particle

How much?

Okay, seriously? It's an example - trying to help others understand what's going on here with these motors. The delay is an instant transition from a forced crawl that occurs for a user pre-programmed amount of time, then a sudden and instant jump to max user programmed speed, unless you are lucky enough to have not pressed down a fraction of an inch too far.

The biggest problem I ran into was the locking screw dragging on the inside. I taped a couple popcicle sticks in line with the screw to help avoid it, but could have used a third layer i think. The leather has to be formed into the nooks and crannies. Even with a vacuum press, I still had to force the indentions inward to form the retention. So, filling those negative areas isn't a huge concern - just don't overwork those spots that might cause it to lock into the leather. Forming with a hydraulic press would probably necessitate preventative measures, but I don't have one to shed any light on it. I think the stitched in sight channel is pretty important with a holster like this.

Wow - I wasn't trying to start an argument.... You said "Be sure to set up the “low speed starting sewing setup...The default startup time is “6”, it is much better on “9” - I assumed that meant you liked it set at 9, which is the maximum & longest delay on my machine. Sorry if I misunderstood. I prefer to push the pedal down and have the machine instantly do exactly what I tell it to, instead of hesitating for a moment and then jumping to max speed. With that pause, it's hard to know how far you actually pushed the pedal down and the motor may run faster than expected. That pretty much negates any variability that is (or should be) built into the foot pedal. As a result, it forces the user to run the machine at a lower max speed since it's so hard to control the foot pedal. I'm not sure I've seen anyone actually come up with a good reason of why that is a good feature. If I'm sitting in traffic and I push my gas pedal down on the car, I expect it to go as fast or as slow as I tell it, not crawl for a moment, then suddenly lurch ahead and slam into the car in front of me. Obviously I don't sew with my fingers in front of the needle.... I was merely making a point that accidents are more likely to happen when machines act unpredictably.

I'm curious why you like the "low speed starting sewing setup" - can you explain what purpose you see in it? I don't know how yours works, but mine, no matter if it's set at 1 or 9, will sew very slowly, then instantly jump to whatever max speed the motor is set to run at. It's not a gradual speed increase. My fear with using the slow start option is that you don't know how far you've pushed the pedal down, and if you've pushed too far and your speed is too high, it'll take off and stitch off your line, beyond you line, through your thumb, etc. Perhaps if the motor slowly ramped up to the max programmed speed, I'd see more benefit to it. Otherwise, I just don't see the point in it.

If you can find your original, you'll have a better idea by looking at a visual reference. Personally - I stitch my entire mag pouch first, then punch the slots, then form it. Your belt slots will be parallel to the left and right edges of the pouch. But those left and right edges may need to angle outward a bit as well since those top/outer corners are being drawn inward when you insert the magazine. Please note that I'm saying all of this with a fresh mental image of a double glock mag pouch I just finished. I've only made a hand full of them - most of my orders are for 1911's. It was really only with this last batch (I actually made 3 double glock mag pouches) that I realized how badly it was curved once formed. Since I have something physical to refer to now, it will be easy to take a few measurements at the places it didn't come out right and adjust my pattern accordingly to get it right the next time I make one.

You're welcome - I said the two angles should match, but in reality, the top edge of the pouch may not need to angle downward quite that much, but you get the idea. Perhaps an easier way to think of it is - the top stitch line needs to intersect the vertical stitch line perpendicularly to form a 90 degree corner with your stitching.

The overtravel isn't really a problem - it's the fact that the servo motor's switch doesn't utilize all that overtravel to increase usable range of motion for better speed control. The only real solution is to A) modify the switch's light blocking blade and risk ruining it completely - and it may not have any effect at all or buy a new motor with a better (less sensitive, more range of motion) servo/actuator switch.

Someone with more experience with vinegaroon will know more, but the two times I tried it didn't work out too well. The first time, I brushed it on (50/50 water and Angelus 600), and it didn't absorb into the leather (vinegaroon acts to waterproof the leather) so it streaked really badly. The second time I airbrushed light coats on - that worked fine, but I'm not sure about long term adherence. Personally, I'd just wax it the next time I vinegaroon something.

