Wizcrafts

The 206K is a home sewing machine. It is neither designed for, nor fully capable of sewing anything more than a couple layers of garment leather, or thin chap. The mechanism is limited to using no larger than #69 bonded thread. It is primarily used with standard cotton thread and normally sews cloth. As for a roller foot, this machine uses a low shank standard presser foot. You can buy plastic feet equipped with long rollers in front and back of the needle slot. This will reduce the clearance under the foot to just over 1/8 inch, before the needlebar hits the top of the foot. Finally, a 3.5" machine pulley is small, when speaking about sewing leather. Most leather sewing machines have pulleys starting at 4" and going up from there. If you motorize this little old home sewing machine and try to sew belts, you will destroy it.

No. A walking foot, or spring loaded jump foot requires a special mechanism, attached to the back of the body, driven by cams and cranks inside. However, if your machine has a flat foot, you can convert it into a roller foot machine, which works well on wallets and leather garments..

I hold the two threads behind the work, equally tight, sometimes twisted together. Then I stitch forward a stitch of two, then back the same number, then forward to the end. At the end I backtack 3 stitches and cut off the threads. Sometimes I will start sewing in reverse for 2 or 3 stitches, then proceed in forward. Either way, I only hold onto the loose threads for a couple stitches. I only need them to stabilize the position of the knot. Two or three stitches in any direction accomplishes that.

Forget the Juki LU-1508 if all you can spend is $1000. They go for about $3,000 new and there aren't many used ones under $1500. Even a decent clone of the 1508 will set you back a couple G's.

Rich; If your maximum thickness does not exceed 20 ounces, which is 5/16 inch, with #92 thread, any walking foot machine will serve the purpose. Call Bob Kovar, at 866-362-7397, during normal business hours, Eastern Time. He has a warehouse and showroom full of new and used walking foot, roller foot, etc industrial sewing machines. He can match a machine to your purpose and budget and ship it to you on a pallet. You will need to stock up on needles with the new machine, as they will be probably be bigger than those used by the 31-15.

Negatory Red Rider. A large hook-shuttle usually has more clearance around the bobbin case, allowing you to use thicker thread.

The Singer 31-15 is a straight stitch industrial machine. While is is capable of sewing soft leather admirably, it balks when trying to feed 1/4 inch of belt leather. Furthermore, it does not tension anything bigger than #69 or possibly #92 bonded thread. It is and always will be a garment and tailoring machine. The next step up in a walking foot machine. These come in flat bed and cylinder arm configurations. Some have the standard bobbin you use in the 31-15 (15 class bobbin), while others have a large hook and M style big bobbin. These hold 50% more thread than a standard bobbin. Most upholstery grade walking foot machines are not setup to sew any leather other than upholstery grade, chrome tanned, soft to medium temper. But, they respond well to tweaking. Most are equipped with high speed motors with large pulleys. They sew much too fast for veg-tan leather work. The tension springs are usually light duty, which works fine with the #69 thread commonly used in upholstery. Then, there are sewing machines that ARE setup to sew medium to hard temper leather, in capacities ranging from 3/8" up to 7/8" - including hard stuff. These machines are specifically made or modified to sew at a slow, controllable speed, with big needles, using heavier thread than upholstery machines can handle. They have very large bobbins and beefed up take-up and tensioning parts. Ask if you want more specific recommendations. State your budget.

You have to consider that your local dealer may be buying his machines in small quantities and is not getting the price break that Cobra Steve and Cowboy Bob are getting. But, they have to put out tens of thousands of dollars for each order of machines and then wait for them to be built and delivered from China. Then, after uncrating them, they spend an average of 6 hours per machine, setting them up, adjusting the timing, tightening the screws and fixing cosmetic anomalies, or adding their own special feet and cover plates. The thing about these big machines is that they are built like tanks. Once they are properly setup by a competent dealer.mechanic, they are good to go for years. Yes, you will knock the timing out and will call for assistance. These dealers will take your call and walk you through all minor repairs, even sending small replacement parts when needed. It's called value added services. All 441 clones are not built to the same standards. The Chinese factories make three qualities of sewing machine. The top quality is reserved for actual commercial brand name companies for whom they build sewing machines distributed through official networks. Next is the custom branded machines, sold by Cobra Steve and Cowboy Bob, and Techsew Ronnie. These dealer-importers specify how they want the machines built, the color scheme and what level of materials they want used in it. This reduces the likelihood that a machine will arrive non-functional, or requiring extensive repairs to get it sewing. Finally, there is a third class of machine that is built to lower quality control and parts standards. I think of those machines as the eBay class. The sellers would have to spend at least 8 hours bringing these machines up to snuff. Drop ship dealers don't even do that. They have the machine dropped off at your location from a warehouse, untested and unadjusted. I can't tell you where your linked-to machine falls, category-wise. I don't know much about the Weaver branded machines personally. You'd have to ask them.

