kgg

@Constabulary I really enjoyed those video's. A bygone time when there was pride in workmanship right down to the making of needles. Notice the overhead drive system for the lathes etc. kgg

I would suggest taking a sample, like a leg of a pant and going to a dealer to test what machine would work best. kgg

In the video you referenced. i) They are using some sort of adhesive probably double sided basting tape as noted by them pounding the patch onto the jeans and the roll of 1/2" wide basting tape on the table. ii) The patches appear to be 2 oz chrome tan. ii) The sewing machine appears to be a flatbed drop feed Juki DDL-8700 H with a Teflon presser foot. iii) The thread appears to be V69 or V92 but the photo's appear to be V92 or V138. The Juki DDL-8700 can only take V69 max and the DDL-8700H can take V138 max. iv) The needle system of the Juki DDL 8700H uses the DBx1 needle system up to size #18 (110) needle for V69 and for thread above V69 uses a needle system 134. v) as seen in the later part of the video they have to crunch up the jeans to sew the patch in place which is what you would expect for a flatbed machine. I would Not recommend the Juki DNU-1541 even though it is a really good triple feed Japanese made machine for a few reasons. i) the hole in the feed dog is very large and has a tendency to suck thinner materials down into the needle plate. ii) absolutely hates thinner materials that is why I also have a Juki DU-1181N to cover off the thin stuff. I would recommend if you are only planning on sewing flat items like a wallet / belts get a flatbed. If you are going to sew items that are circular like pant legs get a cylinder arm with a flatbed attachments like a Juki LS-1341 or clone. Most people go with a clone machine as a Juki LS-1341 will cost north of $5000 while a clone will run about $2500. kgg

I think more people have gone from tobacco to vaping as the prices for cigarettes and other tobacco products are crazy. A pack of 20 cigarettes in Ontario is now roughly $20 CAD. After 50 years of smoking I gave up my 4 pack a day habit about 7 years ago. To keep myself sort of sane I now vape to my hearts content for about $30 a month. kgg

Hope it helps and I would be interested in knowing how it works out. kgg

I have used Angelus dye and it is an excellent product just to expensive to use on a regular basis. I mostly use Fiebing's dye with good results. The econo leathers I think tend to be a bit drier then the more expensive ones. I also don't use NFO oil for many reasons and prefer JoJoba oil as it is the closest you can get to sperm whale oil. I oil first before applying any dye and let sit for 24 hours to soak in and spread out opening the fibres of the leather. This link to a topic maybe of some help or give you some ideas on your dying process. kgg

Interesting I have never seen a Singer 45k or 46k that was a flatbed before. The machine mounted clutch system was probably setup so the machine could be driven from a ceiling or wall mounted main drive system that powered more then one machine in a factory setting. kgg

My take: i) The CB3200 is a class 441 machine. The needle will put a huge hole in your item. The needle diameter as that of 2 1/2 " finishing nail. ii) The price is not a great deal as you can get a brand new one for a couple hundred more. iii) Thirdly, it is made for heavier items like holsters. For your projects that you listed the one machine that would be close to a "jacket of all trades" would be a Class 341 / 1341 machine like a Juki LS-1341 or clone like a Cowboy CB341 or a Cobra Class 26 with a table top attachment. kgg

I enjoyed the video. kgg

According to the parts manual there are two screws (position and a set screw) holding the handwheel on. Parts manual reference ( https://southstarsupply.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Singer-211G165-G166-G265-G266.pdf ). I would remove both and put a couple drops of diesel in each hole and let sit for a few hours before trying to remove the handwheel. You may have to use a wheel puller and a hammer to move the handwheel back and forth as it maybe seized onto the shaft once you remove those screws. Getting those screws will also be difficult to remove. With all that work done and the new needle positioner install the question remains why do you want / need to install the needle positioner??? kgg

I use good fashion contact cement. I don't think the brand name really matters much. What I have found that bests works for me and gives me the best holding is to apply one coat on the flesh (fuzzy) side of the pieces, let dry then add a second coat until dry (about 10 -15 minutes), mate the two pieces, use a roller to evenly press the pieces together, clamp or weight down the pieces and let sit for 12-24 hours. My theory is the first coat of contact cement sinks into the fibres and binds them together. The second coat holds both surfaces permanently together. I have found sometimes with only one coat of contact cement the two pieces can be pulled apart. kgg

Glad you got a machine. Now you are going to have to learn the "poor mans reverse". Three stitches forward, turn the material 180 degrees, sew three stitches, turn the material back 180 degrees and do your seam. Rinse and repeat at the end of your seam. This method will lock your seam at the beginning and at the end. kgg

What size of thread are you trying to use??? The max size of needle ( #18 / 110 ) in the manual indicates it could handle maybe V69. Even through the machine could handle the same thickness of fabric when you are dealing with any type of leather or thickness the machine is going to struggle. In a nut shell this is the Wrong machine that was made / designed for fabric. kgg

