Gamekeeper

This is the stuff here

I've been searching around for a way of doing good, durable edges for m dog collars, normal burnishing isn't cutting the mustard for me. I came across Coba Slick on eBay & wondered if its any good. Does anyone have any experience with this or any alternatives. Many thanks Dave

Hi, Did anyone use the alternatives to Ritza? I'm looking to produce sewing similar to the heavy duty / western styles. Many thanks Dave

@resqman 1lb bars?? Heavens no - could only find it in small bars here. @MMArmoury - thank you for your compliments! Dave

I used barley on this one - it was all I could find to be honest!! It took almost 6 bars of beeswax!!

After much hard work & inspiration from others on here. I decided to give it a go. Here's the result. Celtic dogs in a circle. Next one, I think I'll use a different leather & bolder carving. Dave

Ok folks, just to clarify. The easiest way i could find to "measure" the thread was to lay it across a ruler. I did state WIDE & not diameter. The machine is running fine with this thread, especially after I got a new feed dog & plate. Unfortunately, as previously stated in other posts, trying to find a good leather machine that will handle strong thread here in the UK is a nightmare. Mostly they are all in the states or have been bought up by places such as India. If anyone has one to sell in the UK & not wanting silly money then please let me know. Dave P.S. apologies to both Wizcrafts & Trox if it sounds like I'm ungrateful - I'm not.

Here's a quick update for you folks, Stripped the hook & needle plate down, found "the spacer" - actually a bunch of fine thread! Reassembled - still no joy. Took it apart again, had to file down the bobbin carrier locating post & smoothed off every rough/sharp edge I could find. Reassembled - still no luck! Took it apart again, this time also the tensioner - smoothed, cleaned every bit. Reassembled - getting angry now, no luck! Thought, it's a long shot, I'll try a different thread. Changed to invincible thread & it worked!! So, it appears that thicker, stronger threads work well, the thinner, softer Venus type thread is now in the bin! Strange thing is - I bought the machine from a tailor who was using standard clothing thread & it was performing well, just not for me!! Downside is - I've spent 4 days not making anything & now I still have to wait as I only have white thread available. Anyone know the gauges/ equivalents to invincible thread? It's about 0.9mm wide, roughly. Many thanks Dave

Ok, Here's where we're at now (after 2 days on the damn thing!). Needles in ok. I've had hook/ bobbin carrier timed/retimed, on & off more times than I care to remember. After picking up bottom thread & getting ready to start sewing, the first couple of stitches go ok (occasionally drop 2nd) then it seems to go tight & you can hear top thread catching spool. As the top thread passes over the face of the bobbin carrier it's almost as if the 2 parts of the upper thread cross over each other when tight & cause each other to snap. Anyone know any reason that would cause this? I've also tried different thread & a range of different needles. Many thanks Dave

Hi folks, I have a Juki dsc 245 walking foot machine, using 19,21 & 23 needles but its constantly happening, especially when I turn the power on. It's less of an occurrence when turning by hand. So far I've checked the timing, adjusted needle height but I have noticed that on the larger needles #23 the hook is catching the needle & deflecting it slightly, I can't get the hook to move back any further as its close to the case. Any suggestions? Been fighting with this most of the day now!! Dave

Stunning, simply stunning!

Knock knock, let me in. Awww please!!!

I get a similar thing from customers/browsers. They come along, pick up a pouch, open it & have a sniff the put it back down! Maybe I should charge for the usage.

Thanks for the info Tor, I've just checked my plate & it's 5mm thick (hope I've got something in the garage!).

Hi Tor, Thanks for the info & the photos. It looks like I have a plate for a right hand binder & someone has modified a feed dog to suit (isn't it great when you pick up someone else's modifications). Time to look through the garage, I'm sure I have some 3mm plate in there, will have to grind off the 'modification' to the feed dog. I really appreciate your assistance with this Tor, you have been a great help. Hopefully this info will be useful to someone else too. Many thanks Dave

Hi Tor, many thanks for the pics. Could I be a pain & ask if you could get some pics of your friends machine needle area. That is the same machine as mine but I think the feed plate & feed dog area is completely different - mine has a rectangular flat plate (the chequered one in my pic) & your friends machine seems to have a curved plate to it. Sorry to be a pain, you have been a great help so far & it is greatly appreciated. Dave

I've had a bit of a breakthrough. Managed to get hold of a set of plain, smooth feet from TySew, here in UK. Put them on - no marks on the leather, just need to "adjust" the feet width to get closer to the moulded edges of pouches. Next thing I need to look at is the feed dog & lower feed plate - these leave marks on the back of the leather, grooves & cross-hatch pattern. The parts weren't cheap here in the UK - almost £35 including postage "OUCH" I think I'm going to stick with this machine for a while, make a few adaptations like a roller guide (my straight line work is terrible!! Although I do have a Seiko TH series walking foot flat bed & the bonus is the new feet I got also fit. I printed off the feed dog parts list but, as they say, a picture speaks a thousand words & without good pictures & descriptions it becomes extremely vague when you try to get the correct parts. Interestingly, I did contact College but got no answer! I guess business here in UK don't actually need to sell anything (probably why the economy is so bad - but thats another matter). I've checked through the parts list that you kindly linked to but for the life of me I can't find the base plate, although the 6 feed dogs also cause dilemma!! If you can find the plate on that list I'd be grateful. Many thanks Dave

Hi Tor, I contacted Mr. Ko, without any luck - he could not help at all!! I'm currently sewing 4mm on it with the same thread that they use on the auto awls & it's handling it fine. At present I have 3 options: 1 - fit some smooth feet 2 - find a plate the same thickness as the feed then cut, drill & modify & cross cut the feed dog & use smooth feet 3 - Sell the machine & hope I can find a leather machine in UK that will sew heavy stuff & go round tight bends & corners! Not a lot to ask for, I hope!! I tend to make cartridge bags, small leather pouches for knives etc, ladies saddle bags/hand bags all in sturdy leather (approx 2mm x 2 for thickness, max 4mm). Many thanks Dave

Hi Tor, Thank you for your reply, I was beginning to give up hope!! As you can imagine, here in the UK it's an absolute pain to try to get a good, proper leather sewing machine. I was even considering taking a grinder to the feed plate & presser foot! I have emailed Kwokhing to see if I can get a result. As an aside - Are there any leather sewing machine suppliers here in the UK?

Here are a few pics of the machine & a close up of the feed area. Anyone got any info of this at all?

Hi, just wondering if anyone uses this machine & what feet/feed dogs they use? Mine currently isn't feeding from thick to thin leather & it's also just slightly marking the face of the leather. New machine to me & I'm still getting used to it. Many thanks Dave

Hi, don't know if it helps but theres something similar on ebay . de Stands out as it has a boot hanging off the cylinder arm!! Cheers Dave

Hi Folks, ever wondered why it has been difficult to get your hands on an old manual machine here in the UK? Here's why; Shop fronts Makes you wonder doesn't it. Also, for those that think this is just a display, I was in Eldon Square today & these are real!!

Thanks for the pics. Will need to get myself a jig & beveller setup. Cheers Dave

Thanks for the picture, I think I have worked out where I'm going wrong. Bevelling before sanding & no parrafin. Just out of interest, how thick in mm are those leads? I think I'll have a task ahead of me - I use 4.8mm thick leather, so I will need to set something up for a quick effect - maybe a drill in a vice!