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You jinxed me, Kevin. You've made me concerned about the occasional missed stitch that I encounter, so I started running some tests with this or that piece of hardware (needle plates, feed dog, needle guide) installed, not installed. I opened the refrigerator door five times with my right hand, making sure to close it with my left. I turned counterclockwise, walked backwards to the machine...............It didn't work. And then...I remembered.....I remembered back to a time when manuals were written to be read....And I remembered that the manual had something about the beveled edge of the inner race/spacing ring. It read: "BE SURE THAT THE BEVELED EDGE GOES IN TOWARD THE MACHINE." About a year ago, during the antediluvian era, I had asked about this beveled edge. Consesus was we weren't sure it mattered. The opening and closing of the refrigerator door, the turning counterclockwise, the walking backwards toward the machine -- none of that worked. Reading the Manual for the first time in a year did. It does matter very much that the beveled side of that inner race/spacing ring face inward toward the machine. I floored the machine to see her do what I know she can. She's mine again. Give that inner race/spacing ring a check. Now I've got to go fix my refrigerator door. Ed (who's still not getting out)

Bree, When you take a bird's-eye view of the lower tensioning disc, do you see one strand or two strands of thread on the top of that disc? ed

That should do it. Now we can also call this our own "Exclusive Compound." Thanks, Karl. Ed

HAve you solved your problem, Kevin? I'm anxiously awaiting the results. Ed

You can get the Argentinian variety at Rocklers.

Bree, How much was the shipping to Buffalo? Ed

This information on a very simple method of sealing the flesh side of vegetable tanned leather stems from two other threads. I thought it deserved a thread topic of its own. I'll upload pictures a bit later. Ed ============================= Karl: I'd be willing to bet real money that the white sealer is PVA based. See the way it has a very slight bluish tint? I use a lot of PVA based adhesives, including Pros-Aide (a medical adhesive ) and they all exhibit the bluish tint. Also they all go on white and dry clear. They will form a moisture proof barrier when dry. You can dilute PVA with plain tap water..... Karl ============================== Here's this from a nineteenth-century leather tanning journal: Taking cues from this article and Karl's post, I diluted tanner's bond with tap water. Look no further: It works beautifully, though I am curios to pry a bit further and follow the articles suggestion of mixing in pure soap and a bit of oil. Any idea of that these might provide? Thanks, Karl. Ed

Here's this from a nineteenth-century leather tanning journal: Taking cues from this article and Karl's post, I diluted tanner's bond with tap water. Look no further: It works beautifully, though I am curios to pry a bit further and follow the articles suggestion of mixing in pure soap and a bit of oil. Any idea of that these might provide? Thanks, Karl. Ed

They might be using white glycerine saddle soap for the edges rather than beeswax. Ed

Demeter, Those are beautiful buckles. I'm curious to know what their prices are. Would you mind asking them about prices on a few items, just to get an idea of their overall prices. I'd be interested in knowing the prices for the following (I'll try emailing them): anneau fondu, 40mm boucle sous-ventriere simple, 30mm dé demi-rond fondu, 25mm boucle lyre, 30mm I'll take detailed pictures of the brass hardware I'm using. Let me know if anyone is interested in going in on and sharing bulk orders 500 to 10,000 , or whatever (US or European sellers). I'm sure the best prices will be found in the US but the best quality will be found in Europe. Great source, Demeter. Thanks. Ed

Ian, What was the Juki model that was knocked off? Ed

Hi Art, So, in addition to being a production line machine and even more heavy duty than the 4000R, the 4000P has a different soul? I'm still not getting out much. ed

That's Sheps Neatslene Harness Oil, a combination of neatsfoot oil and other oils., has rat and mice deterrent. It seems that Weaver is their major supplier. I will have the name of that sealer on Monday. Ed

I hate when manufacturers and distributors play "can you guess what you're buying." It makes me want to find out even more. My sleuthing is beginning to confirm more and more that this mystery substance in indeed a product that stems from my good friend Carlos at LCI in the Lone Star state. Indeed, they do market it several different ways. Weaver Leather has Weaver Leather Kote, Weaver Tuff Kote, and Top Coat #200. The website for LCI/DYO has this: Clear Cote: A flexible, medium gloss acrylic top coat finish that adheres well to all smooth leathers and all other DYO Products. Clear Cote quickly dries to a water resistant, attractive finish. Clear Cote also offers the advantages of being a water based finish. Clear Cote is also available in Matte Finish. Application: Spray or Manual Top Cote 3305: This medium gloss, water based clear finish produces a slight “waxy hand.” Top Cote 3305 adheres to all smooth leathers as well as leathers that have been oiled. It can also be “oiled through”, once cured. Widely used in the manufacture of saddles & tack. Application: Spray or Manual Top Cote 4119: This high gloss, water based clear finish adheres well to all smooth leathers. Top Cote 4119 provides a smooth, even feel and can be applied to leathers that have been dyed or finished with any DYO product. Widely used in the manufacture of belts, holsters, and personal leather goods. Application: Spray or Manual Top Cote 820: Top Cote 820 is a water based, clear, top cote finish that is applied manually to create or restore a high gloss factory finish to fine boots & shoes. Top Cote 820 will not discolor or damage the colored finish of the footwear and can be used on all smooth leathers including exotics. If thinning is desired, thin with water only. Application: Manual Top Cote 840: Top Cote 840 is designed to produce a semi-high gloss, clear, factory finish. Like Top Cote 820, it is water based and non-hazardous. Top Cote 840 however, offers the advantage of being sprayable. Top Cote 840 is considered the premier finishing product for many of the leading footwear manufacturers. Application: Spray or Manual Top Cote # 9: Top Cote # 9 is the most durable clear top cohttp://leatherworker.net/forum/style_images/mocha1.2/folder_editor_images/rte-image-button.pngte currently available. Top Cote # 9 offers excellent adherence, flexibility and stands side by side with DYO Tuff Cote in terms of abrasion, scuff, and impact resistance. Top Cote # 9 provides a high gloss and is water based. The intense gloss achieved with Top Cote # 9 makes it the perfect top cote for exotic leathers such as alligator, ostrich, and lizard. Application: Spray or Manual AND................DRUM ROLL, PLEASE............................WAIT FOR IT...............................................WAIT FOR IT.............. Color Cote: DYO Color Cote is the most advanced and versatile pigmented finish available for leather today. Color Cote is aqueous, and is quick drying. Once set, Color Cote is waterproof and resistant to most solvents. In addition to leather, Color Cote also adheres very well to vinyl’s and other synthetics. Color Cote is also safer and more cost efficient than many finishes. It’s aqueous nature allows easy clean-up. There are no harmful fumes and no hazardous material disposal. Application: Spray or Manual Holster Cote & Belt Cote: DYO’s Holster Cote and Belt Cote offer the same advantages as Color Cote, as well as cost efficiency. Holster Cote or Belt Cote should be applied as the top cote colorant after the base dye has dried. Thomsen’s Leather Dye or DLD series dyes are recommended as the base dye for this easy two step system. Application: Spray or Manual Now, to confuse things even more, DYO is no longer in existence and some of its products have been bought out by LCI, which has still different names for the products, names which seem more in line with Weaver's marketing: http://www.leathercoatings.com/clear.htm ed

