dikman

Just found this, interesting examination of these things.

Not withstanding Wiz's reply a clutch motor is not for the fainthearted! As a newbie you will have enough to worry about without trying to master a clutch motor too! $195 sounds like a good deal to replace the motor with a servo, it is something you would do eventually and it will be easier to get the dealer to do it before you take delivery.

Looks very practical and considering it's probably going to get the stuffing knocked out of it in use should be more than adequate.

I haven't used it for a long time, in fact my mix is so old it probably won't work any more (could be an interesting experiment to try it), but I recall it wasn't quite the black I expected but oiling it darkened it more and it seemed to "age" a little bit. The fact it wasn't quite like a commercial black dye didn't bother me because it had a unique colour to it. The smell did slowly disappear, just took a little while.

Sup, by starting this thread (and the ensuing discussion from others) you have made me re-think my attitude towards using mineral oil on leather - I'm referring to the pharmaceutical/medicinal grade/baby oil of course. Up until now I've been fixated on only using natural products on leather but this thread has given me cause to have a re-think. You've done well.

Father and son!

Excellent work on the knife, it has a Medieval look about it.

I've only ever used tallow in combination with beeswax, it never occurred to me to try it just with some sort of oil so I have no idea if it would work. Maybe it will work with some oils and not others?

Over-engineered? Yes. Unnecessarily complicated? Yes. You did a great job on it, though, and the design is unlike any other I've seen.

The simplest way to use a 3-phase motor from single phase is to use a VFD (Variable Frequency Device) this also allows the speed to be varied, very useful way to add speed control to shop equipment. BUT I don't know if a VFD will work on an Efka unit as there are electronics involved within the Efka, you're not just controlling a motor. The Efka unit may not like the 3-phase signal coming out of a VFD. I suspect that the most cost effective way of using the machine is to replace the motor/control unit with a servo, but you will lose any fancy options the Efka may have.

You misunderstand, I didn't say I don't like it, just that it saves a lot of work doing any decorations. It's actually quite clever using leather like that.

I once made a soft paste using beeswax and olive oil, worked well.

Nothing to be nervous about, just get it, you won't regret it. Not difficult to fit, the hardest part is usually sorting out the belt length needed, if you're lucky the existing belt might still fit.

Is coconut oil classed as vegetable oil?

Well, that looks different. Saves having to do any stamping/carving.

That's pretty impressive that they're keeping you informed of the progress.

What type of tallow and oil? That is very curious.

Transparent kangaroo?

Very creative bit of woodwork!

Yep, but from my observations the common usage appears to be #69 to #138, #92 doesn't appear to be much of a jump visually (which is usually what people are looking at). So technically you're right.

Not a good comparison, sewing machines and computers. Computer components tend to follow "standards", i.e. power supplies, motherboards, drives, memory etc can generally be mixed and matched and will work together. Sewing machines not so much. Other than some very basic components bits from one machine will rarely fit another, and while it might not be impossible to build a machine from various bits and pieces the work required would be enormous (and possibly expensive). I have some mechanical skills but building a sewing machine that way is not something I would ever contemplate! (And yes, I've built quite a few computers over the years). You can, to some degree, change a machine to use a different class of needle (usually by adjusting the needle bar to change the clearance) but there's usually a trade-off, it might affect clearance under the feet or needle lift or the thickness you can sew. This is usually done if the machine uses some obscure or defunct needle type and is changed to a more common type. Likewise with thread size, there is a physical limitation on the size thread a machine can use. It is often possible to go up a size (#69 to#138, for example) but it depends on the feed dog/bobbin/hook clearances, some machines can do it but some just don't like it. With one notable exception we're generally stuck with a particular class of machine for a specific purpose. That exception is the modified needle plate/feed dog that is now available for the big 441-class machines, it makes them far more versatile than they were originally intended for - but they still won't do everything!

You could try using detergent (and water) on the stone, I've seen it recommended for diamond stones. When it comes to sharpening methods you will probably find any answer/method you want, and most will probably work!

It looks to me like the sort of thing people will buy, because it looks neat, but will end up in a drawer with all the other unused things that looked great but were too much trouble.

Sounds like a better idea. I just remembered that the fibre optic linesmen used them for dispensing alcohol to clean the fibres when joining them.

Lilbax, have you read the sticky at the top about the type of machine(s) needed to sew leather? That is required reading for anyone looking for a machine. There's a lot of info to absorb but it should help with understanding the issues with sewing leather.