dikman

"Standard" tensioner? What's that look like? The parts breakdown in the manual looks pretty much the same as my 201, so I just assumed it was the same type. If there's a better one to use let me know. It would be nice to repaint it, (Singer black and gold?) seeing that it's flaking off, but that may be sometime down the track. As it's an industrial machine I just assumed that the grey finish was par for the course. I'm thinking of making a small table to fit around the "post" so that I can also have a flat area to lay the work on.

Thanks Art (I think....). So, #69 refers to the Tkt size? Which equates to T70 (Tex), which in turn equals 630 Denier.

I went out to play with it a bit more, and think I've got it! I've identified three issues. 1. I wasn't holding the thread tight enough at the start (LumpenDoodle2 was right in that regard). This was allowing it to pull back into the shuttle. 2. It needs a lot more tension on the upper (needle) thread than I thought it would need. I'll need to look at my tensioner, as it's almost maxxed out tension-wise now. 3. There is a "bobbin case lever" to the left of the hook. Its function is to turn the bobbin case very slightly, at the right moment, to allow the needle thread to slide past the bobbin case. It looked like it was working ok at first, but then I noticed that there seemed to be a very slight resistance to the thread sliding between the lever and the case. I re-adjusted it slightly (we're talking 1mm here!) and that looked like the final piece to the puzzle. I ran a quick stitch on a piece of 4-5 oz. veg-tan and didn't look too bad. I then tried it glued to a piece of 7-8 oz, the first run was ok but the second broke the needle (mainly due to the lack of slow speed control). The larger pulley I fitted actually works quite well on thinner stuff, giving me reasonable control, but on thicker material it jams if I start real slow. If I can rig up a pulley reduction system that should solve that problem. So far it's cost me $36 for the neoprene for the belt and $20 for the junked 201K (for the tensioner). Not too bad, considering what the machine is probably capable of . Thanks for all the help, folks.

The title pretty well sums it up!! I recently ordered some "#69" thread. When it arrived I noticed that the spool is marked "210D", which I assume refers to Denier rating? I then spent some time looking at various conversion charts, and researching thread designations, and came away very confused!!! So, what does "#69" mean? Does it refer to Tex sizing? If so, that doesn't convert to 210D. I also expected the thread to be thicker, as it doesn't look much different, size-wise, to ordinary cotton thread that I have. And I thought needle sizing was confusing.

I have been holding the thread, but it still did it. I think, though, that the problem is definitely the top (needle) thread being caught somehow by the pickup hook on the shuttle. That would indicate slack thread somewhere. A bit frustrating, but I figure I must be close to getting it working - I'm just not game to run the motor until I know it will do a reliable hand stitch.

So, I've got it working - almost. Made a suitable tensioner from the 201K I bought, fixed the thread guides (missing springs), re-timed the shuttle and re-adjusted the needle hook, made a new drive belt from neoprene, fitted a larger pulley to the handwheel to try and slow it down a bit (original is 2" diam, new one is 4"), re-connected the pedal for lifting the roller wheel and gave it a good oiling. Oh, and I took to the table with a circular saw (much too big!). Running without thread it punches through leather quite nicely, and while it will do 1/4" it's really at it's limit doing it. I loaded it with thread (the bonded stuff that came with it) and ran it by hand to see what would happen. The needle picked up the bobbin thread ok, and watching the shuttle it appears to be working ok, but for some reason it seems to drag extra thread down into the shuttle (through the needle hole) from underneath the material. I can get a row of stitches, but when I remove the material there are about three lines of thread disappering down the hole! I'm a bit perplexed at the moment.......

If the awl is made of good quality steel, then I'd be surprised if sandpaper or files would do much, as I would expect the steel to be hardened and tempered (if you can use a file on it, then it's what I would call pretty "ordinary" steel). An oilstone should do it, but it may take a lot of work. Best thing would be a water-cooled grinding wheel. If you use an ordinary bench grinder be very careful, as it will overheat the steel in nothing flat and basically leave you with a sharpened iron nail!

For those who may be interested, the tensioner from my 201 has the same mounting system, i.e. a shaft extends from the rear of the tensioner assembly and slides into a hole in the machine body, where it's held in place by a locking grub screw. Main problem is the shaft is too short to lock in place. I located a used Singer 201K today (this is a later model than mine and has an electric motor) for $20 (!) so I went for a drive to grab it, as I figure just buying a tensioner assembly - if I can find one - would cost me more than that. I'll strip it for parts and dump the body, as it has no real collectable value, and this should give me a good supply of the various screws that Singer use. Extending the tensioner shaft is going to be a bit tricky, however, as the rear shaft is steel and is pressed into the front part, which is aluminium!! A bit more pondering is in order........

