AlZilla

You jumped into the deep end of the pool! How about contacting Tech Sew for the thread guide? https://www.techsew.com/us/parts-supplies.html It probably a pretty generic 441 part, but Tech Sew will know for sure. You're kind of dead in the water without the thread guide. Once you get it, thread it up with the 277 and see how it goes. It might work just fine. If not, some specific questions about what it doing or not doing should get you some quick answers. Here's a thread with general purpose 441 Clone info: Meanwhile, most of us like pictures. Feel free to show us yours. Good luck with the new machine.

Man, those look like some big molds. If those are cinder blocks in the first picture, the molds must be 5 to 7 inches across! If there are pics or video of your process somewhere, I bet I'm not the only one who'd like to see them. Quite impressive work.

So, @FDC, I'm curious why you'd go to the time and trouble of matching up the curve instead of making a straight cut across the stand and making a straight cut to piece it in. It's great work, but it seems like it was a lot of extra time.

It's all really going to depend on how thin you want to go and how small the thread/needle size you'll want to use. For me, a 111W with 138 complementing a 441 class kept setup with 277 fits the bill. The following article talks about how to "dumb down" a 441 class machine for lighter work. It should help you decide if the 441 is the right fit. There's a video somewhere online of a machine similar to these sewing through plywood, so upsize is definitely not the issue. You mentioned wallets, which the article specifically mentions as a case for "dumbing down" the 441.

I wondered how you were doing the strap. Nice work, I enjoyed the follow along. Maybe the money will make it easier to box it up!

If you strike out with Johanna, how determined are you? Now you need to track down his descendants. Ancestry records, death index are places to start. The archived copy of his website has a specific address in Columbus, Ohio (I won't cite it because it looks like an apartment). Maybe someone related to him still lives there and a letter would get you started. The website looks like he had some interesting patterns for sale. Who knows, maybe one of his kids has a closet full of dad's "junk"?

That is one uncommon book you're looking for! One result in multiple search engines and it's this thread. Project Gutenberg doesn't have it. The Wayback machine lists the other thread you reference, but never archived the thread itself. Maybe PM Johanna and see if she has the original file rattling around on her computer? Apparently it was an e-book.

There's a lot to like about that purse. I'll suggest that maybe the backside of the strap get some kind of treatment. It's the only piece of raw leather I can see. Also, if you get another one, interior pockets always seem to be a big hit with the wimmin. Cell phones, pens, that sort of thing. Very nice project. Thanks for the blow by blow report.

Maybe in your 2nd post, you'll share with us some pictures of the projects you've made with this mushroom leather.

Very nice. Thanks for the picture and explanation. Looks like a slightly steeper angle on the shorter end. I've made a couple of drop holsters for my every day regular gun belt. For some reason, drop holsters just ride better than regular belt holsters.

Well, thanks for taking one for the team.

@Thadrick, I'm curious about the rise/angle up from the holsters. Did you wing it, was it a pattern, maybe a specific angle or rise (so many inches in a foot)? Thanks for whatever info you can provide.

Interesting. Between this post: https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/118068-western-purse-work-in-progress/?do=findComment&comment=749613 And this one: https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/118068-western-purse-work-in-progress/?do=findComment&comment=749627 The flower petals turned white. But apparently, they didn't. The surrounding background turned brown. Fun lesson.

@Cattleman, is the white on the flowers dye, or paint? The antiquing definitely brought out details in the flower petals. It's a pretty versatile but unpredictable thing, in my limited experience.

That August 3rd deadline isn't looking so unlikely, after all. The dye is really going to make that tooling pop!

Definitely like those. Looks like 34 rounds of ammo plus 6 in the cylinder. With my girth, I could probably fit a box on the belt alone with room to spare!

Perfection is boring. Embrace the splotchy. I've struggled with uneven dye jobs. I found that "dip dying" is much more even. You can return the excess back to the original bottle. Also I find that dampening the leather before dying can help. Maybe I'll try the neatsfoot oil idea. EDIT: The bottle in the picture says "2 tone". Did the manufacturer have a recommended application method? It's funny how it seems to have both absorbed more in that dark area and resisted in other areas. Could something have contaminated the surface?

Here's a thread that seems like a great place to start learning about the machines and it's capabilities: Off the top of my head, people generally prefer cylinder arm machines for bags. The little I saw at the above link seems to indicate the Pfaff 145 is a well regarded machine. Stay within it's capabilities (max thread size and thickness it'll sew) and you should be able to sew lots of things.

Now I understand the support strap you mentioned and the low mounted belt clip. So this is a sporting rig, not a concealed carry?

Fun seeing how each step builds on the last. Is this a standard pattern for you that you've tooled before?

Really? 13 minutes between laid out and finished cutting? (time stamps on your posts) Nice work.

Oddly, I was just zooming in and lamenting that my basket stamping always looks like it was stomped out by a herd of cattle. Stampeding. Drunk. I'll take obviously crafted by a skilled hand over die-straight machine stamping any day. I'll be following this one.

Well, it's all written in plain english. Seems like it ought to be pretty comprehensible.

https://smith-wessonforum.com/gun-leather-carry-gear/724748-al-stohlman-holster.html Yeah, I guess you have to be logged in to see them. Oh, well. Annoying, but it's not my board. I won't post links there any more. whatever that means ...

Wayne, Oh yeah, I could see just what you were doing to hold it down. Starting in the middle is a good point, though. I think it'd be easy enough to tip the blade if you wanted a more traditional skive, too. Most ingenious.