kgg

Yes. As expected the dark cherry shoes dried out with Angelus dye. Its a powdered pigment based dye and is very hard on the leather. Even though there is less pigment in the bottle it also takes 12hrs or more to dry to the touch vs. dry to the touch in minutes and (basically) fully dry in a couple hours w/ Saphir. With that said Angelus is still better and results in a more supple leather than Rit-Dye which goes stiff as a board hard. Basically if Rite Dye is a 10 on hardness scale, Angelus is like a 7 and Saphir is like a 3 (Fiebings Pro is pretty much a 3 to 4). No. Also as expected when the saphire teinture was used on the the leather there was no major / noticeable difference in the flexibility of the leather. Saphir also is a powdered pigment based dye, but somewhat like Fiebings Pro 'oil based' Dye they first add the pigment to an oil, then add the colored oil to the Ethel alcohol carrier. Its a lot easier on the leather and dyes much better with a cleaner less splotchy end result. However, you still have to add an oil back into the leather at the end as they all dry out the leather. I personally prefer a jojoba oil (as close to old school sperm whale oil as you can get) + shea butter (via Saphir dye cream), then mink (to seal), then either beeswax or 'shoe polish' + carnuba wax finisher for polish. I should have added the process for the Process for the Dark Cherry shoes. Process for the Dark Cherry Shoes: 1 Coat Saphir Teinture Francaise Red 6cc + Saphir Teinture Francaise Bordeaux 3cc + 3cc 99precent rubbing alcohol Then immediately followed by 1 Coat Saphir Red 6cc + Saphir Bordeaux 6cc + 3cc 99precent rubbing alcohol Let dry in sun while doing this to other shoe Then 1 Coat Saphir Red 3cc + Saphir Bordeaux 9cc + 3cc 99precent rubbing alcohol Then immediately followed by 1 Coat Saphir Bordeaux 12cc This was a little too light for my tastes so added a fifth coat of Angelus WineTone 6cc + 12cc rubbing alcohol The high amount of rubbing alcohol, combined with powdered pigment allowed the fluid to hit and spread out into the cracks in the faux full grain better but was still enough pigment (when dry) to give the nice 3D look back to the trash-tier/faux ‘full grain’ leather. Took 12 hours to “dry” at which point I used a hair dryer to finish the drying. 3 Coats of Saphir Medaille d'Or Crème Burgundy to finish. Followed by mink oil to seal. Followed by bees wax and pure carnuba wax on toe box. kgg

Got a new airbrush and my son got a couple pairs of shoes. They were just crying out to be re-dyed from the factory brown color. This is the first time we have ever re-dyed any footwear and the first time using an airbrush. I think it did a nice job when coupled up with my 5 gallon air compressor. The price of the shoes was about $100 for each pair rather then the normal $500 to $700 but the color was an awful brown, sort of reminded me of diaper brown. One pair was Horween VegTan in about 6oz weight and Docs are 4.5 to 5oz these days. While a nice brown for Oxfords these are Derbys. Derbys I think they are supposed to be a bit more sporty than business orientated Oxfords. The second pair are CF Stead ‘Full Grain’ Calfskin in full brown. They were supposed to be a full grain calfskin leather but they appear to have a stamped in pattern. This give a top appearance similar to the Doc Martins ‘smooth’ plastic leatherboard. It appears they added in black dye to the ‘cracks’ and then rolled on a brown dye to the top. Those things give the shoe a faux full grain effect. All in about 4oz leather weight. For a pair of shoes costing around $700 they would have been a disappointment. However since they cost less then a pair of sneakers these days and with a little work they are now presentable. I think both pairs came out decent enough. Process Pure 100% Acetone to remove the dye and factory applied sealant. Tape the edges of the shoes. Apply the dye with the airbrush. The airbrush used was a Paasche H3 with a 1.05mm tip. The air pressure was set to 25PSI on a 5 gallon compressor. 1 Coat Saphir Teinture Francaise Red 9cc + 3 cc 99precent rubbing alcohol Then immediately followed by 1 Coat Saphir Teinture Francaise Bordeaux 9CC + 3 cc 99 precent rubbing alcohol Let sit in sun and do the same to the other shoe. 1 Coat Saphir Teinture Francaise Red 9cc + 3 cc 99 precent rubbing alcohol Immediately followed by 1 Coat Saphir Teinture Francaise Bordeaux 12cc The shoes dried to the touch in under 10minutes and were fully dry in less then 2 hours. Comments are always appreciated. kgg

