jollyroger

I increased the spring pressure but too much and it will mark the leather. Either way, it seems the vinegarroon process changes the density/hardness of the leather. But it won't affect the thread so I'll just stitch before tooling and coloring. I finished up the stitch on the belt by hand. I started a new belt this morning with the same exact leather prior to coloring and had no problems, so thank you everyone for pointing me in the right direction.

v92 bonded thread and 135x16 DIA needle. I will wet it and see how it goes. Thanks for your help.

Got some spray silicone from the hardware store. I sprayed the thread and made sure it was all wiped down, then redid the bobbin with the same lubed thread. I tried three different times and each time, skipped stitches and, foot presser wheel starts lifting and the thread frays or tears. This leather isn't any different than the regular veg-tanned leather that seems to work without any problems. You think this has to do with the thickness or density of the leather? I can just color after sewing. Am I left with sewing this particular belt by hand? Would it help to sew it while it was damp?

I don't hear a squeak, just that loud kind of pop you can hear in the video. Ok, I'll try the silicon.

I usually wait to sew the belt until after I've oiled it. Do you think that would help? I tried sewing another piece of 8-9 oz leather that I did not color and did not have the same problem. It seems to be only the colored leather. I haven't had problems sewing color leather before that's 8-9 oz but it's always been oiled first. I tried increasing the spring pressure on the presser foot (a little, then a lot) and there was no change. Seems like the thread gets caught somewhere and causes it to lift the leather up against the presser foot.

I am relatively new to sewing leather and recently purchased a Sailrite Leatherworker sewing machine. I've managed to sew a few belts and straps successfully until yesterday. The machine started fraying the thread at the needle to where I would have to stop the stitch and rethread. Then the presser foot started lifting during the stitch and it would skip multiple stitches. I have made sure there are no strikes or burrs in the gib hook. Timing looks appropriate and needle bar is set correctly. I haven't adjusted anything else. I made a short video of what the machine is doing: I would appreciate any thoughts on what I've got going on here... Thanks in advance.

sorry I asked. taken to dm

good advice. my first need is to stitch faster and it sounds like it meets GerryR's needs. And I won't really know what my needs are until I get a machine that can't meet them, right? seems like a cheaper, capable machine is the best one to learn on but I'm new here and don't really know.

I would be interested in more details about your Chinese Patcher so I can try to replicate it. The Cowboy CB2500 looks pretty nice but I don't have $1500 for a machine yet - hopefully one day. thanks for your input

That's a good start. I did find this one before https://www.springfieldleather.com/Professional-Strap-Embossing-Machine but it says max width is 1.5" inches (38mm). I suppose that could work if I got creative, although the machine does look like it is possible to go larger. I will investigate both of these options. Thanks for your help

When making belts, it seems like stamping/tooling is the most time consuming. So is the solution is use an embossing machine? In my searches, I've found embossing machines but none of them look supported. They are old or refurbished. I'd like to find a manual crank embossing machine that takes up to 40-45mm wide wheels. And where do i get a custom embossing wheel? Thanks for any advice