dikman

Gary, as Brian said if you buy an already-built one (look for reviews first to see what people think of it) then all you need to learn about is the slicer programme that converts to the G code needed to print. I use Slicer, it and Cura are probably the most widely used. This part of it isn't to hard to master. As for filament it's pretty cheap in the US, just start with your basic PLA. It gets complicated if you start fiddling with the operating system!

A couple more thoughts, Brian, I measured my bobbins and the Seiko is 1", the others slightly under so although they'd be a bit loose (which won't matter) they'll fit the existing design. Not knowing the height I don't know how many would fit in each slot, of course. This would mean that all the existing lid needs is a hole in it for loading/unloading (to use the firearm vernacular ). If you made one specifically for the smaller bobbins, so it only held one in each slot then by keeping the central shaft long one could simply stack them on top of each other. Lots of possibilities here .

That would be good and might suit a wider audience. The Singer/Pfaff bobbins aren't quite the same diameter (which I'm sure you already know) so making it for the wider one should cover a wider range of bobbins. One other thing that occurred to me is that you could obviously stack 2 or 3 of the smaller bobbins in each of the slots, so if the top piece was made with a hole in it that could be rotated to a particular slot then the bobbins in that slot could be emptied out without tipping the whole lot out.

Thanks mate. Some of those thinners are......nice.......wheeee.

I just tried a search for that glue and nothing came up. I'm curious as it must be a fairly thin contact glue to work in that small nozzle?

I like it!! Only one slight problem (for me) - I don't use those long bobbins. What's the diameter of the holes, just wondering if my Singer/Pfaff bobbins will fit?

A bit of good old Aussie ingenuity! Nicely done Brian and thanks for taking the time to document this. A question - what is the red squeeze thingy you're using? I assumed it's for applying glue, but if so what glue are you using that's thin and doesn't clog the tube?

Brian, I really like that design, being a wheel gun shooter! If you create the .stl file I'll just HAVE to make one!! I'm beginning to think your talents are wasted on leatherwork.

Is it normal for those bevel gears to not have any grease on them? My Pfaff is greased.

I have a Tarantula and it works well enough BUT it comes as a kit and needed a bit of work to get it working properly. If you want to just plug it in and print do not get a kit. If, however, you like a challenge (and knocking your head against a brick wall!) and want to learn how these beasties work then a kit is the way to go.

Just curious, what do you mean "misses"?

140 needle is a bit big for #69 thread.

Nice! Thanks for posting this Brian. While it probably should go in the 3D section I think things like this should be in here too as I'm sure that many who might be interested won't think to look there. Please feel free to post any designs to do with sewing machines, more to add to my (growing) collection of possibly useful files. Only problem with that one gigi is that I have some bobbins that are aluminium! (But it would be simple to make).

Not really, but some subjects come up quite regularly (and this is one of them). Generally, with a heavy duty machine it will be almost impossible to stop getting marks of some sort, it's the nature of the beast. Even light/medium duty machines will leave marks on veg-tan. If you try to minimise the marks by reducing tension/pressure settings then you soon reach a point where the leather won't feed properly or starts lifting as the needle comes up, which can then cause missed stitches etc. Virtually every holster/belt that I've seen that has been made on a heavy-duty machine has had feed marks.

Fitting that old hand winder was brilliant! It's got me thinking......

If the recipient only wants a machine that they can just use and not worry about too much then I wouldn't consider giving the second one. It could be a simple problem, but then I'd have to ask why hasn't the seller fixed it. Unless you know something about industrial machines then buying one with an advertised problem could be an expensive mistake. If the price is right and you're prepared to spend time on it then it could be a good deal. Buying the two, as Uwe suggested, isn't a bad idea as you'd then have a working one to compare the non-working one with.

If it hasn't been repainted then it's in remarkably good condition. Probably the best thing is to get the owner to do a couple of longish runs on it and listen for any odd noises and make sure the stitches are nice and even. Price-wise it's Au$870, which is pretty good here (I paid a LOT less for mine, but I was lucky!). One possible way to look for wear is to remove the two thread tension discs and look for wear lines where the thread has worn a path in the metal. Of course, if they've been replaced then this won't apply, but it's pretty unusual to have to replace these unless it's had very heavy usage. I'm very happy with my Seiko, they're great machines and as mentioned feet, bobbins etc shouldn't be hard to find.

Nice. I like it. I think I'd re-route that cable, though, just in case. It should be ok, but.......

For anyone who might be interested, I applied some Light Brown then wiped off. The lighter colour I wiped off straight away, the darker one I waited a few seconds. I then wiped over with some alcohol to remove as much as possible. Looks like it has possibilities.

As is often the case there is always more than one way to achieve something. I've found that I often change the order that I make a leather item with, depending on what I'm making and what I want to achieve. Sometimes it works, sometimes not so good.

I'll have to experiment with colouring some stag as I really like that look.

Chris, are you just referring to clay shooting? From what I've seen (don't do it myself) competition shooters here in Oz usually appear to wear a vest with big pockets to hold their shells. Cowboy shooting is quite different, it is a requirement to use a cartridge belt (or bandoleer) as the ability to reload fast is the order of the day. It is also in keeping with how guns were used in The Old West (or at least the perception).

Now that is nice! What I would call understated elegance. Not having any border decorations really makes the carving stand out. I like the grips on the gun, they look a bit antiqued?

The "single row" bit seems to rule out double-stacking. If not for this I think it could work if there was a gap between each double stack, although it might be a bit of a challenge to actually make! As for the tilting part, Red Cent has posted a solution to this somewhere on here which effectively angles the loops out slightly, and he has had it confirmed that it doesn't breach any rules.

Excellent! Thanks gr8legs. Perhaps if you post all the files in the 3d printer section, as anyone looking is likely to go there first? As for PLA, I've been surprised just how tough it is.