Wizcrafts

I do believe you can duplicate that sewing with a "441 clone" machine. (e.g. Cowboy, Cobra, Techsew, etc), or an Adler 205-370 (recently deprecated) They have cylinder arms that can sew inside bags and can run thread sizes ranging from #92, through 415. Most can clear the entire handle and even sew right through it. The bag in your photo appears to be sewn with #138 bonded thread, which is a middle weight thread that home and most tailoring machines cannot handle at all. The holes suggest that they may have used a #23 leather point needle. If the handle was sewn all the way through, it would call for either #207 or #277 thread. It could also be sewn on a Campbell Lockstitch machine (needle and awl harness stitcher), using 4 or 5 cord Irish linen thread run through liquid wax.

I have a servo motor powering my 1920s Singer 31-15. It uses the stock 16x257, aka: 1738 needles. I have a variety of presser feet and feed dogs, including a complete roller foot conversion kit. I typically run it at about 15 to 20 stitches per second, but can slow it down to 1 per second if needed. This is a tailoring machine. As for needle sizes, I use whatever the job calls for. Right now it has a #12 needle and common 50 weight household thread that was used to hem a shirt. When I sew zippers with it, I switch to a #18 needle and use #69 bonded nylon thread. The smallest needle I have used in it is a #10, but it can take smaller. The largest is a #19 or #20. My machine doesn't like any thread larger than bonded #69. Some 31-15 owners have more modern hooks and shuttles that can manage #92 thread. Not mine ;-( The only time this machine sews leather is zipper replacements on lightweight leather coats. However, it can be used to sew patches onto biker vests, using the roller foot conversion. Again, it is a tailoring machine for garments.

Definitely, get the 1541s - with the safety clutch. Does the dealer or seller offer phone support?

Either of those two will be perfect! If given the option, buy one with a "safety clutch" that disengages the hook if there is a thread jam. It is advisable to get the machine demonstrated at the dealership. This way you will know the basics and avoid headaches down the road.

Andrew; Look directly behind the left side of the machine. There is a crank arm emitting from the head that fastens to another crank arm that has a large hex bolt on top. With the outside foot down, loosen that bolt and the inside foot should move up and down freely. When you find the right height, tighten it back down. The downward push of the inside foot causes the outside foot to lift X amount. Readjust the alternating lift thusly. The overall ratio of lift is controlled by the other crank arm that comes out the middle area of the back of the machine. It connects to a curved slot that determines how high the feet can lift. If you find that the feet can't climb over or below new layers, lower the position of the mid-crank in the slot.

#138 bonded (nylon or polyester) thread has a tensile breaking strength of 22 pounds pull. This is more than enough for soft bags, purses, hats and clothing. It is easy enough to bury the knots inside 6 to 8 ounces of suede, denim or soft leather. This thread is often used to close the outside seams on leather coats and vests. A #23 needle is the larger of the two recommended sizes for sewing #138 thread. It is used when sewing medium to hard leather, as it makes a larger hole than a #22 needle, making it easier to pull the knots up. A #22 needle is more or less the standard for #138 thread sewn into soft material (vests, chaps, hats, purses, etc).

Techsew is one of our advertisers. Call them toll free, at: 866-415-8223 and ask for Ronnie. He is their specialist in leather sewing machines. He, or somebody else at the company will gladly answer your questions about the 2600.

That is not a walking foot machine. It is a high speed, straight stitch, tailoring machine

It is a flat bed walking foot machine. I am thinking you are going to need a cylinder arm machine, not a flat bed. It depends on how you plan to assemble the items. If you have to sew inside, or along the outside of a gusset, or close to a raised section, a cylinder arm is a must.

