Arturomex

Thanks. Appreciate the advice and feedback. Got a couple of springs on order and, oddly, was at the grinder when you were posting your reply. I'll let you know how it works out. Art

Gonna join the others, Tom. That's a tidy piece of work there. Art

I think most of these Chinese made bell skivers are pretty much the same. I bought an SK4 a few years ago and I'm happy with it. Good, sturdy table, good motor and everything works well. At that time it was the best deal I could find in Canada. But I had to pay for shipping across the country and that was pricey. Looking at the Atlas Levy site they list their AT801 at $1050.00 US for the head only with the option to add a table and servo for and extra $150.00, so $1200.00 US. I don't know if the free shipping also applies to the package with the table and motor but the little blue banner still flashed "Free Shipping" after adding the table and motor option so it looks like it does. Techsew has pricing in both US and CDN dollars and The Techsew SK4 is listed at $1495.00 US for a difference of $295.00 US but I think there would be shipping on top of that. I'd inquire about what else is included with the AT801 like presser feet etc. The SK4 ships with three feet, a stick to remove the burr after sharpening etc. If the AT801 includes those, it looks like a pretty good deal. Regards, Art

Thanks for getting back to me, Keith. Typo indeed. Should have read 0.6mm on the feed dog height. My problem is, I think, that there is just a little too much pressure on the walking foot. i) Yes the feet are properly set. ii) The nose is, indeed, the same size as the 1341. I could raise the feed dog 0.2mm but I don't think that would help reduce the impression from the walking foot. It's currently set to the height it shipped at. iii) The machine shipped with a smooth feed dog. iv) All my presser feet are smooth. v) Got the manual and the 1342 Parts List as well. Techsew has this video up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjW5ucfkDII It doesn't address the position of the walking bar spring when performing this but I'm wondering if I can take a tiny bit of pressure off the walking bar this way. What do you think? Art

I'm having an issue with my 4800 walking foot leaving marks on veg tan leather. This machine is, I think, a hybrid clone of the Juki LS 1342. I've loosened the pressure spring all the way and still have the problem. I believe that when I back off the pressure on the back foot the situation improves but I'm not certain about that. Are the pressure of the rear foot and walking foot interrelated? My feed dog is set to 6.0mm. The spec calls for 0.8mm +/- 0.1mm for the LS 1341 and 0.5mm +/- 0.1mm for the LS 1342. Lift height is to spec at 9.0mm with the hand lifter and 16.0mm with the knee lifter. I'd really appreciate any insights on how I can correct this situation. Thanks, Art

I also use a green compound stick but I oil very, very lightly before the first application. I think it helps me apply the compound better but it's the only time I oil. I think Bill might be right and the efficacy of my oil application might just be in my head. I'm going to make another strop without oiling and see how it works. Not to teach grandma to suck eggs but I use the thinnest veg tan I can get, (0.5 ~ 1.0 mm) wet it, let it dry thoroughly and then glue it to the board (2.5 X .75 in. oak). I'm looking for the hardest surface I can get with minimal give to minimize any profile distortion. I pretty much only use Japanese knives on veg tan these days and they love the strop.

Are you referring to the limiting pin that mounts in the handle? Referred to as the "stop pin" in the instruction manual? https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0063/5997/3970/files/PKG-21-003_TandyPro_Hand_Press_-_Instructions_NO_CROPS.pdf?v=1631115666

Gimmick or not, these are still "a thing." https://www.ivan.tw/products/craftplus-twist-lock-swivel-knife-dual-blade?_pos=1&_sid=d46786c0c&_ss=r&variant=43277895270636 https://www.ivan.tw/products/craftplus-twist-lock-swivel-knife?_pos=2&_sid=d46786c0c&_ss=r But it costs $150.00 US to get into it. Arturo

A friend of mine bought that Tandy knife and he wasn't very happy with it. I tried it a couple of times and it didn't blow my skirt up either. It was fine for just cutting but it didn't seem to skive well at all. I don't know why. I buy my knives here: https://leathercrafttools.com/tools/manufacture/knife/list/ I particularly like the Hidetsugu knives. You're getting a softer steel on top with, I think, Hitachi blue or something similar as the cutting edge. They come with unfinished handles and I put a couple of coats of water based Varathane on them. I sharpen starting with either 600 or 800 grit, work down to 2000 grit, strop with green compound and they're razor sharp. I'm pretty religious about stropping after every use and once these are in shape, they don't really need to see a stone again. These are very similar to the Weaver knife you show but the price is a lot better, even after shipping. (FedEx - about one week to Alberta.) Regards, Arturo

I thought the Cobra Class 26 was also a clone of the LS-341. In addition to the Cobra Class 26 and Cowboy CB 341, Techsew also offers an LS-341clone as the 2750.

Glad to know you've been successful. I'm not understanding the problem you've had with other bobbins. Are they not interchangeable between the 441 class machines? What seems to be the difference? Regards, Arturo

@AzShooter don't know your age or medical background but it might be worth seeing a doctor. Regards, Arturo

Well done. That's a nice piece of work. Merry Christmas to you. Arturo

Here's a link to an interesting little article about these boxes. "The Making Of An 18th Century British Army Cartridge Box." https://bantarleton.tumblr.com/post/155579468590/the-making-of-an-18th-century-british-army

Colorado Department of Agriculture: https://ag.colorado.gov/brands/livestock-brands