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AlZilla

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Everything posted by AlZilla

  1. AlZilla
    If you're still here, I should have asked: If money and space were no object, what machine, besides a sewing machine, would be your next most useful machine? I should have seen the sewing machine being the #1 answer.
  2. AlZilla
    Well, but maybe a person wanted to hand sew. Their dream machine would be ... I wonder.
  3. AlZilla
    Well, I was thinking of just any machine in general. Skiver, clicker press, laser to who knows. I've been prepping straps the last couple of days, edge slicking, getting everything square and centered, punching endless holes and thinking about all the machines and tools I don't have I do have a 441 clone and a few other bigger sewing machines.
  4. AlZilla
    So, I'm curious ... What if you had only hand tools for your leatherwork and you could choose 1 free machine? Money is no object, space is no object and supplies for your new fantasy machine are no object. What would you choose? (I'm not in this position and this is not an offer! )
  5. AlZilla
    How about shoe polish? It's not really dye, but who knows?
  6. AlZilla
    What about something like this: https://tolindsewmach.com/cb3200.html It says it gets down to size 69 thread and up to 346 and sews up to a half inch. Others will know better than I, but it seems like a better fit.
  7. AlZilla
    Type "Sheep Skin Scraps" into your favorite search engine and you'll have more hits than you could possibly use.
  8. AlZilla
    I see. In that case, maybe focus on making custom dies to use in an existing arbor press.
  9. AlZilla
    I am not having breakfast at your house! I've found a product called "Leather N' Rich" imparts a sort of Saddle Tan over time. But that's not brown. I'm kind of intrigued by the clothing dye idea.
  10. AlZilla
    This might be a fun thing to fabricate just because it's satisfying to make things. I don't really see how it would work. It appears there's no downward travel left in the machine as pictured. And if the area on the bottom is where you'd be cutting your strap, the leather seems like it'd already have to be the desired width to enter the cutting area. Would it be something where you'd cut sections as you go, or would it be a draw through type of cutter? I know there exist large, expensive machines to cut a large piece of leather into straps. This might speed up producing more than one but less that say, 20. But then, I'm the guy who said that Windows operating system thingy would never catch on.
  11. AlZilla
    That's pretty interesting. Looks like the Cobra is making up for no top pin by going further around that upper tension disk. My old Singer 111W has the top pin with 2 holes but I've found that going through it once instead of twice can help some threads feed better.
  12. 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.
  13. AlZilla
    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.
  14. AlZilla
    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.
  15. AlZilla
    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.
  16. AlZilla
    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!
  17. AlZilla
    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"?
  18. AlZilla
    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.
  19. AlZilla
    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.
  20. AlZilla
    Maybe in your 2nd post, you'll share with us some pictures of the projects you've made with this mushroom leather.
  21. AlZilla
    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.
  22. AlZilla
    Well, thanks for taking one for the team.
  23. AlZilla
    @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.
  24. AlZilla
    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.
  25. AlZilla
    @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.
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