dikman

I bought mine off Ali-express, cheaper than ebay at the time. Some now come with a hose between the compressor and airbrush which could be handy for getting in tight places, I suppose, but it's getting away from the portability aspect a bit. There's a huge number of generic airbrushes available now, and pretty cheap, ranging from external mix (I have a Paasche, very handy and as you say easy to clean) to double-action with bottom suction feed, side feed, top gravity feed and a pistol grip type with a largish paint bottle on top, and all pretty cheap. I've ended up with all of these and I've got no complaints with the quality of them. One thing I did was to polish the needles, it might not be necessary for spraying leather but I did it anyway. One of my grand-daughters is very artistic and creative and one day when I mentioned airbrushes her eyes lit up so I've "lent" her one of my compressors and a top-feed airbrush, she was very excited about trying something new. Knowing my wife I suspect "donate" is a better term.

There are plenty of youtube vids showing how to make a pattern but it's pretty simple for a slimjim, basically do as you said, fold some cardboard around the gun and mark out the shape and allow for the stitch line. If you look at the top of this section there is a tutorial on making a slimjim.

You've got quite the collection! That Chameleon is an interesting device, I've never heard of them before (which probably isn't surprising). As for your question about the "self-contained" unit, I have one but haven't used it much only because I haven't done much airbrushing for a while. It works well and is certainly convenient as I don't have to drag out compressor, hose etc. I bought it after reading about the idea on various modelling forums, most who used one seemed happy enough with it. There are various types available, some have a removable battery pack so you can swap them when they go flat. Theoretically, any "modern" airbrush should fit onto the compressor container as all of the China-made models have the same thread size, but I couldn't guarantee it. The older Badgers won't fit without an adaptor, likewise Paasche.

Like others have mentioned, Chapman have a great range and are excellent quality. I bought them for working on firearms but find them useful for lots of other stuff, they have parallel sides on the blades and some are very thin, not always easy to find.

I've often contemplated trying this then using photoshop to make up a pattern. Looks like it might work.

I've never used edge paint, just dye if necessary and burnish. I figure that paint, by it's nature, might eventually peel off.

I dislike "like" buttons and never use them if they're there. On one forum a member who seemed to think he was particularly "helpful" (he wasn't) had a sig line asking people to "like" him if they found his post useful. He was obviously trying to gather likes! I've never felt the need for such ego-building, if my post is helpful to anyone that's great, if not so what. If I find a post particularly useful I'll say so in the post.

Ahh, that makes sense, although I've never come across it before. I can see why it's problematic on thin leather with finer thread. They obviously expect the machine to be only used with heavy stuff.

I didn't think of a chest holster, not surprising seeing that we're not allowed to have them so I haven't tried one but yes, that could work quite well, the down-side is that it will be a lot more complicated to make. It could be a bit daunting for someone without a lot of experience making holsters?

I have zero experience with using a revolver like you want to (we are only allowed to use pistols at a range, definitely no hunting with them) but from what you've described I would think a Slim Jim should work well. They were originally intended to enable a revolver to be carried safely and to protect the revolver, hence they tend to cover most of it with usually only the grips and hammer protruding. They are also a "minimalist" style without all of the extra bulk of the rear skirt of the later styles so a cross-draw should sit comfortably when driving and again hold the revolver safely. As for the leather, no reason it shouldn't work. The only thing to watch is attaching the belt loop, don't use an uncovered rivet as it will scratch the revolver, better to stitch the loop before folding over to stitch the edge. Anyhow, it sounds like a plan to me.

I can't help with sourcing parts but I'm curious why the foot has a "fin" in the middle. If it was mine I would grind it off as I can't see any practical purpose for it.

I would never have guessed!

Looks nice.

At least you had the foresight to ask. While having a straight-stitch machine can be useful at times I reckon having all those fancy stitches is just adding a level of unnecessary complexity (just my feelings). Keep looking, in the meantime have you read the sticky about machines for sewing leather?

I did a bit of research on hide glue and Chuck is right, it's primary use is for woodwork. It is water-soluble and not considered a permanent-bonding glue as joints that are glued with it can be opened up with heat and moisture, which would seem to make it unsuitable for leather projects as you don't want your work falling apart if it gets damp! The fact it is water-soluble could account for it migrating easily through the leather and interfering with dye absorption. In short, it doesn't appear to be a good choice for leatherwork.

A good start would be to read the manual and compare the operations/parts to your actual machine. If all the parts/adjustments are the same then there's a pretty good chance it's the right one (or close enough to be usable).

Your google-fu is strong, Al, when I searched the Consew site I got zip! My take from looking through the parts list is that it's a high speed garment machine, so not really suitable for leather.

Wasn't sure where to put this so here it is. SUP's recent mention of using a wax block underneath her punching got me thinking. I didn't want to use a block but.....sometime ago I was given a very old saddle, very much the worse for wear so I salvaged what leather I could from it. It occurred to me that the side flaps (don't know what they're called) might do for a punching pad. The leather was pretty dry and stiff but no cracks, and very dirty. I cut off the useless bits and scrubbed them with soapy water, lots of dirt came out! When they had dried I used a heat gun to work some wax into them. I didn't want them soft and feeling waxy so nothing would rub off onto my workpiece but could still lube the punches a bit. Now, this is where SUP's genius comes in. Sometime ago I mixed up a batch of wax to treat a waxed jacket, 60% paraffin wax and 40% beeswax, perfect for this job! The paraffin by itself is too hard and beeswax by itself is too sticky, mixed like this it soaks in when heat is applied but the leather still feels dry to the touch. The pad will go on top of the cutting board and the workpiece on top, the leather is still thin and stiff enough to provide a hard cutting surface. Theoretically.

Al, I deliberately didn't mention a speed reducer as it can all be a bit overwhelming to a newcomer, but since you did ..........Lego Mum, try the servo first but if you still find it a wee bit fast at times then a speed reducer is the next step, just a tad more complicated than merely adding a servo. There have been many posts on here about speed reducers but if you think you need one feel free to ask about options.

Congratulations - but be careful, buying leather sewing machines can be addictive!! As kgg said, the 563 has been around a long time but as long as it has been maintained it should serve you well. A bit of advice, replace the clutch motor with a servo, you don't have to buy an expensive one as anything will be better than that clutch motor. Happy sewing.

Undiluted dye shouldn't matter, it's obvious that either there is some contaminant already in the leather or, as you surmise, the glue is bleeding through the leather and is preventing the dye from penetrating.

You do realise, I hope, that this is an old method (optical gradient) that hasn't been used on servos for quite a few years?

Good advice, JLS, but probably wasted - nearly 2 months and the OP hasn't returned?

I would say no, it's not what you need. This is basically a high-speed lockstitch garment machine, not an upholstery machine (I can't see it being much use in saddle making). How thick is the leather you want to sew? I forgot to add read the sticky above about what machines you need to sew leather, it's probably the definitive article on the subject.

Searching with google turns up several methods of "purifying" chicken fat, one of them refers to "degumming" the fat using phosphoric acid and then adding lye to balance the ph and to help form the "soap" that is skimmed off. Most seem to refer to a similar process to making tallow, slow cooking the fat and some say to then add boiling water to separate the gunk for skimming off. I would rather use the process to make tallow as I know that works and it stores indefinitely with no rancidity. Here's a thought, perhaps if you go to your local roast chicken shop I'm sure they'll be happy to give you a few gallons of chicken fat.