RockyAussie

On fixed blade splitters it is common to get someone with the right sharpening gear to sharpen them up when you need it. Having 2 blades is the best way to go if you can so that you are not held up when the other is being sharpened. I will see if I can find out about the double hollow grind and who is capable of doing it and get back to you. I have a couple of band knife splitters myself but am up in the Rockhampton area. If you check with Lefflers they may be able to tell you of someone close by that can split for you. Texon Australia may know someone as well.

I and I am sure a few others here may be able to help but ....so as to not highjack this thread it would be worth starting a new thread of its own. Please post some pictures showing what you are calling a mess top and bottom as that will help to narrow down the problem. There are many different reasons that can cause a mess underneath like wrong needle wrong thread combination to start with. Remember that pictures need to be reduced in size before posting to a maximum of 1.4mb in total.

Just one more thought ...make sure that table is the pedestal type and not one that is closed off on the end. They use less room and can be tucked away better but mostly they don't stop you because the table gets in the way. A quick check on my you tube channel will show you why.

I think you are on the right track. For gun holsters and a lot of other stuff you mention you will want a cylinder machine and a big one at that. A cylinder machine can be a flat bed but a flatbed machine can not be a cylinder. Personally I am used to using a cylinder machine and almost never have a seen any worthwhile reason to put on a flat bed attachment. Even a belt I prefer to stitch on the round caus that's the way it get worn anyway. Only thing I can think to mention is that on any of these 441 type machines the smallest leather point needle they make is a 23 and that means the best smallest thread is a 138 or m20 in metric.

Hey @toxo, In case it helps some I have done something similar with some feet on a Adler 69. I did make the back foot in this case years back before I knew where to buy them. I will put a couple of links up that may be of use in buying. This one you would need to smooth off the bottom of the feet and maybe grind away the edge some more. https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/264766542768?hash=item3da550d3b0:g:on8AAOSw7O9e6bUi This one is a full one which you can grind back to what ever you think suits https://www.amazon.com/Standard-Presser-Durkopp-Sewing-Machine/dp/B07QKB5WZC Here is one of the jobs I use these for which is a bag handle As you can see here I have ground it away a lot Here showing that only the back part behind on the rear foot does any holding down

Gotcha, I don't get to do much with holsters over here. Last one I done was probably 5 years back.

Looks good for a quick draw I reckon. Why have you used the rivets may I ask?

Not a hope on the little structured bag I showed above but yes On the op bag it should be possible.

Good to hear

Ha ha...don't I wish. Another 2 would be better but then I'd be wanting more again I'm sure. Thanks @Thescandall. I hope all goes well and we get to see your new gunbelt when its finished.

Yes I do as well. Check at 5 min 40 seconds in on that video and you will see with the scrap in I don't hold it when I put the needle in.

Good idea there @Spyros I always have handy some scraps by my machines and I also like to have some handy to check my tensions before I start the job. What I do is run a few stitches in the scrap and that gives me something easy to hold most of the time to start off the main job. The scrap stays there generally until I am finishing off. At about 40 seconds in on this video you can see my tension checker scrap piece - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdloxyjeB1w&t=436s

That is quite possibly the reason. You would need a very solid and firm base to do the peening well. Once you have cut the rivet to length (1 or 2 mm longer) I normally tap around the outer edges of the rivet before finishing off with the dome tool.

Just reduce the pressure. When it is too tight it makes it hard to get a clean start without cutting in too deep.(Hard veg will need to be a bit tighter) With good settings and a sharp blade it does not matter. Its quicker to rotate the job clockwise but sometimes it is safer to go anticlockwise. When you offer the skived edge into be skived you hold back away from the guide a little and curl up the edge so that you have a start on top of the bell. If you don't have a roller in that can be a bit harder to do as you have to overcome a fair amount of resistance at the start with a standard foot. Your knife has to be very sharp and not have any rough feel at all. The pressure setting have to be just right for the leather being skived. Being able to go slow with the feed without the bell going slow as well does help. On Fortuna's and FAV's etc the bell runs at a constant speed always with the feed stone being independent from the bell speed. If you were using a router on wood would you be happy if the spindle slowed down when you slowed down? Many people have opted to put a separate motor drive on these 801 skivers to have the bell run separately. The new Cowboy versions in Australia are now selling with an independent motor set up for this reason. There are a few tips that just may help in this video I did on circular skiving awhile ago- The skived pieces above are for the wedding ring boxes I make which if you go to my profile and look in the about me section you can see the topic which shows how to make them.

