Leatherworker Forum

Beautiful work nicely done

Be sure it's not just old thread. I re-leaned that lesson the hard way yesterday.

It is surprising how easily an unhardened 1/2” shaft bends. On one hand I’d not hesitate to straighten a main shaft on the machine again, but if it’s at all avoidable, the safer route is definitely cutting it off close to the bearing. I’ve come to be humbled by defects in castings and I’d hate to take a perfectly good machine and cause a crack to form.

Hey all, Maybe it has to do with the coffee, maybe it’s a coincidence while attempting an unfamiliar method. I’ve had a piece of veg tan in a ziplock bag with some cold brew concentrate, and left in the AZ sun for 2 days until the seal failed and I found a pool of coffee on my patio table (still enough in the bag to keep it covered). Has picked up a great color! BUT, the piece is now pulled to one side (think J instead of I). Anyone experience this before, with or without the coffee? Also, do I need to keep rinsing until the coffee smell is gone, or some step needed to neutralize it? Personally, I’m fine if I walk around smelling like coffee, but others might be a little… sensitive to it 😉 May you never burn your bacon, AZR

It's conjecture at this point. Sometimes hook shoulders run into other things, so it would be an experimental approach. I see you're filling up that leather with stitches. FWIW you can learn a lot by stitching patterns on cardboard (and flat plastic) things from the recycle bin. Even cutting out shapes and stitching multiple pieces together. Or cardboard overlaid with woven scrap fabric. Especially fun with cardboard overlaid with a piece of 5mm or 10mm foam, then with a piece of scrap fabric. (Think "puffy!") The minimum speed on the servo may be configurable. 200rpm is a really common lower limit for the low speed setting. Send a photo of your servo motor pulley? there are two styles..

Not badgering you or anything . . . but simple facts are simple facts . . . my 700 dollar bolt action .308 will kill anything on this continent just as dead as any 3K rifle . . . And my 200 dollar scope will help me do it. May God bless, Dwight

You might like reading how @TaperPin repaired his machine that had a bend in the arm shaft right at the hand wheel: https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/79225-cast-iron-bed-crack-options/page/2/#findComment-527956

Photos of the bobbin case? Video of you pulling the thread when the thread breaks? When the thread breaks, exactly where is the break? The break may be next to some sharp piece of metal (burr) that is cutting the thread. How much force required to break the thread, just pulling it between your hands? How much force required to break the thread when it's loaded into a bobbin and you are pulling it from the machine?

Been a while since you've purchased a rifle? My last rifle cost me $3k without the $1.5k scope.

I use suede and had good luck with it. I've also discovered that lining my pistol belts with suede is awesome. I can carry my heaviest pistols all day and the belt stays where I put it even when riding motocross motorcycles. Now if I could keep my pants from falling down?

How does one do this... I am not able to stop it at a specific spot while using motor. I dont have needle positioner or speed reducer and it stitches too fast to stop it where I want so usually I end up finishing the round by hand. (Yeah i have a servo. Min 250 rpm) And I tend to definitely crank by hand some when im doing finickey tight areas or places where I gotta go slow for precision. Let off the gas approaching the end of your seam. After the machine stops, use the hand wheel to rotate the machine (in the normal direction!) until the take up lever is at the top of its stroke. If you didn't go quite far enough with the motor, you'll be hand wheeling one or two full revolutions of the hand wheel plus whatever it takes to get the take up lever to the top of its stroke. Bringing the take up lever to the top locks you last stitch and is also a good position for dragging the material out from under the foot. Leave the take up lever at the top of its stroke while you prep for your next seam. When you are ready for your next seam, it will already be at the top of its stroke waiting for you. If for some reason it has moved when you come back to it, bring it to the top again. Pull the check spring taut before stepping on the gas pedal.

Just going to call you Dr Hook from now on. Nice catch. I wonder if there's a hiccup in the machine or the operation causing that backwards rotation. I think we'll soon know