Wizcrafts

That Adler should serve you well for work not exceeding 3/8 inch thick, using thread sizes up to #138/138, or 207/138. Make sure you get fairly narrow presser feet, with a left toe only being the preferred configuration. You will benefit from a roller edge guide and a servo motor. You absolutely don't want the machine setup to sew at 2500 RPM! Ask if the seller can change the motor pulley to a 2" pulley and a new matching v-belt. Get needles in all available sizes, in the system number used by that Adler.

I checked it out using your link. The machine is a medium duty walking foot machine, with a maximum foot lift of 14 mm, or 9/16 inch. It will sew up to 3/8 inch, with #138 thread, and possibly even #207 on top and 138 in the bobbin. It uses standard system 135x16 or 17 needles. The machine you mentioned has a clutch motor. I see they are selling it for about $2100, plus $200 shipping, with the pedestal table. Were you aware that you could get the same type of machine from one of our member dealers, for about $1600 to $1700, plus shipping? It would be equipped with an easy to control servo motor. Howm-so-ever, for the money you are contemplating spending on the Highlead, you could buy a name brand 441 clone that sews over 3/4 inch, with up to #415 thread.

I also have a Singer 31-15. It is very old and was equipped with a 1/3 HP clutch motor when I bought it. The motor pulley was 4" in diameter and the machine pulley is 3.5 inches. I figure it was spinning at about 30 stitches per second as setup. A couple of months ago I bought my second SewPro 500GR motor from Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines (866-362-7397). The first one is operating my National 300N walking foot machine. The new one is now powering the Singer 31-15.With its 2 inch pulley I can easily control the machine at all speeds, from well under 1/second, up to about 15/second. There is no lack of slow speed torque. There is a knob on the back of the motor that reduces the maximum speed, for even finer slow speed control. Because the SewPro motor has built-in 3:1 speed reduction, there is no need to add a reducer pulley. The same motor is sold as standard equipment with the Cowboy CB227R machines, which are medium duty walking foot cylinder arm machines. Before anyone asks, I don't think that this motor has quite enough umpf to direct drive a big 441 clone. You really do need a 3/4 HP motor for the big stitchers. It seems best suited for use with medium duty machines.

It might help if you take a close-up photo of the bed of your machine and the holes you are oiling. If they have threads, they are accessory holes.

According to Bob, at Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines, the Cowboy 441 clones, such as my Cowboy CB4500, ship from China with a blanket foot set with teeth, including a feeder with teeth. The dealer is responsible for changing to a harness foot set, with a smooth feed dog. I do not know if this is still the same situation when you buy direct from China. All Cowboy machines are sold as is, with the dealer who imports them handling servicing. If you import the machine from China, you will become your own dealer and mechanic. If you buy a machine from a dealer in the USA, it will already be setup for sewing leather, with the harness feet and smooth feed dog. It will have been adjusted and timed and sewn off. It will arrive threaded, with a sample of the leather under the foot.

Do hold the top and bottom threads back, with your left hand, before you begin a new stitch line. Failure to do so results in the top thread getting pulled hopelessly around the bobbin case and jamming it, or nested on the bottom of the leather. This usually causes the feed to stop in its tracks and can throw the timing out and filigree the leather. If you are backtacking to start, hold the threads back until you cross back over the first stitch.

It fits a standard 7" x 19" cutout in a standard sewing machine table. You will need the table top, with the cutout and slot for a v-belt, k-legs frame with speed pedal and linkage, a knee lever kit, a back stop, an oil pan, a bobbin winder, a motor and thread stand. I would recommend buying a servo motor, which is easier to control than a clutch. The SewPro 500GR, available from Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines, has a 2" pulley and 3:1 gear reduction built in. It bolts into the same 3 holes as a clutch motor, but usually sits 1 inch closer to the body. You are going to have to assemble everything, then use a thick tow rope to find the correct length of v-belt.

This is what I call "organized confusion!"

I had a 45k(25?) for a couple of years and found it not up to snuff for the projects I was making. It had a roller foot. The OP is not using his machine right now, so it seemed reasonable to suggest selling it to help buy something with compound feed.

If the machine is already in storage, try to sell it locally. A new 441 clone will out-perform the 45k many times over.

I use #138, Tex 135 on rifle slings and guitar straps sewn for wholesale production, that have suede linings. This is what I consider mid-light weight thread. I relegate #T90 to wallets. T90 is about halfway between $69 and #138. It is too light for 1/4 inch straps, but okay for wallets. I use #69/ T70 for Naugahyde and garment leather. If you are sewing with a Patcher, T90 goes a lot farther than T135!

I was going to ask WTF is a Rapid E machine, but I saw the photo you posted. It is some kind of sole stitcher. I dunno, $500? Maybe this is better asked in a shoe repair forum. We mostly deal with belts, harness and holsters. Still, it sews leather soles. Offer $500. If they want to sell it they'll take your offer.

