Boss Advice

[Leerwerker]

Paid $800 for it and it is in excellent working condition! I think this was really a good deal. I had two other guys standing in line to buy it if I did not take it.

[chiefjason]

I've got a red one sitting in my kitchen. It's on loan, and if I can get it working I'll buy it. But there are a few bugs I need to work out before I lay down the cash. Mainly, I need to figure out how to use it on my style of holsters. It's being difficult.

[Dwight]

I've got a red one sitting in my kitchen. It's on loan, and if I can get it working I'll buy it. But there are a few bugs I need to work out before I lay down the cash. Mainly, I need to figure out how to use it on my style of holsters. It's being difficult.

Cheifjason, . . . what kind of difficulties is it giving you?

May God bless,

Dwight

[chiefjason]

Dwight,

I finally got the tension where I was happy with it. But somewhere along the line it has gotten burrs on the bottom plate, just inside the hole. I'm assuming a needle got bent or pushed into the side and it tore up the side a bit. It was a non issue with the standard presser foot. But I put a zipper foot on because of the way I make the flat back pancakes. That's when it started cutting at the back side of the leather. Instead of holding the leather on both sides, it started pushing in just enough for the burrs to cut the leather. I ruined my first holster, but did not know why. Then it did it again on a knife sheath and I tracked down that issue. So that's the main machine issue at this point.

But on top of that, I'm having a tough time figuring out how to arrange my stitch lines, and start or stop the stitch. Not how to do it with the machine per se, but how to arrange the direction of the stitch. My holsters are fully formed and glued before I stitch them. Not an issue with hand stitching. But a big problem with the machine. Trying to figure out which zipper foot, which direction, or even if it will work at all. And the throat on the cast iron Boss 1 is about a half inch narrower. That does not sound like much, until you start making turns with the holster. And with all the things I have going it's hard to work time in to solve those problems.

I like the machine overall. I can file/sand down the burrs no problem. But if I can't get it to work on the holsters I'll either have to re figure my style, or pass on the machine. If I can get it to work I'd start haggling with him on the price and buy it.

Short answer, part machine, part holster design, and part time.