The Crispin Colloquy

Patrice,

I have no idea the kind of service Pfaff expected the 491 would encounter when they designed it. In my opinion, they overbuilt it by several factors. The 491 has needle bearings almost anywhere there is a bearing surface and all parts appear very robust. The clones are carbon copies of the 491 inside and are quite robust too. The prices for the 491 clones are right up there with the 441 machines and considerably higher than some of them. The price pretty much indicates the quality.

Because there are still making clones of the 491s, parts prices are reasonable, they won't be Pfaff parts, but they will fit.

Races and hooks are available from aftermarket also, an indication of the long life of these machines. Good quality hooks for the 491 are not inexpensive but readily available.

Art

Thanks Arthur,

I did a bit more searching based on the info you provided. So far I narrowed it down between the Cobra 8810 at leathermachine co and a Cowboy 8810 at
http://www.tolindsewmach.com/cb8810.html

Both seem to be identical in spec for the head but the motors are a little different. Both are servo motors and have gear reduction but the Cowboy isn't digital controlled. Any idea if this would be a step down.

Reason I ask is because the Cowboy is a little cheaper and closer to home so shipping is also cheaper but I absolutely don't want any compromise in control/versatility. If the digital is easier to use or more precise I will go with that no matter the price difference

Patrice,

I don't know very much about the Cowboy, they're probably good. But I have a Cobra 5110 post machine, and it's pretty impressive. I was a lousy stitcher prior to getting it, so that Servo with a speed reducer really helped out A LOT. I love the digital adjusting system... just keep in mind, it adjusts only while in motion, not when it's off or stopped.

Recently I worked on a friend's Cobra 8810 making cowboy boots, and it's fantastic... the leather just glides through. You don't wanna stop stitching when you're done. If I were shopping again, this is the one I'd get.

Steve, who runs the place, is beyond knowledgeable and very responsive. He'll speak to you on a sunday if you're in need. That guy is so into machines that he'll spend time with you on the phone helping you fix any old machine, not just his own. And he gave me a really good price on shipping from Cali to Brooklyn.

I'm not here to say anything bad about the Cowboy as I know nothing about them... I just know I like the Cobra.

Best of luck.
Edie

Hi Patrice,

I have the Cobra 8810. Great machine. You can also get the needle positioning motor on it if you so desire. Stop needle up or down as required. Cobra has done some design engineering on it's motors recently giving a much wider range to the variable speed capability.

Go with the Cobra. If you call Steve, you may be able to pick one up at the Wichita Falls or Nashville show and save the shipping.

Art

Art & Edie,

Thanks for the help

I spoke to Steve yesterday and I've got a Cobra 8810 on its way to me. Steve sounds like a great guy. Really excited to try this machine out.

Now I've got to find the best way to break it to my wife about this new addition to the family.

Patrice

To all,
I'm looking for a good place to start for making cowboy boots. Anything from books, online resources, or people to talk to about it all.... seems like this is the best possible place to ask for help

I guess my real qusetion is what do I really need to get started?

Many thanks
Always-Katherine

Katherine,
Don't think you can do better than DW's "American Traditions" book. You can build excellent boots from just that book. Training and schools are nice, but you will get more out of them if you have some skills and understand the language. Best of luck on your quest.
Chuck

Thanks Chuck,
Do you have any suggestions on good places to find basic tools and suplies? I'm in the kansas city area.

Always-Katherine

I don't own a copy yet, but I've heard recommended: http://www.shoemakingbook.com/about%20the%20book.htm

Also check out Lisa's youtube channel. http://www.youtube.com/user/customboots

Thanks for the book rec. Denise :-) I'll be putting that on my acquisition list. seems like nothing but good feed back on the reviews I read.
I'm in love with Lisa's videos! *lol
I've seen everyone on her youtbe channel and most of the ones that poped up after done by some of the other names I've seen here on the hcc. :-)

Looking for a dark chocolate-brown alcohol dye that doesn't end up with a red tint like Fiebing's dark and med brown (on veg calf).

Is there such a critter?

