Silverd

Fantastic!!! So now I recall these are used in the marine industry...for boat canvas covers etc. Very sturdy stuff. Many thanks! Silverd

Hello Helpful People! I'm in need of assistance. Can anyone tell me where these snaps can be gotten. Many thanks Silverd

Hello I'm looking to have my Brand Logo made into a medallion or concho like badge that I can attach to bags and other personal carry items I make and sell. Kinda like the Michael Corrs thing in sterling silver. Do any of our wonderful patrons have a source you might recommend? Thank you in advance Silverd

Hello Group! Anyone familiar with USA investment Casting supplier that can support making custom medallions and Conchos in Sterling Silver? Thank you in advance; Silverd

...My have times changed! I have many younger clients now asking for hand bags, journals and other personnel items to be made using non animal materials. I'm bringing in plastic leather like materials and canvas for testing to appease this growing population. The design and use approach and process is much different than with animal leather. Skiving my not be possible in some cases. Edge burnishing is not possible that I know of so switching to edge paint is almost mandatory. Joint gluing is done using an alternate adhesive and of course no dying or splitting. All in all the process requires much less skill and equipment if you look at it one way. I cant say I like the idea but if you take a look at some of the high end bag designer products you will find several models being offered along side full grain leather units. the tactile differences between leather and pleather are rapidly narrowing and if you are on your way out of this industry then you can avoid transitioning to the new materials but if you are just starting out I'd say I would recommend getting your feet wet. The times are a changing. Silverd

Off to the retail race

Latest Version Silverd

The soles are covered with Soletech materal. The material is available through Soletech distributors and Amazon. I purchased the smooth material in 1/4" and 3/8" thicknesses (they refer to it in units of Irons so 12 iron and 18 iron) in the 50-60 shore A hardness. Other like material is available. They offer the same material in a variety of thickness. They offer the same material with a diamond pattern one side which I have since received and think will benefit the safety aspects of the shoes however the smooth sole material is very grippy. ...and they offer a "Cloud" version which is softer (40 Shore A that is not recommended for the out sole but may serve as in insole cushion). The latest design adds 1/4" of sheet cork as an insole compliant member and a continuous 1/4" Soletech out sole layer with a 1/4" heel. It also has an adjustable Arch strap which makes the perimeter sewing easier. I need to reduce the image sizes so I can post more than one at a time. If interested I will do this so you can see close ups of the construction and more generational design styles. Silverd Yes indeed! The original version design are quite a challenge to break in. Davy recommends using saddle soap and water on the first week of initial wearings to keep your feet from forming to the sandals! Ive worn them for several weeks and they are getting better but slowly. Davy provides a 10 year warranty! Silverd

Thought I would share with the good group of Leather making, shoe loving folks my first made pair of custom leather sandals which I found instructions for on the Fine Leatherworking website. If you have not been on this site you might want to take a look around. They have some nice BLOGS going and resources not found anywhere else including lessons and high quality hand tools. Sean Aquino is a Master leather craftsman and instructor who has taught me a lot and holds both one-on-one and group lessons on the skills of fine leather work from beginner to advanced levels. Let me know how you like these custom sandals. I'm changing the design to eliminate the custom element by following the lead of Berkinstock. I'll be selling these out of an Artisian Shop I'm associated with in SB California and measuring and fitting for each customer would be impossible. Hence the buckles. The next generation that I made I added a layer of cork and some Polyurethane padding to give the shoe some initial comfort and long term foot molding attributes. Still, the break in period is significant and requires the wearer to participate in the process. Not like the Buy-and-Go production foot ware from Off shore! More photos to follow if anyone is interested. Silverd

