wendlynne

Oh wow, if you think that would work I don't mind a twisted leather point at all. I think it looks pretty! So you think those both would work, shank-size wise? I'll give you a ring tomorrow Bob, thank you so so much!

Thank you so much Bob!! =D

Singer 97-10 Fun! You guys are so patient and helpful, so thank you. I'm having some trouble with the needles I've been using with the 97-10, I've got the schmetz 794 series that are 1/4" shorter than the original needles and I ground off 1/4" of the shank so I slip that up in the needle guide holder and it works pretty well. However, the groove/channel for the thread is MUCH shorter (on both sides), and that causes occasional problems when you're in thicker leather. I have a friend who ground out a little channel in his needle guide for the thread to lay in for that issue, but it's still not QUITE right. Also, occasionally when you're in cheap, tough vegtan it will pop out of the holder because it doesn't grip it as well. So then your needle gets stuck in the leather and pops out of the holder, so not quite ideal. I know the singer 1000 series needles are also supposed to work - are they the same as the 794? I can't seem to find specs on them that give the depth of the thread channel to see if it will work a bit smoother than the 794s, but some old threads here say they're 1/8" shorter rather than 1/4" so I'm hoping the channel is a bit longer. Can anyone confirm who has some on hand? Attached is a comparison photo for scale. Yes I do have some OEM needles but not a lot, and I like to use a slightly smaller needle than what I have on hand in OEMs. And yes, I know the needles are no longer made, etc., but I got a great deal on this machine and love the old beast. I'd rather find a way to make her work than retire her. THANK YOU!

yeah, but the decal quality swings pretty widely between sellers on ebay. Some are just horrible scans on cheap materials =O

The decals, the pretty. I am so impressed. And I would love to know where you got the decals as well!

Yeti, thank you for these guides as well, INFINITELY better than the scrappy pdfs I've been trying to work off. I feel a bit recharged!

YOU are such a gem, thank you thank you!! I don't have any reliable OCR software so I was going MAD looking for the parts numbers in tiny print. I do have the plates, and know a good machinist, but without an original to copy I probably won't get too far, will i? I suppose I just cross my fingers and hope something turns up in your stash, I would be so grateful. They really are lovely machines. You ALL are so helpful, thanks for tolerating my questions. I really do try to do my homework before I pester anyone here, but it can get a little overwhelming sometimes. So helpful to check my sanity here. Well, at least THIS part of my sanity

Oh! And do you think there might be a part similar or equivalent on a 7 class or other big machine? Even if it's not a perfect fit, just having one I could try to machine or scan and make adjustments to would be easier than thin air, you know?

Bob! You're genius, thank you. I feel a bit silly for not recognizing the screw on the right side, so accustomed to pressure foot adjustments on the left for garment machines You know, the joys of living in the era we do, I have hope these girls will hit their renaissance. They are 3D printing some pretty amazing aviation parts now, and classic car parts for pennies on the dollar of what they used to cost. Of course we're not able to do tempered steel, but I feel like we're at a pivotal point. I suppose if I find one I can borrow to scan, I might be able to pester the 3D printer in town and see where their metal composites are. Probably would be easier to get my dad's buddy to machine one for me, I just need reliable specs/schematics? I presume? I found another 97 not too far away, but they're running it without the needle guide. Just an empty stump! Poor girl.

Hello all, So Bertha the 97-10 lives in my studio. She's a good girl, but I think there's some issues that need some work so I'm looking for other 97-10 owners or folks who have sewn on one to chime in here on a few questions. 1) Tension when presser foot is raised - I'm accustomed to the second tension closer to the needle releasing when the presser foot is raised. Can anyone confirm that this is true on the 97-10? I've always been told by my industrial sewing mechanics it's quite bad for machines to yank the thread without releasing tension, so it seems odd that doesn't happen here. 2) Presser Foot Tension - ok, so the presser foot seems to not have adjustable tension? Is this right? Or am I missing it? 4) Parts parts. I am looking for a part, wondering if anyone knows if there is an equivalent that miiiight work for a 97-10. Bar thingy - ok I've looked through the parts list, I can't seem to find the part and name for the piece that is below the needle bar, that stabilizes the needle. Comes down on the original part on a curve, about a 45 degree angle to the leather. On my machine that's an aftermarket part and isn't angled, so I'd like to get a curved equivalent piece as the block marks up the leather a bit sometimes. Or, just know what it's called. I took a screen grab from the only video of a 97-10 stitching I could find, and highlighted in red the part I need in the picture attached =) Thanks all! Wendy

