CdK

I have started to use my 801 quite a lot to skive waxy pull-up and soft chrome tan for bags. I don’t have a vacuum, just a plastic shoebox mounted under the opening to catch the trimming. Ditched the steel feed wheel as the stone is superior for these leathers. on rare occasions small pieces came up the feed wheel but had no damage to work pieces. I like the 3d printed pickup Wildharry made and I’m thinking to do something similar and use a small shop vac to remove the scraps. I don’t think adding any covers or such will be needed to make this work considering that most of the scraps just fall out already. I will post something once I have done this.

The glued shut screw caps can be prevented by lightly coating the threads with Vaseline or grease.

I stopped using it as it is not available locally and shipping it in was a mess due to leaking containers. I use Weldwood contact cement and results are good and the local hardware outlets have it available, There may be applications where Barge is preferred but I have not come across any limitations yet. I don’t do footwear so it may not be suitable for that use.

@AlZilla It's OK, it is only a flesh wound!

@TomETom, thank you for the kind offer. I don't need any for the foreseeable future as a quart will last me a very long time. I learned early on that the product must be used sparingly and with care or lousy outcomes will occur. I found that diluted 50/50 with water and sprayed on works well, dauber or brush, not so much. Gives me a satin finish with a lustre that preserves the natural texture & look of the underlying leather. This locks in the pro dye well and prevents smearing or rub-off. It does not totally seal the leather and NFO & balm will still be absorbed by the leather after application. I have seen too many completed projects that are shiny from heavy application and cracking and spalling off is often the outcome. Typical example where less is more. I have not witnessed discoloration of thread but then again I use bonded polyester or nylon for my sewing. I will remember your heads-up and will do a test first when I use different thread.

No, I shook the small jar to mix the solution and noticed it was off before I tried to spray it. Cleaning out a Paasche is not fun, ask me how I know...

...So there I was... Did you know that Resolene will curdle when you add rubbing alcohol to it? I was getting the airbrush ready to finish some holsters with Resolene. I thin it with water for better spraying, done this many times before and it has always worked well. Instead of going into the house to get some water I thinned it with some 91% alcohol I had on hand. Thankfully I mixed these in a small jar so the waste is minimal.

When I started with the craft I had spare time and broke, still in school. A cobbler in our small town set me up with an old diamond awl, some needles & thread and a piece of beeswax. He showed me how to use these. I used a modified kitchen fork as my pricking iron and a stitching pony I made from oak lumber scraps. Useful learning how to stitch using these simple basic tools and making what you need from the (old) gentleman. (He was a teenager during WW2 and learnt through necessity to do leather work making prosthetics, these were in great demand at the time.)

@Chef niloc This is what I did, started out with a low speed grinder from Amazon, $80 & sanding drum kit from Harbor Freight, $18. I turned a screw on arbor for the RH thread and pressed this into a block of cherry. I then turned the wood to add the grooves. I rotated the grinder body 180* so the rotation is away from me.

Sold & shipped to @Jbab

Status update: sale pending.

As mentioned above, sharpening and keeping your tools sharp are easy and a must. I often cringe when watching internet celebrity artisans use obviously dull tools. It takes just a few seconds to strop cutting tools and keep the edges keen.

Nice rigs. Just me but if I need to go somewhere and thinking I might need so much ammunition I would take a rifle with several large capacity magazines!

@Dominique Yes, this is still available.

@OleTan Yes, this is still available.

Nice older machines worthy of putting back into working order.

Very nice, you are much braver than I in taking on making your own footwear.

Very nice work. My hands ache looking at the nice lacing, remembering how much time and effort it took to do that kind of work years ago. I laced many projects at that time as I had not mastered finishing edges to my liking yet.

@MarshalWillThank you. @Northmount Thank you. I must compliment you and fellow moderators for keeping this forum a civil and friendly place. Almost done with some small mods and tasks to go, like a swing down guide and belt cover on the 441 and cleaning up the wiring on both.

@dikmanShe is my late mothers cat and sometimes I think reincarnation occurs even after the cat was born. She is my QA/QC individual with an extremely critical eye.

@kggThank you for your kind words. Yes, I was sent a pedal and rings and I got that part taken care of. The knee actuated lifter somehow did not grow on me and a few times I stomped the sewing pedal in error and had to clean up the rats-nest around the bobbin.

A while ago I went on a road trip and 2 sewing machines followed me home (1341 & 441). After using both for a short period I decided to do some modifications. Both pedestal mount tops were larger than required and wasting space in my work space. Also the lack of commonality was irritating as I am new to these types of machine. One had 2 foot controls while the other did not. One had NPS, the other not. Speed was good on one, other too fast sometimes. Ryan Neel shipped me 2 of the HM-750SL units and the modifications commenced. (I included a picture where both the stock motor and the new HM-750SL are side by side. These motors have more power, can be run as slow as 50RPM and with the smaller pulley the stitching is very slow.) Both sewing machines are now equivalent in operation with dual foot controls and NPS. The accompanying pictures that tell the tale. (Moderators, I was not sure which part of the forum to best place this so please feel free to move if needed.)

Very nice design, Dwight. Thank you for sharing this. I favor the avenger style of holsters but I will make a reference pattern & holster for my 1911 using this layout. Hmm, I could also do the “hidden slot” on an avenger.

Very nice. Even though I live in Texas I know little about horses or the saddles, tack or rider equipment so I’ll defer to folks here that do.

I made a larger batch of the balm as described in the first post by @ScottWolf with carnauba wax and lanolin added. Came out good and is the consistency of shoe polish at room temperature. Apply just a dab and spread and then rub with a cloth or soft brush and it shines nicely with no oiliness or sticky. I filled 24 x 2oz metal cans and still have a bunch of balm in the large pot I used. The pic was taken before they had cooled down.