AlZilla

I've reported you to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Sewing Motors.

If the stitch holes are part of the die then I'd say the holes don't follow well. You might alleviate some of it by tying the ends off and burying the knot between the layers instead of double stitching. Just leave long tails and do a square knot that you pull tight.

I've been eyeing up various wing tip work boots from Shoebank.com (which won't load for me at the moment), which is the outlet site for Allen Edmonds shoes. At best they'd be a couple hundred bucks and up to several hundred. But, it's an itch that I'll scratch one day.

The basics never go out of style. When I was getting started with industrials I took the advice to "hold back hard" to heart and I was splitting the thread on the hook of my 111w. I think that advice was meant for bigger machines. Caused me a lot of frustration until I figured it out. Just gentle pressure.

Good call. I have some experience of grants. My motto, "If you take their money, you give them control". This applies to anyone who wants to contribute to your cause and for all values of "they, their and them".

Building on Chuck's theme, here's an archive dot org link for a basic Leathercraft book. I glanced quickly at it and it seems to cover the basics. https://ia903202.us.archive.org/29/items/basic-leathercrafting/Basic Leathercrafting.pdf

@Bunb You're welcome to place a proper For Sale ad in our For Sale section: https://leatherworker.net/forum/forum/82-machinery-sewing-and-stitching/ Please review the rules linked below and comply so we don't have to chase you down for further information. They're linked here: https://leatherworker.net/forum/forum/71-items-for-sale/ We're basically looking for a decent description, statement of condition, pictures, location, price and shipping info. We'd all hate to see a sewing machine go to waste. Good luck with it!

Welcome to the forum! You need only post the details of what's happening or not happening, relevant details like thread and needle size, thickness of leather you're trying to sew. Any pictures will help. Do that and our global network of leather sewing consultants will offer the best advice anywhere.

Welcome to the forum. Not knowing the history of that piece makes it tough It might be that it had something applied or spilled in those spots that prevents the conditioner from soaking in. It might evaporate with time. Maybe some time sitting out in the sun? How about a picture? Smarter people that I will certainly weigh in presently. Don't be in a rush.

Maybe you could post that kit you found and get some opinions. They're are a bunch of them. Here's a post by a guy doing some amazing work with a $50 amazon starter kit: https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/125186-leather-projects-using-50-dollars-of-amazon-tools/#comment-771141 Maybe it'll give you some inspiration. Keep us posted as you progress!

Quite nice, I think. I appreciate the fact of the natural creases in the non-carved face. I like my items to look like the genuine full grain leather they they are, just like the animal wore it. Well, dye, finishes, etc. are fine.

Well, Wallets, Hatbands and Coasters all give an opportunity for stamping and carving. Here's an interesting post from an old leather hand stranded away from his tools and how he scratched the leather crafting itch with starter tools: https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/125186-leather-projects-using-50-dollars-of-amazon-tools/#comment-771141 Trolling WalterF's posts on his profile page should turn up more than a few ideas.

I'm guessing that machine is what we would call a "441 clone". In other words, a clone of the Juki 441. Breaking the needle could mean you knocked the timing off. After making sure it turns freely all the way around, I'll suggest you start with the 2 videos below to see where your hook timing is at. Also notice when you turn it over if the feed dog and hook move. It might be as simple as a popped safety clutch. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT3AVgj_HLI https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_f3yszCKBAg&pp=ugUEEgJlbtIHCQkVCgGHKiGM7w%3D%3D Report back and smarter people than me will be on standby...

In 1835, a guy named Walter Hunt moved the eye of a sewing needle to the pointy end for the sewing machine he was working on. The very next day, he caught a load of grief about the stupid BOBBIN from some guy on Reddit. It still rages today ...

This exact thing has been on my mind for my multitude of vintage machines. The link redirects me to the US site, where they're 99 cents today. I'll be ordering several. Thanks, this is a great find.

OK, where does this thread come from? How does it get into the "center of the space that the bobbin used to occupy"?

Is the loop going around the bobbin any different than the bobbin itself passing thru the loop? No. The top thread can pass around it because there's no stray thread feeding into the bottom. If the bobbin thread is coming from somewhere else and going thru the bobbin case ... The loop can't go around the bobbin case. The bobbin thread would be in the way. You must have a sewing machine around there somewhere. Open it up and see for yourself. Watch the thread go around the bobbin case and ask yourself how that would happen if there were a thread passing into it. No mas.

Exactly - you should study just what's happening when the stitch is formed. Then you'll see that you can't just wrap a single strand of top thread around the bobbin thread without the entire bobbin spool passing thru the loop of the top thread. I want it to be possible. Maybe your lack of understanding why it can't be done has allowed you a fresh perspective. I'd love to see a drawing or a model.

@mnp You should ask some specific questions and post pics that might help describe what you're wondering about. 206RB is a very common machine, though I don't personally know what the "ATCL" nomenclature stands for. I'd be pretty shocked if there was anything about these machines that someone on the forum doesn't know. Here's 47 pages of search results to get you started: https://leatherworker.net/forum/search/?q=206RB&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=50

I believe we've said the same thing ...

Ok, KGG posted a video here https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/132390-a-must-view-for-all-levels-of-sewing/ that has a large scale demo of the lock stitch, starting at 8:30. Watch it as the bobbin passes through the loop. It doesn't matter if the loop goes around the bobbin or the bobbin goes through the loop. It has to happen. It also doesn't matter if it's flat or vertical. The relationship is the same. Now, as you watch the demo, imagine instead the hook pulling the loop around just the endless bobbin thread. First of all, you'd have 2 strands of top thread going around the bobbin thread. Then one of two things would happen. Either the (Oscillating) shuttle would back out of the loop and the tension arm would snatch it all back topside. Or, the (Full Rotary) hook would keep spinning and wrap the top thread around itself, while the tension arm tried to snatch the top thread back to the topside. I don't know how else to explain it and I'd LOVE to be proven wrong.

I could see that being popular in rural communities. I painted my building the same scheme.

No, because if there's a thread feeding into the bobbin case from below, the top thread can't go around the bobbin case. You'd have to snake that bobbin thread down from the top ... Somehow. I'm happy to be wrong so we can start using 1 pound spools for bobbins. I just can't see it. You'd have to move the feeder thread for the bottom out of the loop forming top thread altogether. [EDIT: No, because you still have to loop the top thread around the bottom, it doesn't matter where it feeds from].

That one is already saved for me. It amazes me how many people use sewing machines yet have no idea how they work.

I hear you. I had the same vision myself. But think the process through. When the hook picks off the loop, the loop has to go around the bobbin. The loop has to loop around the whole bobbin so that there's a single thread around the bobbin thread. What you're envisioning would pull the whole loop around the bobbin thread. I made the same mistake. Unless you have a different vision. Go back and read the whole thread, where the the flaw in my thinking was pointed out to me. If you figure out how to do it, I want 10% of the gross.