Bree

Gotcha! Still my swivel knife work is nowhere even close to that work or the one Johanna posted. Sheesh these guys are not just good... they are fabulous. I'm just going to slip under a rock here and peek out from time to time and marvel at some of this work.

Not a bad idea to take the Dodge RAM over to the Columbus Show. I have never been to one and I would probably enjoy it very much plus I might well come home with a nice machine! I know what you mean about the stairs. My table saw weighed almost 500 pounds and it had to go down the stairs. That was a trial to be sure. It took 3 guys to get that thing off the truck, get it off the pallet and down the stairs. Pain in the butt. I have a bunch of other equipment where the weight was 300-400 pounds. Each piece has its own challenge. Getting the head and the stand separated is a huge part of the battle. And if the top of the stand is separable from the bottom that nibbles the weight down as well. I think the HD stand will break down into at least three parts... the table, the pedestal, and the base. That would knock the problem down considerably cuz you can open the boxes on the truck and take out each discreet part and cart each one in. UR right about the motors. The new servos weigh less than the old clutch motors. But I think the pedestal is carrying the full weight of the machine head. It is a monster pedestal. If it comes in two crates, I would pick it up at the terminal in my Dodge RAM and have helpers unload it from the pickup. That how I did all the equipment I bought at Grizzly. Forklift just parked the pallets on the Dodge RAM and off I went. Had to leave it all on the truck overnight due to a rainstorm. Next day it all came off easy as pie.

I'm thinking about using it for cutouts as you might do with snakeskin. The white is so white that I think it will be even better than white leather for these kind of accents. You get great color, texture, and feel and it is still very leatherlike. We'll see. I won;t be doing anything with it until the fall anyway.

Sure would as you hand stitch all the vertical stitches on the sleeve!

Parts seem to be harder to find for any of the 18" arm Singer machines then they are for the 12" arm machines. I suppose that is because they made a lot more 12" arm machines. I would guess that the same is true with the Adlers. Assume #69 or #92 and I think that it will like #69 better than #92 or #138. I base this on my machine which definitely doesn't like real heavy thread. It messes with the tensioning and it is annoying to adjust. I seldom use anything but #69 in mine. Then again the Adler may be different. So I can't really say.

Yep... I fully expect to have to make a custom wheel-in flatbed table for the device. I have a complete woodworking shop in the basement with several hundred BF of White Oak and Hard Maple so that shouldn't be too difficult other than making the time for it. I wonder if it is possible to use one of their other lighter stands with the LA-25?

If I am not mistaken the Adler 30-7 is a clone of a long arm Singer 29K series machine. I have a 29K-60 and if I'm right about the 30-7, then you will have about 18" cyclinder to work with and a 360 degree rotating top feed. Expect about 3/8" capacity under the foot and probably a larger bobbin than the standard 29K bobbin. Also expect that the large bobbins will be considerably harder to find. I use my 29K-60 a lot and it is a great machine. I wouldn't hesitate to grab an Adler if I could get a good deal on it. Congrats on Post #1. I had my #1 only a short while ago too!

Well heck... I guess that knocks me right out of the competition!!

He would want to file for a patent on the knife and its design. Trademarks are symbols marking the origin of a product(s) while copyrights protect original works of authorship. The knife and its design are not trademarks nor are they copyrightable but they may well be patentable under a utility or design patent.

Great minds think alike. Exactly my thoughts. Artisan Dave gave me some additional info which I will share. 1) The Head Weights are as follows: TORO 4000R is 135 pounds, The 4000R LA-25 is 220 pounds. 2) Shipping weights are approximately 350 lbs and 675. Weight varies depending on the actual weight of the shipping pallet used. Also they can set the R Series T-4000's to sew 415 thread. The cast iron stand used with the LA-25 is the monster here. The machine head is manageably larger but the stand is HUGE! I would be afraid to put it into my sewing room because it is not on concrete. I would hate to have a 700 pound sewing machine and accoutrement come crashing through the floor joists!! I would LOVE to have that 25" arm though. There is no doubt about it and the few hundred extra is well worth the money. The problem is the sheer mass of the total unit. Even getting it from the truck inside is a challenge. It really wants a forklift to move it around.

Pretty cool knife! Probably safer than a regular round knife. What did he charge you to make this knife?

Thus is what I am referring to... Ultraleather It is very expensive but luxurious stuff... also very durable. I got a bunch a sample swatches of various kinds of artificial leather and this stuff won hands down as the primo material. I found a place that had some remnants and I ordered several yards at a reasonable price. When the bolts came in I was really amazed. I haven't made anything with it yet but I would like to once motorcycle riding calms down a bit. Broncobuster's comment is right on. I found that out doing some work on marine fabrics which are made of similar material though not as nice. I was making some piping and realized after a couple of feet that the stitches were too close together and might cause a blowout because of weakening the material.

Have any of you used Ultraleather... the high-end, polyurethane artificial leather? I got several yards of the pure white to use as accents for a couple of projects that I have in mind. I was amazed at how soft, durable, and stretchy it is. Any experiences or tips for working with it? I know it's not "REAL" leather but it has its uses!

