RhodesAveDesigns

Hey, everybody who's written a reply earlier tonight.... I will read through each post later today, so I can post some cognizant replies/ acknowledgements/ etc. Not long after posting earlier (yesterday), I left to drive to the Detroit area to pick up a load of leather ('cause I really do have *it* bad). It was perfectly bad timing, as the east side of the state got hit pretty hard, with quite a bit more snow than originally forecast, and, it seems, not much of a salt or snow plow plan, then the drive home was into a new lake-effect front. So a round trip of about 4 1/2 hrs took nearly twice as long, much of which was truly white-knuckle driving. I'm grateful that both I & my car are still intact, given the number of accidents, slide-offs, etc., I passed (very, very slowly). I swear my life doesn't usually involve nearly this much drama. Quickly, I can add that the machine is "temporarily" mounted on a vintage Singer table (the original, military-issue table "belonging" to a very temperamental Singer 111w153), and is connected to a Family Sew servo I purchased from Cowboy Bob back in September. Ideally a speed-reducer set-up will follow, using my BIL and his access to spare/ "extra" industrial components, 'cause he was pretty shocked when I showed him the retail $$ and the components of a speed-reducer set-up. I may 'never' get the table the machine was originally photographed on, but I already have one of the sort-of-awful green industrial tabletops I can mount it on if needed, when Singer's issues get addressed. At which point, another Family Sew servo would get ordered & installed. The original Singer motor was 220v, so I never had the *fun* of trying to control a vintage clutch motor. - Elizabeth

Sorry for the delay in updating, the wounds on my fingers/hand (dominant) weren't closed enough to use/flex properly. I'm hoping tonight/tomorrow will be better. Gregg, thanks for the info, everything I've seen so far seems pretty good. I do wonder of there isn't a better v-belt set-up, something maybe to provide a bit more tension, but with some give? My BIL can't come take a look for a while, if anyone has used something different/better? - Elizabeth

Sorry for the delay. My cuts were a bit worse than I originally thought, and my blood is pretty thin. All the "excitement" tonight has really stressed my dogs out, they absolutely hate schedule changes, moving furniture, and anything "not right" with me. So I will have to wait to "play" until tomorrow. I have taken a series of pictures, including a full photo, the manufacturer plate, pics of the machine pulley & v-belt, the bobbin case and hook. I created a photo collage, which should have resized the photos. The machine is a gear-driven, compound-feed walking foot with reverse, with a small/ standard bobbin and a vertical hook. All the specs and visuals point to it being a Seiko STH-8BL clone. The previous owner gave it away/ gave up on it (after having acquired it from a local manufacturing company liquidation) because it needed a new v-belt, and he was "stuck" on the idea he needed a very, very narrow v-belt that would fit tight down in the 1/4" pulley groove (such a thing wouldn't have fit very well in the original clutch motor pulley). According to my BIL, such narrow belts exist, but would need to be specially ordered (with accompanying wait time)... and I would potentially need to install a new, narrow pulley on my servo. Which is why, knowing I've seen plenty of pictures of similar machines, which seem to work without crazy complicated setups, I tried the v-belt I already have on my servo, a Mitsubishi v-belt I purchased at Ace Hardware for $7.99. And it seems to work Ok.... Tomorrow I will see about actually sewing with it, as-is. And I will be sure to share the process, and additional questions/ information. After saying a few more prayers of thanks and gratitude.

Sorry, I have to figure out how to resize the pics on my phone/tablet. Anything in particular you would like me to photograph? In case anyone is thinking my life is all rainbows and unicorns, I just finished cleaning up a combination of dog vomit and blood- my dogs ate too much snow during an intense game of herding/chase, & as I cleaned it up, I sliced my hand in 2 places on the edge of their placemat. Hopefully that's all the universe has to offer to restore "balance"... I may not leave the house for a while.

Nice! Bob won't steer you wrong....

Alright, we all may be witnessing a minor holiday miracle. Managed to get the machine here, and set it on my vintage Singer table. Called my brother-in-law about a belt; the seller was obsessed with it *needing* a belt that fit down in the narrow wheel well and my BIL has a few suggestions. Got it wiped down, dusted, and oiled. Decided "for fun" to try the standard 3L Mitsubishi v-belt I have been using on the Singer (which has issues I will deal with once the semester's over, along with other things, when I have more patience)... and it worked!?!? It's probably not ideal, but there is enough of a fit/grip to *go*. So I now have questions, will have even more questions later, BUT, if I don't go fulfill my doggie-mama walk and play-time obligations (that were missed earlier), my dogs are going to go crazy. (Will post pic later, as it needs to be re-sized).