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A machine can be shipped to you mounted onto a pallet, on a truck. The table and motor will be strapped separately from the machine head and supplied accessories. Assembly does not take a rocket scientist. However, using an industrial sewing machine is different than the machines you used in home Ec, or see at Joann's. If you anticipate buying a walking foot machine, which is very likely (whether it be flat bed or cylinder arm), search for a local upholstery shop. Ask them if you can see how they operate and control their walking foot sewing machines. Ask if you can try one out. They may even offer to sell one they plan on replacing soon. If there aren't any upholstery shops nearby, look for a tailor or alterations shop. Sometimes they keep a walking foot machine for heavy denim, leather and fur repairs and alterations. Ask for a demo. The most basic tip I can give is to hold back the starting threads as you begin to sew. Failure to at least secure the top starting thread usually results in a birds nest around the bobbin and a halt to your sewing until it is cleared. If that happens, and if the machine has a safety clutch, the machine can be easily returned to service after removing the tangled thread. If it is a less expensive machine, or a very old model that has no safety clutch, the timing could be thrown off by the thread jam. Also, try to choose a machine with reverse and easily controlled stitch lengths. Old walking foot machines had odd methods of adjusting the stitch length than may be difficult to set accurately. You will get what you pay for. If you spend $500 or less for a complete machine and motor/table, it may not have modern bells and whistles. It will probably have a clutch motor that runs fast and may be hard to feather to slow it down. A servo motor makes it easier to control slow speeds and is usually used in leather sewing. Adding one on will cost you both time and money. Rectangular drive is from Juki. Prepare to spend serious money for one. You won't regret it though if you need to sew light weight material, like linings.

Cowboy, Cobra, Techsew, Nick-O-Sew, Consew, Juki, Chandler, Adler, Pfaff, and lesser tier brands like Tacsew and Econosew - all have medium duty, cylinder arm, walking foot machines capable of sewing light to medium leather, vinyl, cloth and webbing projects. The first four advertise with us, thus supporting the very existence of the forum. The remainder are manufacturers whose brands are sold by industrial sewing machine dealers. You should contact our member-dealers and see what they have to offer that will match your needs perfectly. As for the second part of your question, you need to do some more research about the types of machines being offered by sellers. A Campbell Lockstitch is a needle and awl machine for sewing extremely heavy leather, like harnesses, saddles, holsters, sheathes,horse tack and such. I know how to operate a Campbell-Randall needle and awl stitcher, due to having decades of experience in this business and being a former owner of a similar machine. I cannot even begin to imagine a newbie to leather sewing operating such a machine. To answer the last part of your question: not likely. The Campbell Lockstitch may be technically "capable" of sewing fairly thin leather (or Biothane), with the proper combination of thread, needle and awl sizes, but a total readjustment would be needed, as they are normally setup for thick, hard leather (or Biothane) and very large thread. They can easily penetrate plywood luggage and are known to sew through copper pennies You are not going to sew purses and wallets with 6 cord linen thread run through a wax pot, or #415 or #554 bonded polyester that is almost 1mm in diameter. This is way more machine than your work calls for. Most of your projects will only require a thread with a tensile strength of between 11 and 22 pounds pull. That encompasses our typical bonded sizes 69 through 138.

Most of the machines you will see advertised in local (Craigslist, etc) ads will be flat bed machines. Upholstery shops use them exclusively. But, cylinder arm machines are specialty items that don't normally appear outside of garment factories or custom builder shops. It is possible for a cylinder arm machine to be retrofitted with a table attachment for flat work, but not vise-verse. A flat bed machine will sew your seams inside out and do a fine job. But, once the bag/purse takes on a shape, it gets harder to sew it on a flat table.

For bags and purses, I strongly recommend that you buy a cylinder arm, compound feed, walking foot machine. The narrower the left side of the arm, the better. The thread capacity should reach #138 bonded thread, which requires a #22 or #23 needle. The lift of the alternating feet should be high enough to sew into 3/8" of material. This usually means that the static lift of the fully raised feet would have to be at least 1/8 inch more, or 1/2 inch. You may have trouble finding old machines with these specs (or not). Something made during the last 10 years should meet these specs. Our member-dealers, who advertise here (see banners), all offer a medium duty walking foot cylinder arm machine meeting or exceeding the aforementioned minimums.

Since you are in Ohio, Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines may be able to help you with missing, extra parts. You can call them at 866-362-7397.

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Not so. I got my CB4500 from Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines. It sewed a 7/8 inch, non-compressible sample stack of leather before I took it home. After readjusting the feet numerous times, I had to restore the highest lift and sewing capacity for the aforementioned gun holster project. The leather was virtually non-compressible, 7/8+ inches thick. It cleared the point of the needle by about 1/8 of an inch. The feet lifted to the same height as the needle. I would not recommend sewing at that height all the time, but it is doable when needed. If I had the space and money, I would buy a Campbell high lift .... period.

