen.de/en/sewing-machine-thread.html

Obviously if you have a tool post grinder, you have a metal lathe and as such should be much better situated to make this machine work and fix unavailable parts than the average sewer. Too bad you can't turn a belt..... I really want a metal lathe, someday.

I am not at home where my big folder of this stuff is, so i can not remember the names of the hand tool catalogs, I have one here but I renamed the file and it is too big to upload. I tried to find it on the site and failed. One tip i can give is use the advanced search options limit your searches to 1800-1930 or so, It will cut out all the hundreds of newspaper articles and irrelevant academic journal entries from the 40's to present. Here is one on machinery i did find: https://archive.org/stream/machineryforsadd00brit#page/6/mode/2up And one on stamps: http://toolemera.com/Manufacturers%20&%20Merchants/Mfg.%20opqrs/mfg.-southernste.html I also search google books and project gutenburg for books. That may be where i found the hand tools ones I am contemplating organizing my collection and posting it here or someplace else in the future, though i do admit that isn't on the top of the list of things to do.......

Just a heads up, my techsew came with needles that had green packages that were very similar to the organ packaging, but were not genuine. I do not know if all the clone companies use the same accessory kit or not, but i would not be surprised if they do.

That is awesome, glad you got it worked out.

I have worked with autocad for years both in my job and at home. I was tech support for an autocad drafting school. I am pretty proficient at it, and i still make all my patterns out of cardboard and glue them to masonite if i want stronger ones.I do not cut against the pattern, i cut freehand on scribed lines. I find this is faster because i can test the size of the pattern in my hands, instead of on the screen. If it is too big, just cut it in half, overlap and tape it back together. Too small and i add a biece

Drafting programs are made to use absolute measurements to scale, and maintain these relationships accross multiple files, like in a house design. If you change one thing on one drawing it can effect unseen things in other files, especially when working in 3d. For leather patterns, they are generally all in one drawing, and this is not an issue for us, however this is how the software was built and has different methods than adobe products would for example. This means you generally can't scale and stretch things like you can in standard graphics software, You can do it, but the methodology and tools used can be quite different because the software is designed to keep dimensions in check and maintain relationships between different pieces of the design. Cad software is so much more powerful than is needed for leather patterns in 2d, Also, Cad or other vector based graphics software need to be used if you want to get the pattern laser cut for example, as Cheif has said

2 prong stitching chisels are what is generally used to keep stitch spacing around curves. Also, you can definately scuff up the top side of the leather and glue it with contact cemtent and it will stick plenty good to stitch. I have done grain to grain in english bridle this way with no problems, When you scuff it, you create loose fibers for the glue to "wrap" around, giving enough mechanical hold that it will overcome the wax preventing the glue from stitching. I use mainly hot stuffed leathers, some of which are soft and chrome tanned, and i do it this way all the time. A neat trick for scuffing is to buy the 80 grit adhesive backed sandpaper discs for an angle grinter and stick little pieces on wood blocks or sticks. I also will just stick it to my finger and rub away. I find i have way better control this way and it is faster than using a wire brush or one of those special roughing tools.

Archive.org has several pdfs for free that are catalogs of old leather tools. I believe the book listed above was researched here.

Make sure the lube system works. If it does not, you are in for a world of hurt. Do not buy that machine until you read the adler467 for venator thread. That machine was from a semi-reputable seller and the lube system was totally pooched. It took a rebuild and conversion to manual oiling to get the machine to work properly. This involved shipping the machine hundreds of miles to and from the guy who could do it. I don't want to know how much it cost to fix, or how much of a deal GottaKnow gave venator when he fixed it. Generally auto lube machines are avoided for slow work as well because alot of times the machine isn't moving fast enough to pump the oil to the top.

It is in Canada and wholesale only, however labelle supply has needles, wax, awls and thread for shoe machines. I wouldnt be surprised if they have needles in a drawer that would fit if cambell randall does not.. They have a good selection of right and left twist linen in 4-8 cord, They also haven regular poly in up to 8 cord, and braided poly in 6 cord. I believe braided poly is usable in right or left twist machines.