Andrew; A standard hook uses a bobbin that is about the same size as a Singer 15 class machine: 3/4" by just under 3/8". You can see those bobbins at any local sewing supplies store, including Joann Fabrics. They hold a pretty fair amount of thin thread, such as is used in sewing garments. A large hook holds a bobbin that is 1 inch in diameter by 11/32" high. It holds about 50% more thread. This extra capacity allows garment manufacturers to sew more between bobbin loads. It also allows upholsters and leather crafters to use #138 thread and not run out after a couple belts are sewn. Juki is a horse of another color. Some of their big bobbin machines have a double capacity hook and special bobbins that hold about twice the amount of a standard one.

Juki made, and still makes the original TSC-441 machine. It was the Japanese answer to the German Adler 205-370. Through the ensuing years the Chinese have cloned every popular Japanese and German sewing machine. The 441 is no exception. There are more 441 clones than Carter has liver pills. But they are not all the same! We have several dealer-members on this forum, who distribute their own branded versions of the Juki 441, but made in China. The best known and respected brands are Cowboy and Cobra. The dealers who import these machines go over them with a fine tooth comb. They correct any problems, adjust the timing, often change out parts for locally made parts, then sew them off with thick thread, into thick leather. The average price of a bare-bones 441 clone, with a 16.5 inch cylinder arm, from Cowboy or Cobra, is about $2100 - $2200, minus popular accessories. Typically, users buy a package, with extras, worth about $2500, plus shipping. This is $1000 less than you are expecting to pay, if the machine you inquired about has a 16.5 inch arm. The 25 inch arm models sell for about $3000 to $3500. Note: Adler clones cost more than 441 clones. Perhaps your dealer is selling an Adler clone, not a Juki. Or, maybe that price is for a used Juki 441.

If you need a used industrial sewing machine, why not call our various member dealers and see if they can help you out, at a price you can afford? Several have used machines.

When it comes to buying sewing machines from shady eBay resellers, a fool and his money soon will part. I wonder how much it costs to ship a sewing machine back to China, or Korea, for warranty service?

According to one chart I just read, 3 cord Barbour's linen thread is the equivalent diameter of bonded #207. It needs to be waxed for best hold and lifespan.

Perhaps there is some confusion as to the width of #69 bonded thread. It is about the thickness of heavy fish line. It's diameter is 0.0115 In

Yes, 3 cord linen is larger than #69 bonded nylon, or polyester. 6 cord linen is as thick as bonded #346. I don't use 3 cord any more, so I can't compare it to my bonded thread. But, when I did use 3 cord Barbour's, it was about the same size as #138 bonded nylon. I used a #1 needle and #1.5 awl to sew with it. My 4 cord linen is close to the width of my #277 bonded. I'd say is is between #207 and 277. I use a #1.5 or 2 needle with a #2 or 2.5 awl for these threads. In contrast, I need a #3 needle and #3.5 awl to sew with #346 bonded, or 6 cord linen thread.

I don't know of any such "linen" thread size. The closest organic thread would be 3 or 4 cord glace cotton, with a combined size of 20 or 24. I have a spool of 4 cord glace cotton, size 24, that looks like it is close to #69 bonded nylon. In comparison, my spools of 4 cord linen thread are closer to #277 bonded thread. The smallest commercial size of "linen" thread I know about is Barbour's 3 cord. This is about the same thickness as #138, or #207. Keep in mind that cotton and linen thread need to be waxed to achieve maximum strength.

