dikman

Told you so! I have chicken fat in my BBQ at the moment, now that winter has started it solidifies into a nice-looking fat but as soon as the weather warms up it goes runny like water. It also attracts the European Wasps, which have difficulty swimming in it! It's the last thing I would ever put on leather (thinks: pictures person with leather purse running down the street chased by hungry wasps! ends thinks).

Just came across this post again, interesting that there's been no followup?

Good score, it will be a far better machine than the others.

That's a bit different. Why don't you give them a polish?

"Even older geezer" - that's me! I just spent many hours getting a new NAS working, why do the manuals for these things assume you understand what they're talking about? Made my brains hurt..... PastorBob, that is very effective (and a bit different).

I can't help with the needles but regarding a speed reducer it all depends how slow you want to sew. Most of the digital servos aren't slow enough for many of us, plus they lose a bit of torque when you use them at their slowest speed. I have servos on my machines and I've fitted home-made reducers as well (I like the control it gives me to reduce the chance of an errant stitch/needle hole!).

I took the post at face value but your post got me curious, Al, a google search didn't turn up anything but searching facebook came up with a company called Jacket Hunters, LLC, in Virginia.

No different to anywhere else, it just depends on the individual and what they're looking for style-wise, there's no over-riding preference as a nation. As for fit it's become a nightmare these days as different countries/manufacturers appear to have their own ideas about what constitutes sizes. Once upon a time I could buy a shirt/jacket/coat in L and it would fit but that's no longer the case, I bought a shirt a while ago that was labelled XL and it fit like an L!! A coat marked 48 in one country is labelled as 54 in another. I won't buy clothes unless I can try them on first.

You can buy just the awl needle itself without a handle, I just happened to have a spare that I was given with a heap of leatherworking stuff. As long as you don't rotate the drill chuck it should punch the same alignment each time.

Yep - if I ever get motivated enough to learn to use the design software. Every time I start I lose interest......

Very neat. Every time I see something like this I get annoyed that my laser can't cut acrylic!

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is to buy the narrow needle plate/feed dog, with that fitted you can use slightly thinner needles (i.e. smaller than a crowbar!) and comfortably sew with #138 thread if needed.

I use the same idea, and also for storing metal bars/rods under my lathe except I used 75mm/3" pvc stormwater pipe.

That should work but longevity is going to be the issue. It has the advantage that you can print spares to keep handy, failure during a project may be a concern. Worth a try.

I would say the chances of finding a pulley like that are pretty slim. Over the years I've bought several different (generic) servos and never had a shaft like that, they've all been straight and took generic pulleys. I'm assuming you can't return it for a different type so you have two options as I see it, either fit a speed reducer as kgg suggested or possibly replace the machine handwheel with a larger pulley.

I have a slightly bigger pair of those cable cutters and they are vicious things! They will cut up to 3/4" copper cable with no effort.

See? That wasn't so hard, was it. You would have regretted it if you didn't do it the right way.

I use the same process for hand stitching as it gives nice even spacing.

Gato, I had the same idea but given the amount of stitching on the loops I reckon it would be better to just open them up (probably less frustrating in the long run).

If you don't open them up to stitch on the loops then in the future every time you look at them you'll wish you had done it properly. You could use pins, needles, small brads or those thingy's fred showed - I bought some of those a while ago just in case I need them - to line up the holes. A lot of extra work but at least you'll know you did it the right way. I made a couple of western holsters based on Steve McQueen's from The Magnificent Seven, the end of the loop was attached using Chicago screws with the fixed part trapped between the two layers making up the holsters. Over time a slight bump developed on the inside of the holsters where the screws are and is a potential wear spot. I don't think I'll use this method again.

Very nice, given the circumstances you did well!

I made a pair of western holsters and just gave them a coat of neatsfoot oil then rubbed on a coat of wax (tallow/beeswax). That was years ago and other than a few scuffs they still look the same. As for dipping in melted beeswax, it's not something I would recommend for a holster as you could end up with a mess trying to clean off the excess! It's not necessary for holsters.

Leather strap for sure, even if it's left plain it will be more in keeping with the overall look. And watch your stitching, it all looks good except for the piece holding the tongue loop down. It was the first thing that hit me being highly visible. Other than that, what the others said.

SUP, I've always just used "smooth". Anyhow, it's an interesting idea you have there. I have plenty of paraffin wax that I bought to re-wax a jacket and don't have any other use for it, plus plenty of beeswax, plus some old hard leather from a very old saddle, might have to give this idea some thought.

"Smoothen"? I had to look that up and yes, it's a word. In all my 76 years I've never heard it before. I finally learned a new word.