esantoro

Hi Art, This is the very thing giving me difficulty right now, a little piece work here and there on one or two bags, then a long break, a very long break. I don't mind just changing the needle plate,but constantly adjusting bar heights,too, is where I draw the line. I think I need to adjust my my machine to use just the outer feet and inner groover. I can set the bar for the outer feet easily, but am not sure about how to set the height of the inner foot. According to the manual, it looks easy enough. Am I correct in following the instructions detailed in the attached manual page? By the way, do you happen to know if Artisans outer feet and double toed foot are the same length from top to bottom? I may just bite the bullet and splurge on some artisan feet if they have some standardization in the length. Ed walking_foot.pdf walking_foot.pdf

The move to get the small portable for suede interiors was a good one, but a second heavy stitcher doesn't seem possible right now. I think I'll have to end up sticking with the rt. and lt. outer feet and the center groover to do everything. I do like the stitch they put down. Attached is a pdf of the presser feet I now have. The picture is Artisan's. I bought my feet and needle plates from a different supplier. I'd be curious to know if Artisan's feet can all be interchanged without adjusting any bar heights. ed presser_feet.pdf presser_feet.pdf

I have to change presser feet and needle plates quite frequently. I'd hate also to have to adjust the center presser foot bar and outer presser foot bar as well, every time I need to change an attachment for a ten minute task. Prior to today, I was changing needle plates at will , as well as the double toe harness foot and the blanket foot. The individual outer feet and center groover seem to require bar adjustments as well, which I wasn't expecting. I suppose one option is to just stick with the center groover and individual outer feet, which is what I'll probably have to do. I'll consult my manual but ask anyway, how do you change the height of the center foot bar? I know how to adjust the height of the outer foot bar, pretty easy, but not the center foot bar. Thanks for the help. Ed

I just got in right and left side presser feet and the center groover for my 441. I've noticed that with the holster plate installed, the outer feet never move off the plate, that is they never walk. Those of you who have these presser feet and use them with the raised needle plates, do you have to readjust the presser foot bar every time you change from the flat needle plate to the raised needle plate, and vice versa? Ed

Glover's needles are very sharp and are for piercing much lighter leathers. Siegel of California and Ohio Travel Bags both have harness needles in various thicknesses.

Send the link to OTB and see if they have them. Thanks for the link. They have some good information on belts that I'd like to start making. ed

That little green sponge atop my lube pot is Bruce's fantastic idea. I'm even thinking about drilling about three holes underneath that sponge so that the lube will drip back into the pot. Maybe I'll even drill about six very small holes. Thanks, again, Bruce. Ed

I got some information from an absolutely wonderful source that may be of interest to others. I'm always trying to find ways to imporove stitches, especially when I'm stitching one to three layers of 5/6 oz chrome tan, which is incredibly easy for my 441 to do, perhaps too easy. It was suggested to use fabric point needles instead of leather point needles, which I never would have tried left to my own reasoning. I'll try it out this week and report to the group, as I think fabric point needles may have originally been shipped with the machine. ed

Some of the best choice words that work for me begin with "C," "B," "W," and "F." Most of them, if not all, also end in a consonant. But, as always, your mileage may vary. Ed

I've been playing around with this machine and the new balance wheel. Handcranking the wheel, the machine stitches through anything that can fit underneath the presser foot, a tad more than .25". The only limiting factor seems to be the Chinese 1.5 Amp motor. I'll use this one until I burn it out, but does anyone have suggestions for the most powerful motor that can be attached to such a machine? I found one website that has a 1.5 amp motor for around $100. They say that their motor outperforms the Chinese motors (I can't find the URL right now). Sailrite sells its 1.5 amp motor for around $45. My yamata did come with a cheap carbon pile foot control. Would there be any improvement by getting a better foot control, or is it just a matter of being able to better control variable speed, with no influence on overall power? Ed

I've heard you should never take any wooden nickels, but leather nickels should be all right. Right? Ed

Luke, Does your Sewmo take the same presser feet and needle plates as the Juki 441 clones? ed

I always come up with my own peculiar naming conventions when I'm writing down construction notes for my bags. For example I know that a 42.5" gusset is for an 18x13 gerber , which all means for an 18" by 13" bag with corners made using the lid of a Gerber baby food jar, because it was the right size. If I ever decide to go narrower and use a quarter for a cutting template, it will then be called an 18x13 quarter. The ideas for naming come to me on the fly. certain names stick and then I stick with them. I've wondered if many industrial naming conventions also came about via such a practical route? Ed

Thanks all. I've been out of production for several weeks because I was rethinking and revising the process of production and getting used to some new attachments, settings, sizes, variables etc, so that the details in every stitch are more pronounced. As always, thanks for all the help and putting up with my "thinking out loud." Ed

It's been a while but here's a bag I'm finishing up for a gentleman in Singapore. Ed

I love your bags, Tracy. What splitter would you recommend for "constant level splitting"? Ed

Sailrite has leather presser feet for this machine for about $30. I was thinking I could find regular presser feet for it and grind off the teeth and polish the underside. Does anyone know what kind of presser feet this portable walking foot machine takes? Thanks, Ed

I finally got needles for my yamata. This "infant bull" puts down a pretty nice stitch. I'm hoping that Sailrite's balance wheel, which I just ordered tonight, will indeed give it more punching power. In looking at the Pfaff 130 on Ebay, I see that some of them come with what seems to be a very sturdy case. I was wondering if anyone knows where to get these sturdy cases, other than sailrite which has one for around $100, though very nice. This yamata can take five quarters underneath the presser foot, but that's if you lift up the bolt further with your hand. Normal presser foot lift is about 2.5 quarters. I was wondering, is the lift on the Pfaff 130 the regular lift or does it also require further manipulation by hand to get a width of about five quarters? Since I do like the idea of having a portable, and already have the yamata, what would be a good similar machine other than the Pfaff? Thanks, Ed

Hi Alex, if it's not too much of a problem, could you send pics. I'm not sure what the exchange rate is, but 10 Euros has got to be better than 12 pounds. I'll ask in another thread, but I've been meaning to ask about the ability to and ease of getting all things related to making leather bags, handbags, briefcases, and satchels in Europe. I lived in Europe for six years, been back in the States for three, and now already thinking of moving back. My impression is that it's much easier and cheaper to do all this in the States. Ed

Hi Gary, Are the other locks you use similar in style as well as price? Are they from Abbey Saddlery, too? Thanks, Ed

Hi Alex, Depending on the price, I'd like to buy 12. Thanks, Ed

"Bandwidth theft". NEver heard that one before.

Thanks,Bruce, for the heads up. I'm beginning to see these issues cropping up. The one thing I'm trying not to forget is to price items for what they are really worth in time and materials, even if they take a bit longer to sell. Ed

I know that Sailrite does have great customer service, but I've been pleasantly surprised by Yamata. They sent me replacement parts, few questions asked. All is fixed and I didn't have to ship a 40 lbs. box back to the distributor. Now I've only got to content the the USPS and my needles for this machine that have gotten lost in the mail. ed

Hi Bill, The machine is all steel, but for that plastic tension wheel I had the problem with. The hand/balance wheel isn't plastic, but it's not steel either. it does not attract a magnet, as do the other parts of the machine. There is a larger steel balance wheel for more torque available from Sailrite for about $120, which I'll be getting soon. ed