Wizcrafts

That combination should be #138 thread using a #23 needle for leather, or a #22 needle for cloth or vinyl.

Ditto!

Try to operate it with your feet before investing in any motor. The conversion will be complex because treadle bases aren't setup for industrial motors. My 30-7 is mounted on a steel power stand and has both a clutch motor and a speed reducer, which freewheel once I lightly press on the floor pedal. Turning on the motor makes it easier to spin the hand wheel on the front.

Is your machine mounted on a power stand, or a treadle stand?

Then make sure it has a releasable brake when you begin to move the speed pedal, or no brake at all. If it already has a clutch motor, I advise leaving it on. It is usually much easier to control the brake release on a clutch motor than a servo motor (I have both types on various machines). Since patchers are often hand wheeled, you don't want to have to fight the action of a motor to spin the hand wheel for precise stitching.

I have one important tip for you: HOLD BACK THE STARTING THREADS! That's all.

Without a doubt, you should consider a Consew 206RB-5, or equivalent. Read the specs in the right sidebar.

I was thinking about the gears having come loose, but stopped because I thought there might be a clutch. Hopefully, the hook drive shaft is keyed for the ring gear. Timing it will be a fun job for someone new to this kind of machine. Just a tip. Orrrmygod, if you are within driving or shipping distance of a knowledgeable industrial sewing machine dealer, they might could replace the worn screws, tighten everything down and retime the machine to get it sewing again.

I apologize. For some reason I thought you had a flat bed walking foot machine. You will need somebody with a similar machine to help you with this.

Precisely! Good guess. Walking foot system 135x16/17 are sold everywhere industrial sewing machines and their needles are sold, both online and offline. I happen to get most of mine from Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines. Other times I simply buy a pack or two on ebay. Be sure to check out the titanium coated needles if you sew through 3M leather tape or glue.

I agree that a lesser capacity cylinder arm machine will be better for bags and wallets, as well as most belts. A standard walking foot machine can usually sew across 3/8 inch of not too dense leather, with #138 thread or less. The less becomes important if you sew thin pieces, like wallet interiors, garments, flaps for bags, vests, zippers, etc. For instance, a Cowboy CB227R is a clone of a Consew 227R, which is an advanced clone of a Singer 153w101 or 103. These machines normally take the same medium capacity bobbin used in the venerable Singer 111w155 (G style bobbin). They mostly all use the same standard walking foot system 135x16 (chisel or diamond leather point) and 135x17 (rounded cloth point) needles sold everywhere industrial sewing machines and needles are sold. Best of all, the aforementioned Cowboy 227R has an optional table attachment listed in the right sidebar specs. A machine like this can sew all your light to medium work, but not holsters, weight belts or heavy horse tack. IHTH

Look at the bed of the machine, to the right of the sliding bobbin cover plate. There should be a push button barely sticking out of the flat bed, somewhere in line with the hook shaft. Use a finger to push it down as you crank the hand wheel. Once it finds the correct position it will click in and drive the (cleared) hook again. The mechanism is under the bed, but the button is accessed from the top.

If the hook stopped turning it's because you popped a safety clutch with the thread jam. You will have to use tweezers to pull out whatever thread is inside the hook. Then once cleared, find a button on the bed of the machine, hold it down and rotate the hand wheel until the clutch tang re-engages the hook drive shaft.

And so another Hobbit learns a lesson.

You are attacking a long time member who is also a reputable dealer in Australia. Don't do that again. Drop it now.

I use titanium coated needles in all of the machines that accept systems DBx1/16x257 and 135x16. They cost about $2 more per pack of 10 and are less likely to stick in the material from heat or basting tape.

You're about to encounter the classic what machine can do it all conundrum. The answer is none. You already have a machine type for medium thicknesses with #138 thread. To sew thicker, and/or with heavier thread, you will need a substantially heavier duty machine. This class of machine is sometimes called a harness stitcher, because that's what they were originally designed to sew (as well as thick buffing wheels. There are several machine styles in this category. They are... GA5-1 style, based on/cloned from the Singer 45k models. These are bottom feed only machines that are usually setup to sew between 7/16 and 1/2 inch of leather. The teeth really dig in hard on the bottom. They are best used with thread sizes 138 through 346. Your least expensive option, they sell for between $1000 and $1400. Juki TSC-441 and clones. These machines have triple feed and can sew at least 3/4 inch, with Cowboy, Cobra and Techsew models rated at 7/8. The aforementioned clones have smooth feed dogs. The original Juki did not, but may now have it as an option. A Juki 441 will cost you about $6,000, while the clones go for the mid 2ks through lower 3ks. Cowboy CB3200. This machine has triple feed, a smooth feed dog, sews up to 1/2 inch and can be tweaked for 5/8 inch by giving up the very bottom. It uses the same needles as the bigger brothers from Cowboy and thread from #138 through 415. They sell for $1900 right now. Adler 205-370/374. These machines (discontinued by Adler) sew 3/4 inch and run smoother than the Juki and its clones. The 374 subclass has a smooth feed dog. They were selling for between $6500 and $7,000 until the end. The new Adler 969 ECO. It sews almost an inch of leather and has a built in motor. They are sold by Weaver Leather and cost about $10,000, more or less. Campbell-Randall Lockstitch machines have a needle and awl and produce an awesome stitch that looks great on both sides. They sew 3/4 inch out of the box, with higher lift options available. They can use linen or bonded polyester thread, from 3 cord through 7 or 8 cord (~#138 through #556 bonded), with the proper needle and awl combination. There is a learning curve and they are very expensive (over 6k). Sold in Texas. Union Lockstitch machine, also sole by Campbell-Randall company in Texas. This is a high speed needle and awl harness stitcher that sews 3/4 inch. Handles the same thread types and sizes as the Campbell-Randall. A little less expensive the the CR Lockstitch (~5k).

If you have a lube pot on top of your machine, buy some liquid silicon lube and run the top thread through it. Most industrial sewing machine dealers have quarts in stock.

You could ask the seller if they could sew a 1/2 inch stack of leather with the heaviest thread and matching needle they have, at the maximum stitch length, sending you a photo of the results.

This is a case of bring your own stack of leather and see if it sews that thickness and what the maximum stitch length is at that thickness.

All of the class 153 machines are rated at #138 thread, top and bottom. The stitch length depends on the type of stitch length adjuster used in that particular machine and how you set it up. My Singer class 111 walking foot machines have a threaded rod and knob on the back of the hand wheel. The maximum stitch length is about 4 to the inch. The later model 111w155 was able to eek out 3.5 spi, using a different stitch length system. The Singer 153 uses a standard G size bobbin that does not hold nearly as much #138 thread as newer M style bobbin machines do.

What you have there is a Union Lockstitch machine. I've owned two of them over the years. They are different from Randall Lockstitch machines (now called Campbell-Randall Lockstitch), like apples and oranges.

Search Leatherworker.net for Adler 105-64. There should be a few discussions about the machine and its capacities.

That's a good thing! They really got these motors right compared to the old push button styles. BTW: Did you change the image file in your signature? The usual banner is missing, leaving only a link to your website. The missing file is: kovar.gif

It looks like a clone of an Adler 105-64