ruffwerkz

Hiya Constabulary! I actually bought a bag of these, and the screws are too short. I might just revisit this again and source a screw with a longer post. I was able to "reuse" the old hardware, but more than likely won't last, customer is fully aware and will return if it does pop out. He just wants it to look the same. Purse has sentimental value to his wife.

Thank you BlackDragon, I'll check that with Buckleguy, but it seems like it needs to be set like a rivet. Finding a work around on not using my press since it won't reach the interior, and I can't bend the bag body (super stiff and old).

Thank you TomE, I did suggest hand stitching it, but customer was insistent on getting it back to original look for his wife. Thank you for the referral

Hi All, I'm working on a customer's vintage bag and wanted to know what this type of hardware is called. I've image searched it and nothing's coming up that's close to it. I might be able to re-use it but it's a pain in the ass to put back together. If I can't find a similar hardware, I might have to go to the Chicago screw or some type of domed screw in hardware since I'm not deconstructing the whole purse. I really don't want to make the hole larger and using a regular double rivet is also a hard task (the purse is super rigid and cracking on some interior parts). I don't have a rivet press that has a long enough arm to reach all the way to where the strap ends are. Any info that anybody might have is very much appreciated. Thank you!

Hi Tpc, it's a 3 oz. vegtan and yes I dyed it using a mixture of oil dye and neatsfoot.

Thanks Tommo!

Have been busy with bagmaking lately and can't seem to stop hehehe. Made this bag from 3oz vegtan and duck canvas lining. Most parts machine stitched and some hand stitched. Mixed oil dye and neatsfoot oil and finished with leather balm. Will try some other finishes for it. Been experimenting a lot.

Thank you Antonia

Thank you all for the replies and the recommendations. Just as shoepatcher wrote, I might just have to get two machines. I'll have to check these two machines out in person and see. I also was looking at the Juki 1181N and saw that it's a walking foot, I might check this too.

Thanks, and the punch is just a tad big so you can see through it

Hello all, I'm not quite sure where to post this since the machine in question is not quite for leather. What kind of machine would you recommend mainly to be used on fabrics (bag lining etc.) and the occasional lighter leather? My wife just recently bugged me into making tote bags and make-up pouches using fabrics and accent it with leather and so I'd like to find a machine that would be just for those types of materials so I don't keep changing my settings on my other machines. The fabrics would range from thin (think designer handbag lining to thicker outdoor fabrics) it would be great if I can use it to sew in lighter leather. I'm also going to be using this for volume production so it needs to be sturdy enough for that. Budget is about 2K, I'm getting confused just wading through all the machines. Thanks!

Hi ByNelson, Thanks and I machine stitch using a Cowboy CB-4500 and an Artisan 335

Hey Gals and Guys, Haven't visited the site for quite some time and just want to show off some of the stuff that I have been busy with. Mainly Dog Collars and Belts. Dog Collars Veg Tan and Latigo (stitched with the Cowboy CB-4500 using 138 thread) Belt (Combination designer leather and veg tan stitched with an Artisan 335 using 92 thread) A couple of belts made for a customer ( both stitched on CB-4500)

The head is attached via 4 screws to the base, it's easy to take off and much lighter to transport. I do however just lift the whole setup minus the spool holder so I don't have to bother taking off the belt and assembling it when I go on location. It has a really small footprint and I can load it in my Prius C hatchback with the rear seat down. I'm thinking of getting the binder attachment either tomorrow or Monday in Artisan ( I live about 20 minutes away from Artisan)

I have the portable version and I love it. Been using it for about 2 weeks now and making 1/8" laminated belts, wallets and started making some handbags with it. The only reason why I chose the BT is because I don't have a lot of space in my garage. I have a CB4500 on a pedestal stand and the regular 335 comes either with U table or the pedestal. It's easy to move around, it is quite substantial at 86 lbs. but very doable. I use 138 thread and a 22 needle most of the time so I can't comment on how it performs with thinner thread. The top thread goes up to 207 and the bobbin maxes at 138. I like the fact that it has the binder mechanism and I think I'm at a point where I need to get the folder for it. It doesn't have a lot of punching power though if your leather is too dry, the most that I tested it with as far as thickness goes is 1/4", it maxes out at 1/2" thickness but I've only tried it on softer garment/upholstery leather. Bobbin capacity is adequate, I can stitch at least (3) 40" belts with it before reload and they give you 4 bobbins. If you buy this and set it up the way that I set it up, make sure to clamp down the platform to your table.

I like this idea! I would most likely do the cut out closer to the edge of the table and have another leg support behind the machine. I'm building my workshop at the moment and size is the issue in my lot so I can only go as big as 200 sq. ft. and incorporating the machine in the work table would maximize my space.