In most cases, you just leave the bottom tension alone, and adjust the top to get the knot centered in the material you are using at the time. Only in very extreme changes will the bottom tension need adjustment. When setting it, only turn the tension knobs 1/8-1/4 a turn at a time until you get used to the machine. It is really easy to go to far and get way out of wack. I used a paint pen and painted dots on the knob so i can see how far i turned it. I have 4 dots on the quarters, with one of the dots doubled so i can see when i have done a full turn. I also write down how many partial or full turns were needed to get it to work for a particular new. setup. This makes it easier and faster to go back to the other setup, 207 in your case . The next time you switch to 138, just follow your directions and you will be very close to perfect.

Are you using a new bottle of resolene? maybe you got a bad batch. Has the resolene been frozen? it is no good after freezing.

I have heard 50/50, however i have also heard of guys using more or less oil to adjust consistency and also for the temperature it will be used at. If you are using it in a colder environment, the thinner consistency will absorb better. Btw, snowseal is parrafin and petrolatum, which is basically the same thing, oil and wax.

You were not just told by someone random, GottaKnow is an expert on these things, and has set up these types of machines professionally for decades He has probably worked on the needle bar of a 112 dozens if not hundreds of times, and has probably worked on more machines than any of us have even seen. He is head mechanic at Filson. I would take his advice very seriously, You will be hard pressed to get advice from anyone who knows more. Don't get me wrong, Wiz is a wiz, and gives great advice and for sure has forgotten more than most of us know, however he was pretty clear that he was not 100% sure in this case.

Peddinghaus makes some nice farriers hammers that will work for leather. Centaurforge.com has some nice stuff.

I cut them at about 1/8 as well, with side cutters. I have a pair that has just the right offset to the cutting edge from the side so i can just put the cutters on the surface of the leather and cut. This ensures i cut all of them the same length. I then tap lightlyright in the center until the top starts flattening and the edges are rolling over. I then tap around in a circular pattern 2-3 laps. I can do each rivet from punch to finish in less than a minute.

Some guys swear by neetsfoot and beeswax.

While you have the presser bar out scrub out that bushing with a bottle brush and some degreaser. You can get a wide range of cleaning brushes for this type at wine and beer making stores. You probably would not hurt anything by deburring and taking the sharp edge off the top of the bar if there is one there.

I do not use a doming tool, I use a 6oz ball pein hammer and tap it lightly until the head is smooth. Copper rivets are not one hit wonders, they require a few hits to get nice. I find it is nicer with a hammer than the tool. I do use the tool to set the burr down before cutting. Here is how they turn out and the hammer i use I call the hammer the little devil

I will try that, thanks for the tip. The weird thing is that the super77 reacted this way and the lepage heavy duty contact cement has no issue that i can see. It is the same as weldwood red apparently. It is the canadian version. I am not home for the holidays, when i am back in the shop, I am going to do some research into which solvents are in which because i don't think it is a hot/cold issue in general, more so a particular solvent in the super77 that is used as a propellant or a thinner. The super77 does smell for alot longer than the traditional contact adhesive, perhaps one of the solvents has a longer volatile time before it evaporates causing the effect (or increasing it)

Yes i use a leather needle, and in some leather the holes close some, however once they are there, a little wiggle with an awl opens them up. I have one of those 000 fat harness needles glued into a piece of dowel as a hole enlarging awl. I like a round awl for this as it does not cut the hole bigger, like a saddlers awl can. Still better than hand punching/poking, especially at high spi. That example is 7-8 spi i think, I have done 12 spi once. Not gonna again. The real issue in thius case is the canvas, and coming back through from the backside, harness needles are hard to push through the canvas, and tend to get pushed sideways by the canvas threads, and miss the holes in the leather, and glovers needles are easy to push through the canvas but also the wrong spot of the leather....You also can damage the thread alot more with a glovers needle

Same machine, diffr'nt name, located in Cali. http://www.leathermachineco.com/product/king-cobra-class-4-25-with-electronic-positioning-system/