Has anyone heard of/ used/ owned a "Taking" branded sewing machine? An "Industial Sewing M" was posted locally on Craigslist for very little $$, and it's a 'Taking TK-8BL'. Turns out it was listed because the current owner states they can't find a belt for the machine, and they offered it to me for free (I guess they felt guilty actually taking $$ for something they can't vouch for). As I wanted to move quickly, before they changed their mind, without a truck, I'm getting the head to clean up/ figure out the belt situation. My brother-in-law's company creates individualized assembly-line and automated controls for manufacturers, so he has access to belts and parts not readily available to the rest of us. It looks to me like a Consew 206 or Seiko STH-8BLD clone of sorts; the metal label states the company is/was located in Taiwan. There is very, very little info to be found online, so I'm not sure if these machines are of any quality (I understand there would be no comparison to a Durkopp Adler, Pfaff, or Juki, but "free" is hard to argue with). Hopefully I'm not going to have another very heavy/ bulky paper weight. Two available pics, one the listing close-up, the other a screen clip of the specs from Taking Corp. Any info/ input would be appreciated.

A tongue like that is meant to allow you to easily pull the boots on/off with minimal unlacing, as well as offer better protection from the elements, since the tongue is attached on either side fairly high (acting as the "front" of the boot), and is folded back into itself after attaching/ when worn, if that makes any sense. Many boots designated "waterproof" or "water-resitant" are constructed like this (as opposed to a narrow, freestanding boot/shoe tongue. If you are concerned about the boot being too wide, compare the boot circumference to your leg and/or boots you already own; you can calculate the boot's circumference by adding together the measurement under the curved section of the tongue plus the working area of the side x 2. - Elizabeth

If you, or someone, could share the current web address, I think that would be useful, because the campbell-randall .com address doesn't seem to be working as of now (11/28), using either the Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox browsers. At best, Google could show me an archived webpage.

Yeah! What's method is easier to order, phone or email? - Elizabeth

I think I need a machine sourcing agent, one who lives where it's nice and warm most of the year.... and I'll get a trailer. 'Cause you seem to have a knack for finding things I *need* as well (especially vintage machines that work sonewhat properly from the get-go). Great find. - Elizabeth

Hey- Did you ever get hold of some #22 LR needles? I have a good number of DIA and TRI, but can't find LR in anything larger than a #19 or #20 (#21 or #23 would be OK as well, but insane s&h charges aren't). - Elizabeth

Pick a color that never would have passed standards or consistency.... purple, turquoise or green might be attractive, lol. I know those are my current top contenders in my own machine renovation, but I will probably change my mind 300 more times before spring, as I doubt I will try a repaint inside this winter (by then I hope to have @ least 2 machines ready for new color/topcoat). While I somewhat understand the "purists" standpoint, black was chosen mainly due to manufacturing and economic concerns, and if I am going to do all the reno work myself, I may as well choose a "pretty" color. - Elizabeth

That is really, really cool.... I can see why there was a "need". Good/ bad thing it looks like the machine's last owner (with the barn full if machines he will truly need to sell) in Florida, far, far away from me in Michigan, and my own "needs" for more cool stuff. - Elizabeth

I do "3rd" this recommendation, as well- hadn't initially realized this post included a direct link. Bob will talk through your needs, and help determine the best accessories for you, rather than a predetermined "package". That said, make the best decision for you and your needs. If not Bob, depending on your geographic location, a dealer/ shop dedicated to selling and servicing sewing machines will offer far more valuable customer service in the long run than a generalist leather supplier.

Since no one will process, or ship, an order placed over the weekend, you may want to wait until Monday. As Wiz said, PayPal invoices can be created and sent by email by anyone, regardless of whether they have a click-through online shop. Depending on whether you live in the Midwest, or nearer the East coast or the West coast, shipping costs can vary quite a bit. I don't know about you, but possibly spending several hundred dollars extra in freight isn't something I would want to do, ever. In addition, a conversation with a competent dealer will help determine what accessories you may need, including products you may never have thought or heard of.