I thought of that too. Unfortunately for me it won't work, but for someone else it might. I'm actually an amputee - I have a prosthetic right foot. I control the machine and raise the presser foot with my left foot, so my left foot needs the ability to slide from pedal to pedal. If I relocated the chain closer to the pivot point, my foot would hit the chain as I move from one pedal to the other. I also debated using a couple pulleys and a cable so I could run the cable along the base of the stand, then I talked myself out of it by thinking "this is a brand new machine that I just spent a couple thousand dollars on - I shouldn't have to (and don't want to) do this!". Right now I'm keeping the machine set at a slower speed, around 7 or 8, just to make sure I avoid any accidents by going too fast. I'm getting better at controlling the speed, but I still might consider selling this motor and buying another one like Steven mentioned.

From the point where your two side stitch lines touch the bottom stitch line, angle each of those longer lines outward. Measure from the top corner of the stitch line outwards (away from the mag pouch) to an imaginary line where you perceive the stitch line should have actually been located. It's probably somewhere around 1/8"+/-. Move the top corner of your stitch line out by that same distance, and that should correct the problem. Now, whatever angle that line was rotated outward - that is the angle you need to rotate the top edge of your holster downward to avoid the top edge curving upward.

You might (should) also add one thickness of your leather to your offset. So, if you're using 8oz leather, offset 5/8". Maybe 1/16" to 1/8" more the first time to make sure you can insert the gun or mag into the holster or pouch, then adjust the pattern once you see how it all comes out. My 1911 lines are parallel, but my double stacks get wider towards the mouth of the pouch. For a double mag pouch, you may also want to curve the top of the mag pouch downward as well - if you go straight across the top, your mag pouch will curve upwards on double stacks.

Brand new needles.

Fill a container large enough to hold your holster with water - it doesn't need to be hot, just around room temperature is fine. Soak it for maybe 8 seconds. Natural can soak less, completely dyed maybe a little longer. Anything longer than 12-15 seconds is overkill in my opinion and leaves you with a soggy mess. I start molding pretty much immediately after dunking. Here is a video that shows an overview of my process. I probably dunked mine a little too long. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOoBoFE74PI

Thanks! The stitching along the sight channel is functional - its two strips of 1/4" wide leather stitched in place. The volume of the holster is so massive that even if the minimal detail molding relaxes a bit, it should still have reasonable retention, which might not be the case with the typical molded sight channel.

Yep - did that too. I didn't take any pictures of it, but I have a 1/8" x 1/2" x 12" aluminum bar that I mounted to the lever, and drilled holes in the aluminum every 1". With the hook at 12", the motor ran continuously (slowly) because the weight of the bar and the chain that far out was enough to actuate the motor. With the hook at 6", the motor stopped running on its own, but there was barely any increase in effective range of motion - not worth risking my 2 year old child grabbing onto the bar and giving it a good tug and bending it or breaking the motor's actuation lever.

Yes - the spring just adjusts the resistance, while having the chain on the furthest hole provides the most control by giving you more travel to vary the speed. But when you're talking about such a small amount of effect travel range, it's practically no change at all.

FYI - I elongated on my experience in this thread: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=40168&view=findpost&p=249753

