A couple weeks ago, I wrote about how I’m probably going to need to get a sewing machine for my holster work. If I can simplify my stitching setup, I’ll be able to speed production for a couple of reasons: Hand stitching holsters is time-consuming and it’s very hard work. Even if I could speed production in hand stitching, I’d get one heck of a case of tendinitis, which would halt production altogether. I need a machine. So, I set out to do some homework, and have come to several, unfortunate truths.

A lot of people doing the kind of work that I’m doing are using vintage machines. Some of the old industrials are unparalleled beasts. The biggest problem is that they are very expensive, and will probably need work and parts to be right. Plus, they are huge and heavy. I simply don’t have the space or money for such a thing, and I need to purchase something that I can immediately put into service, not something that I’d have to tinker with or find somebody else to work on. I’m not into the idea of picking up a project that will eventually lead to production after much investment and much more, subsequent investment.

So, I looked at some new machines. There are several sewing machine shops in town. The heaviest machine that Bernina makes is the 950 Industrial. This is not a leather machine. From what I can tell, it is a really heavy-duty dressmaker. I believe that it would do leather garments quite beautifully, and it shouldn’t have much trouble doing upholstery grade leather. The Bernina reps seemed to believe that it would work for me, until I brought some of my material to demo at the store. Then, they told me that it would not work for that. I visited the Pfaff store, and was pointed to the Grand Quilter. Once again, when I produced sample leather, the story changed. I’m sure that it really is a grand quilter, but it is not a leather machine.

Then, I visited a less-retail store called Huey’s. The people there are friendly and knowledgeable. The first machine they pointed me to was the Juki DNU-1541. This was by far, the most promising machine I had looked at. They had a demo machine that they allowed me to play with. It is tough, and it is smooth. It will sew through about 3/8-inch of leather, which is honestly fine for most of what I do. Then, they broke the machine sewing through my leather. With much tinkering and tuning, they were able to get it to reliably stitch through two layers of my leather, but it was working too hard on it. Sadly, this machine will not work, either. The next machine they pointed me at is about three times as much money. I just can’t justify that right now.

One oddball machine that I stumbled across early in this search is the Tippmann Boss. This is a manually-operated stitcher that operates by a hand-lever like a casino machine. I kind of wrote off this machine early on, thinking that I could get a powered unit for the same price. After everything that I’ve looked at, this is starting to look like a far more valid option. I might ask Huey’s about some of the heavier Jukis, but this is currently on my mind:

I could work with that. At a svelt 23-lbs, and with its compact nature, it would fit my current lifestyle better than a powered machine. It would achieve what I’m currently needing, and for far less money. With the way it would accelerate production, it shouldn’t take long to pay for itself, and possibly a more serious machine later on! Perhaps I’ll wind up buying something like the Bernina or Juki for lighter work, and dedicate the Boss to the heavier insanity that I like to tackle from time to time… I’d still have to figure out some way to come up with the scratch in the first place…

Both of you have read my recent post, in which I talked about my tied top three search terms. In the same vein, I decided to have a little search engine fun. I know that when I do a Google or Yahoo! search for ‘evyl robot’, it very reliably leads to me. Whether that’s my current blog, my old blog, where I’ve commented on other people’s blogs or interwebtron forum thingies, etc. Anyway, I got curious about searching for ‘evyl’ and thought I’d give it a whirl. As it turns out, I’m not nearly as original as I thought! In a Yahoo! search for ‘evyl’, I don’t even make the first page of results! Rather, I’m on the fifth hit on the third page of search results, bested by the likes of Evyl Clothing Company (NSFW and under construction), Emerald Valley Youth Lacrosse (LOL!), a couple of illustrious myspace profiles, blogs I’ve never heard of, and some other random stuff.

The Google search for ‘evyl’ is a little less demoralizing to me, as I come in solidly at the sixth hit on the first page. I’m right underneath Dr. Evyl’s Underground Lair 3.0 (under construction), From Evyl With Love (a vulgar and occasional blogger), one post by the aforementioned From Evyl which seems to be his contribution to some online rolling story, and then two links to Mystress Lady Evyl’s website and blog. Apparently, she does a lot of workshops and sells a lot of paraphernalia related to BDSM and… …how shall we say… …toys.

So, it seems that I’ve got my work cut out for me. I have to make my interwebtron presence more prevalent than online church magazines, websites under construction, and children’s sports teams. I’d like to thank both of my readers for sticking with me, because I couldn’t have made it this far without you! Now, I look to the future!

In the analytics service that I use on my blog, it tracks keywords that people have used to find my blog in search engines. I just brought up my cumulative results since I started keeping track, just for funsies. The results are fascinating. In a 3-way tie for the most prolific search terms:

evyl robot
cobra derringer holster
j frame holster

I’m actually pretty relieved that so many people who found me in a search engine actually meant to do just that. As for the other two, I think it’s really telling that there’s so much interest in these particular holsters. I suppose I understand the interest in J frame holsters, as the S&W J frame is so incredibly prevalent for personal defense. Add to that the fact that a Taurus snubby will fit in a J frame holster as if it was made for it. On a first impulse, I would think that people would be wanting 1911 holsters more than anything else. Then again, 1911 holsters aren’t exactly difficult to come by. I’m going to have to get one of those Cobra Derringers so I can start making more holsters for them. (Now for some eye candy!) This one little holster has generated a staggering amount of attention, and I know I could make a far better one at this point:

And then, there are the J frame holsters that I’ve done. I love J frame holsters! The very platform is so solid and compact that it is a great carry piece, and the right holster makes carry options virtually limitless! Here’s the original purple cross-draw that my wife carried for so long, and her beloved ‘pinky’ that replaced it:

And then, there’s the deep-cover semi-SOB belt holsters in red and ‘fabulage’. These have been a huge hit as well!

The bottom line is this: I need to get a Cobra Derringer and I need to focus more of my time developing holsters for it and for S&W J frames.

I was looking at my stats, and someone wandered onto my blog looking for ’spanking machine’ in a search engine. There are some sick puppies out there in cyberspace. Whoever that was, I hope they find what they are looking for and don’t hurt anyone else in the process. *shudder*