Belt Thread

[Handstitched]

22 hours ago, AussieTanker said:

They are hand operated. 

Are you refering to the tippman boss  machine?  If thats the case, imagine doing a few belts, using one of those ?  After a while your hand would seize up .Ouch !! Its bad enough cutting out a few hundred holes  on a bag using a rotary punch. 

3 hours ago, dikman said:

And since then shipping costs have skyrocketed. Living in Oz gives us limited choices.

  I'm glad I got my machine when I did, it came from Q Stitch in Capalaba  Qld.  All my needles, thread etc. also come from SMA  Qld.  

HS

[kgg]

23 hours ago, AussieTanker said:

Does anyone have any thoughts on those types of machines?

Every machine has it's place each with their own individual pro's and cons. On the manual heavy duty market there are presently three one armed bandits available, that I known of. The Tippman Boss coming in at about $1000 USD for a basic machine then you have the Cowboy Outlaw at about $1400 USD and the most expensive machine being the Weaver Master Tool Cub at about $2000 USD. I almost bought a one armed bandit last year myself but after a lot of thought I decide to go with a 441 clone. Stuff the item under the needle and push the go pedal. Everyone's situation is different and a manual machine may well serve your needs. Before investing in one be honest and consider the cons, do they out weight the pros. Once you buy one you are basically going to be stuck with it for awhile.

What thickness of leather are you planning on sewing and with what size of thread? Since you are looking at the one armed bandits a cylinder arm machine like the Juki LS-341 or LS-1341 or similar clone with a table attachment may work.

kgg

Edited August 28, 2023 by kgg

[Heartless]

the cost of a one armed bandits just makes no sense to me.. far too expensive for what they are.

especially the Weaver one.. for just a couple hundred more I can get a Class 26 cylinder arm (or similar)... why would anyone pay $2000 for a manually operated machine??

[fredk]

I bought a 'Boss'

To answer some questions, in order in which I think of them

1. Speed; I like to  work at a speed I like, not at the speed a machine wants me to. I've converted my Singer 99K to manual

2. Time of use; I live in a small flat/apartment, surrounded by others. Families in those frequently change. Currently above and to my left are families with very young children. I need to work quietly. Late at night they can even hear a an electric drill or my washing machine. I can use the Boss at 2am if I want to

3. Size; I have the Boss bolted on to an extension to a desk.  It has a 'foot print' of about 15 x 10 inches, smaller than my Singer 99K. Any of the powered machines I considered  were much larger. And many need their own work table. I simply do not have the room

4. Power; Any powered machine I considered did not use UK electric. On top of the main price I would have had to pay a minimum of £300 extra to get it converted over. Also, power cuts, (outages ? to you) whilst neither common nor frequent, they do happen. No worries with the Boss. I used to do craft shows, so if I want to I can pack the Boss and take it along. No worries if the show is outside in a field or an old castle somewhere, I don't need power, just a table and some clamps or ~ I've considered getting a piece of tree trunk and drilling it for using coach-screws to hold the Boss

5. Use; I do not sew belts I make. I make smaller items using thick-ish leather. Thus it doesn't take long to do anything, At the moment I just use mine to make holes for saddle-stitching by hand

5a. Use (#2); you set your powered machine to 4 spi and zip along. But what if some of the holes/stitching don't fall just where you want them? With a manual machine you can adjust where the holes will be easier by seeing them come up more slowly. Yes you can do the same on a powered machine but not just as easily

6. Exercise?! Its not your hand, its the muscle in your upper arm (bicep?) which gets exercised! Its what one gets used to. Such upper arms exercises are no stranger to me. Sore & tired? Just take a short break. After a few sessions your time sewing lengthens and the time for breaks shortens

7. A 'Boss'; will hold its value more readily that powered machines. Any 2nd hand powered machines I considered all needed attention, ie work to make them work. I got a  comprehensive new Boss outfit for less than the price of one of those very used and broken powered machines here. Good powered machines will hold their value as well but good used are hard to find. A new machine with guarantee is better than a used machine with none imo

[AussieTanker]

On 8/28/2023 at 8:14 AM, dikman said:

looked at importing a 441-class machine from China (where the prices are fairly reasonable) but by the time all the other costs were added in there was no advantage so I bought local.

