Handstitched

On my Seiko machine, theres a few bits & bobs on it that I have no idea about.And since theres no manuals available* for my machine, I can only guess. Like this metal plate, just to the left of the shuttle . It has a grub screw in the centre that needs to be loosened , and theres nothing under it. Each and every time I clean & oil my machine I remove it to clean under it. I'm guessing thats its for an attachment for a binder? or some other attachment? given the 4 threaded holes , and 1 other in the centre? * I have searched quite a bit for a manual . I only have a Consew 226 manual with limited info. Still searching. Thanks for your help HS

@shoepatcher I did mention that it is definitely a 53 a few times. I know the brass plate looks like it says ' 55' from that blurry angle , but my ol' happy snappy cheapy Samsung camera can't quite pick up the ' 3' clearly enough, as much as I tried. I'll try taking another pic if you like, but from a different angle . HS

Under my marble slab, which is approx 14" x 12 x 2" thick , I have a piece of foam carpet underlay . Its approx 15- 20mm thick, I double that over so its twice the thickness, 30-40mm thick, that seems to absorb the noise quite nicely . Would it be of any help to put some rubber under the feet of the bench ? Nice bench Hope that helps, HS

Now now , be nice , I know , W.A. stands for " Wait Awhile" , but what I meant to say was..?..o'h never mind HS

I concur. I had a look at that site, very comprehensive. 96 years old, I'll give it a birthday when it gets to 100 , might even buy some new decals and get the few missing bits as a birthday pressie @dikman Thanks for that. I live in the bush, nothing happens in a hurry out here

Yup, what he said All my belts do have that ' stiffness' to them. I oil them, dye & seal them but then simply run them through my hands to loosen up the fibres when they are finished . Over time, and with use they will soften up . HS

I keep reading your post, now I've gone all misty eyed . HS

I forgot all about this. It wasn't until I was doing a search on boot patchers that I noticed it. Anyhoo.... This is that machine today. I haven't restored it at all, but I have given it some TLC. It works perfect, its well oiled and does 4mm stitches, I'm happy with that. The bit of leather in the pic is 3mm . And its definitely a 53 The only gripe is finding parts here in Oz. Parts are a ' dime a dozen ' everywhere else , except Oz. I just need a couple of bits to complete it .I'll go O/S if need be. The manufacture date is around 1921 or 1924. The serial # is Y1648149 , if someone can enlighten me? A stand would be the ultimate, but to be honest, I have nowhere to put it . The head sits just nicely in a spare bit of space. It'll keep going long after I'm gone HS

That lovely picture belongs on a post card. You could sell those too HS

Another trick I have used, is dampen the area, and using the ball on a ball pein hammer, ' indent / thin out the leather, like thinning out a piece of steak . Its pretty crude, but it has worked for me in the past, but try it on some scrap first. I've been down this path before, spend hours making a nice belt only for the press studs to be too short. HS

The holster looks great. But to answer your question, I use long stem press studs on pretty much every thing. They go through up to 5mm in thickness. They are available . HS

I agree . I am quite comfortable with what I have worked so hard for, independence, being my own boss. I am also glad I had the sense not to pursue having a shop/shop front in town. I reckon I'd be out of business a long time ago. Its a blessing that I can work from home, I can even enjoy a beer with my lunch if I want to Getting back on track: for anyone thinking of turning their hobby into a business, ' test the waters first' do some basic market research. I know my town, so I just asked myself one simple question, " What does this town need that it hasn't got ?" as the business opportunities here are very limited, I soon got the answers. 16 years later....? HS

I know laws are different in each country, but thats just bat s**t crazy . Thats like someone asking me to make a saddle, and I refuse, because I don't make saddles , ( I really don't) , but I get taken to court anyway? WTF...?? So I guess that bakery would have stepped up their advertising, "WE DO NOT MAKE ICED FRUIT CAKES " We make bread and just bread....got it ?? " We all know our own skill levels, and we all know what we like to make....and what not to make . This craziness is something that would sit comfortably in "The Dept. of Works" in the movie " Brazil" . But this ' craziness' played out here in Oz a while back over the use of the word " Ugg" ( as in Ugg Boots) , but thats another story. And I still won't make any of that ....'stuff' HS

@Bert51 Look familiar? Super reliable Seiko STW-28B. Built in 1966 . Its a twin needle, but I only use it as a single. Never had the need for a twin, although I still have all the bits for a twin. Happy sewing HS PS: I can never find a manual for the STW 28 B twin needle , so I use a Consew 226 manual.

