Dougster

I received both the Soledi ($8 each, Prime two day shipping) and the Dowco ($6 each, about ten days shipping from China) threads that I ordered. I've been on travel for work, so I haven't used them yet, but I should have time this weekend. I plan to order some Tiger thread as well, so eventually I'll do a right proper comparison.

Heehee, ok, thanks, I'll shut up now. Seriously though, I most appreciated Wiz listing the dealers that work with and support this forum. I also appreciate the other leads for Gregg at Keystone.

LOL. Mainly makin' small talk with a fellow Tucsonan... At this point, I'm on hold until after the SW leather workers trade show in Prescott. I already contacted Ron about the Techsew, and I'll be talking to Gregg at Keystone before I buy anything. EDIT: BTW, that is one lame-ass song. Is anything in it really ironic?

Yeah, when you walk in a place and the first thing you see is a $20k embroidery machine and the second thing you see is a $6k Babylock serger, it's a pretty big hint. If I had six grand myself, I'd get a Campbell or Union Lockstitch...! Cathey's does have a good reputation for repairs though...

Have you done any business with Cathey's? They say they can get me a Consew, set it up, and teach me to use it for $2000. I like them, but that seems a bit much...

Hiya everybody, I called Toledo Industrial, but apparently the Consew 206RB5 is hard to come by. He suggested the Cowboy 3200 instead. My future plans include getting a Cowboy 4500 or similar, but I'd like to start out with a flat bed machine since I have a wide variety of leather and non-leather sewing projects to do. What other source should I use for the 206RB5? I see them listed on ebay by Alberoni and Zamir. Any experience with either of those sellers? Any other machines I should look at in this same general class? Thanks! Doug

I found these: http://www.consew.com/view/consew-model-206rb-5 http://www.consew.com/Files/112347/PDF/206RB5.pdf http://www.consew.com/Files/112347/InstructionManuals/206RB-5.pdf http://www.consew.com/Files/112347/PartsBooks/206RB-5.pdf

OK, couldn't figure out how to edit the topic, so I'll just follow up to say that I went ahead and ordered a couple spools of this stuff. More info when I get it.

Size 150D, 1mm wide flat braided thread, 260m, available in five colors, about $7.50 for a spool. http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00N4IKOO2 Has anyone used this? Is it good?

To be clear, I absolutely was NOT trying get away with taking advantage of their mistake. Part of the reason I even went to the store that day was to talk to them about it. I asked what happened and I was told that corporate had messed up the entry in the computer, but that they sent a message out saying that employees should correct the price at sales time. Apparently, the clerk I worked with had not heard that he was supposed to do that. The manager implied that it was their mistake and that I shouldn't worry about it. I never told her that I wouldn't pay the difference or that they had to deal with it because it was their mistake. I hope you all understand that I would have been happy to correct the initial charge and pay the amount due on that ticket. My problem is how things unfolded after that. At this point, I am happy that the manager and I are "square", and I can walk away with a clear conscience. I think it's unfortunate that we couldn't have just fixed the first transaction without tainting the second...

I sent a message to Tandy corporate, but I don't know whether I'll hear back. If I do, I'll be sure to post an update. At this point, I don't want the $21, I want the trust back. Ultimately, twenty bucks is cheap to learn what a person is really like. (It cost me a lot more to learn what my ex-wife was about!) Interesting enough, I pretty much had bought all the core tools that I needed, along with a half dozen veg tan sides, some python and alligator print sides and several other pieces to work with. If I have any talent for this, I'll probably want to start shopping with Barry King, Bearman, Gomph-Hackbarth, etc., anyway...

I just started working with leather two months ago (October 2015). I'm old enough and have had a steady job for long enough that I was able to spend about $2000 since I started, almost all of it at the nearby Tandy Leather. (I have enough leather now to last at least six months...) Well, one of their Twelve Days specials was a Tucson Python side, so I bought one. Apparently Tandy corporate had a computer glitch, so they charged me $21 less than the stated price. I didn't notice until I got home and entered it in my books. The next time I was in the store though, the manager was in a tizzy about it and was giving me a hard time. Seemed sort of odd to me that she was angry with me about something that wasn't my creation. Well, I gathered up a few items and made for the checkout. The price was a bit higher than I expected, but I just figured that I had added in a couple extra items and hadn't looked closely at the prices. On the way out though, the manager looked at me and said, "we're square now." The more I think about it, the more it disappoints me. The $21 itself is mostly unimportant (especially compared to the other $1900+ I spent there), but that interaction with the manager was such that I don't believe I'll be shopping at that store any more. Sigh...

Oh Gawd, my wife is gonna kill me if I start collecting sewing machines too...

I'm in the US, Arizona. I'm attaching a picture of the 211. It's not the best, I snagged it mostly to remind myself of what the model is. The machine did sew very smoothly, through single and double layers of the (lightweight) sample I had with me. The motor seemed to make a lot of noise though, a high pitched whine. Don't know how normal that is, and it would probably only matter if I tried to sell it after getting a servo... Thanks for the lead on the Consew, that looks great. I'll check how much tables cost. (I'm a woodworker and former machinist, so I can build something if I have to...)

Thanks for the replies. FWIW, the Singer patcher is $1300 with a stand and motor (I don't know what kind of motor). The Adler patcher is $900, no motor or stand. They are both very clean. I'm not sure I need a patcher at the moment though. The flat table models seem like a better solution for the work I want to do now. (He also has some kind of giant sole stitcher machine too. Looked pretty cool...) I've gone back and forth about the other two, (along with watching Craig's list for other options). I also work with canvas and vinyl, so the Juki would be a nice upgrade from what I currently have. For that stuff, I'd probably keep the clutch motor. I saw an interesting video on the Tube about installing a speed reducer, so that's definitely an option. At least in that video, it looked like there was a lot of slow-speed control... Getting the 211g, I figure that I would want a servo, so I'd be looking at a total of at least $1000. That's a big pill to swallow around the holidays, especially for a non-professional leather worker like me. I'm pretty sure it would be a good long-term solution though. Buy the best and cry once, right?

I'm really new to this stuff, learning fast. Hopefully I'll ask intelligent questions... I was in my local Tandy and mentioned that I was considering a sewing machine. They connected me with a local retired cobbler who has a garage full of machines he's starting to sell off. The two I'm looking at are a Juki DDL 227 and a Singer 211g156. He also had a couple beautiful patchers, one Singer and one Adler, plus some other Pfaff and Singer machines. I know the Juki is not really a leather machine, but it makes a really nice tight consistent stitch, even on my sample two layers of veg tan. It would also be really nice to have a better general purpose sewing machine than the hundred buck fancy pattern stitch thing I got at Price Club years ago. The Singer looks like a better machine for leather work, but of course, it's three times the price. It really seemed like a solid machine though. Both machines are pretty clean and have tables and motors. I'm no expert (yet, if ever, lol) but I assume both are clutch motors, since he turned them on and they stayed running the entire time. (My first encounter with that kind of thing.) Seems like the first thing to do would be to get a servo motor, especially for the Singer. Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks! Doug