JC2019

How about this thing @RockyAussie and @nylonRigging ? FISTERS Hand Machine Cobbler Shoe Repair Machine Dual Cotton Nylon Line Sewing Machine Maybe a good stop gap until I want to spend 2k-3k? Or will it be so awful it's not worth the $115ish?

Ah yeah that delivery style is going to be a problem for me so I'll have to look into seeing if they can deliver it to my address. I see tons selling as "head only" which would mean having to get a table, motor + other parts I imagine? I wonder how wide and heavy these machines are. Needed a fork lift sounds intense....

I was close to buying an expensive one by barry king but I wasn't sure which one I should get if my goal is to reduce noise while keeping decent quality? Do I want the heaviest one or lightest one? I am also getting an arbor press to do certain tasks but for stamping I want to try a good quality maul first if that would help. But perhaps the choice is a raw hide one? Thank you.

Is this the machine you have ? What do you use it for? It's within my budget and I am going to consider purchasing it depending on other suggestions. Thank you

Ah yeah this is what I eventually would want, and then have the flat attachment to sew things like wallets. Sadly I am not seeing a lot of these machines here in the USA? I don't see any listed on ebay at least and that's usually how I try to gauge popularity of an item but maybe it's different for machines

Ah, that's interesting. I don't know much, but I do know Juki is a good brand? Is that what you have? What kind of projects is it's "sweet spot"? I'll have to research it more. If I wanted to do smaller items on it I would have to buy some adapter to reduce the speed? I am in northern california so I would need it shipped. I wonder which shipping carrier they use

I am realizing that while I will be okay with hand sewing small items, for larger Items I would like to investigate the potential of getting a used machine, or at least one that is good to start. The main Item I would like to work on would be bags / backpacks, etc. I would be looking at the used market but my main concern would be that it's not an obscure machine. Instead one that is popular and well understood with plenty of information for troubleshooting and use. If such machine exists that would be great, not sure how much it would cost but I'd rather spend less to start. Is a budget of $700-1200 reasonable?

Yeah I am not going to be trying to burn anything but veg tan, even that I am not 100% sure on. I am mainly looking to make the leather more "weathered" and maybe even black would be okay.

Okay will do. Eco- stuff from tandy toxic too? I guess better be safe than sorry. That's one of my concerns with using my burning tool on veg tan, the fumes/ smoke.

I have some leather that I don't really like. It was bought cheaply to practice on. It's not veg tanned and I'm thinking I'm just going to try to dye it to "weather it" and experiment. Any tips or ideas? Thanks

Ah very nice. I dont have a belt sander right now but maybe I should get one or perhaps start with a dremel. Have you ever milled leather? I have some alligator skin that is less supple than others. Is the process just badically a washing machine style process that tumbles the leather? I am wondering how long this process takes. I dont think I will ever do this but seems interesting.

Hi, I have some boots that have this pattern to them, seems to be woven. Is there a general method to doing this and it's just time consuming or is it typically bought "pre-woven"? Here is an example with other shoes: I really like the pattern personally. Thanks

I ordered some to see it mostly out of curiosity. It's this: https://www.etsy.com/listing/621509730/italian-leather-12-20-24-inch-cuts-tan?ga_search_query=snake&ref=shop_items_search_1

So its glued on ?

Awesome @TonySFLDLTHR Do you know if the product will make the crust more supple? I know crust tends to be more stiff. I believe it can get tumbled to become more sipple even as a crust but I am trying to think of how I will work with it. Thanks!

I was searching for snake skin on etsy and I found this, stated as laser cut cowhide. Seems pretty interesting, Anyone know how it's made? I am tempted to try it. Is this a common thing? I thought most were done as stamps

I see, so you sand from behind, on the "suede" side. How big are these caimans for these wallets usually? Not 25cm like for belly? Is 25cm~ about what you use for your belly wallets typically or it varies? Thanks

Hey wanted to ask another question. I've heard it's hard to make wallets out of caiman crocodile. But for other crocodile, is it possible to even use the "hornback" part if it's a smaller animal like 9-10 inches wide for a wallet? Or is it also too difficult to work with?

I am in the very early stages of my leather work but I know I will want a sewing machine at one point. I want to start getting familiar with them early on. I have a Singer Heavy Duty 4452, which seems to be not suitable for leather even thought it has it listed, I bought it to use as a fabric machine. Maybe it could do chrome tanned? Either way, I know the cost will be about 2k-3k$ because I'd rather buy new and have a good warranty. I'm in the Bay Area. I have many projects to spend my time tinkering with so I'd rather it just work out of the box with minimal effort. Up until this point, I haven't been a big fan of sewing machines with fabric, probably because I am not as excited about the medium itself. I believe I saw a thread by Wizcrafts that mentioned a set of videos to learn from? I lost the thread but video is my preferred method of learning. My use case will be wallets to start but eventually shoes, and bags, maybe jackets, probably some knife sheaths, maybe gun holsters. Nothing like saddles. I watched videos on TechSew by Little King Goods and Stock and Berrel Co on Cowboy CB 3200. The Cowboy 3200 seems attractive in price + performance. But perhaps for all the range of projects I want to do a Juki 1508H or 1508N would be good I've watched other videos but still just learning. I know I will want it to be quiet so it will need to be some type of server motor?

I was reading on the tenlessonslearned blog that people use them with the arbor press. Rocky Mountain is out of #9, but I think these are the ones? http://ksbladepunch.com/product/pricking-irons I am wondering if anyone here who owns #9 (I'm likely to buy 2 tooth + 12 or 10 tooth) but wanted to confirm the diameter of the top of the handle. Arbor press is listed as ~ 1/2 inch or 0.498 an inch in diameter. Any other alternatives would be appreciated, looking in size 3mm. I was told these were the same but not 3mm "Leathercraft Pricking Iron Stitch Punch Kit for Sewing Leatherwork" ordered on amazon so hoping they work. Thank you

Yeah, I was just about to put in an order for the 3.0mm but they are out on rocky mountain. I was told these would work with the arbor press, but I wasn't sure of the dimensions of the top of the handle.

That's awesome. I was just thinking of skateboard wheels (the motorized ones) could make a good maul. Now I will have to research this. How heavy is yours? What kind of wheels are they?

I saw a post about it here, wondering if anyone is using one. It seems it would be difficult to cut leather with one but I'm wondering if anyone has had success with making really good templates from it or other applications that go with your leather work? Maybe cutting inlays? I really wanted a laser (not just for leather) but they are a bit difficult to use at home. So I've been researching alternatives. I think I will be using a laser cutting service for some of my projects.

I'm just getting started and I'm not much of a wood worker but I believe I will be building my own tools when I can and it makes sense: - stitching pony (simple designs from youtube) - fixed wing dividers out of wood to mark stitch line (saw armitage use one) - little wooden tool with cut out for each thickness of leather (I believe I saw Jason Hovatter use one in his shoe/boot course) Need to research more: - stamps / 3d stamps (I have done very little research but I'm wondering if I could have some acrylic laser cut and glued together to make mini stamps, similar to those sold by rocky mountain). - maul / mallet - strap cutter (though I ordered a cheap one on ebay) - measuring tools like "center" ruler. If you have any ideas or suggestions for other things you could easily build on your own please post them here. Also if you tried to build something and it was harder than expected that would also be insightful.

What get you get a press and which kind did you get. Still researching those, I think I will start small and simple