I too was asked if I was interested in making some of that....' stuff' a long time ago. I flat out said "nope!! and never will." The response I got was " but you'll make a killing!! " That maybe the case , but I do live in a small country town with around 1700 people,around half of which are elderly and where everyone knows everyone...and everything. Reputation is everything in business . Hate to think what would happen to mine if I started making that ' stuff' . HS

I prefer a meat pie & a coldie*. *( thats a beer in case you're wondering )

I kept getting " your clock is ahead " ...danger danger Will Robinson" each time I went onto LW. What? my computer is from the future? Its XP for goodness sake !! (yeh yeh....have a laugh !! ) Just kidding . But I was almost ready to pull my poor ol' 'pooter' apart though . XP lives to see another day . Take that Microsoft !!!! All good now , Thanks Johanna & all the peeps at LW.net HS

Agreed. The only person I compete with , is myself I haven't been doing leatherwork as long as you or many others on here, I've been doing it for 16 years, and I'm still learning , but I have learnt not to compete with the cheap'n' nasty For me personally, as I do shows n stuff,( mostly markets) the pros & cons of doing them, my 2 cents worth: Pros: Its a great for selling, advertising ( although word of mouth works best for me**) , , 'showing off' , receiving orders, its very social, speak to former leather crafters, share & teach, to those that are willing to take up the craft , invitations to other events. Its cheaper than having a shop, very little over heads, just stall fees,fuel for car, and Public Liability Insurance. EFT is cheap, ' Square Reader' . I don't buy food, drinks, I BMO, Too easy Cons: Idiots ,and lots of them , I could be here all day.. Those that have no idea where leather ( or meat) comes from, and those that have no idea how to try a belt on. I feel like saying " its a belt....not a girdle !!" they pull it so tight, their eyes pop out !! and damaging the belt in the process. or " this one is too short" thats because its a dog collar ? DUH ?! And what I call ' The 3 'P' Brigade' , they Pick it up, Put it down, and P*ss off !! Or, parents not teaching their sticky fingered kids one simple rule, " DON'T TOUCH !! sometimes the parents are worse. And, the other ' con' is Mother Nature, you're at the mercy of the elements , unless we're inside. But we do go prepared for any contingency , and keep a close eye on weather reports & radars ** I went into town yesterday and came back with 6 jobs, and I only went to get a newspaper and a few beers HS

Bingo !! I've seen these marketing schemes ( scams) advertised late on TV at times, but like FredK said, the only ones making any money are the ones selling it , with gullible people that paid to look at screens with fancy grids & graphs with some twit with a stick pointing at them . As for pyramid scams, ( selling cleaning products...have a guess?) sheesh, some bloke tried to get me into one about 30 years ago. At the start, his hand shake was warm , happy, full of smiles, very greeting, enthusiastic. The pro mo video he showed was fast fancy cars, fancy mansions, wealth galore etc. but when I figured out what it was in about a minute, and I refused, his hand shake was cold, loose, and dejected . And besides , the crappy old Toyota parked out the front was a bit of a giveaway . If it was that successful , he'd have nice Merc or Beemer . HS

G'Day, @Anndreak Everything I say here is for Australia , and won't apply to you. Setting up a small business for myself , although daunting ( at the same time exciting) , was easier than I thought, but I am a sole trader, work for myself and have no employees . But I did get help and a lot of advice from professionals . I also did a business course** . When I registered as a business, I had to apply for an ' ABN' Australian Business Number' . Here in Oz, anyone in any type of business or trade has to have one. We simply can't buy & sell, trade ( legally) without it. Registered tradies can't work without it . It allows me purchase stock supplies etc. wholesale. But we have this crazy taxation system called ' GST ' in Australia, ' Goods & Services Tax ' . 10% GST is added to everything, from a new car to a .... new ....can of soft drink, to the hides I buy, even on some S/H goods . It can be a mine field of confusion, it was controversial when it was introduced, still is. It scared the hell out of me and nearly put me right off. But with help, I got my head around it, sort of. All I can say Anndreak , is, get help, don't go doing it by yourself , and don't be discouraged , despite how confusing or daunting it may be . If your heart is set on going into business, you go for it . If you want something bad enough, you'll do it. ** I hate Excel , always have, always will, and will never use it again HS

My wholesaler where I get my hides from , just gives me off cuts of sheep skin, but its up to me to trim them to size, trim all the excess ' fluffy bits' off . Also, sometimes people just give me....stuff ( " he's the local leather worker...give it to him" kinda thing, a good excuse to of load their shite me thinks ?) , some of which was a box of sheep skin scraps, some are totally useless and go in the bin, but I do sometimes find some 'usable' pieces. HS

Yup, I see it . I've done that with phone cases, like a ' one piece' case .

G'Day, Not sure if this is of any help, but I had a similar problem when I didn't have the plate lined up properly . It only needed to be out by a tiny bit for the needle to strike the plate. I now have pen marks on the plate so I can line it up perfectly every time I service the machine. This may not be relevant, but if the needle is just slightly blunt, it doesn't pick up the thread properly, and the machine makes an odd sound...and I have a bead of sweat rolling down the side of my face . Wouldn't have thought something so small would effect such a brute of a machine. HS

G'Day, My Seiko is almost the same as yours ( STW 28B, I use single needle) , and it does the very same thing, the reverse stitches are nearly half the length than the forward stitches, why ?? I just put up with it . Apart from that ' lil' mystery' , it works great ,and I don't want to mess with it while its working just fine. HS

I just put ' contact adhesive uk' ( not contact cement) in the engine thingy, clicked on 'images' and quite a few brands came up. Here in Oz, I use ' Parfix, , or 'Selleys Kwik Grip' adhesive , both do the same job but Parfix is cheaper. If it gets a bit ' gluggy' in the tin from constantly opening the tin , I use toluene to thin it out, so it lasts longer, and so does my $$ It gets ex$y to throw away the dregs at the bottom of the tin. Hope this also helps HS