Bree

Once you take one apart you can see just how magnificently engineered they really are. These patchers are wonderful machines built to last longer than we will be alive. I know several people who transport their patchers to biker shows and sew all day with the 29's despite the availability of a great machine like a Consew 206RB-5. There is very little that the 29 can't do in the world of patch sewing. So I don't want to talk you out of the 29 class machine... just that cracked one. Heck I have 4 of them counting the spare parts machine!! I just took out a shuttle hook from this old corroded machine I have. I had to remove the needle plate because the moveable pin that holds it in is frozen solid. Only way to get in there to retrieve the hook. Anyhoo... That hook looked like it had been dredged up from the bottom of a sewer. It was full of gunk and almost black. Old thread was plugging the hole above the spring clip. I had to literally get a needle to clean it out. But once I got it out, cleaned up, and buffed, I put it into one of the good 29's with a nice new bobbin. The son of a gun sewed like it was new... perfect stitches with no misses. That saved me about $60 for a new hook (Part 8603). There is one that looks to be in great condition on EBay right now. Pickup is in Missouri if you are near there... save $130 in shipping charges plus the risk of shipping companies cracking the cast iron. You may have to bid fairly high to score this machine because it looks real good. The treadle stand looks excellent as well. Heck they have a 29K70 for $750 which looks like hell comparatively speaking. If it were a closer pickup, I would bid on the 29-4 they are selling. Bree

Beautiful, crisp, precise work.

Right off the top of my head I would say 100/16's up to 160/23's should work fine. I would not go below #69 as I tend to get poor results and skipped stitches below that. You could probably go as high as 138 but I don't recommend it and I certainly would not go top and bottom with the thick thread. My machines like #69 and maybe #92. I am talking about my Singer 29's now. I assume the Adler is similar. As far as material goes... you can sew some wispy stuff if you are willing to have a fairly heavy thread size and possibly marks from the presser foot which is pulling the material along with feed dog-like grooves. I have actually sewn some lace on my 29K60 (Quite slowly I might add.) LOL! Hope that helps.

New ballgame... I say 86 the machine. Cast iron is not weldable unless you have an expert welder who can put the entire frame into an oven to heat it and then use special welding equipment and the ability to let it cool very slowly. If you try to weld it by ordinary means you will simply cause new cracks. If the gears are broken the machine is in serious trouble. I just had a 29-4 apart on the workbench downstairs with a broken gear drive and frozen needle bar. The machine is now good only for spare parts. Go on EBay and get yourself a used patcher. They come up frequently. Best to find a local machine and go out to inspect it. Watch like a hawk for cracks in the head and the treadle. Cast iron is pretty brittle. It must be handled with care. It loooks very strong but it isn't. So inspect it carefully and reject machines that haven't been properly cared for. There are many good ones on the market. Be patient.

Great looking bags. Really nice.

Darn seat is so good that I wouldn't want to sit on it!! Great job!

One of these will cut through it lickety split. They cost about $69 with free shipping at All Brands.

I usually use an Osborne head knife. But recently I bought a Gemsy electric rotary cutter. This is an inexpensive rotary but it was a good way to test the water using these powerful fabric tools. I can tell you that this thing cuts through thick leather like a hot knife through butter. It also leaves a good clean edge. I have some complaints about the construction/design of the unit but there is no doubt in my mind that I will certainly be using it to rough down large pieces and once I get well practiced, I will probably be using it to make my finish cuts.

Sorry Bob... I didn't notice this reply. It slipped under my radar! Yes it is a 441 clone and 441 feet should fit it. I think you guys have the "Cowboy" line. Maybe you could email me info on your 16" and 25" models along with the pricing. My email is breeliz at verizon dot net. My preference is to buy from American sources as I don't really want to go abroad in case I need some service. Right now Artisan looks like a good alternative. Thanks! Edited email out -- Mod

I am a fan of mink oil with some Aussie wax I use on my oilskin coat. I keep my mink oil in the fridge until I need it which prevents it from going bad. I do a lot of riding and more than my share of it in the rain. But I'll tell you one thing... ride 750 miles in the rain at highway speed and in my experience there is nothing that will "waterproof" your leather. Water is almost certainly going to get in... maybe not a lot but there will be some leakage. I think it is best to start with leather that is oil/wax treated in the drum, if you want to really repel water. Then keep it well treated to maintain its resistance to water. My $.02.

