TinkerTailor

This is probably still there, was last week. http://shop.raphaelsewing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=6&products_id=984 In montreal. Shipping a machine and table from montreal to vancouver is 400.

White rotary treadle machines rotate away from you. Sometimes i just about put my shoulder out when i absentmindedly try to handwheel the wrong way on my techsew to start the stitch the way i do every time on my treadle not a hard push, just a gentle help to start the stitch,....Those servo motors do not need a push........especially the wrong way. They kick back...lol

Could you cut out the knight and stitch it in as an inlay into a new seat with correct text? Might look like you meant it.

What payment methods do you accept? I am interested, however I only order internationally from places with some kind of recognized, secured payment system like paypal. Is something like this available?

Pretty sure that one is for knitting needles. Machine needle conversions are a confusing proposition, as there are many many standards and systems. First you need to know what thread size you are using. Then what size needle it takes. You may have to convert the manufacturers thread size system to the system used in your chart for thread to needle size recommendations. Thread sizing conversions can get ugly. Once you figure out a needle size, you have to convert that to the system used by your chosen needle manufacturer. Some needles have equivalents in other systems and others do not. It is not just size, it is also point type as well as other variables. Both of these need to be combined to get the right combination for the machine, thread and material being sewn. Most people on this site stick to very similar thread types and are using machines that use the same needles, so they can share info. Most industrial machines in factories get run with only one size and brand of needle for their whole life and the size is on a sticker on the front, or sharpied right onto the machine. Here is one for home and smaller industrial machine needles: http://www.schmetzneedles.com/learning/pdf/needle-size-designations.pdf Industrial needle point type conversion: https://www.superiorthreads.com/industrial/industrial-needle-point-conversion-chart/ Needle size chart that includes needles from small to as big as your arm: https://www.superiorthreads.com/industrial/needle-size-conversion-chart/ Needle to thread size chart: http://www.tolindsewmach.com/thread-chart.html This page is for smaller thread than is used in leather but gives some good info on sizing systems. I include it to show how complex this issue is: http://www.coatsindustrial.com/en/information-hub/apparel-expertise/thread-numbering

Especially if it gets in your eye.. For those of you out there not a blind old fart with bi-focals already, safety glasses are a good idea. Pirate patches went out of style last night. edit: in no way am i excluding myself from the blind old farts, nor am I admitting it......

Found this doing an image search for "strap ladderlock brass": https://www.ahh.biz/hardware/military/ladder_cinch_locks/locks_ladder_25mm_steel_milspec.php ----They actually have some interesting things i just discovered... I like doing image searches for this type of thing. I find things faster, and i sometimes find other names for things i am looking for to use to continue the hunt. The other avenue i would try is sailing/boating/skydive/kayaking outfitters and suppliers. They attach webbing to hard things with bolts and screws all the time. And boats use brass and stainless stuff which is nice.

It is pretty simple, but with old style mechanisms. Shaft collars, setscrews, belt drives and babbit bearings are 150+ year old tech. Most industries went away from these types of mechanisms 75 years ago because they are hard to setup and maintain. The adjustability compensated for lower tolerances of the day. The problem most people have is that the machines don't come with a usb diagnostic port...... Or to put it another way, it is a different thought process and methodology diagnosing these old style machines. Fine tuning ANYTHING with a screwdriver and your ears/finger sensations is a dying art. I diagnose so many problems in seconds on bicycles by sound and the sensations i get from the parts i am touching. I build wheels by plucking the spokes and making them sound the same, like tuning a guitar. All the young guys use a spoke tension meter. More than once i have won money off of them betting my wheels are straighter than theirs. 10 years building wheels and not one has come back. Can't say the same for others. Btw, a neat trick i use sometimes to pinpoint bearing problems is to use the wrenchoscope.....I take a wrench, and place one end of it on the machine/bike and cup my hands around the other. I listen to my cupped hands and place the wrench at different points on the bike to listen for things like knocks, grinding bearings, etc. It was shown to me at a young age by an old farmer i worked for.

To be honest i found the smell of calgary tandy in general sickening. Place smelled musty . Youd think with the amount of flat land out there and the prices they charge, they would pay for some sq. footage as well.....that store is way too small.