I have seen something similar while wet forming on some hides not all, cost effective 2/3 and 4/5 oz veg tan leather and not from Tandy. It has appeared as dots or small lines. I figured it was fat appearing but this topic caused me to do an AI search related to the Tandy Econo and probably applies to other suppliers the results were: i) "The milky substance rising from Tandy's Econo Veg Tan leather while casing is likely natural oils and tannins leaching out of the leather as it deeply hydrates. Casing involves thoroughly wetting the vegetable-tanned leather so the water penetrates evenly through the fibers, which can draw out waxes, fats, and residual tanning materials causing a cloudy or milky appearance on the surface. This is more common in economy grades like Econo Veg Tan because they may have more natural variations and less refined finishing compared to higher-grade leathers." ii) The regions most commonly associated with these Econo vegetable-tanned hides are South America—especially Brazil and surrounding countries—and in some cases Asia, depending on availability and market supply. These regions are major global suppliers of cattle hides used in mass-market leather production, which matches Tandy's focus on affordable, large-batch material for their Econo line. @chuck123wapati I agree Not helpful. Could have been worded a little differently. kgg

Like @Dwight and @AlZilla have said break it up into various pieces. Check and see what the items can be purchased for new and ask fair reduced price. I think you would have to take a lot less selling them as one big lot. Someone maybe interested in leather while others may want needles and thread or tools. I have in the past bought bulk lots but got them for a real cheap price and then sold off the items that I didn't want for a profit. kgg

Nicely done I like the collars a real labour of love. The only word of caution is for the more powerful dogs that the dead ending of the rope lead at the clip where the leather folds through the ring of the clip and being secured to the lead by thread is a real weak point. I have seen a lot of that style fail due the leather weakness, wear of the leather, leather rot and thread failure particularly the inexpensive leads. Nothing worst then pulling back on the lead and the dog is gone leaving the owner holding a pretty lead. Since I deal with a wide range of customer breeds I have to be sure that no matter the breed the lead will not fail. To that end for nylon / polyester leads I pull back a couple internal core strands of the rope for about 4-6" (100-150mm), thread the end through the "O" ring, heat compress and melt two #9 copper rivets through. Then I install burrs and cover the end using shrink tubing to cover the end. The shrink tubing helps protect the rope from the dogs that like to chew at the clip. I do the same thing for kennel quick leads ranging in length from 4' to 8' (1.2m to 2.4m). The funny thing is I have a husband and wife who I made a 6' (1.8m) rope lead for the husband and a 4' (1.2m) leather lead for the lady. The dog loves to chew on the point where the clip attaches to the rope and never touches the leather lead. I had to install a extra layer of shrink wrap to protect the rope lead. kgg

The design is a pretty simple one but personally I would check what products are designed to meet the safety standards related to fire clothing and equipment before applying anything. I am sure their are standards to cover-off any and all things a fire fighter has on their bodies. Also ensure the leather thickness and sewing thread meets those standards. This for me work be a project best left to those certified and insured to do that type of work. kgg

Thank you. The thickness from the head to the base of the Chicago screw including the silicone washers and the wallets leather is a touch over 1/4" at 0.2814961" or 7.15mm. Personally I like 6 stitches to the inch. kgg

Thank you. If we all had the same taste we would all still be driving black model T's. kgg

@PastorBob I use a lower profile stainless steel money clip that I drill a hole in so I can put a Chicago screw or copper rivet through to hold it to the wallet. I have one on wallet that is about 4 years old and no problems. kgg

Looks good. If you can find a Singer patcher treadle stand I bet it would fit perfectly. kgg

Nicely done. I do like the rod drive verses the square tube drive. I am going to assume you made the base larger on the new one as you had the metal hanging around. kgg

Presser for wheels are generally used on bottom feed machines like post bed machines. An example would be the Techsew 810. They will not work on a walking foot or a compound feed machine, the Techsew 5100. kgg

I decided to replace my current veg tan fold-over wallet. Not because it failed but didn't like how the copper rivets held up over the last 4 years. This was done over the last few days and will be my daily wallet which lives in my front pants pocket. I keep my wallet pretty basic, drivers licence, credit card, health card, dental card and cash. How I done it: i) Leather used was 4/5 oz natural veg tan. ii) The raw veg tan leather was airbrushed with 100% pure organic JOJOBA oil with no dilution at 34 psi on the exterior first and sat for 24 hours. iii) The oiled veg tan leather was airbrushed with OX Blood at a 50/50 dilution of dye at 34psi iv) The wallet pattern was cut, the cutout for the credit card was cutout and the fold over glued using LePages Heavy Duty Contact Cement. Let it sit for 24 hours under clamp compression. v) The wallet was cut to final dimensions, Chicago screws and corners were punched. vii) The interior was airbrushed with JoJoba oil let to sit for about an hour. viii) The interior was airbrushed with OX Blood at a 50/50 dilution of dye and sat for 24 hous. ix) The stitching in the credit card section was done with V138 bonded nylon using a Juki LS-341 clone with a 3D printed table top attachment x) The Chicago screws were installed in the credit card and the money clip. xi) The raw edges dyed I got to touch up a couple parts on the corners and add another coat of oil to exterior.

In a nut shell don't walk away, run away from the portable walking foot machines. This is a poor cousin clone of the Sailrite LS. There has been a lot of discussion and their pitfalls on this style of walking foot machines. IMHO the three biggest cons are: i) it will sew approximately 1/8" thick material, ii) as the thickness of what is being sewn the stitch length will decrease iii) max thread size is V92 and the list go's on and on. kgg