For all you gear-heads and tool-queens out there, I'm posting some images of my newest toy/machine! It finally arrived, after what seems like an interminable wait. I have seriously been waiting over 6 months to get my hands on one of these. They kept selling out completely and didn't have any available. According to the vendor, they were bumped off the cargo boat twice by the likes of Wall-Mart. Next, they were delayed by bad weather. Then, the boat the shipment was on was selected to be inspected, which caused yet another delay. I was starting to feel like this thing was never going to get here, that I was somehow cursed, but finally here it is.
What is it you ask? Well, let me tell you: it's a sewing machine. "But Chris", you say, "you already HAVE a sewing machine!" But not one like this... It's a SPECIAL sewing machine. It lets you do special things. Like sew wings onto angels? No, but almost. Well, possibly. Anyway, it's called a "cylinder-bed" sewing machine. Here she is: Ta da!!!!
Worth the wait, don't you think? My preeecious. See how there's a post sticking out from the right side of the machine? As opposed to a regular (also known as a flat-bed) sewing machine, this post or cylinder allows you to get into small areas and enclosed shapes, and stitch to your heart's content. The bobbin lives in a little case at the far end of the post. It's perfect for stitching closed-end shapes. So sleeves for straitjackets, look out. You are no match for this beast. Same goes for arm-pockets and leg-pockets for butterfly straitjackets and f-suits. Mu-hu ha ha haaa!
See how the arm hangs over the edge of the table, so you can maneuver your workpiece any which way without obstruction? This beauty can also stitch quite thick leather and thread. So I can do collars, cuffs and harnesses on it as well.
These are things I COULD stitch before, maybe - but it was a pain in the ass. And now, I can do things that were pretty much impossible before. Like topstitching an arm-pocket connection, or doing that cool puffy hood I just blogged about. Here's the machine stitching the arm pocket to the body on a butterfly straitjacket:
I could do this stitch before, but it was much harder to accomplish. I had to pull the pieces to get the to lay flat, and the potential problem is that it would pull the 2 pieces (which are held by just the clips) out of alignment. Now, the stitching can be done in a more natural position, with less stress on the parts, and that equates to smoother stitching, straighter lines, and perfect alignment between the parts.
Why do I do this? Because I care. Because I am trying to make the best pieces of custom bondage gear that I possibly can. Because I am obsessed, and this will help me get closer the the never-quite-reached goal of perfection.
Thank you for your support.
This has been one hood I have wanted to make for a while now, but haven't been able to until I got a particular machine - namely a cylinder-bed sewing machine. This is the one sewing machine I have been waiting for, and whining for, for almost a year now, and it finally came in last week!! I put it to use right away making some items for an artist named Karen Hsiao - including this double-layer puffy hood. 
This is one of those things that I needed both the cylinder-bed machine, so I could sew inside the closed shape of the hood to create the quilted lines after the main seams of the hood were sewn shut, and the hood last - so I could stretch the 2 layers of soft lambskin leather, along with the foam inner layer, over the form - to take the shape of the head.
This hood is basically 2 hoods, one nested inside the other. At the mouth and rear, they meet, but in all other aspects the outer hood is larger than the inner. 
Here are some views of the interior stitching. That cylinder-arm allows me to get inside that enclosed shape in a way that is just impossible with the flat-bed machine. 
I love the way this looks on the inside. I could see doing something reversible, or with thicker, puffier down or foam between the layers. This is just scratching the surface of the possiblilities.
Once I got the size and shape of the hood last where I wanted it, and after sanding the shape smooth I wanted to test the size with a hood. As you can see from the pictures, it fit just perfectly, and I am really happy with the way it turned out. 
The sensory deprivation hood on the larger form is made of a pretty thick (and slightly spongy) leather, just the kind of hood I would want to place on the form to help shape and contour the leather to ensure a tight fit. The patent-leather hood on the smaller form is an example of another type of leather that would benefit from stretching over a wooden form to help fit a face contour better. Sure, they are a pain to make, but I will be able to make sculpted forms, casing and multi-layer hoods using these hood lasts as a foundation. Mu-hu ha ha (insert evil scientist laughter here!!) I can't wait!
If you've read this blog for a while you may know that I am obsessed with a particular way of making hoods that depends on a wooden form to help create the curves needed to make a hood fit extremely well. This is especially useful when working with heavier, less stretchy leather, which may need some "encouragement" to stretch in certain areas in order to accommodate the chin for example. I got the idea from watching how shoes are made, typically over a last that helps shape the leather over the form of the foot. For many shoe-making procedures, it's indispensable.
I just finished carving my second head form, or hood last from wood a couple of weeks ago. It is sized to fit my extra-large head. At least I think my head is big - 24-inch diameter around the forehead at the brow line, and 28 inches from chin to crown. Let's just say I started with a pretty large block of wood.