All good news and thanks for sharing your findings with us all. This last point you mentioned reminded me I want to come up with a wider side on the feet to help reduce the pressure marks you can get on veg tan leathers. Will let you know how it goes sometime soon. For anyone looking for more info about the narrow needle plate set being shown you can see all about it in this post -

Great news for the Techsew 5100 owners. Thanks to member @Thescandall I can now confirm 100% that this set will fit straight up to these machines. For reference here is his post -

Raising and lowering that presser foot is something that you should hardly ever need to do. The first trick is to first on light soft weight leathers is to make sure that you have very little spring pressure applied to your feed stone. Back the hook off until it is in the last notch perhaps but also wind anticlockwise the pressure spring knob that tensions the feed stone for angle. These are often set way too tight. Secondly when you feed in something thick do a 1/2 way in corner off skive then when you put anything in hold a little way out at the start and hold it upward with your right hand so that the leather edge does not bite in or go under the blade. Often awhile it just happens without thinking about it. Practice on a lot of scrap. In Myth's Video above note at the end 40 minutes onward why it is good to have the vacuum happening on these type of leathers. This video I did awhile ago shows me using the technique I have described above. It was not made to show the procedure but if you study it hard you can see it. Using a roller foot will also help a LOT.

Thanks Chuck, With all this Covid stuff around I may have to get a whole lot more tech savy first. I way prefer one on one teaching really.

I very much doubt that anyone could show me how to do the skiving I show in this video without a roller foot installed. I have made a couple of different roller shapes but for 99% of the jobs the one shown here does the job.

Have you got any pictures of these feet? Most skivers come with what they call a flat presser foot I thought. I only ever use a roller foot myself. Made the first one myself because I had not heard of any at the time (20 or maybe 30 years ago). They never jam or stall like the standard ones do.

That alone is the service that we need to support. I do believe that we should all do our best to supply where possible this type of service. I like and appreciate it and always try to give a customer more than they expect. Referrals just follow and saves a lot on bullshit advertising.

Hey @Spyros the best would be a 24/180 needle but they will still have some trouble whether it be Riri or Ykk metal teeth. If possible pull the teeth out where you are going through. Knipex cutters or side cutters whichever you got on hand. This link shows a fairly good thread chart on the Toledo site - https://www.tolindsewmach.com/thread-chart.html

Thanks for the update. Just curious ...you say you have #19 and #21 needles and some #138 thread. The smallest leather point (LR if you want the slanted look)needle on these is a #23 which is what I have used on many of the products in the pictures in this posting. I am not sure that with 138 thread that you should use less than a size 22 needle even with the fabric needles either.

Good questions and good points. I see a lot of people these days selling very little of their product but offering to teach or sell people on all their techniques and secrets etc. Many come here to learn and share knowledge and grow their own business as well. I am only trying to warn that many of these video's and pattern sellers are only catering to the hobbyist who in their spare time can use a knife and some awl and needles at home. The likely hood of the patterns and techniques they offer is very unlikely to give much help to someone wanting to make a living from it. I like making well made leather goods and I like making it profitably as well. I am happy to share some of my knowledge here for free, like this post where I show a video using a device that enables a quick lining up of the pockets in a wallet and some of the other machinery and steps involved. Not shown in it after the credit card pockets are assembled is the second cutting at the clicker press to get a quick, clean straight line around the edges. I do hope in the near future to start running some very limited number classes on how I make and design products with a focus on a what machines to buy and how to use them.