Flattracker Report post Posted February 18, 2014 Hi, a needle feed walking foot seems the machine I need. So the silly question is, the machine & needle will sew the leather but is the needle still ok to sew through a combo of leather & heavy weight or waxed canvas/cotton, say like a tote heavy weight canvas bag that has leather corners/trim. Or is a non walking foot capable of handling this work if the leather is of a thin (up to 2mm) thickness. Would really be interested to hear what machines you use on canvas/leather. Thanks, Rich Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wizcrafts Report post Posted February 18, 2014 Upholstery materials, like outdoor canvas (e.g. Sunbrella), Naugahyde, heavy twills, denim, suede, and leather should be sewn on walking foot machines. Most upholsterers and leather sewers use triple (compound) feed machines. Some are built for thinner lighter duty work, others for thicker, heavy duty use. Any other feed system, with the exceptions of roller foot and dual feed walking foot, are less effective with feeding these materials. With triple feed, the needle, inside alternating foot and bottom feed dog all move the material in sync, keeping multiple layers aligned. This feed system is a must for slippery cloth (Sunbrella, sail cloth), vinyl and leather. A heavy duty coil or leaf spring over the outside presser foot keeps the material all the way down, until the needle has lifted out on its upstroke and the next stitch begins. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cobra Steve Report post Posted February 18, 2014 Hi Rich. There are different style of needles that you can use.There are leather point needles for leather (obviously), and there are round point needles for anything other than leather. For what you're doing the leather point needles should work fine. Steve Hi Wiz!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KatRides Report post Posted February 18, 2014 OK perfect timing, I also have a question along this line as I am about to use My cylinder arm machine to sew thicker denim/fabric combo that is breaking the denim needles in my regular machine.... I am used to household heavier duty machines and I am OK with the usual stuff I do on my Artisan but I have no idea about the necessary tension changes to make when going to a less dense fabric rather than a leather on my machine. Any coaching ideas? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Northmount Report post Posted February 18, 2014 OK perfect timing, I also have a question along this line as I am about to use My cylinder arm machine to sew thicker denim/fabric combo that is breaking the denim needles in my regular machine.... I am used to household heavier duty machines and I am OK with the usual stuff I do on my Artisan but I have no idea about the necessary tension changes to make when going to a less dense fabric rather than a leather on my machine. Any coaching ideas? Yes, do a few test pieces first to see if your tension needs adjustment, then adjust as needed to place the knot in the middle. Tom Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KatRides Report post Posted February 19, 2014 that was the plan but didn't want to start in the wrong direction. I've got two needle tension settings rather than one, and no idea of when to start with the bobbin thread or to just leave it Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wizcrafts Report post Posted February 19, 2014 Hi Steve! OK perfect timing, I also have a question along this line as I am about to use My cylinder arm machine to sew thicker denim/fabric combo that is breaking the denim needles in my regular machine.... I am used to household heavier duty machines and I am OK with the usual stuff I do on my Artisan but I have no idea about the necessary tension changes to make when going to a less dense fabric rather than a leather on my machine. Any coaching ideas? I have sewn denim jean cuffs, pockets and belt loops on my Cowboy CB4500 and on a Cobra Class 4. First, you need to switch to a much thinner needle and thread, such as a #19 or #20 round point needle with size Tex 80 jeans topstitching thread (sold by tailoring suppliers like wawak.com). You can also use bonded nylon, size #69, with a #18 round point needle. Why round point? Because a leather point needle tends to slice the fibers of denim and causes them to break apart. A round point needle simply pokes a hole between twines, without ripping them asunder. Your mileage may vary. You will find that the bobbin tension drops to almost zero if you were previously using thicker thread, like #138 or larger. This is a good thing. You want just a modicum of bobbin tension, similar to what you use on your home sewing machines. Then balance the knots by adjusting the top tension up or down. When I sew denim on a leather stitcher, I end up with almost no top tension on the disks. The rest of the posts, guides and the heavier check spring provide more than enough top thread tension to pull the knots into the denim Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KatRides Report post Posted February 19, 2014 Perfect, thanks Wiz, just what I needed to know to get started. I should have worded my question better in the first place. I know what Im doing in the morning, cutting scraps and setting up. But with a quieter mind to think my way through. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Flattracker Report post Posted February 19, 2014 Thank you all. Great stuff. Any experiences of Prosew walking foot machines that I've seen being sold in London? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
