KYCat

I have a fairly new (2years) CB3500 that hasn't gotten a lot of use recently due to health issues. I've finally felt like doing a couple of projects and when I was going through the maintenance points I simply turned the power on and the machine takes off. The foot petal is 'up' and the arm in the motor is 'up' where there should be no stitching. There's a grinding noise coming from the motor when I turn the handwheel so it's not in the head unit. Any ideas on what caused this and how to fix? Thanks!!!

Agree. Bob was very helpful in getting my Cowboy 3500 up and stitching. Good dude.

Thanks so much!!! I'll give it a go this weekend

I've searched the forum, admittedly not as deeply as I could've but kept going down rabbit holes, so just going to ask anyway... I've got a Cowboy 3500 machine (my first 'real' leather machine) and am really liking it except for one thing. I believe it has a brake on the wheel where it can only be advanced slowly while the foot feed is pressed (power on). Is there a way to disable this so I can position the needle exactly where I want it to begin my stitches? Sorry if this is a stupid question but have a big project coming up and don't want to screw it up based on my not knowing something that is probably obvious. But I don't know what I don't know. Thanks for your help!

I've got a 10w diode and have been wanting to attempt this (without buying a 3D printer). Were you able to cut it out with the laser or did you bandsaw it? Love this, BTW--- very nicely done!

While I haven't done this myself, there are several YouTubers out there that mount their lase to a piece of plywood which is then mounted to a wall with a hinge. Swing it up to cut/engrave and fold back when done. Some folks even use it in the vertical position.

Ditto on the Chicago screws

Agree... if you 'preseal' before engraving you can also use a moist Magic Eraser. The char won't stick to the front of the piece and you can use it to clean the edges. I have also done as Brian mentioned just scrubbing very gently under running water with a soft toothbrush. I like the 'preseal' option as you don't have to wait for the leather to dry before proceeding. Also, be sure to use an alcohol/oil based dye if you use the running water method (don't ask how I found that out! :))

Thanks so much for the response and the inspiration-- my Bible is all broken down in the spine. Was thinking of trying to reglue and make a permanent cover for it. Your info will help tremendously! I wholeheartedly agree with Dwight, I made a checkbook cover for my wife and didn't think I'd EVER get all the way around it!!! It was really good for my sanctification!

Love your work! Top notch!! Where do you source your zippers? And what size do you most commonly use for a Bible? Thanks!

Thanks so much!! I had notifications turned off so didn't see this. Appreciate the info and will hopefully be able give this a go soon! Thank you! You're always a fount of good info!

That is beautiful!! I would love to learn how to do the beading but have no clue where to start. Any good resources you'd recommend?

Dwight- a GREAT resource for learning Lightburn is The Louisiana Hobby Guy on YT. He has a step-by-step on basically any process including getting going with the software. That's how I learned and his teaching style really lends itself to getting me how to think outside the box. If I can help, let me know...

I haven't tried the resolene but did try blue painters tape as a mask and it was a PAIN to weed off the more detailed areas. Won't be doing that again!!

Awesome- thanks for the quick reply. I'll give it a try and see what I can come up with- I've used a soft toothbrush under running water to clean post-burn and have been really pleased. Got some smearing using a wet sponge/cloth. Congrats on the Cobra!! Enjoy that beast!