I wonder if Brigade is using this DYO/LCI product: From the DYO website: DYO Dipping Oil: Dyo Dipping Oil is a revolutionary finishing product for leather goods manufacturers. When pieces are dipped in DYO Dipping Oil they display an even, well oiled finish that dries much quicker than traditional oils and there is not the oily residue produced by many oil finishing products. Application: Dip & Lay Flat to Dry ed

There are a few products Weaver offers that I've been wanting to try, but I'm not sure of their uses or if they duplicate other products available or work better than other products. All of these are from Weaver's catalog: 1. Weaver Leather Kote (clear): Flat acrylic top coat finish, excellent adhesion and flexibility. My educated guess is that this is another of LCI's products (originally, maybe a Dyo product), perhaps a duplicate of something like Fiebing's Bag Kote. It sounds like a possibility for sealing the flesh side 2. Fiebing's Harness Dressing (clear): another flat finish 3. Weaver Tuff Kote (clear and black): Satiny finish used for top and edge finish. Doesn't rub off or wash off. I think this is another LCI product, perhaps it was originally a Dyo product. 4. Top Coat #200: Seals veg tan and chromed tan leather for effective waterproofing, simply spray on. I believe this is another Dyo/LCI product. Here's a link to information on similar products from DYO. If the products are still in existence, they are now manufactured and distributed LCI http://www.dyo.com/leather_catalog.html#leather_sealers I'm calling Weaver LEather on Monday and asking what they have to seal the flesh side of leather. Ed

I'm bumping this thread to the top, as it might help gather some useful information. Ed

That wood slicker is key. Ed

K-man, Did you ever modify the feeddog on your Model 5? If I had the space, I'd still have Model 5 as my #2 machine. I was using it to prep suede pockets, a task for which it made more sense to get a portable walking foot machine. Maybe because it was my first machine I have some nostalgia for it, but the thing was always wanting to stitch everything. " Come on, come on. Givittome. I can do it." It was like a Golden Retriever who always wants to go outside and play. I loved hand cranking the flywheel. It was effortless and smooth. Maybe because its feed mechanism was so simple it had the flexibility to stitch with a variety of thread thicknesses. To switch metaphors, the Model 5 is to my 441 long arm what college football is to professional football, and they both play a mean game. I wonder, does the 3000 do better than the 4000 at stitching with thinner threads, or is it simply just a short-arm version of the 4000, everything else being equal? Ed

Came across this 19th-century leatherworking journal in my searches. This link should take you to a highlighted portion about using a paste to finish the flesh side. http://books.google.com/books?id=UhAAAAAAM...V5IvBnfvrZICuV4 Ed

Thanks, Harry. I look forward to getting a gallon. ed

Both of those are lower feed only. They are similar to the 440 from Ferdco. I think Ryan now also has the Model 5 with reverse, which is similar to Ferdco's 440R. I like this machine. It sewed everything I threw at it and was better at sewing thread sizes 69 to 415 than my Juki 441 clone does. The only draw back is its lower feed mechanism, feeddog only: the feeddog has sharp teeth that will mark your leather, especially in tight areas where the needle and presser foot have to transition from thinner to thicker plateaus. ed

After a few months of solid stitching, my 441 started missing stitches. I don't clean out the race and shuttle and underneath the needle plate as often as I should. I took a gander down there and a good bit of thread dust and oil had bulit up on the needle guide, which takes place of the feeddog, when running with the nylon needle plate. Yesterday I was doing a bunch of experimenting with various combinations of 26 and 25 needles and 346 , 277, and 207 thread. I cleaned out those areas mentioned and even removed the needle guide, as I never thought it did much anyway except give the needle something to crash into. A year ago , I was running dogless/guideless, but eventually put it back in under the spell of some mystical belief that it was a good thing. The sun, moon , and stars are now in a different alignment and the voices have told me to remove the guide once again. And all is well. How many of you run dogless/guideless when using the slotted needleplates? Ed

For $2000 there is very little going on inside that SAB Westminster. I also wonder if the gusset used is the same bridle as the panels but skived to about 3 oz or if it might be of some other tannage altogether. ed

Have a look at the Heritage setter and rivets on p. 4 of this linked pdf: http://www.leathersupply.com/downloads/cat...amp;Setters.pdf