As the saying goes "great minds think alike", Constabulary . I have a Singer 201K hand-crank unit, and looking at the tensioner assembly it looks pretty similar, so I'm going to remove it today and see what it will take to fit it. The only other thing I don't have is the thread roller which fits below the tensioner, but it may not be necessary for my needs. If I do need it, then I'll make one.

Thanks Evo, that's the same as the one I already found .

Thanks guys. I've spent a fair bit of time searching the 'net, and there's not what I would call a lot of info about this particular machine. I've got the user instructions (which at least tells me how to reset the shuttle timing) and a parts list, but I suspect that this isn't going to be much use as I haven't been able to find any spares listed anywhere. I know it was made at the Bridgeport plant in the US, and is rated to 2500 stitches/minute!!! I got it hooked up to the motor (beautiful old motor) and had it running briefly - until the leather belt snapped! My biggest problem is the missing thread tensioner assembly. I will have to try and find something from an older Singer and adapt it to fit. The owner said something was broken, but it turned out that he was wrong (he admitted he doesn't know anything about it mechanically), I found that there is a locking collar (for want of a better description) on the top shaft, and this had been tightened to stop any rotation. I'm guessing that this is to help with re-timing the shuttle, which I have to do as I removed the drive belt while trying to figure out whether the problem was in the upper part or the lower shuttle area (at least this showed me where the problem was). It's a bit of a beast, but should do nicely for my needs, once I get the missing tensioner sorted. Plus the price was right, nothing but a lot of effort dismantling it all to get it home - that motor is heavy!!

A friend rang today and said he had an "industrial" sewing machine, was I interested? Of course, says I (although I was aware that many so-called industrial machines aren't. Anyhow, turns out it's a Singer 51W59, a bit the worse for wear and unused for a long time, as he said that "something broke" on it. I've got the machine itself and just have to arrange to pick up the table and motor assembly (I could see the Singer label on the motor underneath the table), So, can anyone enlighten me on this particular machine? Just noticed that the thread tensioner is missing.....

Thanks for the reply. I'm going to keep the stamping to a minimum (along the edge of the belt and holsters) so I think I should be ok. With my previous holsters I had to stain before stitching, as I was using a contrasting thread. These will have a brown thread on a brown holster so at least I can stain them after stitching, which should make the job easier. Yes, soaking and molding after staining does make the colour run slightly (and colour my hands!) but it actually worked out quite well, as it evened out the stain a little and gave it a slightly "worn" look, one of those little "accidents" that worked in my favour.

A fellow club member has asked me to make him a gunbelt and holsters. No problem with that, but he wants some decorative stamping/tooling done (which I haven't done before). I'm uncertain about doing the holsters. If I tool the leather while it's flat that should be fine, but if I then soak the holsters to wet-form them around the revolver, will I lose the definition in the tooling through wetting it? It's going to be rather difficult to stamp/tool the holsters once they're formed and stitched, I think. Nearly forgot, I assume that with the belt I stitch the edges first and then case it and stamp it?

As suggested, I've ordered some #69 bonded thread. I've also sorted out the breaking thread issue. I figured it had to be the shuttle timing, as I'd dismantled it all to smooth out the sliding parts and grease them. It just took a little while to work out the correct operating sequence. Now I need to make a new presser foot, one that is height-adjustable. And a decent bobbin winder. The beauty of this thing is that it's so primitive that it's easy to work on! (I also found another post on here about the Able 290, which is the same machine).

Thanks guys. The needle that came with it appears to be the same as the 15x1 in my little Singer 201K. The length of the needle looks fine when it's operating, but a bit more investigation is obviously necessary. By the way, I only use a machine to pre-punch the holes and then use an awl to open them up for the stitching needles. This gives me uniform spacing as well as making it easier to get the awl through the leather.

Don't worry, queenslander, you're not alone - wife, house, kids, work all tend to take up most of the available time!!! It's only since I retired that I've been able to "indulge" myself. I got back on a motorbike again (at last), and recently took up shooting muzzleloaders, which led to single-action shooting, which lead to reloading and then leatherwork. I needed holsters and was having trouble getting what I needed, so thought "wonder what's involved in making them?". And here I am . I really enjoy working with leather, and while I'm not into carving I can appreciate your obvious skill at it . And yes, it's all expensive, but even if I'd had the time all those years ago I didn't have the money then. Now, I do.....

