matcanada

Hello everyone, I have been trying to figure this problem out for a while without success. I make pencil cases which have a zipper which wrap all the way around (similar to the pictures below), so that they can lay flat once unzipped. I have a block template that I use to wrap the zipper around the outer leather to line it up perfectly while I'm gluing it in place. The issue is that I then struggle to line up the inner lining with the outer leather as the zipper obscures the edge of the outer leather. With hand stitching, I would simply punch holes in both the outer leather and the lining, and then use some needles to line the sides up. With a machine, this is not possible. How do you all line up the outer leather with the lining if machine stitching? Thanks in advance.

Hello, I have been making belts for a while and I have been struggling to machine stitch the keepers. I see some people using staples to avoid having to sew the keepers, but I would prefer to sew them using my machines. Does anyone sew their belt keepers with a sewing machine, if so, how do you do it? Thanks in advance.

After a ton of searching around, I found the answer for all future people who have the same question. The difference between the H1-H2-H3-H-4 for the PFAFF 345 and 335 is the lift height of the presser foot. The H1 and H2 only go up around 1/4 inch whereas the H3 and H4 go up 3/8 inch. The needle size is also different: H1 and H2 use size 134 needles whereas the H3 and H4 use size 134-35 needles All of the different models can be used for leather, but the H3 and H4 allow for thicker leather to be used since more can be crammed under the presser foot.

Hello everyone, I found an opportunity to purchase a Pfaff 345 h2 (345-H2-671B). From what I can discern from several posts on this site is that the H2 model is not well suited for leather. However, the seller claims that it can sew through leather no problem. My goal would be to use the machine to sew leather bags/purses in 4-6oz leather ideally with TEX 90 thread. Below is a picture of the machine's plate which the seller sent me. Would this machine be up to the task?

In terms of tools which are reusable (I try to avoid throw-away items when possible), I've tried an edge roller similar to the one @chiefjason mentioned with limited success. How do the more industrial shops do it? I can't imagine that people are using their fingers if you need to do twenty edges in a row or is that just the way people do it?

Hello, Quick question. How do people apply Tokonole burnishing cream? I've seen some people use their fingers, but I was wondering if there is another way how to apply it efficiently without making a mess of my fingers.

You guys are a huge help. Much appreciated. And @RockyAussie, thanks for the detailed pictures. They are huge help to conceptualize the process.

Hello everyone, I've been trying a number of leather glues recently and my favourite so far is Ecostick 1816B: it dries quickly, clear, and strong, without the odor of the solvent-based glues. I find it easier to use than Barge cement (and no fumes). That being said, I'm struggling to find a decent glue for gluing a zipper (fabric) to leather. What do you guys normally use? The catch is that the zipper is being as the closure for a zipper stationery case, so I need to be able to glue both sides of the zipper to two different leather pieces. For reference, the zipper stationery case is of this style: https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/559862096/leather-zippered-5-slot-pen-case-leather Thanks in advance.

Hello, After having made a leather watch strap, I have noticed that the strap occasionally disconnects from the watch casing. More precisely, the spring bars seem to release the strap occasionally. I had the spring bars replaced, so I do not think they are the problem. Is there some special way to make the holes/loops for the spring bars on the watch strap so that they don't get engaged when the strap is tugged at a weird angle? Thanks in advance.

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I had a technician over the other day to look at the machine and he felt the problem was mostly that the bobbin case cover slide plate was slightly bent downwards towards the bobbin which put pressure on the thread as it passed around the bobbin case. He banged the cover plate so that it's now bending away from the bobbin and the machine seems to be working fine. He did also mention, as you said Wiz, that if that doesn't solve the problem, the whole bobbin case assembly would have to be replaced, but for now, everything appears to be working fine.

After a longer wait then expected (there is a late summer construction holiday in Quebec for two weeks), I received a new JUKI bobbin case opener and a lot of JUKI bobbins. Unfortunately, the problem still persists with these new parts, although I think that it did reduce its frequency slightly. I've gotten to know the machine to the point that I can feel the snag coming, especially when working with the handwheel as there is suddenly much more resistance to turn the wheel and then the thread snags. Any further ideas on how to solve the issue?

You guys are really amazing! I retimed the machine, but the resulting change was very minor, so I doubt that was the problem. Increasing the gap with respect to the bobbin case opener to 1.5mm seems to caused more of an improvement. I'm trying to order some new bobbins and a bobbin case opener directly from JUKI which hopefully will resolve the problem entirely. I expect them to get back to me within the next couple of days.

Thanks for the suggestions. The machine appears to be timed correctly and I tried is timed correctly, so I don't think that's the problem. I should add that the thread snagging issue occurs intermittently which makes it all the more challenging for me to solve it. The part number for the bobbin case opener on the machine is SIMANCOUSA 248404.

Hello, I've been following this forum for a while and it's fantastic. I have a JUKI LU-563 which is working quite well except for the fact that sometimes the upper thread catches on the bobbin case in the little nook. Anyone have any idea how to solve this problem? Thanks so much.