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

Wow! Fantastic videos. Bottom feed only machines appear to be capable of everything I would ever use them for. Ive been in contact with the Nippy folks. Very difficult to communicate with however. I did get them to send me a quote for their NP-201 machine which they claim is the export model...But its not clear what the differences are between this and the 210 and 211. And I absolutely agree that the various presser feet would be essential to the full range of skiving that one could use. Really great info. So how does one order some or all of the presser feet from these guys. From what I can tell they do not have USA representation. Silverd

Hello Can anyone explain why a top and bottom feed skiver is better than a bottom feed only? Can a top and bottom feed skiver do everything that a bottom feed only skiver can do...but more? If a Leatherworker.net Member is skiving mostly higher temper Herman Oak 3-4oz (1-2mm) leather...can this work be done on a Top and Bottom Feed skiver or should this individual use a bottom feed only skiver. There is not one sewing machine that does everything...Is this also true for Skiving machines? Do I need both? Your assistance to the questions above will assist me in deciding on which machine to purchase and will ultimately determine the success of my business and the health of my sanity! Many Thanks in advance. Silverd

looks great! Manual is available on line and it does a pretty good job of explaining how to set the blade. There are stops which are intended to catch the blade at each side. They also tend to damage the blade at each end and then will not position it accurately. So front to back position of the blade should be done carefully. I'm not sure it is the most critical alignment aspect on this machine however. The blade gap between the bottom roller is however. It should be about 0.060" or the thickness of a credit card. The gap is set by making adjustments to the hex nuts that are below it in the frame. They are in reaction to the big coil springs which load the lower roller into the leather as it travels through the blade. Those sliding components need to work freely in the splitter frame. Silverd

Cobra sells table only with servo motor, controller etc. Silverd

For your files and information. I recently purchased a Seiko BSC-8BL 50mm dia Cylinder arm with full compound feed, on the fly presser foot height adjustment and M size bobbin. Machine is compatible with Singer 111 system presser feet and 135-17 needle system. I'm currently trying to fit a roller guide to it although Seiko does offer this option for about $350.00 which amounts to a common drop down style guide with an adaptor plate. Do you think using OEM bobbin cases is worth the added expense? Silverd