dikman

Looks good. Is that antler in the centre handle section? Whatever it is it's nicely fitted to the wood. And what's with the stitches that cross from one row to the other? I assume there's a reason for it I just haven't seen that done before.

Awl blade in a drill press is a good idea. I started off using an old Singer domestic machine (201K, hand crank) to punch the holes first, using an ordinary needle, and then used the awl to "widen" the holes for hand stitching. Should work fine with that thickness leather. The advantage of using a machine is it gives nice straight lines.

I don't see any bobbin thread?

Definitely! My wife tolerates my various interests (obsessions?) but has firm views on what comes into the house!

How thick is the leather that he wants to sew? What does he want to make?

Mizzy, you did a beautiful job on those machines! That pink one is really over-the-top! I assume you're doing it just as a hobby?

Holsters. There's that magic word again. Not much can be added to Wiz's reply as it pertains to wallets, which is what you asked. If, however, you also want to sew holsters then that's an entirely different ball-game, as you Yanks say. If you're only talking about pancake-style holsters, IWB/OWB then the 3200 should probably suffice, but if you're considering heavier Western-style holsters then you'll really need something bigger (usually a 441 clone). You'll probably cause yourself a lot of grief if you want to sew thin wallets on these two machines. The simple fact is there is NO one sewing machine that can do it all (unfortunately). You could say it's akin to the Holy Grail for leatherworkers.

Tom, if you're not sure then if you can get to Elizabeth Machines and take your needle with you I'm sure they'll be able to help (they specialise in industrial machines).

I buy my needles from here - https://www.elizabethmachines.com.au/brands/Elizabeth Unfortunately, if you're at Golden Grove then they're on the opposite side of town! Failing that you can order them online via ebay, as Constabulary said you already have all the info you need - system, size, type you want.

The MSDS for Lilly White oil indicates it's an IS0 32 (although I have seen a reference to ISO 22) oil, which is an hydraulic oil. I'm using ISO 68, which is a bit heavier but it's what I had handy and seems to work ok.

That could be very handy for someone having trouble getting the bobbin position correct.

Impressive looking machine.

Horses for courses, as they say , just didn't work for me. I was aware that someone got a speed reducer working with a positioner, I just couldn't remember who, but I think that is an exception as there have been a few who couldn't get it to work (including me). I wouldn't like to just assume it will work with any servo.

Rocky's idea of a thread tensioner could work, something with just enough tension applied to keep any slack from occurring as the coils come off the spool.

Interesting idea, the only potential problem I can see is that what is now the bottom of the spool will have to be a very tight fit against the "base" as loose coils will have a tendency to gather there and may catch.

My first servo came with a needle positioner (because it seemed like a good idea). I used it once and took it off! As Wiz said, not needed for slow speed sewing. They also don't generally work if you fit a speed reducer or replace the handwheel with a larger pulley.

Mike, that link goes to "example domain". Your French keyboard giving you problems again?

Actually, Mike, I've done just that. I couldn't push the awl through when I made a holster with a thickish welt, and none of my machines are capable of handling more than 1/2" so I made an adapter to fit a spare awl bit into a rivet press. It will go through 7/8", the maximum that I can fit under it (for now). That will let me pre-punch the holes and then when I put it in the pony run my awl through it and then the needles.

AArrrggghhhh! Idiot! I clicked on the link in the wrong post! I'll delete it forthwith!

oops. wrong post.

Ahh, ye olde MMO...no matter what forum I'm on it gets a mention. Way back when it was treated by many as necessary to anything that used an internal combustion engine or needed lubricating! And still is by some........

It's a good start, however most motors appear to come with a 3" pulley, which will only give you a 2:1 reduction. If you fit a 2" to the motor you will get 3:1, an easy option before going to a reducer.

I suspect that most just use the yellow beeswax, I can't see the point in (presumably) paying more for white wax. The leather won't care if the wax hasn't been "purified". Incidentally, I just looked up the MSDS for "Saddler's Oil" - it's nearly all Naptha, a petroleum derived solvent. I think I'll pass on using that.

You're quite right of course, gymnast, if the needle was in backwards there's no way you would get any stitches! As for the thread path, the only thing I can see that's not quite right is the angle of the thread coming down from the needle clamp, it looks like the wire guide is missing? In reality, however, it won't make much difference as at least one of my machines is missing the guide but it works fine. Your testing methodology is impressive, it's just not something that many of us worry about, we tend to "wing it" and just learn about tension by experience. I don't think we've seen anyone delve into tensions in such a detailed manner before.