The manuals on the aforementioned website are Adobe "Portable Document Format," or "PDF" file types, which open in a PDF reader. One can either try to open or download a PDF file (Adobe Reader). If your Internet connection rate or throughput is slow, you should right click on the link for the (PDF) manual and choose the option to Save Link As. Download/Save it to your desired location (Desktop, My Documents, Downloads, etc). After the download completes, open the containing location, find the file and double click to open it. Note, PDF files require a PDF reader to open them. If you don't have any PDF reading software installed, those files will never open. You should also be careful to always make sure applications for PDF's are set to automatically update when new versions are released. Cyber criminals exploit PDF readers that contain coding oversights, so companies like Adobe counter attacks by releasing updates, or new versions. For the last year, Adobe Reader has had the option to automatically update itself. Get the latest, most secure version of the free Adobe Reader here: http://get.adobe.com/reader/

I bought mine from Campbell-Bosworth, in Texas. Here is their catalog page with linen thread.

I have a harness stitcher for sewing dense and/or thick leather, with heavy thread (277 and up). I have a walking foot machine for medium duty leather and vinyl sewing. I use a long arm Singer patcher for odd jobs that benefit from the unique feed system of that machine. Finally, I have home sewing machines for cloth and general garment repairs. If you intend to sew both soft/thin and hard/thick leather, you should buy a minimum of two machines. They could both be cylinder arm machines: one 441 clone for heavy work (~7/8", with #415 thread) and the other a 227 clone, for lighter sewing. They can sew from 1/16" to 3/8 inch of material. The 227 clones are capable of sewing with #138 thread, top and bottom. A few are heavier duty than others and able to use #207 thread, but they are the exception. Most modern flat bed walking foot machines, with large bobbins, will sew up to 3/8", with up to #207 thread. Last, an industrial straight stitch machine with a special roller foot system can sew garment leather quite nicely. They are usually limited to sewing about 1/4" with thread no thicker than #92.

I saw it. If it should turn out that none of your courses of action will work, will you consider a totally different machine? If so, state your requirements for such a machine and we will try to find you some good matches.

Perhaps one of our member dealers is authorized to sell Pfaff machines. If there are any, they might reply to this topic. Until then, I found this model 2335 Plus, on the English version of the Pfaff Industrial machines website. It is an enhanced version of the 335. I found no other cylinder arm machines, but lots of flat beds. Check out the Pfaff website, using the left navigation sidebar.

You should find a Pfaff dealer, with machines in stock, and present your requirements to them. Are you in the USA, Canada, Europe, or elsewhere? Your About Me page says nothing about your location.

I can't help you with Pfaff machines. But, I can tell you that the next step up from the DNU-1541 would be a Juki LU-1508 NH. This machine is factory converted for high lift and system 190 needles. It uses the same big Juki bobbins and accepts all type "111" feet and attachments, of which there are dozens of styles. The next step after that is a CB2500, shown here. This machine is made to sew up to 7/16 all day long, with thread sizes 138 through 346. The foot lifts exactly 1/2 inch and can be replaced with a large roller foot, or "harness" foot. As Art mentioned, you could move up to a 441 clone, based on the Juki 441 type. They sew up to 7/8", with thread sizes 92 through 415. However, there are very few presser foot options available.

Correct, but make those adjustments for the thickness and hardness of leather you will use the most. If you adjust the patcher to sew a perfectly placed knot in 8 ounces of leather, then add a second 8 ounce layer, you could use the take-up helper adjustment to add more lift to the take-up lever. The higher it lifts, during the raising of the trapeze arm, the more pull is exerted on the top thread. Without the helper adjuster, the torsion spring alone will tend to flutter and give up height under a heavy load, or tough bottom leather. Raise the arm with the barrel adjuster to force the lifting of the knots.

I've lost track of what it is you want us to help you with. What do you need to sew, or do with a sewing machine, that is not possible with the machines you have? If it is just a matter of more thickness, a CB2500, GA5-1, or a similar machine, based on the ancient Singer 45k style, can sew 7/16" out of the box, with #138 thread and up. They have drop feed only. If it is a matter of getting specialty presser feet made, there are dealers who can do this for you, for the Juki type machines. What do you need?