It handles 207 top pretty well and the bobbin can only go up to 138

Yes the BT is not light, about 86 lbs. But one can actually pick it up and move it on a short distance ( I did from my car to my garage) From what I heard from Artisan, it's mainly bought by people that do repairs on site. Artisan can actually BT pretty much all the cylinder arm machines, and I've seen the TORO 3200 portable setup up close, tried lifting it up and sure as hell heavy and would need another set of hands.

Hi, Also a newbie.... literally a newbie on leather sewing machines. I can't comment on the Cobra 18 (although I was also considering it at one point) I bought the 335 BT due to the fact that I don't have a lot of space for the U table or the pedestal and Artisan is only 20 minutes away from my place. I have a Cowboy CB4500 for my really thick stuff but for thinner materials (kip lining, pig skin, wallets) the 335 is a nice machine. The BT is a bit cheaper and I just set it up on my worktable and clamp it down. I believe the parts are interchangeable with the old Pfaff 335 that it's based on. Good luck on the search. FYI, if you do call Artisan and speak with Jerry...don't mention this forum, he'll go on a tirade about this and that LOL!!!

This was the same dilemma I had when I started making wallets. I bought a Cowboy CB4500 not too long ago (the same machine as your Cobra 4) to use for my dog collars, holsters and laminated belts and found myself frustrated with really thin materials. I had a few orders of thin wallets and so I was forced to look around craigslist and my local shops in the bay area. Found out that Artisan is in SF and so I went by and visited. Came out with a Artisan 335B BT the T is for transportable since it doesn't come with a U table or a pedestal stand. It has a small platform which has the head, and the motor and weighs around 86lbs. Maximum thread size for the top is 207 and 138 for the bottom. I think it can go down to a 18 needle, but I've only used a 22 needle 138 top and bottom and pretty happy with the results. It also has a binder mechanism, I think it's a clone of the Pfaff 335.... I do apologize for the messy work area, that's basically my garage/storage/workshop....

I'm a newbie on sewing machines, so I really don't have any business giving technical advice but I recently bought a Cowboy CB4500 and while I was playing with the tensions and whatnot, the same thing happened to me on a sharp turn. What I did, and this might only be for my machine, not sure if it would work on yours. I loosened up my top thread tension and it went away. I also noticed that the knots stay at the middle of the leather. It depends on the thickness of the leather though so when I have different thickness leathers I have to adjust accordingly. Looser for thinner leather and tighter for thicker ones. I looked up Tippman Aerostitch and saw two thread tensions on top, was thinking that maybe one of those adjust the tension on the top thread? I'm sure some of the resident pro's will chime in here. Jomar

Hi Bob, Thanks and yes I just increased the pressure on the presser feet last night and so far everything is running smoothly. Jomar

An update on my loopy situation. I haven't been able to replicate the "error". I had 5 work orders and did a bunch of scraps as well...slow, semi fast and some fast sewing and could not get it to do the same thing. Thanks Eric for what I need to look out for, but at the moment I'm going to let it be until it happens frequently (hopefully not). I did tighten the tension on the presser feet a bit more and will just have to compromise on some marks. I'll play with it again when I don't have any orders to finish up since I have it dialed down to how I like it. Jomar

Hi Uwe, Thanks for the reply. I was actually stitching slow (about 660 on the FS-550 servo dial) didn't notice it happening since I was focusing on keeping it in line. I'll follow your advise on some scraps and see if I can recreate it again. I am using a cowboy brand thread and at the moment don't have anything else. Jomar

Hi All, So I've had the Cowboy CB4500 for more than a week now and I'm pretty happy with it. I've been using the machine everyday on all of my orders. Today while I was using it to stitch some collars I noticed that one of the stitch was raised. Why did this happen? I'm pretty sure it's user error, but I'd like to know what error I made. For a background on what I did to the machine. I recently replaced the presser feet spring to a lighter one and I'm using a 25 needle with #277 top and #277 bottom. I have the top thread tension set to just (2 screw thread showing) which I use when I'm stitching 1/8" thick (4-6 thread showing) when I stitch anything thicker. The bottom thread tension doesn't get adjusted but I do change the loop count depending on how thin the leather I'm stitching. The presser feet tension right now is backed up for a lighter setup so I don't get marks (the lighter spring does help a lot though). Seeing that I'm a novice, I'm quite certain that I'm doing something wrong. I looked up skipped stitches but this one doesn't look like it skipped, more like loose to me. Should I increase the tension on the presser feet? Upper thread tension? Thanks! Jomar