If you refer to Part One posted earlier, this entire post is in the context of finishing a kit for a pouch. The Crazy Crow product of a distressed leather hunting bag is only one type of kit.
Part One focused on some common mistakes that can be made. Here we will go a little further…
Now, then…The Heresy of sewing machines.
If you are going to do leatherwork, run a kitchen table business, fall off the grid or work with something like canvas for camping or gear with leather that has nothing to do with Muzzleloading, then you will doubtless consider a sewing machine. There are some real beauties out there at $3,000 and up. Perish the thought. We will focus here on hand operated or foot powered sewing machines that are far more affordable and also pretty well suited for leatherwork especially in muzzleloading.
Machine seams belong mostly in the 19th Century because that’s when factories took over production with the advent of the industrial revolution. If you are banking on 18th Century authenticity, machine work will embarrass you every time unless it is used on a hidden seam.
Take the below with a grain of salt, because your craftsmanship will overcome a lot of issues. Generally speaking, avoid the first mistake. Try not to use white thread for 18th Cemtury pieces. Those 18th Century pieces of hand sewn work are rarely white, because of the wax put on the thread, unless, of course it bleaches out over time. It’s sometimes gets blackened when dyed.
The second mistake is not adjusting the footer on a machine to govern your stitch length and using needles that are too big for the thread size. Examine enough 18th Century hand seams and you will notice that the stitches tend to be short and tight in their stabbed holes.
The third mistake takes place even before you start using a machine, and that is assuming that you will save a ton of time over hand stitching. The simple fact is that sometimes hand or foot powered sewing machines need so much care and adjustment. That’ll have you searching for the happy hammer on your work bench. As soon as your mind wanders a motor operated sewing machines will go too fast and periodically lead to a mistake somewhere. You will, tho, still save time over straight hand stitching but that time saved is more modest than you think.
Then there’s the fact that the hand cranked, lower priced sewing machines are a lot like used cars…the pearl some other guy got is matched only by the lemon of the same model you have. I had a Tippman Boss for several years that some of my colleagues also making gunbelts and saddles swore by. Mine hated me, and yanking that lever, getting carpal from pulling the footer lever and being so frustrated by the timing issue made me send it back. That was compromised, however, by the fastest and most corrective Customer Service I have ever received from anywhere. I still don’t know whether it was the machine or me.
Here's what the Tippman Boss looks like…
…and here’s another type from Weaver Leather
At the end of the day both of these are very high quality machines, but we won’t cover them here because they are kinda pricey; deservedly so. If you have the money, in four digits, go for one of them. They are well supported on YouTube and by their companies.
I have a Singer 29K with a foot power trendle that I have had forever. It was built in ( I think) 1903, works like a dream when it does and brings out the Marine Corps Mouth when it doesn’t. They are hard to come by, sssoooo…let’s focus on one of the easiest and cheapest to procure;
It’s referred to as the hand-cranked “Chinese Cobbler Sewing Machine” or the “Chinese shoe repair Patcher” depending on which scoundrel has the low morals to import it. Prior to using this bad boy I thought that the only product coming out of China that lasted a while was COVID. In many ways it is like the Mig 15 fighter jet…the biggest piece of junk that ever did it’s job well. It is also like an air cooled beetle because the emotional bond you build with it is way out in front of the quality of it.
It runs anywhere from $115 to $200 or so on Amazon or ebay. It is rough and poorly finished. Get out your Dremel tool, because the tinker and craftsman in you will compel you to smooth it and get it working right. That’s actually satisfying and contributes to the value of the machine. The higher the price, the less offensive the machine. However, it has simple functionality and is easy to learn and manage when you slick it up and modify it. I bought two of them, curse them out every time I use them, and keep coming back to them.
Slap my face and call me technocrat, but I stripped one machine down and took off all the thread related hardware. Then I sharpened, diamond-shaped and polished a pegging awl blade. ( which you can find with a search on the web ) and replaced the needle. My eyes are going south on me, so this machine only punches guide holes for when I hand stitch.
