kgg

Some AI notes on Jojoba oil and Neatsfoot oil. Jojoba oil is chemically nearly identical to the sperm whale. Jojoba oil is a liquid wax ester that closely resembles human sebum. It penetrates leather fibers well, moisturizes deeply, and is less likely to darken leather or cause discoloration. It is also stable, won't go rancid, and is hypoallergenic. It is often recommended for delicate leather items and is favored for leaving a natural feel without heavy saturation. However, it is more expensive and can be harder to apply evenly without over-saturating the leather. Neatsfoot oil is derived from cattle bones and is a traditional, widely used conditioner for rugged and outdoor leather items like boots and saddles. It penetrates deeply and restores suppleness and flexibility to leather. However, it can darken leather significantly and may turn rancid if over-applied, which can negatively affect the leather and its stitching over time. It is suitable for thicker, durable leathers but needs cautious use. Neatsfoot oil is still commonly used for leather boots, saddles, and outdoor gear. It deeply conditions but may soften or darken lighter leathers over time and must be used in moderation to prevent damage to stitching. kgg

The following is long and my experience for dying, oiling leather. My journey to airbrushing and the cost of a small setup not including a spray booth. How I got here: i) Tried the dabber method I could not get consistent results from one piece to another and used to much dye. ii) Tried the dipping method got consistent results just never liked what it done to veg tan leather or the end result. iii) Tried the brushing method getting consistent results were difficult. iv) Tried the continuous spray bottle that women use for misting hair but typically gave a spotty coverage. The spray bottle was large, clumsy and awkward to use. v) Tried the small cordless airbrush which was a dual action airbrush. It did work but was under powered pressure wise, clumsy and awkward to use due to it's battery pack size. I have used a single action Pasache airbrush in the past with a real compressor and it worked perfectly. The pro to a real air compressor is all the reserve air capacity while the drawback particularly indoors is the noise of the compressor motor. To that end I purchased off Amazon.ca two cheap single action airbrushes ($40 CAD), nylon braided 6' hose ($28 CAD), 10 pack of 60 degree down angle glass bottles ($30 CAD), three way outlet splitter ($10 CAD) and a small airbrush compressor with a 3 litre reserve air tank ($106 CAD ) for a total of $214 CAD. The reason for: i) Airbrushes: The simplicity of the single action airbrush vs the dual action airbrush. Insert the bottle of mixed dye and thinner (50/50) to the airbrush, push the down on the "go" button, set the nozzle spray and you are good to go. As a note I use 100% pure organic JOJOBA oil and the airbrushes will apply it without dilution. I like JOJOBA oil as it is almost identical to sperm whale oil. ii) Hose: The air hoses that came with the Amazon airbrushes, to be kind, were absolutely terrible. They are made of plastic tubing with poor end fittings that leaked. iii) Compressor: The airbrush compressor is almost silent, had a cooling fan, water separator and a 3 litre air reserve tank. iv) Bottles: Pro's: Glass bottles are easier to clean, don't stain like the plastic ones and you can see at a glance how much dye / oil you have left. Also I can mix different dyes, oil and thinner without the worry of any cross contamination. Con's: Getting 60° angle down angle adaptor lids with rubber seals, spout covers and 22 cc (3/4 oz) glass bottles for single action airbrushes can be either difficult or expensive ($6 - $10 CAD each). v) Outlet Splitter: Simply convenience. The three way splitter with three separate shutoff valves makes it so easy to change between airbrushes. Personalization: The setup was still lacking for my needs. It needed: i) an airbrush storage holder and I'm to cheap to buy one that fitted over the Pressure Regulator at $30 CAD ii) a dye shaker to prevent any die/thinner separation. So me being me I designed a very simple one and 3D printed it. The holder mounts on top of the ON/OFF electrical box, install 3mm high density rubber in the bottom of the holders and was dirt cheap to make. When the compressor motor kicks in the airbrushes and or bottles vibrate slightly. Conclusion: What I have found is that airbrushing for dying and oiling uses considerably less fluid then any of the other methods that I have tried and gives more consistent, repeatable results. As a note I use JOJOBA All comments are appreciated. What are your thoughts??? kgg

You really looking at compound feed machines (needle/feed dog/presser foot) move the material along which the machines you have mentioned are. For flat items, think of wallets/belts, are best done on a flatbed machine like a brand name Juki DNU-1541S or a clone which the Consew RB is and both are able to handle up to 3/8" thick material. For round items like bags, seats a cylinder arm machine is a much better choice like a brand name Juki LS-1341 or a clone and able to handle up to 7/16" thick material. . You can sorta kinda turn a cylinder arm into a flatbed machine by installing a table top attachment but you can not turn a flatbed into a cylinder arm machine. The cost of brand name machines like Juki can be expensive that is why a lot of people go with clone machines like Consew, Cowboy, Cobra to name a few. There are quite a few clones available at various price points, just depends on how deep your pockets are.

