Piko

Hi Alzilla, I did not end up cutting the table shorter: I got lazy and decided to use the extra room to mount the bobbin winder. The wooden triangle under the machine is just there because that is where I keep it: not functional for the machine balance or anything. The wooden triangle is to glue the lining to the shell of wallets and clutches at an angle to reduce the bunching of the liner. I have not burnished the clutch on purpose as it is one of my last tests before I start selling them on my site. I meed to fiddle with the foot pressure to avoid marks, and figure out how to back stitch. I am having 2 issues (I might as well ask since someone here may know the solution): 1) Bunching of liner. The liner is .9 mm and that is the thinnest ai can get. There is a place in Italy that can do 0.6mm - 0.7 mm but I don't have any at the moment so. I want to avoid bunching of the liner where the clutch’s flap folds. I read that stitching the sides helps but it does not seem true and, I would rather avoid stitching the flap for a cosmetic reason. I am using a water based contact cement called 1618b I think. I tested it against Barge Contact Cement and it holds pretty closely to it considering that it is water based. As for longevity of the bond I cannot attest to. My point is that the adhesive should not be the issue. Anyone knows how this can be fixed? 2) Back Stitching. I can’t seem to do it right. I wait until the needle is coming back up from the leather and I stop, press down the reverse lever, and then continue. I often miss the previous holes but i understand that is just lack of skills. However, when I do get the holes, the thread either gets bunched up on the bottom stitch side or it misses to make the knot. Anyone can suggest a solution for this? Thank you.

I just wanted to share the fruit of my hard work. It may not look good but I am working from a one bedroom with battery tools etc. I did not want to get the table mounted machine because i was planning on using it on my bench but, after mounting all the pieces together I realized I could not safely lift the setup from the ground to my bench top repetitively. I can lift it, but I gotta be very careful not to hurt my back in the prices and it is a very awkward shape/balance/height. So I did decide to get a table in the end and git one with a shelf so my Nippy Mini Skiver is also housed on this table. I use the vertical set up to store more things since, as I said, I love in a one bedroom. Anyhow. I moved the motor and added a speed reducer. I added a handle for moving it more easily. I relocated the controller box closer to the machine to accomodate a bobbin winder since I lost mine by adding the speed reducer. I added an eyelet thinghy to reroute the thread to the bobbin winder and, this thing is amazing. It winds bobbins in like 5 seconds and it stops when they are full. I had to cut the legs of the table because after adding the coaster wheels it was too high. Overall I am very happy with the whole set up and I can move it into the closet when I don't need it. The added speed reducer has made this machine so slow I can control it with ease and I think it has more punch now. It goes through veg tan like it iisnt even there. I am still learning how to back stitch into the same holes since I cannot see them and also learning to stitch better but that’s the beauty of the journey. Here are some photos of the set up and of a manly clutch I made myself today. Thank you all for all your tips and suggestions. Your knowledge is truly appreciated.

Hello esteemed leathercrafters from which I am learning everything about this new machine of mine. i have been using the Artisan 246 for a few weeks now and, after I was able to add some extra pieces, it’s running great. I have a Groz Beckert #18 on it now with the Vinymo #8 (close to a v92) and it works great but I would like smaller holes. I used the size #18 with the Vinymo #5 (close to a v138) and it works better because the holes from the needle are less noticeable due to the thread being thicker. My question is, can this machine use a size #16? I think I would like the smaller hole but I am not sure if it will mess up the whole tuning and dont want to damage the machine. anyone knows? As always : thank you in advance.

Thank you for the many answers. I do not have a circular blade saw...I just have a saw that looks like a serrated knife that moves back and forth operated buy an electriic motor: no idea what the tools are called. I do have a router and used it in the past but I was gonna leave the corbner sharp angle : not going for beauty here. Not removing the speed reducer, lol, it took me a while to put it on. Glad to hear the table does not have metal in it. from what you guys are saying it seems like a lot of work. I was just planning on hanging the table over the edge of my desk and chop it off with my saw. I might have to keep it like this until i come back from Italy though. yes, the setup is bench top because i live in a one bedroom nd have way too many toys. This thing is so heavy but it is mainly it's size that makes it hard to move. i guess the easiest way would indeed to get a smaller piece of wood and reinstall everything on it. It's more work i hoped for but if I ve done it once I can do it twice I guess. thank you again for taking the time to help me out. I appreciate it.

