dikman

"Cute" springs to mind.

I wouldn't overthink it. What I noticed on a couple of carving videos I watched was the way the carver held the maul, if he wanted to give the stamp a decent whack he held the maul's handle at the end, if he wanted to have more control to give gentle taps he shifted his hand to hold the forward part of the handle and also wrapped his fingers around the head of the maul. This effectively shifts the balance point.

I thought I new what a 97-10 was, but thought I'd look it up to make sure - I was wrong and didn't know! Wow, what a beautiful looking piece of gear.

Which is precisely why we have that excellent sticky by Wiz about what machine(s) you need to sew leather. Even with that, the learning curve for a novice (me) was pretty steep. Honestly, if you go into a dealer and say you want something to sew leather if they know anything at all about the subject they should not be recommending a domestic machine (of any kind). There is a very high probability that it will eventually end in frustration (or crying, if you're a gentle soul).

If it's an old cast iron machine there's a pretty good chance it will sew leather of some sort. How thick will depend on the type of machine. I have an old 201K, and while I didn't try sewing with it I used it for pre-punching veg prior to handstitching.

Got a photo of you wearing the apron? Bet you look good.

It won't have the leverage you will need, it's not designed like most arbor presses. You don't need a lot of pressure/force to re-size cartridge cases.

Todd, that was my experience, I sometimes ended up with a hole where I didn't want it! I'm sure it is due to lack of experience, but I don't do enough with the machine it's on to become that familiar with it. So I took it off. Besides, as I've mentioned before, my machines go slow enough that I can control exactly where I want the needle without using an EPS.

I have one of those Dremel stands and while it's fine for using a Dremel (drilling/cutting/grinding) it wouldn't have any strength to use as a press that exerts downward pressure for stamping/cutting.

Tod, if you want one and Bob's got it I'd grab it if I were you! Many goods are going to be on back-order for a long time to come due to shipping issues, both local and overseas. There is also a world-wide shortage of containers, which of course are a vital necessity for overseas shipping. If you want something (anything), it's currently available and you can afford it then get it while you can.

Very Heath Robinson-ish pulley setup, Frodo - I love it!

I'd be very surprised if it didn't fit, after all, it's just another 441 clone.

This could turn into a dissertation on the merits of leather fly-swatters. Looks pretty classy, DD.

I'm sure you won't regret buying the bigger machine. Don't forget to get the narrow plate from RockyAussie, it's a must-have for this machine. As for the very kind lady, I reckon a custom holster, maybe - or a leather corset?

I agree. If you want a machine for leatherwork this really isn't the right one. I have a similar Singer straight stitcher that was given to me, it needed a little bit of work to get it working but once it worked I covered it up and put it in a corner. Never used it. My advice, look for a "proper" leather machine.

I'm confused. Garyak, are you using the Chinese patcher, loaded with #207, to sew a belt? That's what it sounds like you're saying.

I couldn't find out much about it but yes, it's a high speed straight stitcher and appears to have an oil pump, which means it probably needs to run at a reasonable speed to keep the oil circulating. It's not an ideal machine for leatherwork. It should be pretty easy to replace the existing motor with a servo and if torque is a concern then fit a speed reducer pulley too. It will likely be too slow for the oil pump but just oil the machine manually (like most of us do ).

That bobbin's not going to hold much #207!

There have been a few posts about people making their own.

More likely the thread end was held by a pair of pliers while someone overtightened what's left of the wingnut?

That makes more sense, there is a shoulder in there that the washer under the wingnut should tighten against. It should be possible to fix that thread with either a fine hacksaw blade or a suitable file (at least enough to get the nut off) and heat should be enough to break the roller free of the gunk inside. Mine, btw, has a nylon roller.

That looks a bit odd, it appears that the wing nut tightens up hard against the roller?

The stitching looks good, just curious why you didn't burnish the edges? Nice pussy cat, looks like a long-haired bitsa.

I was thinking the same thing.

Very clever!