From what supplier, as it may help someone else? kgg

I agree very difficult to follow. We need some basic info like: i) what size thread you are using? ii) what size needle you are using? iii) what way are you trying to thread the needle from. From your left to right or right to left. iv) Which way do you have the needle inserted. With the long groove on the left or on the right? v) what way is the thread coming of the bobbin, clockwise or counter clockwise? A couple of photo's of your thread path from the spool of thread to the needle would be helpful. kgg

They are called rifle sling carabiner. They can be had off of places like Aliexpress. Example: ( https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000067816185.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.1.554939b8pbMsAd&algo_pvid=bda54b6e-49e1-4ba4-9dea-f0ea24e123ed&algo_exp_id=bda54b6e-49e1-4ba4-9dea-f0ea24e123ed-0&pdp_npi=4%40dis!CAD!7.09!1.8!!!5.12!!%402101f49e16927874028131655e4299!10000000174661915!sea!CA!4496536814!A&curPageLogUid=mpmo7ig6u3lk ) kgg

I noticed an auction of surplus equipment that maybe of interest to someone being advertised on Bidspotter titled "Surplus OEM Parts & Equipment of Atlanta Attachment Co. • Over $2,000,000 In OEM Spare Parts Value" ( https://www.bidspotter.com/en-us/auction-catalogues/bscholl/catalogue-id-hollan10060?utm_source=bsc-amp&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=bscholl&utm_term=20230822&utm_content=hollan10060-viewauctioncta ). kgg

Tension is a real battle between the top thread and the bobbin thread sort of like a tug of war. Here is a couple video's that should help. kgg

Looking at your machine threading photo's: i. The top tensioner is threaded like the Juki TSC-441 manual indicates, Section 12, page 6 of the attached manual. ii. The lower tensioner appears to be thread incorrectly but that maybe just the angle of the photo. It appears you just loop around the disc rather then making a full turn around the disc before going through the take-up spring. Check to see if you have it threaded like the Juki TSC-441 manual indicates, Section 12, page 6 of the attached manual. If the bobbin tension is too low and the bobbin thread is too close to the top of the material then you need to adjust the Bobbin tension, Section 14, page 7 of the attached manual. But, but.... i) the material needs to be thick enough to do this. Either double up the leather or try sewing two layers together. ii) the thread combination needs to match the size of needle. A good thread to needle combination chart can be found curiosity of @CowboyBob at ( https://www.tolindsewmach.com/thread-chart.html ) iii) both the top thread and to bobbin thread should be the same size but sometimes there are reasons the bobbin thread is smaller then the top thread. There is a topic on showing the different variations of threading the 441 class machines. tsn_421_tsc_441_instruction_2k.pdf

Another possibility, be it unlikely, is that the needle bar (part # 210-92002) got bent somehow or the needle stopper (part # 210-92408) was installed cross threaded. If you got the machine from a dealer or directly from Jianglong I would send photo's with the original presser feet and needle plate re installed and request a replacement of the machine or at least their suggestions / procedure on correcting the problem. kgg

That's the catch 22 part of getting the right machine. Depending on much work you want to take on or how long you want to continue on doing those projects buying the right machine that will do the job better or faster I think is the way to go. If you don't have the proper equipment simple things can become major hassles. Buying clone equipment without dealer support can become a nightmare should you need parts or support down the road. Then it's the resale value to to consider. A relatively unknown clone machine will not command anywhere near the same price as a brand name machine. Basically the same. The shipping cost depending on size and weight can run about the same cost as what you paid for the machine when you are just purchasing one of's. Then add in the duties and brokerage fees and the 13 percent tax on top of everything. kgg

@Jeff96 I would either get your old PFAFF 138 back or buy a used one rather then going with the Zoyer machine. Doing a quick search on Kijiji in Ontario shows two used ones available ( https://www.kijiji.ca/v-other-home-appliance/mississauga-peel-region/used-pfaff-industrial-sewing-machine/1668649324 ) for $200 Cad and ( https://www.kijiji.ca/v-hobbies-craft/gatineau/pfaff-138-6-sewing-machine/1649347146 ) for $450. Just on the surface the $200 one seems to be in better shape. The problem with the PFAFF's in general is parts availability and cost of replacement parts.

