PJ234

Thanks for the feedback

I'm thinking the 15 may be a clone? Doesn't look quite right to be a Singer based upon my research so far.

After buying the first machine, I continued looking around to see if I could find what I came for. I did not, but literally buried in a booth I saw this 31-15 head peeking out. I unearthed it, and found it to be much larger and heavier than the first machine (wasn't familiar with the model) A quick internet search revealed it might be a good choice for leather sewing, and a quick search on eBay indicated it might be worth some decent money, so off I went to pay for it. $22 plus tax. It has an odd binding when turning the wheel...when sitting upright, the wheel will not turn through a full cycle. At first, I assumed something underneath was hitting the floor, but this did not seem to be the case because the bind continued when tilted free of the floor. However, when laid completely on it's side, the binding is gone and it will turn through a complete cycle. Any thoughts on what this might be? Same as above...haven't torn into it or started researching it, but would welcome any thoughts or observations of obvious issues or missing parts. Also, would this machine be a good candidate for actually adding a servo motor to? I'm assuming it would be much more capable than the other machine, as it's much heavier and significantly larger, but that's just an assumption. Thanks in advance for any advice on either machine. PS this one dates to 1910 if the online dating info is correct.

Went to the local antique mall today looking for a Singer 27 or 127 to sew inlay material to knife sheath front panels, and perhaps other thin material projects such as wallets, etc. (probably by hand wheeling the machine, light thread.) I didn't find either of those machines, but went into a booth that was being worked on by its owners. They asked what I was looking for, and they pulled out this old beat up Singer that was missing parts, etc. I started to leave when the price started at $30, and was eventually lured back in when it dropped to $10. I believe this is a 15-90 but doesn't exactly match photos I've found online...can anyone help confirm this? Also, the serial number appears to start with a Z, but the online sources I checked for dating Singer's don't even have any listings for Z serial numbers? I haven't begun to tear into the machine yet or research missing parts, but if anyone wants to point out any problems or obvious missing parts, please feel free. It turns freely via the wheel, although sounds like it needs at a minimum a good oiling and/or greasing. What is the purpose of this style of presser foot, by the way?

Yessir No sir, all the same. The differences in stitch appearance are before and after troubleshooting my machine with Tippmann, and the color differences are due to dyeing. I've always dyed at the very end in the leather work I've done up to this point...this time I was experimenting with dyeing in-process. Here is the finished product:

Complete now. Going to test it out to see how it works, and then make a new one with any needed changes (and hopefully fewer mistakes!)

Good idea JLS...thanks again for everything!

Thank you

Just need to put on some belt loops and the finishing touches; hopefully the next one will be a bit more refined. Thanks again very much for the help JLS!

Its a Tippmann Aerostitch which I acquired in a state of,neglect. Of course, it seemed to work fine on a couple of short test runs before I bought it, and has run pretty well on practice scraps too, but chokes on real stuff. I'm diagnosing several leaks currently with the help of a Tippmann, and will likely be replacing a few parts. Would have loved to have gotten a nice electric machine, but can neither justify or afford one.

Ok, thanks for the additional advice. That's extremely generous of you to offer to send some leather, but not at all necessary...I have more than you could shake a stick at already! This is for a government model 1911. This one is a test/prototype/learning experience full of mistakes and missteps, many of them related to trying to stitch it on my new-to-me malfunctioning sewing machine. Too many new operations attempted (first wrap around reinforcement, first exotic overlay, first time using sewing machine) on a single project, but I'm blundering ahead regardless ;-)

Do you mean next time don't open it all the way flat? Yes, I could still sew the reinforcement if it was curved...guess I just did it that way not knowing any better (although I did wet it well before opening to try to reduce or eliminate wrinkles.)

Thanks for the other link JLS! Something about your approach speaks to me for whatever reason, but maybe I"ll try that one next time to see the differences. I'm part way through with your method and finding this to be an interesting new challenge. I'm almost ready to stitch on the reinforcement panel, but my new-to-me sewing machine is giving me fits, so I'll either have to hand stitch it or wait until I get the machine going again.

Thanks much for the video, Tom! It looks like he used the second method I tried, but I'm not sure how to locate and line everything up after the turn since at that point both foot and needle are off the work. There are several variations of the Aerostitch and unfortunately mine has neither reverse nor the needle positioning feature shown in the video. I need to call Tippmann anyway regarding several problems that I need to address, so I'll add this to my long list of questions.

That is what gave me a missed last stitch and a 45 degree stitch line after the turn. Unless there's something wrong with it or I don't know how to work it properly, the Aerostitch is kind of an on or off affair...needle is either all the way up or all the way down. Same goes for the presser foot. Am I missing something?