I wasn't dissing your machine or choices. I was simply stating my own opinion about my 15-91 and the money I poured into fixing it up for naught. Many people are making good money refurbishing old iron Singer machines and collectors love them.

The Singer 15-91 is not a leather sewing machine. At a minimum you should be looking for a true compound (triple) feed walking foot machine, capable of tensioning #138 thread, using a #22 or #23 leather point needle, and capable of sewing 3/8 inch of material. One equipped with a modern servo motor is much easier to control at slower speeds.

I am sure that a servo motor will help you control your 45k. Most will bold right into the old holes from the clutch motor. However, you may need to change to a shorter v-belt, depending on the difference in the sizes of the motor pulley and the height from the centerline of the output shaft to the underside of the table. Some clutch motors sit further down than newer servos. Once you find a servo you are interested in, contact the dealer and ask them to measure from the top of the motor mounts to the center of the shaft. Measure the same distance on your existing motor. If they are almost the same, only the difference in motor pulleys will come into play. For every inch or centimeter that the pulley is smaller on the servo than on the clutch motor, subtract the same amount when ordering a new v-belt. Example: The old motor shaft axis sits 5" below the table and new servo sits just 4" down. Old motor has a 3" pulley, while new one has a 2" pulley. Subtract 1 inch for the new motor being closer to the body and another inch for the new smaller diameter pulley. Order a 3 inch shorter belt than what is on the machine now. Of course, being across the pond you will need a 220 volt, single phase motor. I do believe that most of our dealers on the forum have 220v motors. You will want at least a half horsepower servo. 3/4 HP is even better for heavy sewing. Most servos have push button speed limiters, but there are still some with a pot on them. I prefer to turn a knob to change top speed, rather than playing wack-a-mole with up-down button sequences.

I also have a Singer 15-91, in very good condition. I rebuilt the motor and replaced the drive gear. Most recently I added a solid state control pedal, which I got from Bob Kovar. The machine does sew with #69 bonded nylon thread, up to 1/4 inch. But, it has trouble feeding sticky material. I bought a so-called walking foot attachment, but it only made a marginal improvement, while losing at least 1/16" of available clearance under the foot. I believe that a Teflon foot would be more useful and wouldn't reduce the sewing clearance. After rebuilding it I packed it in its case and there is has sat, since 2009. I have already invested $160 between buying and rebuilding it. I consider it a waste of money compared to my industrial sewing machines, which have big industrial motors. Still, I could use it to sew wallet interiors or put in a new zipper in a jacket, or to hem pants.

I was wondering why you keep asking if the 30-70 looks like a Singer 29k172, after I posted a reply with a link to view the Adler on a blog. Did you see this text link: "But, I found a good photo of an Adler 30-70 on this blog "

If your 29k172 is a like Chevy 1500 truck is to a sedan, the Adler 30-70 is a like a 2500 model. Everything is beefed up. I have a Singer 29k172 and it is not the machine that my buddy's 30-70 is. The 30-70 has longer needles and sews thicker leather. It pulls a tighter stitch. It actually sews 3/8 inch, where our machine only clears about that much. The foot needs to lift off the top of the leather and move all the way forward and backward to get effective stitch length. The Singer 29k172 is more similar to an Adler 30-7. This is usually a treadle machine on a cast iron base and is not typically motorized. It sews about the same thickness as the 172. Other than that, they use the same bobbins and the presser feet are similar. I can use Singer patcher feet on the Adler 30-70 by enlarging the hole for the mounting screw. There is a little slop to deal with, because the Singer feet seem to have a wider inside mounting space than the Adler. Singer patchers use system 29x3 and 29x4 needles. Adlers use system 332 in the 30-7 and 332LG in the 30-70. If you see the machine at the auction and it resembles your Singer patcher, but is black, it is probably a 30-7. If it looks like the one in the photo I linked to and is gray, it is a 30-70. The 30-70 has a solid flywheel; no spokes. It weighs a gazillion pounds. The 30-70 uses a large bobbin and bobbin case. If the machine at the auction is a 30-70, complete on a power stand and turns easily by hand, and you win it for under $1800, pat yourself on the back.

Yes, it is engraved into a metal plate on the head, on the right side of the body. There is nothing else like the 30-70. If it says Adler on top and looks like the machine in the photo, it is a 30-70. Most of the Adler 30-70 machines are motorized with 1/2 hp clutch motors. These motors have adjustable freewheeling room when you slightly depress the floor pedal. Without this free play, you cannot hand wheel the machine at all. I would not use a patcher than can't be hand wheeled.

