Wizcrafts

I use the front mounted tension disks to control the tension when I wind bobbins. Otherwise, they are used for free-hand sewing/darning, where the presser foot is out of the equation. Under normal sewingstances (I just coined a new word!) the presser foot mechanism can only lift so high before it lifts the tension off the top disks. If your thread is routed around the top disks and the foot lifts the preset amount, you will lose top tension during that stitch. By using the front tension disks instead, you will never lose top tension. With no tension release on the front disks, you must pull the thread through with your hand before removing the work. Otherwise, pop goes the needle...

If the machines are recent models and have not been rode hard and put up wet, any of those 3 will serve you well.

You're correct Darren! I meant Puritan, when I typed Pilgrim. Puritan makes machines. Pilgrim rebuilds machines, mostly for the shoe trade.

If you buy a modern/current walking foot machine, it will have either a rotary stitch length knob, with click detentes, or a a single lift/lower lever that controls both direction and stitch length. The Consew 206RB-5, Chandler 406RB and Juki DNU-1541 all have a rotary dial and a press down reverse lever, plus large bobbins. I have another system on the long body Singer 139 I recently bought. It has a 1" diameter knob protruding from inside the end of the hand-wheel. Turning the small knob clockwise shortens the stitches, while turning it anti-clockwise lengthens them.

I recommend the 16.5" arm 5100, rather than the shorter arm 4100, or bottom feed only 3650. It will handle #346 thread, top and bottom, using a #26 needle. Be sure you order #25, 26 and 27 leather point needles with the machine, along with the thread.

If you are using a #22 needle with #69 thread, it is 4 sizes too big for the thread. A #22 needle is meant for use with #138 thread. #69 thread should be sewn using a #16 or #18 needle. Leather should always be sewn with a leather point needle.

The CB227R or Techsew 2700 are similar machines, with similar capabilities. They use the standard type 135x16 leather point, or 135x17 round point needles, have compound feed, handle #138 thread and sew up to 3/8 inch of leather. They are usually sold with very easily controlled servo motors. I believe that these two machines are probably within your price range. You'll need a couple hundred more for shipping, needles, bobbins, thread and oil

It will probably have an old clutch motor installed. If that motor turns too fast, buy a smaller pulley and belt. Most upholstery shops consider time as money and run their sewing machines at 2000 or 2200 RPM. That is about 4 times too fast for leather sewing.

Definitely, the Consew 206RB is better for upholstery and leather work. The Adler would be a nice high speed garment maker's machine.

The portable walking foot machines can normally only sew up to a tish over 1/4 inch of material, although the feet lift higher (they need additional room to alternate up and down). If the leather is compressible to 1/4" or less, a portable may do the trick for your particular projects. But, they are driven by teeth of the bottom of both feet, as well as on the feed dog. I understand that there are some smooth presser feet available in the aftermarket for these machines. The portable walkers are very fragile and are easily damaged by hard leather, or by being dropped during shipping (personal experience). A better option is a full industrial waking foot machine with a servo motor. They can sew 3/8 inch and have all manner of feet available. You would be well served to find a local source for the machines and bring your material with when you try them out. If a machine in good working condition sews your worse case samples without slipping, or eating the lining, buy it.

I buy silicon lube in quarts from Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines. You can probably get it from any industrial sewing machine dealer, anywhere. You will need a special attachment to run your thread through the silicon. I know that Toledo Industrial has some different types of attachment. Weaver also sells a magnetic bottom jar with stuff inside to position the thread inside the liquid. Or, make one yourself.

You are referring to a separating zipper. They have hardened nylon or plastic tabs at the bottom of each side. This plastic tab gets sewn into the layers of the jacket. If the knots aren't penetrating, try moving up one needle size. Or, reduce the bobbin tension, or increase the top tension. People with modern patchers can simply rotate the thickness assist nut inward to get the thread to pull up higher (Dick-Dorf on Adlers)

One thing I neglected to mention is that industrial walking foot machines and tackers are usually equipped with either a clutch or servo motor, rated at the equivalent of between 1/2 and 3/4 horsepower. In contrast, the most powerful domestic sewing machine motor I have seen is rated at just about 1/8 to 1/10 HP (@150 Watts). This is woefully underpowered if you want to sew large upholstery panels together. I am telling you about these machines and their capabilities, rather than describing domestic machines, because you seem to want to go into a commercial venture. This calls for commercial machines that won't bog down or snap plastic components under a heavy load. You would do well to go visit a place where people sew leather, or even denim clothes. You will see little old ladies in babushkas, sewing on walking foot machines that go tapokita, tapokita all day long.

I think you will find the programmable pattern tackers appealing for automotive embellishments. They can easily sew with up to #69 bonded polyester thread, although #33 or 46 would build layers more gracefully. Some of these machines have very large pattern sewing fields. Methinks that such a machine, equipped with a #12 needle and #33 or 46 bonded polyester thread, would lay down a very nice repeatable design into 2 - 4 ounce auto upholstery leather, or heavy weight Naugahyde. The polyester thread is UV resistant, which is important for items exposed to lots of sunshine. You can also choose one of the pre-programmed patterns to X or bar-tack Velcro onto your seat covers. The Juki 1508NH is a high lift variation that can actually sew into 7/16 inch of material. There are many different presser feet available for the machine, including right and left zipper feet, and a wide range of sizes of piping feet. I doubt that you will really find much use for a serger in leather or Naugahyde sewing. They are meant to stop denim or other cloth from running on cut edges. Still, an overcast might look interesting if you space out the stitches. Most industrial sergers will handle #69 bonded thread and #16 or 18 needles.