My pleasure! That's the fun of the equine industry, right? So so many opinions, nearly all of them subjective and qualitative. Based upon our experiences with the animals and observation, but very difficult to test and put numbers to. Personally, I think that most clinicians and vets I trust say that there should be as little pressure as possible in the whither area, weight is only ideally distributed along the bars. Specifically this is an issue with length in western saddles, I've had a lot of issues with two geldings in particular who have had pelvic issues exactly like schleiss describes from the bar length. For me, if I have pressure in the whither area or shoulder at all? You're doing it wrong. Therefore a cutout only serves to alleviate pressure potential from shifts and the horses movement, and is nowhere near the bar area where pressure should be distributed. But again, without a sensor under the saddle pad (those ARE pretty cool, but 300 a day to rent) it's just qualitative data. Three horse people in a room, not a single opinion will align perfectly. All the best, you're headed into a hotly contested area in equine development. I do highly encourage you to learn a bit about fibers and length/quality and do your own examination under a microscope, as your vet will have no experience visually identifying them. Burn testing as well. Sadly, even the best of textile converters have to work with their own suppliers, I would be asking a LOT of questions about their lab, QA process, whether they use independent external labs to test their suppliers or whether they test at ALL. I have walked the floor of a few labs, and I can assure you that most companies rely on trust and aren't testing their fibers. Most apparel companies have been forced to set up their own internal labs to QA, as the converters simply don't and the fibers change from lot to lot, and consequently the quality. If Patagonia and Nike can't trust their suppliers and/or find any that test to their satisfaction, well in my opinion neither should you. Good luck out there!

Thank you both! Good idea on the dye and I suspected as much about the oils. I guess we'll have some lovely dark oil sets now!

So, new to leatherwork, much more well-versed in textile restoration and sciences than leather so I need a little advice. My mother and I have a little custom business where we create headstalls to coordinate with show blankets and tack. I'm still learning on leather so we're working with a very sweet supplier, but his english is a little scant for help in this department. My mom, not knowing, put all the light leather tack in the same bag as the chocolate leather tack. Consequently three lovely sets of light split reins and one headstall have leeched oil and color from the dark leather. I caught it as quick as I could and did a quick glycerin soap, but it's hardly put a dent in the spots and I'm guessing we'll now have to transition these to dark leather as well. Before we move to dye them, so as to keep mom from crying any more about "ruining everything" despite my best efforts to let her know it was an easy mistake, any ideas as to possibly evening out the tone a bit? My mom wants to put them out in the sun and I had to take the windex away from her. =p Any thoughts are appreciated, or just confirmation we should not waste our time with too much effort and just dye them dark.

Oh, and P.S. Invest in a USB microscope (about 70-90 dollars on amazon) and learn how to do a burn test on your wool. There are testing facilities in textile labs for a reason, manufacturers lie about fiber content more than you'd like to imagine. What you're THINKING is 90% wool might be closer to 70%. What are supposed to be carded fibers may be infinitely shorter. The only way to know is to get in there, pull the fibers apart, and evaluate it yourself. That's the only way you'll get a sense of what is really going on with that fabric. A loop with 15x magnification just won't cut it.

I'm a textile nerd with a background there, so i'll throw in a few items for consideration here. 1) Myself and many others are sticklers for natural fibers. The moment you throw a non-wicking, thermal retainer fiber in there with no air permeability, I absolutely will not put it on my horse's back. Very few fibers actually wick moisture, most just retain it. This is not good for the saddle, the horse, or the heat buildup under the saddle. 2) the quality of wool matters. Five star quality has tanked in recent years, due to using shorter fibers in their wool to save money. This means the felt breaks down faster, and lasts a shorter amount of time. Don't skimp on the wool, it absolutely makes a difference in heavy use applications like pads. 3) A canvas cover like duck cotton (diamond uses these) is absolutely fine with me, and as it's a natural fiber it breathes and doesn't build up heat. I wouldn't do much more than a cover in cotton as it retains moisture. However, it greatly increases the longevity of the surface of the pad, and I believe it helps the pads hold up longer. I'm a fan of diamond pads for that reason. 4) If it isn't contoured with a cutout for withers, I'm not interested. There's just too much growing research for equine pain management and although it will add to your cost, it's necessary. It seems that wool/acrylic blends and synthetic fibers have become ubiquitous in the equine industry, and people notice. They notice in particular when the pad breaks down. Also, I highly recommend Johan Schleiss' youtube videos on saddle fit, no matter the discipline. Understanding the objectives of proper saddle fit will assist in developing pads that further those goals.

Colt! That's not what I want to hear =) I will troll classifieds and the internet obsessively for about, oh, two weeks. Then my patience runs out. With the handbag/accessories market in LA being very strong, the light to medium equipment goes in a flash. I'll be curious about the heavy, as the equine industry is on a slow decline here (with the exception of temecula and the saddleries there). I'll be pestering Cobra Steve first thing Monday, and I haven't found much of anything thus far in CA or AZ.

