PastorBob

Good morning fellow leatherworkers, I want to ask a few questions regarding setting up the Class 4 for sewing different projects. The machine is setup and sews beautifully. It came setup with a left hand presser foot and the standard needle plate with feed dog installed. I am using a #25 needle, 277 thread on top and 207 on the bottom. So I have a couple of questions: I was able to setup the roller guide and keep a pretty straight stitch, but it seemed to be in about 1/4" - 5/16" from the edge. I tried moving in the roller guide closer to the needle (it moved just fine), but the edge that came into contact with the guide kept falling down into the opening of the needle plate. It just seemed like it wasn't the right setup to get a stitch closer to the edge. What is the best setup for getting close to the edge (1/8") I was practicing on a piece of scrap for a pocket knife sheath. I cut the scrap to the approximate size and punched out the belt slots. As I was trying to sew around the belt slots, the presser foot kept falling into the belt slot and would not move the leather. I switched out the left presser foot to the one that has a foot on both sides of the needle. That seemed to help, but would I be better off switching to the narrower slotted needle plate? How do I choose which combo of needle plates and presser feet? I watched a video of Don Gonzalez showing the stirrup needle plate and he mentioned the holster one. I read about it in the manual, but wasn't quite sure if it would help me as I don't have metal inserts in my holsters. What is the best setup for sewing belts? Thanks for all your help!!!

Thanks! I have my first piece ready to sew for a client. Still trying to decide on sewing with the machine or by hand. Not real confident I won't screw it up and have to start from scratch. May do this one by hand, then keep practicing. It is just a small pocket knife sheath. I have a great sword scabbard in the works too. I would really like to use the machine on that one. I have a question about proper needle plate and feed dog, but I will ask in separate thread.

I think it turned out great! Stood many a line, some even with my 4 year old granddaughter. Thanks for what you do!!

one dead cow. Nice and southpaw too.

I remember when you mentioned it last year. Great to see them now.

great pattern on the inlay. Glad you were able to salvage it. I have done patterns with inlays and screwed something up, only to toss the whole thing.

nice lookin' rig. I like where the leather stops near the trigger guard. I wouldn't change it.

Oh, the things we do for good friends. Great job!

Very nice. I am sure the animal shelter will be pleased to have such nice wares.

Welcome to the forum from SW Missouri, USA. Sounds like you have a great start by getting the Stohlman books. Good luck with finding a source for leather and tools. Hopefully, it will work out with your co-worker to obtain some of them.

Pretty interesting. I don't know them either. I use Greek from time to time, when carving prayer journal covers.

PM Sent for Glock 43 H&K USP 45 Ruger LC9 S&W M&P 9 Sig P320 Springfield XDM 3.8

That is striking! And for such a good cause. Just looked up Fair Grove. You are only about an hour away. I am in Carthage. Heading up to Springfield Leather later this afternoon. We may have to get together sometime.

Welcome to the forum, from SW Missouri....you have definitely put some thought into this. My suggestion would be buy the tools you need to do the job at hand. If strap goods, then maybe get a strap cutter. When you decide to get into stitching, get some chisels. I started out the same way you did. As I made products for family, friends, and neighbors, I charged according to my skill level. Both parties were happy, and I had money to go buy more supplies. As my skill increased, I charged a little more and was able to buy more tools, stuff to enhance my hobby. There are many ways to go about it. Look for inexpensive items as well. Get you a granite slab for next to nothing from a counter top company nearby (a sink cutout). Ask your friends if they have a cutting mat they're not using. But when you buy tools, don't go cheap. Find decent quality tools at reasonable (hard to do these days) prices. Tandy would be the bottom for me. Don't buy the cheap stuff from overseas on Amazon. The quality is just not always there. It's a crap shoot. Weaver, Springfield Leather, and others have good tools. You will pay a little more for them, but you won't be disappointed. Also, don't buy a tool for something you can do without, until you can afford to get it to save you some time. An example is a corner punch. You can get a nice corner punch for several dollars, but at the same time, you can trace around a round object then cut with an utility knife, then sand smooth. I am sure there will be much more info coming your way, but you may also want to search through the forum. This question gets asked from time to time.

Subscribed! Thanks for that information. I am sure I will be watching lots of videos. I will definitely be practicing. I have about 6 totes and 2 boxes full of "made to order" sewing practice pieces (or scrap). LOL

Thanks for the insight. I have subscribed to Uwe' channel and have downloaded the manuals from an old thread. Thanks @Constabulary for making them available.

If it is a commissioned piece, is the client willing to pay an additional $200 bucks. if you charge $20 per hour, will it take you less than 10 hours to cut out by hand? Since it is a one-off, I would probably do it by hand.

That's why I was a little more confident. I have never done any sewing at all. Surely I can figure it out. I can help my dad turn a bull into a steer and run a Stihl 261 for firewood. It's been a while, but engine swaps are not out of the question either.

saved in my bookmark for later reference. Thanks!

Would it be cutting out the actual pieces or creating a pattern in said pieces? Do you have all the images digitized already if it's to cut out individual pieces? Are you doing this as a one-off or are you planning on making more of the same?

mighty fine workmanship!!

So many times I have looked online for used sewing machines, then came here and did a search looking for comments from @kgg or @Wizcrafts to determine if it was a good machine. I have had numerous messages with both of them helping me decide on a machine. I tried the Chinese cobbler, and even my late wife, who could run the heck out of a serger and a local sewing machine repairman couldn't get it to work properly, even after it was buffed to shine after watching all the videos on the subject. Friday I will be picking up a Cobra Class 4 machine from Springfield Leather Co. Wish me luck. Thank you guys for all the help and I am sure I will be pestering you with questions in the near future. PS - I got the Premium package with stand.

Thanks Dwight! Appreciate your kind words and input. My Redeemer Lives!!

Make sure to post pics when done. I did order the pattern pack, but have about 6-10 other projects in front of it.

Thanks for the pic. I am thinking about investing in a vacuum setup. I haven't yet. That looks great!!