Thanks for that info.  What machine did you end up getting and where did you get it from.  Are you happy with it?

On 8/28/2023 at 11:39 AM, Handstitched said:

 I'm glad I got my machine when I did, it came from Q Stitch in Capalaba  Qld.  All my needles, thread etc. also come from SMA  Qld.  

Thanks for that.  I will google them.  And might send you a private message closer to the time that I'm ready to purchase of that's ok

On 8/28/2023 at 12:39 PM, kgg said:

What thickness of leather are you planning on sewing and with what size of thread? Since you are looking at the one armed bandits a cylinder arm machine like the Juki LS-341 or LS-1341 or similar clone with a table attachment may work.

TBH in not really sure.  I'm only just starting my leathercraft journey.  It's really just gathering info and ideas at this point in time.

On 8/28/2023 at 9:54 PM, fredk said:

I bought a 'Boss'

To answer some questions, in order in which I think of them

Thank you.  That was very helpful!

[Dwight]

I have a Boss and a Cowboy 4500 . . . will one day in the near future sell the Boss as I've just about learned all the old tricks I did with the Boss . . . now on the Cowboy.

Belts with a Boss. . . you betcha . . . about 10 minutes each side . . . vs 2 1/2 hours per side hand stitching.

Boss was the best 1K I've spent in all my money making ventures of 78 years . . . not as much fun as some of my toys . . . but my toys are not money makers . . . the Boss is.

To top it off . . . Tippmann has been great to work with as far as problems are concerned.  Great people to work with.

Toledo sales did my Cowboy . . . have nothing bad to say about them either.

May God bless,

Dwight

 

[dikman]

On 9/3/2023 at 1:06 AM, AussieTanker said:

Thanks for that info.  What machine did you end up getting and where did you get it from.  Are you happy with it?

I bought a Cowboy 4500 from Sun Valley Trading, in Qld. I only bought the head unit as I already had a suitable table and servo to use with it. They are very good people to deal with. I have to admit I haven't used it much as I seem to keep getting distracted from leatherwork and doing other things. But it's a lovely machine.

I see they also have the Cowboy Outlaw for $1800.

[AussieTanker]

13 hours ago, dikman said:

I bought a Cowboy 4500 from Sun Valley Trading, in Qld.

Thank you.  I will probably go the same route when I'm ready.  Appreciate the heads up!

[Cattleman]

I bought a Cowboy Outlaw after I hand sewed the first belt I made... Never again, will I hand sew a belt without charging a healthy premium.

 

I chose the Outlaw for a few reasons:

1) its built heavy duty

2)many of the parts are exactly the same as some of the better known powered machines.

3) it's a cylinder arm machine

4) it has a pretty decent throat

5) from my research it seems to be more user friendly than the Cub or Boss.

 

There are a few things that I wish were better with it, but none so glaring as to make me not recommend it to other beginning craftsmen or hobbists. The only thing that I find to be somewhat frustrating in the stitch length adjustment is a little sensitive and definetaly takes a little getting uses to.

In the first year of having it I figure it nearly paid for itself... Just in saved time alone.

[Outfitr]

Quote

That is one mighty fine looking belt. Is it hand tooled as well? If so, how many hours to make the entire belt,  start to finish? I also really like the colours that you used.  It's beautiful!

Hey thanks a lot. Sorry didn't answer sooner. Yes all hand tooled. Total hrs., man I'm not sure really. Floral tooling ones definitely take me the longest although I'm getting faster on the tooling part. I also really liked how the colors came out on that one.