LumpenDoodle2

Ok, I'll play..... Teenager, started working in leather. First job, in an office, gave it up as I've never been so bored in my life. Somewhere in between, I got my first motorbike, and met my first husband. Worked as a motorcycle courier for a bit, then a bit of care work in various nursing homes. Got a job with a medical research group as a driver (that was a wierd job), and divorced first hubby. Became a sef-employed house cleaner, met 2nd hubby, and started a furniture restoration business. More care work (at night) while building paint stripping business during the day. Started a little hobby/business a few years ago making accessories for the metal detecting scene, and have been pretty busy at that. Got back into leatherwork last year, and have sold a surprising amount of items in the last few months. This is good, because I've reached a point where the morgage is paid, and I really, really, cannot stand my day job anymore (self-employed, stripping paint from wood in peoples' homes. Money great, but really hard work for a 'mature' woman to be doing). I now plan to sail off into early retirement, poor, but happy, making detecting, and leather goods.

These old machines can be a bit addictive. Modern machines just don't have that look, sound, or feel about them.

Some lovely work there.

You've put so much work into it, you'll definately find a use for it now.

I quite agree with you. When you're starting from scratch it's better to know that the machine does actually work first. That way, at least if thing don't work right, you know it's something you're doing wrong, not a timing fault with the machine. First industrial machine I owned, someone had really had a go at the camshaft timing, it was miles out, but still stitched (after a fashion). It took me a couple of weeks to realise what the problem was, and it was so frustrating, the sewing machine nearly ended up through the window a couple of times. :-)

I was thinking the same thing.

Hello, and welcome :-). I've just started making belts and holsters, and I am happy to mix both machine and hand stitching. I hand stitch the holsters, but apart from a few areas, the belts are machine stitched. I work on the principle that hand stitching suits a holster, but asking me to do the same with a 44+ inch belt, would just make me lose the will to live. As long as it looks tidy at the end, and the customer likes it, the job's done. If you go onto youtube, you can view a vid of the construction of a bespoke, handmade wallet. It takes about 16 machines to make that wallet, including cutter press, skiver, sewing machine etc. Nothing wrong with that, after all, a sewing machine is just another tool, like a burnisher fitted to a dremel or grinding machine, or cutting leather with a laser cutter. I think that a lot of it has more to do with the finishing touches you give the thing you make, rather than the road you take to get there (IMHO).

It was fun to make. I really enjoy making this stuff, so much so, that I've decided to give up the day job almost entirely now. Life's too short to keep doing stuff you're not enjoying any more.

That is a lovely old machine, but as Constabularly says, it's only worth what someone wants to pay. I belong to a vintage sewing machine forum, and most collectors want a complete in every way possible machine. Unfortunately that usually means that these lovely machines end up scrapped. Either that or offered for silly money, where it will either sell to someone desperate to have that model, or the seller gets fed up listing it, and scraps it anyway. A lovely machine, as I said, and worth saving for it's own sake. Someone needs to give it a good home and cherish it.

Of course you need it, it's your moral duty to save such a machine from the abuse of just lying there, unused and unloved. Anyway, you can never have too many sewing machines, especially Singers. ;-)

The double sided tape is only really useful for temporary placement of pieces. Contact cement and patience is best IMHO.

Here's a few more pictures.

I'm pretty new at this leatherworking, and have been making and selling quite a few Stohlman style Colt 45 holsters. The Walking Dead holster was commissioned by someone for their 9 year old grandson's Xmas. He's a massive fan of the show. They are not perfect (I'm still learning) but I'm reasonably happy with the results so far.

I have no experience of the heavier leather sewing machines, but in the domestic sewing world, it can be quite normal to change the needle at the end of each project. It's almost the first thing you are told on sewing forums "change the needle". Of course, there's a big difference between the needles of a Singer 99K, and a Cowboy 3200, but it won't harm to experiment by popping a new needle in. Needles are the cheapest part of the whole machine to replace, and it can also cause the biggest problems.

Idiot number 2 here. I looked at the pictures and went "oooooooh, a new toy!". Sadly, I think my postman would stop talking to me if he had to lug that to my house. Hope it finds a good home.

A friend of mine bought an old Singer 45K to sew through the plywood when he was restoring his classic car. He said it sailed through it with no problems.

I sell a lot of the Stohlman style (plain, not carved) 45 short holsters. I think that especially in the UK, it's the 'displaying' of the gun which wins over the practicality of protecting the barrel. I do wish my carving was even a quarter as good as your work obviously is.

I'd be tempted to go down the electrolysis bath route. Purely because it doesn't look as if you can afford to lose any more metal. Parts for the 29K4 and earlier are quite difficult to replace, so you might want to consider not so much a restoration job, but a parts salvage operation. It might be worth considering using it as a donor machine, and removing and cleaning up as many parts as you can, then selling them to buy a better condition 29K .

Absolutely not! They will need a trip over the pond to me, to be truly considered safe from all that nasty sharpness. It's certainly a fine collection you've ended up with.

Just to say, I bought the Aussie conditioner for under £15, including postage from ebay. If I can find who it was, I'll let you know.

Make sure the thread guide on the spool stand is directly above the spool. This should allow the thread to come off the spool evenly. I look forward to seeing your first project.

He has his uses, and he even sometimes listens to me. :-()

Here's a picture of the one the hubby made for me. Basic, but it does the job. Apologies, but it seems to have gone a bit sideways.

I wondered about just using a standard sewing machine motor, with a little rubber tyre on it. I need one for my hand stitcher I use on my plastic holsters.

I would imagine that the flap bit on the buscadero which accommodates the gun is the main reason for the curve. That and the fact that most buscadero belts seem to widen towards this flap. On a ranger belt, you don't have the same width to deal with, so it sits easier. So the wider the belt, the more need for it to be curved. I think.......