Holy smokes, the Campbell has ruined me for life. That's......pretty. Here I've been lusting after 144s and class 7 singers. I really like the aerostitch, that's a viable option. I'm afraid of the boss, skinny weak girl arms here. Although, I expect they wouldn't be for long if that were sitting around! Artisan and cobra machines are within driving distance here, so I'm guessing those make the most sense. Sigh. I'll have to let go of my vintage machine craving for now I suppose. It's just that everything was so much PRETTIER when it was manufactured 40+ years ago.

marvelous, thanks! =)

Thank you both, very very much for the info. I appreciate the time and thorough response - but of course now I'm questioning myself on the 5/8" as I review pieces I have on hand. All of what I'm looking at is under 1/2". The section that's the largest is 7/16" -- although I would need a bit more clearance for the foot of course. I know from the stickies and reading that I shouldn't equip myself with a machine and max it out, run it into the ground. On the other hand, I can get by with under 1/2" for a year or so as I build the business if it will make a significant price difference. Thoughts? Again, thanks for the help!

Hi there, Trying to help a nice guy who has a machine I was looking at, the model plate fell off and the serial is not very helpful. Look familiar to anyone? Narrowing down the class would be helpful, I'm guessing a 111. http://imgur.com/a/6UMiA

Hello all, I'm a bit overwhelmed, and I have read and re-read the advice here and had a few questions for the experts on a machine. I know these have been asked and re-asked, so I've tried to narrow down what I am looking for as best I can. Primary Application: Horse gear, tack only - no saddles, only breast collars, headstalls, reins. Assume 5/8" capacity necessary as breast collars can get pretty thick. As I'm looking to create higher-end pieces, it's important the leather not take marks from feed dogs. Secondary: Handbags, belts and footwear would be nice, but not a high priority at this point. Budget: hoping to stay around 1500 in hand, located in southern california. Have truck, will travel, also have a dear friend who services industrial garment machines for a living that can do the motor conversion, service, etc. if needed -- so a head-only shipment would be fine for cross-country. Also surprisingly handy myself for cleanup and mechanical, have serviced, rewired and restored a few singer garment industrials. I was originally hoping to stay under 1000 out the door and have something I could use to build the business and upgrade later, and invest the additional into some higher quality tools and leather for the hand work. I just now know that might not be feasible, from what I keep reading here. Questions: * I won't lie, the HUGE ARM, 6 foot high machines are scary for a bitty girl. I'm accustomed to flatbed machines, that's my comfort zone. Will a cylinder machine be necessary for the horse tack applications to work around hardware? Keep in mind I've made wire-cage hoop skirt casings and corsets on my industrial machine, so while it seems convenient, it's also just.... different. Someone experienced in the area would be appreciated. * Do I really need a long-arm machine? I mean, the applications are typically only a few inches wide, so unless I start making saddles it seems that the long-arm is overkill. I have a relatively small studio, so I'm looking to save space and feel less like the machine is going to eat me for dinner. * As an old-school kinda gal, the siren's song of a beautiful old singer or vintage machine is strong. I know they're rare and parts are hard to find, but my dad is a hot rod guy and machinist who can help in that department. There's so many gorgeous machines online (like the singer 144w) at places like miamisewing.com, but I'm generally a bit overwhelmed with the options. If I don't care about reverse, is a vintage machine and lower price point possible? Any particular machines you would recommend? If anyone was inclined to take a look at Miami Sewing's inventory here I would love the feedback on which might be best in the lower price range. I called and felt like we had a tough time communicating regarding my price points and needs. I don't want to pay to ship a table across the country unless I have to. * If anyone has the interest, I would be happy to help with the data entry to create a nice spreadsheet through a public site like google docs that could break out machine types for particular applications. A quick sample is posted here, I just have noticed a lot of us ask the same questions over and over, and it's a lot of info to digest. If people wanted to send me lists or update the sheets themselves, it might be a nice long-term resource for the forums. Any interest in such a thing? P.S. - I have of course spoken with the suggested vendors on the site regarding new machines, I'm just wanting a little clarification on vintage/used machines and requirements so I can balance the cost of new and taxes against oldies. Thanks!

Hello all, Looking for an old singer 144w103, anyone have one gathering dust they'd like to move on?

VERY new to leather work, a designer/seamstress by trade. I'm quite interested in vintage leatherwork, and although the cowgirl part of me enjoys traditional/sheridan style carving, I'm curious about the classic art nouveau bags of the 1910-30s era. Meeker Leather company was based in Joplin and open until the 80s, but their 20s/30s work is my area of interest. Some examples I've pinned are available here, or another sample bag here. Is this just figural work that's waaay over my head? Most of the instructions/tutorials I can find for beginners focus on textured backgrounds and beveling akin to saddle making, and this work is so smooth and clean. They weren't using some single, large panel die were they? I can't even discern enough to know if this is hand carved or something more mass-produced. If this is just figural work, if anyone could recommend tutorials or books that might help someone headed in this direction rather than the traditional work, I sure would appreciate it. So far my little 15 or so 70s era craftools aren't at ALL able to make anything remotely this refined =p Thanks in advance for your time!