The chain from the lift pedal, feeding up to the rear of the lift rod on the back and its central pivot arm, eventually connecting to the lift block inside the left face of the head must all be optimized to lift the feet to their mechanical maximum height. Tweaking, not twerking, is usually required. However, the tweaking may cause one to twerk after a few hours of frustration with the interrelated and often non-intuitive adjustments. Any binding between the links in the lift chain and the holes in the rear of the body will interfere with the lift and release. If the top mounted pressure adjuster was drilled off-center, or out of round, the lifted presser bar may hang at these altitudes. Lift related cranks inside the head may need to be removed, cleaned, polished and oiled directly, then reassembled, after ensuring that they have the necessary full range of motion without binding. Finally, you must use the standard flat plate and (smooth) feed dog. The feed dog may need to be lowered slightly to just reach the top of the throat plate cutout. I had to do all of the above recently, to sew a 7/8 inch thick holster. I also had to change the needle to a diamond point #25. As for the 205 machines. it depends on who sets them up and what modifications they make. I know people who can do this in their sleep and others who can only dream of doing it. Ditto for Union Lockstitch machines.

All walking foot machines whether compound (triple) feed, or dual feed, have two feet: one each; inside and outside. These two feet must alternate up and down a certain distance to do their walk of life. Typically, a minimum alternation of 1/8 inch is required. More often than not, users increase the lift of the feet to climb over new layers that are regularly encountered. The higher the alternating feet lift, the less room there is for material. Thus, a machine with feet that can be raised up 1 inch cannot sew any thickness exceeding 7/8 inch, if even that much. Some machines have other mechanical limiters that reduce their maximum thickness even further. I own a Cowboy CB4500 (441 clone). Due to me making numerous changes and adjustments, when a 7/8" thick project came along, it no longer lifted the feet high enough to clear the leather. I had to restore the original configuration in order to get the feet up over 1 inch (original was 1 1/8" lift). The point of the needle sits at about 1 1/8" at TDC. The feet need not lift beyond that height. Some machines ship with less lift than others. Everything depends on how it was setup by the dealer you buy it from.

Olfoot; Are you saying that you ground a curve inside the two legs? Kind of like a big piping foot might look?

I should mention something important about the Singer 15-91. It does not accept any external motors. If the built-in pod motor burns up or seizes, it must be replaced, rebuilt, or rewired. Machines with external motors can have newer, higher power motors attached on the back.

Mine maxed out at actually sewing about 8 ounces, with #69 bonded thread, using a #16 or 18 leather point needle. Anything thicker either stood still from the increased drag on the top, or lifted with the needle and skipped stitches.

I have a 91 Olds Custom Cruiser I drive every day!

Catskin; The O.P. owns a Techsew 3800, which is the Canadian equivalent of the US Cowboy CB3200. These are 441 type triple feed machines, with modern harness presser foot sets (also used in the biggest 441 stitchers). There is no metal behind the inside foot on the outside feet; just open space. The bottom of the inside foot is either totally flat, or could have a tang protruding to push down the stitches (depending on the manufacturer of the foot). These feet are radically different from standard type 111 walking foot sets.

The best I can do is offer some suggestions. Try them and hopefully, one will solve your tension differences. Reverse the direction of the bobbin in the bobbin case. Readjust the tension on the bobbin spring, if necessary, for the best knot position. If this changes nothing, try increasing the bobbin tension. Increase the top tension to match. Sometimes tighter top and bottom tensions will overcome variations in the knots and bottom thread. Sewing in reverse means that the hook arrives sooner above the eye of the needle than for the same stitch length in forward. If your timing is just barely adequate, the loop may be drawn around the bobbin case and shuttle at a different tension than in forward. Retarding the timing a few degrees might help if this is the case. The hook to eye of needle timing should be set with the stitch lever at zero, between forward and reverse. This gives the best compromise. Set the needlebar a little lower to give more travel on the upstroke. However, you can overdo this and make matters worse. Sometimes you have to set the needle bar to its designated position, then adjust the hook to meet it in the middle of the scarf at so many degrees on the upstroke. Consult your adjustments section of your owner's manual. The throw of the check spring affects the loop. It should keep the top thread under tension until the needle just meets the top of the feed dog, or passes the top of the throat plate slot if no feed dog is used. It must let go and give the top thread some slack before the needle reaches BDC and begins its upstroke. Otherwise, the loop will be dissolved on the upstroke. The bigger the loop, the easier it is to pull it around the bobbin case and tension and the less likely it is to skip stitches.