The second machine will only sew hidden and welted seams on a pouch, straps on the back of the pouch, inner pockets on the back wall of a pouch, side seams on knife sheath or the end behind a belt buckle.
When it arrives, you can’t get rid of the flimsy stand fast enough, and you will doubtless have to replace the bobbin winder. For some reason, every man and his son feels compelled to do a YouTube video on this machine, and most of them range from unnecessary information to boredom that will put you to sleep if Hail Marys don’t work. One or two of them, however, are really helpful
The only consistently good videos that I have seen are by a chap named
Harrison Hightower. Search the name on YouTube because most every issue you face will be answered by him. Get a spray can of grease with the attached red tube to access this machine.
That being said, let’s take a look at some boo-boos common to machine stitching. Take a look at the seam at the bottom of this pouch;
There’s a lot of reasons for this, not the least of which is the irregular timing of your machine or the carelessness that may have occurred while closing the seam. Those white and exposed stitches look hideous, and spoil the project. Most of the time they are because the stitching wandered too close to the thinner edge you skived. Try to keep your stitch line away from the tapered edge and more toward where the taper begins. They are less likely if you welt the seam, but are real sneaky the way they subvert your work. The best way I have learned to correct that is with a good old needle and thread tacking the seam tightly closed;
The little white point you see there is the one stitch as a marker for where the error was, but I still gotta go back and correct.
Now take a look at these three botched seams, where the shoulder strap at the back of the pouch meets the back wall is shown;
Seam number one happens when you go too fast and don’t manage the curve because of that. It is unforgiving in appearance and will have to be un-done. The best fix for this is to draw the seam first and slow down to carefully guide each stitch on the line you made.
Seam Number Two is better, but still has its flaws because the leather or the machine or both forced irregular stitching on the right side. Again, you gotta take it apart and do it over. The best way to prevent this sort of mistake is to first run a ten stitch trial on some scrap leather before you even start your seam to make sure the machine is working right.
Seam Number three is still better because patience led to even stitching. If you look at the top five stitches, you can see the prominent effect of doubling back on the seam. It would look a lot better if the stitches were tan or brown and doubled all the way around.
More on correcting this part of the pouch at the end of this post.
As stated, all machine stitching looks like machine stitching, so if authenticity is a feature of your piece, then stitch by hand. Machines all sew with what we refer to as a …”Jerk Stitch”… where one tread is pulled through a loop created by the other thread. That’s why there is a needle and a bobbin to time wrong and machine stitches can never look like hand stitches.
Now, then, correcting those horrible stitches 1-3 in the example above. Again, check out Harrison Hightower on YouTube for corrective mechanical issues if you think you have them.
Of course you can pull them out ( you won’t have all three goof ups in one seam) but sometimes you gotta step back and assess what you are doing. As stated in Part One, the kit being worked with is a quality kit from Crazy Crow, but I found the shoulder strap too flimsy and the bag too small to be eye appealing. A shorter shoulder strap might make it ok for the kids or ladies, but the other way to hide this particular mistake was to cut the straps, turn it into a belt bag, and pull out or re-stitch right over the 3 highlighted mistakes to hide them.
The last mistake covered here takes place before you even use the machine. That is, buying too much machine and then not regularly using it. That’s one of the virtues of this Chinese Machine. Once you mount it and adjust it, it tends to stay adjusted to give tight stitches if you set the footer right. In spite of itself, it is also endearing because once you get it right it tends to keep on going. The rhythmical noise is kind of like the old Beetles purr at idle. You never forget it.
The oil tanned leather in this kit is very forgiving and easy to work with. It will age by itself whether or not you are seeking authenticity or just plain practicality. I have made this kit, modified an off the shelf bag and made one from scratch with and without the sewing machine. One for each rifle I have whittled myself down to with advancing old age and each of them has provided its worth in fun shooting.
On this one I liked the kit when I saw it, and did not build it with authenticity so much in mind as range convenience. That’s why the starter and modern primer ( 35 years old and still working great) hang off the sides. The skew in the flap betrays where the Snickers Bar is.
At the end of the day ( and this post) If you can envision something worthwhile in a kit, go for it.