Try reducing the bobbin tension (spring and set screw), to get the knots higher up in the leather. Too much bobbin tension means you need more and more top tension to balance the knots. Added tension makes the needle work harder to pull the knots up. This forces you to crank down the pressure adjuster on top, to keep the leather from lifting with the needle and thread. Once you reduce the bobbin and possibly top tensions, reduce the presser foot pressure by turning the adjuster on top of the head counterclockwise. Stop before it pops out and see if there is enough pressure to hold down the leather as the needle ascends. Give the foot only as much spring pressure as it needs. This will minimize the puckering on the bottom. Do try going down one needle size, but make sure it is a type 794 S point. Finally, if none of the above helps, consider removing the feed dog and throat plate and installing just the plate with the long narrow slot. This converts the machine into a double feed machine. You will need to increase the stitch length setting a bit to compensate for the lack of feed dogs. But, the bottom may look a lot nicer (as long as you back off the top pressure spring controlling the feet).

I don't own the machine in question. But, I found a good photo of an Adler 30-70 on this blog

The best solutions for these heavy thread projects are either a 441 clone (e.g. Cowboy CB4500, Cobra Class 4, Techsew 5100), or a new modified Adler 205-370, or 205 clone (CB205), with a bolt-on flat table attachment. These machines have a 16.5" cylinder arm, take very large cylindrical bobbins and are built to handle very heavy thread, ranging up to #415. They all use system 7x3 (DYx3) and 794 needles and are able to sew into 7/8 inch of leather. I prefer using #277 thread in my CB4500. I use a #25 S point needle, but also have some diamond points to play with. #346 requires using a #26 needle and 415 needs a #27. Indispensable is a drop down roller edge guide, but a swing-away guide will do in a pinch. The next best option is a Union Lockstitch machine. This is a post bed, needle and awl machine, designed in the early 1900s and meant for sewing very heavy leather with very heavy thread. It sews with just about any size thread, if you have the correct needle for that thread (sizes up to #7). Awls are used between 1/2 to 1 size larger than the needle (sizes up to #8). There is a wax pot on top for use with liquid wax when sewing with linen thread. Originally built to sew 3/4 inch, many, myself included, have modified their ULS to sew 7/8 inch. I keep my ULS threaded with #277, using a #2 needle and a #2.5 or 3 awl, depending on the density of the work. To use #346 requires a 2.5 or #3 needle and a #3 or #3.5 awl. There are only a few machines that natively sew 1 inch. The Campbell High Lift is one. A Union Lockstitch can be further modified to sew 1 inch. A Luberto Classic can sew just over 1 inch. At this altitude it becomes extremely hard to hold down the leather as the needle or awl ascends. My Union Lockstitch has a coil spring that looks like it should be mounted on a small motorcycle's fork.

Unless you are comparing the big Adler 30-70 to the Singer 29k172, they are very similar in capabilities. The Adler 30-7 clears a little more thickness than the Singer 29Ks. Aside from that, they use the same bobbins and needles and deliver about the same maximum stitch length of no more than 5/inch, into 8 ounces of leather. The Adler 30-70 is a a whole nuther machine. It sews 3/8 inch, delivering a solid 5 stitches per inch, or longer, and uses system 332LG long needles. I sew on one every week at M&M Leather. It uses a 1/2 HP clutch motor.

I should clarify that when I sew fast on a 441, it is usually into about 1/8 to 3/16 inch of medium temper chrome tanned leather. Most of the fast jobs are large production runs of rifle slings and guitar straps (two parts each). The #138 thread is pre-lubricated and the needle is a Schmetz #23 S point. It is not unusual for me to have to sew 2 to 4 dozen for delivery the same day. On these large runs I usually have a spare bobbin loading in the bobbin winder as I sew. Downtime to reload is minimized this way. It is not unusual to see smoke coming from the needle as I sew these straps. I have never burned or broken the lubricated thread from speed sewing. I have broken it when I don't get it to release the tension disks all the way! I hate having to pull the top thread out of the take-up lever by hand, so I balance the tensions to allow the top disks to fully separate when the floor pedal is depressed. When I am sewing saddle bags, cases, holsters, or hand stamped straps, I slow down to about 3 or 4 stitches per second. Very thick projects are usually done at 1 or 2 stitches per second, but they aren't for production runs. If I have to do a production run into thick leather, I use my Union Lockstitch machine, flat out at 800 RPM. Art; I'd like to learn more about that machine. Is it still in production?

You'll need to back off the top and bobbin tensions and use a very small needle and thread, like a #18 needle with #69 thread, or a #19 needle with #92 thread. Other changes that might help feed the fur are to back off the presser foot adjuster until it almost pops out and possibly swap out the smooth feed dog for the one that has teeth, if you got that with the machine. Note: the feed dog screw is sometimes installed with Loctite Blue and may be very difficult to remove. In lieu of the tooth style feeder, you can just remove the feeder entirely, then install the throat plate with the narrow slot. The low presser tension and needle feed should suffice to feed fur, inside out. You will be sewing seams on the flesh sides, then folding them inside out when finished. If this doesn't play out as expected, look for a used but working fur sewing machine (with two cups).