Yeah, I saw one of your posts with this trick right after i posted this. Same idea, different approach. A washer around the screw is good, and nice and permanent, I basically found the same solution a different way independantly. Great minds think alike, and fools seldom differ. If yours was 1/16, it was a little more than half as thick as the one i used. I just slid cardboard under the top edge. Didnt even need to take out the screw. Made experimenting with thicknesses really fast. Screws have this magnet built in that attracts them to the dustiest corner of the shop the second the last thread is clear. If i can avoid totally removing a screw for anything, I will.

I am going to start a brand new thread tonight on this topic, including a short tutorial and a few pics. I would also like to start a list of the shim thicknesses that work for different people to see if this is something that is variable from machine to machine, or universal?

To re-open and perhaps permanently close an old thread: So, after a little experimenting with my Techsew 5100, which was sewing 8spi in forward and 6spi in reverse out of the box, I just now backstitched 16 stitches around a curve in the same holes. I think the stitch-length issues everyone has is due to poor casting tolerances in all the clones in the machine body around the stitch adjuster throwing the angle off. I also believe this is why there are so many issues with the bobbin winder across all the clones. In some machines, the castings are correct and all is good. On others angles and things may be out of wack creating the problems. My fix? I put 4 pieces of beer box cardboard shim stacked up under the top edge of the stitch adjuster plate on the front of the machine. I loosened the screws and played around with shim thicknesses, test stitching until it was right. Seems to be bang on at most stitch lengths. I measured the thickness the stack of cardboard, for my machine and I need a 0.100" shim. I will make a metal shim for there right shortly. As far as I am concerned, as long as the crucial parts are working, If a shim is needed for a finicky setting like this, so be it. If I paid double for a real-deal Juki, I would expect it to be perfect. Since I have a clone, I am a little more flexible, as one should be. I am not a champagne taste, beer budget kinda guy. This only took 20 mins to do and any munkey can do it without messing with any internal settings.

I have never bought quality leather with any residue of any kind, other than the oils and waxes that are supposed to be in bridle leathers etc. Veg tan smells like leather, and not unpleasant. I would suggest contacting the seller. The smell and residue may be from the leather getting wet during shipping and starting to rot, or something spilled on your package.. Or perhaps the leather had something applied to the back to slick it that hadn't cured/went bad. Does not sound like a normal situation to me. Where did you order from?

If you flip the razor blades over once in a while they last longer. I find the edge bends and curls over just a bit and they don't cut as good, before they are actually dull. If you wait too long, blade is gone. As soon as it starts dragging, flip the blade over. When you are starting out, Tandy is good for basic starter tools. Replace the ones you like/need to with better when you can. Learn to sharpen and hone, it can make a crappy tool fine to use. Most cheap hole punches need a little touch up on the edges. The pain of using crap tools makes you appreciate the good ones. Be mindful of things they sell that are available elsewhere however. Blue nitrile gloves are at your local drug store in boxes of100 for couple more bux than tandy sells you 1/2 dozen. Sponges, glue applicators, squeeze bottles, paint brushes? Local dollar store... The most important thing to keeping costs down is keeping your eyes open

Machine or hand? If it is by hand, use a round not slanted hole at the corner helps to square it. I also don't cast the stitch before and after the corner, as this prevents the thread coming into and out of the corner hole slanted, and messing with the 90 deg corner if that makes sense. With a machine, you may be getting skipped stitched from turning too early. Turn the work as the needle is rising to prevent skipped stitches at the corner.

In my business, If you talked to me the way you talk to others on this forum, you would also get no help. Respect where respect is due. The thread is about a finding place to test a machine for her purposes, not yours. Where in the title does it say "Hey 25b, rant about your cowboy again!" "The customer is always right, as long as they are not an arse." Obviously the needle type has occurred to him as he has stated he thinks he should change needle now but no-one will tell him which one. Wonder why? The advise to make sure it is not an operator error and to contact the seller is spot on., Thank you Ferg for your experienced input.