Honestly, was this response either necessary or at all useful to any other members of this forum? I read this hours ago, and the seemingly crude and unnecessary use of stereotypes to make a post comment has not left me with a particularly "good" feeling about this at all... and I suspect there are others who feel the same. There's enough negativity in this world without using this forum to spread more, IMHO. Most who post here do so in a spirit of comradery and friendship, sharing helpful information (and, often, a good dose of humor). Those are the types of posts and comments I think most members enjoy reading.

There are acid-free papers/ cardboards/ matboards, as well as acid-free tissue paper. Not sure if there isn't a better solution for your situation, just throwing that out there...

So glad to read that you found a machine you will be happy with!

You should first plan to spend some time doing some research, reading through some of the vast amount of information available on this forum, including many, many topics dedicated to beginning leatherwork. Without any knowledge/ information, including specifics regarding *what* you plan to make, there are too many variables to expect anyone to give you adequate assistance. There is a wide range of supplies, with a wide range of price points, with varying degrees of availability depending on where you live; what you need to begin tooling with veg tan is very different than what you may need for a bag or a notebook cover.

You definitely have searching "down", and I give you props for that (I don't think most people try that hard). With that level of diligence, you will definitely find something. I'm sorry about your loss, but glad 2 read about your addition. Mine joined my 12 yr old border collie mix, who finds him a *bit* annoying, yet goes and sleeps next to his crate, and instigates crazy chasing games. He follows her and copies much of what she does, like any little brother, so it's all coming together nicely.

No problem, I understand the frustration. If you haven't, already, get "creative" with your Craigslist searches. In my experience, even though you would *think* searching "sewing machine" would bring up every "sewing machine" post, it doesn't. So, also search "Industrial Sewing Machine", "Commercial Sewing Machine", "Leather Sewing Machine", etc. And look closely at the pictures in different listings (you can get additional information that way), not everyone listing knows how to properly list a product, and may not know anything about the machine they are selling, so they may not list the model/ model number/ machine attributes (this may or may not be a "bad" sign regarding the machine's condition). Definitely have your own needles/ thread/ leather to test with. Like others have said, a dealer machine will be in the "best" possible shape, but other machines/sellers offer buyers other possibilities. Unfortunately, you probably will "pay" with time/ frustration for a bit. I am currently on the lookout for my own cylinder arm "deal"; unfortunately, those I've found so far are either $$$, or in Wisconsin (and only fit the "200 mile" range if you chart it straight across Lake Michigan). I about cried last week when a Pfaff 335 went up for $600, and I'm telling myself it was a dud (it "disappeared" very quickly, hopefully to a good home). P.S. Craigslist has been good to me lately, and I recently added a sweet, devoted, handsome Australian Shepherd to my household, from persons who were physically and mentally abusing him through a combination of outright abuse and a lack of positive attention/ exercise. He and I fell in love instantly, although we are working on his ability to allow me out of his sight for any length of time.

OMG, that is incredible! I WANT it, it is even better than the awesome, pink glitter banana-seat Schwinn from my childhood.

Hey- I was also trying to offer a bit if hope, in that, in my experience, I went from absolutely nothing available somewhat nearby to more than a few, all in the course of weeks/ a couple months. I, too, was frustrated, and thought I might go crazy performing the same search over, and over, and over. Where I am, there isn't anyplace with industrial machines, although local shops specializing in embroidery and quilting machines can order products/supplies they know nothing about (a small vent, in that I prefer to work with knowledgeable companies/ individuals= a big shout-out to Bob at Toledo Industrial). Being more specialized, walking foot machines are definitely more scarce, and usually more expensive, than standard industrial or zig-zag capable machines (leading many to *want* vintage Singer and others to do things they weren't made to do). I know that there are a good number of individuals doing leatherwork in the NW, probably in no small part because of Maverick, Oregon Leather, and other suppliers somewhat nearby. So hopefully an appropriate machine pops up soon. A 6 hr round-trip is definitely a bit much. I can barely move today, after spending 13 hrs driving yesterday.

I wish I was closer. Do you have any Rampart edgers/ hand tools? I love my vintage Rampart edger, I know they aren't considered all that valuable, but it works so nicely for me. Or any vintage Osborne or Dixon edgers with "western" or v-type "common" heads? I have problems with most of the new-ish styles. You can DM me, if you want. - Elizabeth