Good advise. According to the Cobra team in Ontario California, the NP-4 skiver can be set up to run two motors. one foot pedal variable speed for the drive wheel, one adjustable but constant rpm for the bell knife. There is an added cost of about $225.00 to install the 2nd motor and belt etc. which seems reasonable to me. The machine does not have a feature to accommodate a vacuum system but it would not be difficult to add a vacuum hose through the bottom of the table under the cutting zone since these machines are open on the bottom. I like your idea of the stone that can be used to remove burrs...and Dave at Cobra sent me (on request) a photo file of the various presser feet that Cobra sells for the NP-4. There are 13 in total different feet, none of them however are roller style like the Nippy examples in the above Nippy made video. Perhaps another skiver makers roller feet will fit it. I've since given up on buying a Nippy due to the difficulty in communicating with them. I would be interested in a used Fortuna Skiver, as you suggest as these machine have all of the features I believe to be desirable, but I have not found one for sale in the USA. The Cobra solution seems to be the best alternative and would be supported into the unforeseeable future. Cost of a new Cobra NP-4 is also a consideration as they are quite reasonable and the Cobra products in general appear to be of good workmanship compared with other Chinese clone machines. Silverd

I contacted Campbell this morning and talked with them about the FAV AV-2 skiver. They handle these products but don't stock them and wait time due to Italy on summer break will be into October or possibly November depending on how soon FAV could ship. They also recommend a rubber roller to deal with the wrap around issue in place of a vacuum system which drives cost up another $2k. And they recommend the dual drive control that turns the bell knife at a constant rpm and allows speed adjustment of the feed roller by the operator. I think that sounds like a practical Idea however cost on this machine was estimated at $4500 delivered to CA. That's a bit more than I would like to pay and a lot longer than I want to wait. I think there is likely a lot of successful skiving being done using the simple clones. No vacuum, no dual control, no top feed, not OEM for less than 1/2 the cost of a FAV or a Nippy or Fortuna etc and likely support of the Clone machines from a reputable source is far better than the OEM makers. A strange industry this sewing bunch. Silverd

Everything you are saying makes sense. I have a LAndis 5 in 1 with a skiver and it also does as you describe. Hate the Techsew idea. Ive had a problem with them since the start and I started with them so there you go. But I can deal with Campbell and will give them a call. My surprise is that there is so little information about the details of a bell skiver that it would be very easy to make a wrong decision. Cobra has been really pushing the NP-10 top and bottom feed and that would be fine if I were working heavy leather for saddles etc...but I have been clear to them that my work is light...3-4 oz herman oak...Bag making which I guess may not be understood as to the requirements. But seeing the various presser feet that Nipppy demonstrates in the reference video is exactly what I can use. Maybe not all of the variations but I would buy them all if I had to. I have only seen one presser foot intended to replace the feed roller on a top feed machine...not that more could not be designed and machined but that's not my objective. Thank you for your input. I think based on what you told me I will add a Vacuum feature to my bottom feed skiver criteria. Silverd

The Video above that Jimi posted demonstrates what Nippy can provide as I understand it. The quote for a NP-S1 machine included three of the feet in the video. I don't have pricing from them as of yet for additional feet since I have not submitted my RFQ with them. I'll share once I receive. Interestingly; I did see a photo of a Consew skiver ( something -4 model) on Craigs list a while back that included at least 15 different presser feet seller was including. So a full range of feet are apparently available from somebody... I've heard that running a vacuum is helpful as well but I cant identify which machine models will accept a vac. Also: I have often read that a vac is only needed for production runs but I'm skeptical of anything I here at this point. Most people can't / don't articulate effectively about technical topics. Why do you suggest a vacuum system is helpful? Silverd http://www.nippy.jp/ Link to the Nippy site

Agree the other companies carry good machines but how many of them support with 19 unique presser feet? I'm actually in communication with Nippy and they appear to have someone at their end who reads and writes English. They are quoting NP-S1 machine and four standard feet with shipping for about $2600.00 and will provide pricing for additional feet once I provide them with a list. I'm compiling a list based on the factory video from Jimi. I also talked with Dave at Cobra in Ontario CA yesterday and asked him to provide a list of the presser feet they can supply. Obviously buying from a USA based Co is the simplest. Having a Japanese made OEM machine in the stable is certainly something to consider as well. I recently purchased a Seiko 50mm cylinder arm sewing machine direct from Seiko and it is a beautifully made piece of equipment. It replaces a similar clone machine that I never could get to work very well. Dont know if it was just me or the fact that it was not cloned well...and that is my point. When you"re having troubles, and you suspect there may be design issues or workmanship issues with your clone, its more difficult to trouble shoot in my opinion. Basically it comes down to this...You pay for what you get. Silverd