Funnily, I use a 925 safety skife all the time for various things, and i think it is backwards anyways. I am a basically a righty. I am fairly ambidextrous however. In the right hand, that tool is designed to be pulled towards you. This forces you to reach over to hold the work and obscures the finished result. I tried it in my left hand and I prefer to push it away because i can see the result better. Plus i find is easier to hold the goods pushing away than pulling towards. Thus, I think that tool IS left handed. I would like a right handed one please........

Has anyone run braided unwaxed poly in a 441 style machine? Come on, there has got to be one of you. We have a guy trying to sew with 30 year old fiberglass thread for petes sake....

Buyer: Is it a walking foot? Seller: Totally . When i move it, i walk it to the new place with my feet...... What spi do you recommend?

I found a source for 6cord/415 braided unwaxed poly thread in white/brown/black (as well as some great linen thread) local to me. Local as in I can walk there. Very strictly wholesale only. I always liked how tiger braided thread lays flatter when i used it for hand stitching, and I prefer to stitch in poly when using synthetic thread. I also like that I can dye it red. My stuff goes on bicycles so needs more uv protection than nylon. And everyone knows red thread is faster on bike stuff. This is one of the few heavyweight (415) poly threads I have found anywhere unwaxed and the price is good if you include the shipping from anywhere else. And it is 415 that comes in brown. I know waxed thread is a no-no on a 441clone, so tiger is out. Not going there. Wiz said not to. However, Is unwaxed braided thread ok in a 441 clone? Do I need lube? I have a thread lube pot if it is required. Prefer to use a silicone free lube. I have heard lexol works good?? How does it sew and how is it for machine wear? Do I have to be the test dummy??

Depends how what you are doing and how big the hammer is. If you are just cutting and setting rivets on the vise/anvil then it will probably suffice. If you are stamping, it may work if you put a piece of granite on the top. You want hard and unmovable for stamping. For punching, you want something hard to support material but forgiving to protect the punch. A treestump is ideal and cheep. Plywood can dull punches faster. The size of hole you are punching also matters. If you are making little 1/8" punch holes, you will be OK on your table . Pull out the 1 1/2" circle punch and your table will be quite inadequate. The hammer i use for 1" and bigger punches is a 3lb rock drilling hammer with a short handle. That hammer will drive a 1/8" punch right through that birch plywood. There are a few pretty cool workbench threads on this site if you poke around. Workbenches are all about customization to what you do. With any workbench, build it as sturdy as you can then add an extra brace and a few more screws. In the words of Tom Lipton, youtube machinist, "Nothing too-strong ever broke"

I had heard from a guy at dayton, here in vancouver, that there are 1,2 and 3 needle machines, the 3 can do 1 but the 1 can't do 3 if that makes sense. I want to say a year or two ago, one was sold by dayton because it was only capable of 1 needle. I would have thought they would keep it for parts, but whatever...

Most imitation leather is either made from petroleum plastics or is made from natural materials but require a great deal of fuel/energy for manufacturing processes. This is not sustainable. A lot of synthetics off-gas for years after manufacture. Most are not breathable. Some are allergenic. Vegetable tanned leather uses wood to tan animal skin. Both are renewable and sustainable. We have been growing cows for hide and forests for tanning bark for longer than humans have had history. The answer to your question about faux leather is to try auto and marine upholstery shops or places like outdoor fabrics canada that supply the technical outdoor wear industry. There are a few in the north west US washington/oregon area..

http://www.whiteley.co.uk/carpets_and_upholstery_LC160/3119cp10lh_sidebent_shear_left_handed_10_inch_P647.html http://www.sailrite.com/Gingher-Scissors-Left-Handed http://www.klenktools.com/Main/Images/Shears+scissors.pdf http://www.chefdepot.net/scissors6.htm http://www.thomasnet.com/products/lefthanded-scissors-71290951-1.html I googled "left handed leather shears" and these came up on the first page. Pretty sure you'll find something here

I have some too, and they came in a tool set, all of which date pre 60 as well. I also got these bar snap thingies for change pockets i assume and the setter tool., in old tandy packaging. Original craftool box tool. Only $0.25 for a DOZEN 3/4 dees.....