Here is a link to my experience with re-dying shoes. It may help, maybe not but it may give you some ideas. kgg

Your needle is probably to small for the T135 (V138) thread in thick/grabby leather. You should try using a #24 needle. Here is a link to a good thread size vs needle size chart: ( https://www.tolindsewmach.com/thread-chart.html ). kgg

First off it really depends on what you want to sew. Which is ??? Keep in mind i) the machine could date back to the mid 1930's and with all PFAFF machines parts can be expensive if available. ii) Chances are it has a clutch motor which really needs to be replace with a servo motor and that will cost about an additional $200 USD. Personally I would not consider paying a $1000 USD plus $200 for a motor for a machine that old. If you tell us what items you want to sew there are better options available. kgg

Have you complained to the seller / vendor as they may not be aware of the rancid problem??? kgg

I watched your video and here is my two cents worth. i) When you started you did not hold the thread properly to prevent thread movement (Top and Bobbin) like you did at the 5:54 mark. ii) At the 3.10 mark you can see the top thread (black thread) gets pulled in slightly which is causing a slack in the top thread and causing a jam at the 3:20 mark. iii) You did not back stitch after three stitches to lock the thread before starting your seam. iv) When you finish the seam you are not back stitching to lock the thread. v) With a thin piece of material like what you are using in the video there is almost not space to bury the bobbin thread knot in the material particularly with thicker thread and vinyl is a sticky material as far as the thread is concerned and will want to catch on the sides of the hole the needle makes. Keep in mind for every hole of each stitch you have the thickness of three threads (top thread and the two halves of the bobbin loop). vi) When finishing the seam and after back stitching try hand wheeling the needle up to the point where the tension disc release before removing the material. What size of needle are you using???? What size of thread??? kgg

To me it is like the old singer screw threads and the Juki screw threads being their own design. I would go to a machinist and have them determine the thread size and possible solution. It appears that they want people to buy their accessories with their thread configuration and hope no one does a conversion adapter so cheaper alternatives could be used. kgg

A couple of questions: i) What are you trying to sew?? Leather or fabric and how thick?? ii) What size of thread are you using as a top thread?? iii) What size of thread in the bobbin?? A few photo's of the top threading from the thread spool to the eye of the needle would really be helpful in narrowing the problem down. Assuming your hook to needle timing is correct check i) incorrect threading ii) damaged bobbin case iii) faulty bobbin or installed backwards iv) improper tension settings bobbin and top thread v) needle bent vi) wrong system needle. 135 X 17 X needle size is for fabric and 135 X 16 X needle size is for leather, vii) wrong size of needle vs thread size viii) dull or bent bent needle ix) debris buildup in or under the bobbin area. x) threads (bobbin and top thread) not being held for the first few stitches before being back stitched and locked. kgg

The Singer 66 and 99 are domestic sewing machines. I wouldn't waste my time or money on trying to sew the veg tan to a hair on cowhide. What size of thread are you planning on using and how thick in total (veg tan plus the hair on cowhide) be?? kgg

I would suggest a couple more photo's with no thread in the needle, the needle plate removed showing the position of the needle as the hook enters the Scarf ( indentation / cutout ) of the needle to catch the top thread. If the hook to needle timing is off you will get skipped stitches. kgg

What country are you in?? A link to where you bought it would be helpful so someone else doesn't buy it by mistake. kgg

My way would be: i) Oil ii) Dye iii) Oil What I would do is: i) oil the leather as evenly as possible and let it rest for 24 hrs or so to get absorbed evenly. ii) Mix the dye with 50 % thinner and 50 % dye as a good starting point. I use 99% Rubbing Alcohol with Fiebing's Dye iii) Airbrush the dye on in thin coats to get an even coating and let sit for 24 hrs. iv) Oil again Note: i) I am not sure how mink oil will work as I don't use it so you should experiment on some scrape first. ii) If you have some black dye and want to darken the Angelus Ox Blood up a shape or two try adding about 2 to 5 % Black to the dye mix before adding thinner. Once again experiment on some scrape first. kgg

I agree the only thing I do different is I use 100 % pure organic JOJOBA oil first then dye then re-oil. I have gotten away from using a dabber, sponge, brush and dipping for the dying process and have converted to airbrushing when dying. I am also experimenting with airbrushing the JOJOBA oil. You may have some success with heating the Red shoe polish with a hair dryer to get it to suck into the leather and then apply the mink oil. I haven't tried this myself so I don't know if it will work. kgg