I have that anvil. It is well worth the price. The only thing I would change about it is the absence of holes to bolt it down to the bench. But you can get around that limitation pretty easily. I use it frequently for a lot of things... not just leatherwork but woodworking and general shop chores.

Nice work!

I try to follow a simple principle when I get into conflict with people. Always give a person the chance to do the right thing. Often we think we know why people do the things that they do but I find that I just don't really know their motivations. Sometimes I am surprised to find out how my speculations were totally wrong. It sure looks like a bad situation but ya never know... step back... let it play out and give her a chance to do the right thing. She is your neighbor and you all have to live next door to one another. That may help nudge her in the right direction of reconciliation. Share your strategy with your child. This may be a great learning experience as people do this goofy stuff all the time. Show the child how to make a measured response without overeacting. That is a lesson that will serve him for the rest of his life. There is opportunity in every grey cloud!!

Very nice holster. I like it a lot.

Show how you did it in your own words using your own diagrams and images and you will be just fine. Ideas, techniques, and processes are not copyrightable only a particular description, explanation, or illustration of them can be copyrighted. Super job on the feathers.

I have an 18" x 24" x 3" surface plate of solid granite with 2 ledges. It's certified flat to within .00015". The stand cost me more than the plate! The plate was about $50 and the stand $55. It works very nicely with a poundo board. Very solid platform.

Every time you post something, I start thinking that you are the Michaelangelo of leatherworking. I won't say great job as that doesn't do justice to the level of skill in this piece. I wish I had a fraction of your ability.

The 60's won't die as long as we refuse to leave them! Peace! Nice job!

Pretty darn good for your first piece! I made one for myself a couple of years ago and I like yours better than mine! LOL!

Simply excellent. World Class.

Just mix white plus a little red and that will give you pink. Add more red to deepen the shade of pink.

Ultimately, your price will relate to how much the market will bear and just how brutal you wish to be to your customers. Some people don't like to think of their work as business and give away their work at less than fair market value. The market has an infinite capacity to absorb free or dirt cheap work. Others think of it as nothing but business and charge as much as they can possibly get away with. Usually they are crafty, old codgers who have learned many business lessons over time. I suppose most folks fall somewhere in between. The bottom line is that you have to charge enough to pay your bills and have enough left over to cover the value of your time and the risk you assume by being in business. So the $64,000 question is... how much are you worth? How much do you want and need to make? You can begin from an answer to that question and start reverse engineering what it takes to get you to that figure. The guys are right in what they said... you must carefully figure ALL of your costs and I mean everything. Don't forget things like the cost of insurances, licenses, permits etc. Do you want to have a pension plan for when you retire? You better figure the cost in or you won't have one! You will work unto death. And if you aren't collecting your money in advance, make sure to compute estimated losses for accounts receivable that can't be collected. (As an aside... The formula for avoiding disaster is NEVER EVER allow the customer to have BOTH the goods and the money. Get the money upfront, if possible. The more risk shifted to the customer, the better for you.) I could go on and on. I'm sure that you get the picture. When you know all of your costs of doing business and have projected your sales activity across a time period... say a year... you can compute the percentage mark-up that you need to apply over and above the actual cost of goods sold to achieve your financial objective. You can apply this to any particular job. Nobody can really say what it will be until you determine how much you are worth and what you wish to walk away with at the end. So start there... work backwards to your mark-up... cost out the particulars of your job... mark it up and voila! you will be making money if that's what you want to do. Prices are one of the last things you can pin down when you are doing a business plan. They depend on all the planning that went before. And they are ultimately tested in the reality of the marketplace. If your expense assumptions are wrong, the marketplace will punish you. If you are able to outperform your asumptions, the marketplace will reward you.

Harma took the words right out of my mouth. I would get a molded cup that fits her nicely and use plaster of paris to make the form and then proceed with normal leather forming techniques. You will trash one bra but you will have a perfect mold for the job.

Do you have two rare earth magnets in there? Or one magnet with a round piece of steel for it to attract to? I like where you backtacked the stitching. That is probably the one spot where it would be least visible. Good job.

No motor necessary. You can use the foot treadle or even hand crank it. If you want to use a motor just get a 1/2 hp servo w/no speed reducer. It will work fine for the 3/8" that the machine can sew and you can always grab the flywheel and horse it if you need to. I once had mine hooked up to a little sewing motor from a Brother machine. It actually worked just fine. I took it off because I prefer hand cranking it.