I recently acquired a neglected Aerostitch, though I don't believe that is the issue. I can't figure out how to make a turn without it missing last stitch and making a 45 degree stitch instead. The only ways I can think of trying are 1) stopping with the needle down, raising the foot and rotating the work or 2) stopping with the needle up (or raising the needle with the needle lifting valve switch). The former gives a 45 degree missed stitch, the latter has potential except with both needle and foot raised, there's nothing accurately locating the work. Does anyone know the secret to accomplishing this simple operation?

Aha...now it makes sense! JLS, I can't tell you how much I appreciate you going to all this effort to create drawings to go along with the instructions! Thank you again kind sir!

Thanks much for the replies! I have made a few holsters so know the general process overall, but not how and when to attach the stiffening piece. If it were a standard pancake, I'd just mark the stitch lines, glue it up, then stitch, etc I just can't seem to wrap my head around how and when to do the additional parts JLS, can you explain what you meant by 'sew the butt joint together '? Do you glue any parts together prior to stitching on the stiffening piece? Thanks again, and sorry if I'm being dense.

I'm attempting to make a Versamax-esque IWB rig, and I'm a bit stumped as to how to go about constructing it. Specifically the wrap around panel with the semi detached front loop 'wing'. Does anyone have a tutorial, link to a video, or perhaps just some advice as to how to approach this? Thanks in advance for any help!

Thanks for all of the replies! Yes, both tools are indeed from Tandy and I did not realize they could be causing me problems. I will say the basketweave seems to work fine with shallow impressions, but when I made them deep is when things seemed to go 'pear-shaped'. I do also try to hold the stamp firmly in place during striking...in fact, I wondered if that might be causing it to bounce but that sounds like the correct way to do it. The border stamp was done after the weave stamp also but in some cases over the weave stamp. When I get near the border, I angle the stamp back to get just a partial impression so as to not get outside of the border, but I do not make an effort to stay completely out of the area where the border stamp will go (ie, the border stamp frequently goes on top of the weave stamp.) Do I understand from your comments that this is incorrect technique, and that I should not stamp the weave at all where the camo stamp will go? If so, do you stamp the border first? Thanks for the input!

I'm having trouble keeping my basketweave stamping aligned properly and I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. Can anyone help troubleshoot by looking at these photos?The leather is Wickett & Craig 7/8 oz shoulder, which seems to take the tooling much differently than the Tandy leather that I had before. The left side was done first, and it was probably too wet which could be at least part of the problem. I also made the impressions nice and deep, and this gave me problems trying to line up the stamp in the previous mark because of the differences in height between stamped and unstamped areas (if that makes sense.)The right side was allowed to dry to a more properly 'cased' condition before stamping, and I also first went over it lightly to try to keep everything straight and aligned, but when I went back over it the second time to make the impressions deeper, I had the same problems with overlapping and/or underlapping (is that a word???) impressions.One more thing is the border camoflage stamp...some of the half circle portions of the stamp have a line or cut in them. Is the stamp perhaps bouncing and causing this to happen?I'd appreciate and value anyone's suggestions on what I may be doing wrong!

Nick, that stitching horse looks great for sewing belts...thanks for sharing your idea! I may have to make one of those at some point.

Thanks for the feedback! Tac, I agree it is marginal in the trigger area and I would prefer more coverage. I've had it happen twice now where the gun did not seat quite as deeply as I had intended during pattern construction, so I will have to allow some more margin in that area in the future.

Thanks for all the responses! I use a diamond punch for making the holes (I've tried an awl and I've tried drilling, and the punch works best for me at this point.) I'll probably give it a try if my hide is big enough (I'm your typical pear shaped American!) and take it to a shop to machine sew if it becomes overwhelming. I've got lots of time (and little money) so I'm not worried about the time aspect as much as how to wrestle 30 ft. of thread. I don't have that particular Stohlman book but I have seen it before. Perhaps I'll pick it up next time.

I'm a newbie hobby leather maker, having made maybe 6 knife sheaths and 4 or 5 handgun holsters so far. I thought I would post pics of my 2 most recent holsters and see if anyone had any critiques or suggestions for improvement to offer. This was my third try at holster making, a generic belt slide for a Glock that I made to use for IDPA. At this point, I hadn't yet figured out how to get crisp details via hand boning: This was my fourth try, and this time I figured out through some trial and error how to actually get some detail, so it's not perfect by I think I have the right idea now. It seems a holster press would help in the hole moulding process, so perhaps I'll try to make one down the road: Both are made from Tandy mystery hide, dyed with Fiebings Pro black and sealed with Tandy Satin Sheen top coat. I'm now pretty much through the Tandy leather I originally bought and ready to get into the Wickett and Craig shoulders I have waiting patiently. Thanks for any tips or feedback!