Thank you. I usually have to buy 8 or 10 of the 1kg (2.2 lb) spools at a time to feed the addiction. I'm glad I was of some help. The hardest part was getting the underside of my slide plate so it was supported by the needle plate also and not just by the two slide plate bolts. My old micrometer got a workout. The above photo with the slide plates on the red background is of my original prototype and not the actual one on the 441. That one was just a proof of concept so I really didn't care too much about squish (gives rough edges) or that the filament wasn't properly dehydrated (gives inconsistent melting / welding of layers) or that the nuts weren't properly seated. I also forgot to take a photo of the underside of the original slide plate and how it compares to my slide plates underside.

I do a fair bit of binding and don't like using the expensive right angle binding attachments unless I have too. I like being able to take the relatively inexpensive inline binding folders and be able to use them on all my machines whether flatbed or cylinder arm. To that end with the machine having a small sized slide plate it was proving difficult. My solution was make two new slide plates and incorporate a small work surface in them. The first one a mini slide plate is for doing mostly binding / belts. A larger one gives a work surface of about 4.5 inches x 7 inches left of the needle and would be more suited to wallets / holster type work. I also incorporated a binding "cup" that is slung off the arm. The cup can hold about 25 ft. of binding material of 2 inch wide tape on its bobbin for those small jobs or act as an adjustable tension guide between the binding tape platter and the folder. Please note the bolts are just temporary as I'm waiting for proper length bolts to arrive. The photo's show a 1" raw edge folder with a swing away attachment. The last photo shows the difference of the original slide plate, on the left and my small slide plate. All comments are always appreciated. kgg

I don't hand stitch so I can't help with sizes but if you search for "stitching needles" or "harness needles" you should come up with a few options from places like Tandy and Weaver ( https://www.weaverleathersupply.com/collections/needles ). kgg

The Juki LS- 341is a different machine. The 2700 would be closer to a PFAFF 335 then the Juki LS-341 while their Techsew 2750 is a clone of the Juki LS-341. kgg

Since you probably don't have a manual I think the Techsew 2700 is similar to the Seiko cw8b , Cowboy cb227r and the Consew 227r so here is a pdf of the manual that maybe of some use to you. kgg CB227R_Oper.Manual_print_pages_3-13.pdf

Very nicely done. I do like the color adds a bit of class. kgg

Very nicely done. kgg

Yes increasing the size of the existing hand-wheel pulley will decrease your rpm's at the hand-wheel but.... example. existing hand-wheel pulley is 3 1/2 " (89mm) and the size of the motor pulley is 3"(75mm) the motor speed is set for a max speed of 500rpm then the hand-wheel pulley rpm will be 421. i) changing the motor pulley to a 45mm and changing noting else the hand-wheel pulley rpm's drops to 252 ii) changing the hand-wheel pulley to 6" (152mm) with the new 45mm motor pulley will drop the hand-wheel pulley rpm's down to 148 But just to change the hand-wheel size alone from 3 1/2 to 6" without changing the motor pulley size the hand-wheel rpms drops to 246 which you can get by just changing the size of the motor pulley. To get a real change you would have change the hand-wheel pulley to something above 10" (254mm) and you that may cause other problems. I think you would be much better off using a speed reducer pulley (6" large pulley coupled to a 2" small pulley) and changing the motor pulley to 45mm then the hand-wheel speed would drop to 74 with a lot less work. If you already have a speed reducer then going to a 6" hand-wheel pulley would drop the hand-wheel rpm's down to 43. How slow do you want to go and what set the lowest set point on your motor?? kgg

Nice job. kgg

I built a small footprint table for a LSZ-1 clone a little while back. I am sure you could come up with something similar that would fit your machine. For the K-legs checkout an industrial sewing machine repair shop. In my area they usually have plenty of used K legs on hand at a reasonable cost. kgg

That's understandable. kgg

What was their asking price??? If it was cheap enough you could buy it for the treadle stand for future use on a later model like a Singer 29k-70/71/72 or a clone as the base mounting bolt hole spacing are the same. kgg

I do like the Singer machines but I would pass on a 29-4 as they are even older then the 29k-4 myself. I think the bushing and rack's aren't being made anymore for the 29-4. Keep in mind that the machine is going to be 100+ years old and the new patcher clone machines are being based around the 29k-70/71/72 models. In Ontario the price of the Singer 29K's in general have skyrocketed to and over $1000 CAD ($750 USD) whereas you can get a new clone for under $700 CAD off Amazon however the quality maybe questionable but parts would be cheap and readily available. Just my thoughts, kgg

A couple of photo's of how your machine is setup on your table would help. If your short on space a suspended reducer pulley maybe a better solution then a box style speed reducer. With the suspended style you can install them either on top or underneath the table top.