I used these cardboard strips cut to create loops of a certain size to check the progress as I went along carving the form. I knew that once the loops fit the form, it would be the correct size.
Rather than trying to carve around the nose on the front of the face, I shaped the face first, then glued on a nose-piece after the fact. It made it a bit easier to shape the front of the head, as I didn't have to worry about being careful working around the nose. I could use coarse rasps and files to remove material more quickly.Placed beside the previous form, you can see it's a bit smoother and better proportioned all around. I definitely learn a lot every time I do one of these... It makes me appreciate the subtle shapes of the different planes of the face, particularly around the chin, and the jaw to neck transition. Next up, I'll do a medium-size. Then one with an open mouth (for gags)? Then make them all in a harder wood? It's never ending, I tell you!
Machinist at William Doxford and SonsI know I haven't posted much lately, but that doesn't mean things haven't been happening. If anything, it has been too hectic and busy to keep up with the regular blog posting. For those of you seeking regular updates, I do apologize. The biggest thing that has happened since my last post is my Grandfather passed away. It was a pretty big surprise, as he was in excellent health for his age, and even though he was up there in years (in his 90s), it was still unexpected. My grandpa has always been a kind of personal hero to me for as long as I can remember. He was one of those people who experienced the great depression first hand, and it left him with a sense of thrift and economy that never left him. He was super resourceful, and hardworking in the extreme. He had his own small business breaking up large boulders into tiny rocks so they could be hauled away. His hands were huge - from a lifetime of manual labor, and his wedding ring so big it was too large to even fit on my thumb. Those hands were like a catcher's mitts, or bear paws. He worked as a machinist for over 25 years at the same company, then spent 16 years working at General Motors. I remember him taking us on a tour of the factory when I was about 8 or 9 years old, and he held my hand with a paint marker to put a pinstripe on a car. It's something I'll always remember. It was just magical to me, the kinds of things he did. He could fix or build just about anything mechanical. He never threw anything away. During one visit many years ago, I built a complete 10-speed bicycle out of spare parts he happened to have just lying around in the basement. The quick-release was broken on one of the wheels, so he showed me how to machine the broken part out of metal. 
He built the house in which he lived, and in which my mom was born. Grandpa dug the entire basement by hand, and built the house a little at a time. At first there were only 2 rooms, but little by little it grew. The driveway, which must be 70 feet long was poured concrete on a hill, one hand-mixed batch at a time. He built boats in the basement, from small speedboats to a large cabin cruiser, the plans for which he got from Popular Mechanics magazine. Grandpa loved being out on the water, and I imagine when he wasn't fishing he was probably thinking about fishing. Whenever I went out to visit, we would go to his old boat launch where he had moored his vessel. Eventually he got rid of the boats, as it wan't safe for him to go out on his own any more.
I always think of his inventions. He had rigged up a little knob on the wall next to his recliner that allowed him to turn the antenna on the roof for better television reception. The table saw he used to make things was something he made himself, with a huge electric motor, and a car jack used to adjust the depth of cut. He made a special lawn mower out of a 5-gallon bucket, a round snow sled an electric motor. I don't think Grandpa had a pervy bone in his body. But I often find myself thinking, what would Grandpa do in this situation? How would he approach this production problem? When you are stuck with something and your time or resources are limited, how would he have solved it? I guess even though he isn't there to visit or talk to on the phone, my grandpa will live on in my memory of him, and in my imagination. He definitely inspired me to think if something can be done, then you can probably figure out a way to do it. Patience, persistence, resourcefulness. Keep trying. You'll get there eventually. I'm not a big believer in the afterlife or anything, but if there is something beyond this existence, I hope Grandma was up there waiting for him. And wherever Grandpa is now, I hope the fishing is great.
Worth the wait, don't you think? My preeecious. See how there's a post sticking out from the right side of the machine? As opposed to a regular (also known as a flat-bed) sewing machine, this post or cylinder allows you to get into small areas and enclosed shapes, and stitch to your heart's content. The bobbin lives in a little case at the far end of the post. It's perfect for stitching closed-end shapes. So sleeves for straitjackets, look out. You are no match for this beast. Same goes for arm-pockets and leg-pockets for butterfly straitjackets and f-suits. Mu-hu ha ha haaa!
See how the arm hangs over the edge of the table, so you can maneuver your workpiece any which way without obstruction? This beauty can also stitch quite thick leather and thread. So I can do collars, cuffs and harnesses on it as well. 
I could do this stitch before, but it was much harder to accomplish. I had to pull the pieces to get the to lay flat, and the potential problem is that it would pull the 2 pieces (which are held by just the clips) out of alignment. Now, the stitching can be done in a more natural position, with less stress on the parts, and that equates to smoother stitching, straighter lines, and perfect alignment between the parts. 
