Wizcrafts

That's reasonable. Bear in mind that none of the common industrial sewing machines are holster machines. They are usually either garment or upholstery machines. Garment machines don't feed leather well and don't handle heavier weights of thread. Upholstery machines usually have triple feed walking feet and can handle #138 thread (22 pounds test). Real leather sewing machines, those that can sew holsters, start at #138 thread and go up. Used ones can often be found in our Marketplace section.

This is what I use to sew holsters that can hold up to rigorous use. I use #277 bonded thread with a #25 needle for anything over 1/4 inch thick. Each stitch has about 44 pounds breaking strength. Anything less is asking for trouble, or is not meant for carrying outside of a pocket.

The normal size, triple feed, Cowboy and Cobra walking foot machines use Singer 111 type feet, as do most upholstery grade walking foot machines. However, once you cross over into the holster and harness grade machines, the feet are totally different. Most industrial sewing machine dealers don't deal in these large, specialized machines and may not have the special feet they require. I am referring to the "441 clones" like the CB3200, CB3500, CB4500, Cobra Class 4 and Techsew 5100. They are cloned from the super-expensive, made in Japan, Juki TSC-441. Cowboy, Cobra and Techsew sell all available feet for their machines. If you don't want to buy from them, that leaves Juki as a source. Ask your nearest Juki dealer for a price for a set of feet for the TSC-441 model. They will likely be special order only as this is a rarely sold machine.

I found a glove post bed sewing machine video!

It looks like that edge guide is for a Pfaff machine. I found this listing for it, but no picture. https://www.schmetzneedles.co.uk/99-116086-23-edge-guide-pfaff

I know somebody locally who bought one of these sidewall sewers from Robin. I will ask for her impressions of it and post them if given permission.

I think that due to the high cost of industrial, especially leather capable industrial sewing machines, that few people can afford to buy competing brands and assess them for nothing more than shits and giggles. Without some form of reward, it makes no sense to invest in competing brands simply to do online reviews. With a reward, there goes impartiality. Brand A might offer a full package of accessories and Applebee's coupons to a reviewer for a better assessment over brand B. Not yet mentioned is the fact that some the dealers selling the top brands discussed here are run by a couple of people and not a large company. These few good men are usually busy assembling and adjusting machines, then getting them shipped, from the time they open until they can finally shut the door and go home. This doesn't leave time for video reviews.

I find that a #22 needle doesn't cut if in veg-tan, with #138 thread top and bottom. It really takes a #23/160 needle to open up enough hole to pull the knots up between the layers. OTOH, a #22/140 can hide the bottom knots in soft chap or motorcycle seat leather. And, order leather points for leather and round points for cloth and vinyl.

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).