Pretty toxic EVM! I like them.

Artisan has the strongest support. That seems pretty clear. They also have another advantage for me and that is the T-4000 LA-25 machine. For my patch business the longer arm makes my work much easier on certain kinds of jobs where I have to scrunch vests and large patches under the arm which greatly increases the chances of my ruffling some lining and sewing it improperly or of my patch moving out of line as I sew. The long arm is also of great value for odd things that come along like awnings, tents, and large tarps that I am sometimes called upon to repair. The 16" arm is great and I have one now in the form of my 29K60. However that machine can't sew really thick leather hence it is unsuitable for the kind of work I plan to do in the future. If I choose to get the longer 25" arm, Artisan is really the only reasonable game in town. At the 16" length there are several good competitors. Those are my thoughts right now. I appreciate the comments that you all have made. They are very helpful. We'll see. It is still a hard choice for me and it strains my budget... but ya do what ya have to do!

How do you decide between three different distributors of essentially the same machine all claiming good after the sale service including technical service and user reports confirming the claims. That is the quandry that I have. Price is important but it isn't everything. I know that Artisan has a strong machine and great service. Users report that the Cowboy and Neel's Saddlery machines are good and that Neel never let's them down when they need help. Users rate Raphael Sewing's machines very highly and praise Raphael's service. Artisan's are the most expensive followed by Neel's and Raphael. At least on paper it looks that way. They have all been in business for some time. They are all professional and knowledgeable. How does one decide? By the time it's all over, we are talking in excess of $3,000 which is a good sized piece of change for a sewing machine especially for a little business like mine. I end up getting down to very fine points of difference to make a decision.

I have had good luck with Identi-Tape. The brightest tapes are the prismatics especially Reflexite. Naturally they are the most expensive. I use a lot of SOLAS tape which is hugely reflective especially when wet. SOLAS stands for Safety Of Life At Sea. This tape is the lifeline of an overboard sailor at night. It has to light up like a Christmas tree of the person will probably die. I use it on my the saddlebags of my motorcycle for Hi-Viz at night. I use colored Reflexite on the windshield of my bike to warn off errant left and right hand turners that like to invade a biker's right of way. There are lots of choices and this link has good prices for roll goods.

Excellent belt.

That's pretty darn good for a first holster!! Nice stitching. Looks great! Heck I'd like to have it for one of my guns!!

Great job. You can be proud as a peacock of that seat.

Absolutely beautiful work. It will look stunning once it is finished. What was your total time spent tooling and total time for the entire project, if you don't mind my asking?

Thanks! I looked to see if I had some PIX of some items I made and I found a few so I will post them... biker stuff. Some Berber fleece lined cuffs for an engineer friend who works the Union Pacific run between Tucson and El Paso. He wanted one concho... and one concho only... per cuff so he got what he wanted. A fleece lined heat guard for a guy that rides a Harley Ultra and was getting his thigh burned from summer heat rising from the rear V-Twin cylinder. Webbing clips to his belt to hold it up. Worked great!! First one ever! And some detail from a set of heavy Berber fleece lined half chaps... first set of these that I made. If I find any more I will show.

I have passed by his place many times. Often I just zoom by there without thinking that one of the top gunleather men is in there. I love his CQC/S holster for semi-automatics. What a great design and fine craftsmanship. They are pricey but quality costs $$$. Maybe I will drop in one day. I guess I'm a little shy. Maybe I could make up a holster for my XD-45 Compact and get a critique from the Master to break the ice. I bought a Blue gun for molding purposes and I just need to summon up the time, craft a decent design, and then start cutting. I got me a nice new Gemsy electric rotary cutter which cuts through 8oz leather like a hot knife through butter. It cuts as good a line as my round knife and... I think... with more safety. I have plenty of tooling leather and tools. I also have a lot of Kydex if I decide to make some combo leather/Kydex holsters. It just takes the will. I'm working on that... slowly but surely. And I think it probably calls for a new heavy stitcher as my Juki 1541-S really can't handle the kind of thread necessary for good gunleather. I think I need to be at 277 or higher for this type of product. I am not like Ann Stohlman with her awl, two needles, and stitching pony. So I am working on getting a new 441 clone which I think will be good for gunleather and good for my patch business (the 16" throat is very valuable to me) as well as a lot of other projects I might get involved with. I like making lined half chaps and cuffs with Berber fleece. I think a 441 would be great for this kind of sewing. With the right tools, some practice, and some hard work, maybe I can come up with something that I wouldn't be ashamed to show to Lou.

Do you guys have any experience with the Techsew GB6-180-2, 441 clone from Raphael Sewing in Montreal?? Cost delivered to the US is about $2,900 including customs duty.

Better late than never. I had some biker sissy bar luggage with padding between Cordura layers and it was a little less than 1/2 inch in thickness. It could be squeezed down but it was a real pain in the butt to work with. My 29K60 was not really suitable to this kind of job.