Would any of you guys know if I’d be able to cut this table with a normal power saw? I was going to make a new one out of wood but realize cutting this will be way faster. When i drilled in it, particles came out indicating that this is most likely composite wood. I am planning on cutting where the red line is and relocate the controller and the thread stand closer to the machine. After I cut it I am planning either to clamp it down on the right so that the heavy head won’t topple it or placing a Y shaped support under the cylinder arm to achieve the same. The reason for this is that, as it is, the damn thing is too big and lifting it up and down from my desk is killing my back also for the awkward shape and weight distribution. I just don’t want to start cutting in it and find out there is a metal armature in it or something. Anyone knows? thank you.

I am hoping to use this. It should work but I won't know until I try it.

It worked!!! The machine runs so smoothly and it slowed down a lot! I feel like it punches through more smoothly as well but that might just be bias.

Got it, thank you!!! Yeah I don’t think i need that small wheel anymore, good point. I’ll see if I can remove it. Thank you again.

I ended up getting this speed reducer. Now I am trying to figure put where to put it to drill the least amount of holes. If I install it like in the picture, I just have to move the motor over by an inch or 2 so possibly drilling just one hole (for the motor). But I lose the bobbin winder. If I placed it between the machine and the motor instead, I would need to move the motor further away from the machine drilling 3 holes for it but I would retain the bobbin winder. i am thinking of the first setup and loading the bobbin using a battery operated bobbin winder i purchase online. But it would be noce to also have the mechanical bobbin winder functional as it saves time. Anyone can think if a way to install the bobbin winder with the set up in the photo? Also, how do I measure the size of the belts I will need? One of them will have to be very small. Thank you in advance.

I ended up getting this speed reducer. Now I am trying to figure put where to put it to drill the least amount of holes. If I install it like in the picture, I just have to move the motor over by an inch or 2 so possibly drilling just one hole (for the motor). But I lose the bobbin winder. If I placed it between the machine and the motor instead, I would need to move the motor further away from the machine drilling 3 holes for it but I would retain the bobbin winder. i am thinking of the first setup and loading the bobbin using a battery operated bobbin winder i purchase online. But it would be noce to also have the mechanical bobbin winder functional as it saves time. Anyone can think if a way to install the bobbin winder with the set up in the photo? Also, how do I measure the size of the belts I will need? One of them will have to be very small. Thank you in advance.

NylonRigging, I dont see how the box style would help me as I would still have to remove the motor and install the box. Unless I am missing something. i bought the machine from a reseller near where I live. I think they had this machine there for god knows how long but it works fine and yes, it is new. I know the model, it is an Artisan 246VA. Do you think they'd have access to parts I can't find on the web? I mean, it makes sense. I'll give them a call next week. thank you for the suggestions. Thank you dikman for the input as well.

Hi, I bought an Artisan 246 and really like it but I want to slow down the stitching speed. I bought a speed reducer system which is basically a larger pulley with a smaller one next to it but I'll have to screw it to the table which means i need to move the motor. So, I was thinking, on my Sailrite, I only had to change the hand wheel (i hope this is what it is called the wheel to the right of the machine that you turn by hand when lifting the needle to remove the leather piece from under). Shouldn't I be able to just change that wheel to a larger one and get a new vbelt to slow the machine down? I know nothing about these machine so I dont know if they all have a standard way to mount the wheel or if i need to look for a specific one. Anyone knows? thank you.

So, wallets. I saw people skiving the T pockets and it made sense to reduce the thickness of the pocket so that when a credit card is inserted, the edges if the T picket don’t show up as they are slimmer. So I started doing it. I understand the skiving of the top part of a card pocket if you want to fold it back on its own to glue a thinner materia to create folded edges…makes sense to me. What I don’t understand is the slicing of the edges of the wallet than you end up glueing together. When I make my wallets the thickness is pretty much consistent edge to edge. Why would I want the edges of the wallet 3/4 of the thickness of the wallet itself? That should not help reducing the overall functional bulk of the wallet. If anything, after I place the cards in the wallet, having thinner edges would make the wallet look even thicker, ‘pillowy’ like. I do not skive my edges now as I still don’t understand its functionality. I do scrape the gran side of the leather that I am gonna glue fir better adhesion but that’s pretty much it. If you have info that would help me understand please do. thank you in advance.