You should know that industrial sewing machines are typically single purposed. The 1541 is a good upholstery machine, but the 1508NH is a step up, able to sew 7/16 inch, using system 190 Pfaff needles. The 441 is the basis for most of the machines used by members of this forum for heavy work, up to 7/8 inch. As for sergers (overlock), I recommend a 4 thread, two needle machine, with a servo motor. Juki makes a few models, as does Consew. Some sergers offer more than one pattern. Pfaff makes a decent zig-zag industrial machine that should drop into the same hole in the table as the Juki. You also should look into pattern tacker machines. Some of the newer models can stitch any pattern you program in, within the constraints of the holding frame. They were borne of bar tackers and X tackers. Some mattress factories use programmable tackers to do decorative stitching, one section at a time.

My Cowboy CB 4500 has stainless steel feet and throat plates, including the optional accessory plates I got.

The GB needle in the photo is a metric 120, which translates into a Singer size 19, which is about right for B92 bonded thread, or size 80 jeans thread. "System 190" is a Pfaff needle system, which I happen to use on my two walking foot machines. These needles are about 3/16 inches longer than the usual system 135x16 and 17 used in walking foot machines. Using System 190 needles allows you to raise the needle bar by 3/16" above its normal timed position. This gives the presser feet that much more room to alternate when sewing thick material. This high lift system comes in handy when you sew piping with a 1/2 inch piping foot set.

AFAIK, there aren't any piping foot sets made commercially for a 441 type machine. You will probably have to get them custom made.

If you must use your Singer 211 to sew holsters, restrict it to #138 thread and either sew through the same holes twice, or add a parallel row of stitches about 1/8 or 3/16 inch away. Tie off/overlap/backtack at the bottom outside row.

It looks like a typical household/domestic sewing machine from the one picture you posted. Some close-ups would help get you more facts or conjecture. It seems to be a drop feed machine, with a Class 15 front end, meaning a horizontal hook that takes Class 15 bobbins. It will use standard domestic sewing machine needles, which are available in sizes up to #18 (110 metric). Unless the machine has been modified with heavy springs, it will only be able to handle up to #69 bonded nylon thread and may sew through no more than about 1/4 inch of soft or medium temper leather. I have no way of knowing the maximum stitch length, but these machines usually max out at between 5 or 6 to the inch. If you want to penetrate belt leather with this machine, you'll need to upgrade the motor and control pedal to a "150 watt" model that draws 1.5 amps max, at 110 volts. Most home style machines shipped with motors rated at 1 watt or less. A cogged belt is best, as long as the motor gear is also cogged. A Teflon or roller foot will be required to allow the leather to feed evenly. You'll need to crank down the foot pressure a lot to hold down the leather between stitches.

Wallet interiors, yes, using #69 bonded nylon thread and either a roller equipped foot or a Teflon foot. Holsters, absolutely not.

I guess somebody here will have to try it and let us know.

People not using an awl and needle (awl-fed) machine would have to use a larger than usual needle, to resist flexing as it penetrates 2 layers of leather sideways. Since the presser feet would be removed, you would have to hold down the leather between stitches with your hands and help feed it. In effect, you would be darning across corners, at a 45 degree angle. I think it's doable.

Anne; Look around the dealers in EU for a used Adler 205-370 or -374. If properly adjusted for clearance, they can sew up to 22mm of leather. Even not so-adjusted, most will sew 19mm. They have a very large cylindrical shaped bobbin that holds a lot of thread. The 205s use system 794 needles, which are available in a wide range of sizes, accommodating thread sizes from Tex 90 (Tkt 30) up to Tex 400 (Tkt 7). The machines must be setup for the largest size needle in advance, by the dealer, or by the purchaser. Or, you can purchase a brand new 441 clone, like a big Cobra or Cowboy or Techsew, from one of our well-respected member-dealers, at about the same price as a used Adler 205. These machines are already capable of sewing with the largest available needles, on down, with no further dinking with spacers. Most of them will sew 22mm out of the box. I looked into shipping costs last year and found that one can have a large, heavy machine shipped by Ocean Freighter for just under $500 USD, plus a crating fee (a special box is needed) and any cartage from the dealer to the dock. All together, these costs would add another $300 - $400, or so, to the freighter cost, depending on if the dealer can deliver the machine to the dock themselves. Your only additional fees would be warehousing upon arrival and any EU imposed taxes applicable to commercial equipment. Those taxes would apply to any machine you by and import in the EU region. Feel free to contact our dealers to see what kind of costs they would incur in getting a machine across the ocean to you. It would arrive adjusted, and sewn off, with the proper thread, needles, oil and extra bobbins. You would even get a motor set up for 220v.

I need to rig up something like that to sew some projects that are now hand sewn and very time consuming. I could have used a French Edge attachment on a rifle case end plug I rebuilt.