Hello all - regarding the original post, he's referring to my machine. He came over last night to watch me form a couple holsters, and I showed him my Cobra Class 4 and my Tippmann Boss. I'll go ahead and address and clarify the things he mentioned, as well as provide photos and a video example. First off, some of you that have had your machines for more than a few months - do you even have the same servo motor that I have (TN-411)? (for the record, I have NO idea how long this particular motor and its related internal speed switch have been supplied with these machines, but I think it's a fairly recent addition) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QReQK-ipQjA The tension of the chain has nothing to do with the sensitivity of the actuation lever. A looser chain just means the foot pedal is going to sag/hang closer to the table. Loosening the chain will not magically make the servo motor's switch work better and give you a broader range of motion on the lever. Regarding the puckering on the back of the stitch - I'm not sure the OP was aware that was pretty typical for a sewing machine when sewing leather, as you rarely see it in final photos of holsters because they get smoothed out by various methods. That being said, there is a notable difference in puckering depending on the bottom plate in use on the machine. For example, with the standard bottom plate that allows the use of the lower feed dog, you get almost no puckering. But wait - is that really true? Yes and no. I've thought about it for maybe 30 seconds - what I assume is happening is you immediately get the puckering as soon as the needle is punched through the leather, but as you progress forward with your next stitch, the lower feed dog actually presses against the bottom of the leather to help feed the leather forward, while at the same time pressing the puckering back nearly flat. Also, you don't get the same constant elevated ridge due to the shape/design of the lower feed dog and its plate like you get with the holster and stirrup plate. The puckering has almost nothing to do with presser foot pressure settings - I'll provide a photo example for those that don't agree. Here is a photo showing the way the machine was sewing when I pulled it from the box. No adjustments had been made to the machine at this point. This was using the standard lower feed dog and its plate and the left to on the presser foot. As you can see, there is minimal puckering. Here you will see stitches with the machine in 3 different configurations. A= My modified stirrup plate with an adequate amount of pressure from the presser foot. B= My modified stirrup plate with NO pressure from the presser foot (the leather was lifting off the stirrup plate as the needle was retracted, resulting in skipped stitches - NOTE that I started pressing down on the leather with my thumbs to keep the leather from lifting and to stop the skipped stitches) C= The holster plate with just enough presser foot pressure to keep the leather from lifting off the surface of the holster plate As you can see, all three stitch lines exhibit the same puckering and elevated section, regardless of presser foot pressure, and this is directly related to the lack of the lower feed dog pressing up on the bottom surface of the leather to flatten everything back out. It's not a flaw in this machine or any other machine, but this demonstrates why the much more expensive needle and awl machines are so desirable. This photo shows what the stitching looks like with my modified stirrup plate after being dampened and hammered flat with a smooth face hammer. What's all this talk of my modified stirrup plate? Why don't I just use the holster plate since I'm making holsters? Why am I using the stirrup plate if I'm not making stirrups? This photo shows the wrap on the back of my Avenger style holster using my modified stirrup plate. I'm sure some of you will think/say I'm building my holster wrong. yes, I could modify the belt loop to be narrower and stay further away from the bottom of the slide. Or, I could just use a custom "Holster" plate by modifying my stirrup plate that I would likely never use otherwise. The holster plate that ships with the machine is very long and wide, and snags on the edge of the reinforcement on the back side. The stirrup plate is the perfect size (very similar in size to the stirrup plate I was using on my Boss which my patterns were initially built to work around). If I use the standard holster plate, I would have to angle the holster to lift the reinforcement up and onto the top of the holster plate at various points along my stitch line. I could sew the opposite direction to put the narrow side of the holster plate towards the reinforcement, but I still have the problem of the leading edge of the holster plate snagging on the reinforcement. I'm still able to use the double-toe presser foot because it makes contact on both sides, even if just barely. This may not be the case with all machines, as my presser foot doesn't quite seem centered with the needle bar. Here is the stirrup plate as it came from Cobra. Here is my modified stirrup plate that works PERFECTLY for my intended use. I've also included a comparison photo alongside my Tippmann Boss stirrup plate. And here is a photo of a reinforcement sewn with it. All in all, I am very happy with the machine. Like anything, there is a serious learning curve to using these machines. It took me a while to learn and 'perfect' the Boss, and it will undoubtedly take a while to master a powered machine. I just wish the servo motor was easier to control - it's simply not as "user friendly" as I imagined it would be. Yes, I have contacted Steve but honestly felt like the conversation wasn't going anywhere because he simply didn't understand what I was talking about. Hopefully these photos clear things up for everyone.

That's interesting Dave - I might give that a try. Thought about a gradient filter as well for photography. Steve is on the road driving back from Sheridan. I'm not sure he was aware of the problem. I'll practice some more and maybe try the modification but want to make sure I don't void any motor warranties.

Another forum member has been chatting with me today - I'll leave him nameless unless he wants to step into the conversation. He pulled his switch plate off to see what the speed control consisted of. It appears to be some sort of light-sensitive switch. An opaque blade passes over the light (seems to be an LED) as you rotate the lever. In theory, the light sensor would detect less and less light, providing gradual control of the speed. It's essentially an on/off switch with almost no fine-tune control via the lever. There unfortunately doesn't seem to be any way to adjust the switch's sensitivity, and replacing the servo motor with a same-kind motor would likely have no effect, unless the switch happened to work better.

Good to know... Thanks for responding Tom. Regarding the actuating lever - did I get a dud motor, or do they all have a "hair trigger"? My lever (like I'm sure they all do) has quite a bit of travel, but an extremely small area of travel actually effects the operating speed. I was really expecting a greater/easier variation in speed when I press the pedal down, instead of essentially on/off with a slight twitch of the foot to feather the speed...

Out of curiosity - you mention 'more expensive' motors. Do you have any experience with those motors? Do those motors have any better speed control? Second question - how much more expensive are we talking?

Probably the same documentation you're thinking. And the fact that it's poorly translated doesn't help matters at all!

So the slow start feature helps to minimize initial stitch problems? That's interesting and good to know - the manual doesn't say anything about that as far as I can recall so I really had no idea what the benefit of the feature was.