I truly appreciate your gesture, but I ended up just buying leather from Rocky Mountain, some pueblo and other stuff so I didn’t get the HO yet. but thanks again for offering. Much appreciated. I am gonna try to use this pueblo today.

Thank you for the info!

Mike, I lasercut so no irons (although i have 4mm round and 3mm dimonds). I skive the T pocket. I dont understand skiving the edge. If I do, if I understand thus correctly, it would shave bulk from the edges once they are glues and stitched. But the rest of the wallet, will be thicker than the sides the are skived. I don't ee the point in that. I like how thick the wllet is ne when i burnish it it loos like wood. Pretty cool. thank you

Thank you! i am making wallets. The main structure is 2mm thick (5-6 oz) and the outside pockets are 1mm (2-3oz) see the photo, that’s what I am making. i’ve only used Veg Tan from Amazon and Tandy so far so I am yet to experiment with different leathers like Pueblo. cant wait.

Touche’ on the Alto, Hardrada. I laser-cut mostly to avoid punch in in the holes. I plan in moving soon and I’ll have a better place: for now this is all I can do. Ok, so pueblo is finished. I am still trying to make sense of conditioners, top layers etc but again, it has been two months. I am light years behind you guys. Love the items btw, good job! And thanks for the tips

You put Tokonole on the whole grain side? Do you burnish it with glass or just let it dry? Then you apply Saphir wax? those are great tips, thank you!

Hardrada, now thats a good looking wallet. i recently purchased some pueblo leather and a liner from RML but waiting for delivery. I laser cut the leather so I am not sure how a finished leather will behave under the laser. I guess I’ll find out soon enough. To tell you the truth, I don’t even know what ‘finished’ leather is. One thing I got to point out about English is that you guys use a lot of same words to descrive something completely different-ie top as in best and apical layer. Finished as a completed item as well as lacquered or painted etc. So I am still learning the terms. i am not sure if the Pueblo leather i bought is finished or not. Oh, and good point on the ‘free’. Did not think about it. I went with RML because they split leather. If it cuts under my laser and the fumes don’t kill me…I guess I’ll stick with them otherwise they’d have lost a potential customer (lol). thank you for your help.

That makes sense. For now I keep the leather undyed. I just apply Neatsfoot oil to it. The black color I achieve by using vinegar in which I dissolved steel wool and then neutralized its acid with sodium bicarbonate. It’s called mordente ferroso in italian and here, probably, ferrous acetate? Thank you for your tips.

So, I have been working with leather for the whole 2 months now. Doing my saddle stitching all happy until I saw the first picture. That is not how I do my saddle stitches i do it like the second picture. I pass the thread in my right hand over the left hand thread which essentially create s a weave. Am i doing it wrong?

Thank you JLS. so, if I am understanding this well, HO’s leather is full grain. I buy panels because my living situation doesn't really allow me to get larger pieces and have no space to cut them. While they are expensive I find them cheaper than the leather I get from amazon (mind you, I just started working with leather). I guess I’ll buy a couple of panels and try it out. Springfield Leather has some for relatively cheap. They classify the leather as #1 or #2 with the former being the best quality so, I assume A but, it could also mean that it is the best quality cut if a grade C. I don’t know and doubt I’ll be able to tell until I get some good leather and compare.. You mentioned the markup through a retailer. Can I buy from the Hermann company itself? Thank you Hags. What dealer do you use? I don’t know many. Namely, one.

So, was going to buy a panel of Hermann Oak leather and scrolled down to where it said that Hermann Oak has been tanning top-grain leather since 1881 or something like that. So I messaged the rep and asked if that piece was full grain or top grain and she said it is top grain. Now I am confused…is all Hermann Oak top grain or they sell it full grain and distributers sand it to top grain?

Thank you so much for your help. I appreciate it.