I just bought one of these little hand-cranked beasties, and was wondering if anyone else has one, or has used one? It's listed as a to-16 model by the seller. It's a very interesting little piece of machinery, crudely made compared to a Singer, but using a standard (15x1) sewing machine needle (for leather) has no trouble punching through three layers of 8 oz veg. I haven't got it sewing yet, as I think I need some suitable thread (keeps breaking ordinary cotton thread!) but I bought it mainly to use to pre-punch the holes prior to hand stitching, and being a patcher-type machine means I can get into awkward areas - at least, that's the theory!

Being new to all this leatherworking stuff, I have an advantage in not knowing the "right" way to do things . My method is to run a groover to locate the stitch line and then I use an old Singer 201 to punch the stitching holes along the groove. The Singer is a hand-cranked domestic model, and while the needles and bobbin can't handle the heavier thread used for leatherwork, it makes a neat job of punching the holes, with even spacing and nice and straight. I then use an awl to widen the hole and proceed to saddle stitch. A bit tedious, maybe, but it works for me.

G'day Red cent. At this stage it's not an issue, as we're still in the process of getting our range approved by Firearms Branch to enable us to shoot at metal targets (can't do anything regarding firearms in this country without police approval!). Plus I have to be certified for holster use (I kid you not) which is a minor problem as our range doesn't have any relevant procedures in place for it yet. We will probably have to vary the normal SASS operating procedures to suit our particular range too - but we'll get there eventually. The longer barrels may be an issue for fast-draw, I guess, but I'll worry about that if it happens. These two revolvers came up at a good price, so I grabbed them, as single action revolvers aren't exactly common here in Oz. I actually really like them as they are different (nearly everyone else seems to get Colt clones) and they look nice with my 1858 cap and ball . And they go Bang when I pull the trigger!

Thanks Red Bear (the answers are pretty obvious - once I was told!). I had another long look, and I realise that what really appeals to me is the under-stated elegance of it, as in no flashy tooling and shiny baubles. It just looks right.

Very sumptuous! How could someone not be happy with that. The British Tan has a very "rich" look to it. A couple of questions, if I may, as I'm very new to all this and trying to learn as much as I can. 1. Why do you "cut" the stain? 2. What is NF? 3. I was wondering why you didn't line the holster. (I thought it made it smoother for the revolver).

Red Bear - "one of the best hobbies"? Do you mean SASS or leatherwork? (I'm inclined to think both ). I'd forgotten how hard stitching is on the fingers (as a young bloke I spent a lot of time lacing telecommunications cables with waxed twine), but even though it was a tedious business I really enjoyed doing the hand stitching on this rig. You'll notice no carving/stamping/conchos, as I reckon plain looks better on holsters (nothing to detract from the quality - or lack thereof - of the work). The back of the belt has a stitched "infiniti" pattern, with no bullet loops as I don't need them. I learnt a lot from making this, and even though I don't need more holsters I'm tempted to make another set, maybe shorter so that the barrels stick out the bottom, and a tapered belt (some refer to the belt as the "Eastwood" style?). I've been browsing the forum for a while and figured I should join (along with the several gun forums I'm on, amongst others). While I'm only interested in making belts, holsters and maybe the occasional knife sheath, there's lots of good info on here. Although I have been thinking maybe I should make myself a leather vest, just need to find out how! Cheers all, Dik.

I'm in the process of taking up Single Action shooting, and the two revolvers I bought came with a single Buscadero-style holster, made by Hunter. I wanted a crossdraw holster to go with it, but could not find exactly what I wanted (I'll spare you the details of the hours wasted searching!!). So I thought "I wonder what's involved in making one?". Lots of reading and watching of youtube videos (thanks, Nigel A, for the excellent stitching videos you made), and the result was a quite acceptable crossdraw holster. Only problem was that I soon realised it wasn't going to work too well with the existing belt/holster - so the obvious solution was to make another holster and a suitable belt. End result below. Please bear in mind that this is the first bit of "real" leatherwork I've done, so there's mistakes (if you know where to look ). The revolvers are Uberti 1875's with 7 1/2" barrels. Did I mention it was fun?