Thx,
-Nat

Some of that red may be the tannage of the leather itself. Lots of "veg" tanned leather is really a synthetic tannage and the leather ends up pink(ish).

And med. brown Fiebings is compounded with a reddish cast.

One thing you can try...this is what I do whenever I want a brun nuit or negro colour...is to add some black to the brown dye.

Also to avoid the metallic glazing that sometimes develops with Fiebings, cut it with an equal amount of industrial alcohol.

The worst part of dying any leather for shoes...and some actually like the effect...is that you often get an inconsistent strike unless you're dipping or spraying. And dipping will leave you with surplus dyestuffs that may very well bleed out. DAMHIKT.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--HCC Member

[center]Little Jack Dandiprat in a white petticoat,
The longer he lives, the shorter he grows.[/center]

Question for the Artist types. Would the addition of a tiny bit of green color kill the red color without changing anything? Have not tried it.
Chuck

It's been a long time since I looked at colour theory but IIRC, brown is not a primary colour. (R,Y,B are, I believe, the primaries used for creating dyes and pigments)

Secondary colours are those created by mixing two primaries. Yellow and blue make green.

And then there are tertiary colours.

Most colours that are neither primary nor secondary are mixes of all three primaries. So brown probably already has green in it in the form of blue and yellow.

You can confirm this on your computer by adjusting colours in some graphics programs...where all colours except the primaries have three values/percentages of primaries that make up the final colour.

Probably more than you wanted to know but the bottom line is that you might overwhelm the red with green (blue and yellow) but more likely you'll just shift the tone of the brown towards olive drab.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--HCC Member

[center]Little Jack Dandiprat in a white petticoat,
The longer he lives, the shorter he grows.[/center]

Whenever I get a little ambitious at mixing colors, I end up with Army Green. Generally with Acrylics, I mix the combining colors in a white base. With dyes, it is hard to do that so you have to go with the primaries. Brown is a mixture of Red and Green, 2 red to 1 green. While I KNOW you can correct color with paint, I am not too sure it can be done with dye.

Art

Chuuck,

Just my 2 cents from what I recall from color theory class 32 years ago.

To make brown you take any color and add some of its complimentary color. That would be the color on the exact opposite side of the color wheel.

For a blueish brown, you would add orange.
For a reddish brown you would add green.
For a yellow brown you would add purple.


So adding a bit of green to red would definitely change things to the extent of how much green that you add. A tiny bit would only change it a bit but you would be heading down the road to a pure reddish brown.

Geri

Chuck

Sometimes a tiny bit of the complementary color can enhance the original, give it some depth and richness. For instance, if the red is bright and vivid and primary-looking, a small amount of green will darken it differently from adding, say, black. Then the red will look more like its own color instead of one from a bottle or can. But yellow only takes a smidgen of purple to go brown. Blue takes a lot more orange.

People spend years messing with color, and the only way to know is to try it, adjust, repeat. Making a color wheel is a great exercise - and harder than you might expect - but can give you some intuitive sense of how it works.

Eric

After adding black to the brown dye as DW suggested I noticed a definite green tint formed around the top of my mixing cup. I assume from yellow in the brown dye and blue in the black dye.

DW: Thanks for the tip. It certainly helps.

Regards,
-Nat

Of course, what you get will vary with the color of your canvas.
When working with leather, it's not likely white. Using translucent spirit dyes on russet colored veg. will have it's own effect.
Just to make it more dodgy, is different shades of russet from different tanneries.
Testing off to the side of your work is always advised.
Have fun,
Paul

Does anyone know if Colin Barnsley's Woodenware Repetitions has a web site? or a catalog? I couldnt find a website for them on google and I figure calling england would be expensive (plus I dont know how).

Thanks,
Cody

Cody

Colin doesn't have a website or catalogue as far as I know. Try Colin Barnsley <cjbarnsley@hotmail.com>

Tim

Thanks Tim

Cody

It's a long shot but I am looking for a 32 stitch per inch stitch marker wheel. Has anyone ever seen one and if so, where can I get one?

Now we are talking Michael