Wizcrafts

I'm sorry. I gave information about the Singer 111w155 when you were asking about the 211w155. That series is newer and sleeker shaped and has more model numbers following it. The 211w156 has a reverse lever, which is not present on the 211w155.

The needle system refers to the designation, in this case, 135x16 and 135x17. The former is a leather point and the latter is round point. The needles in this system are almost 1 3/4" long and slightly over 1/16" in diameter, at the upper shank (that goes into the needlebar). They are sold in width sizes ranging from US #12 (metric 80) up to #25 (metric 200). This corresponds to a appropriate thread size range from #46 bonded nylon or "invisible" monofilament, up to #277 bonded nylon. The most common thread size used in sewing upholstery and leather garments is #69, also known as T70. It requires a #16 or #18 needle, depending on the thickness and density being sewn. Links to thread and needle charts have recently been posted in replies to similar questions. Search posts for "thread and needle chart" or "needle size chart." There is a Sticky topic at the top of this forum that explains how to choose the best size needle for any given thread size. Finally, to answer your last question, the 155 is sub-model designation, which happens to have a walking foot, triple feed system. The 155 is the last of the line for the 111 series and is the most sought after model. It stitches forward only. One must use the Poor Man's Reverse (turn the work around 180 degrees) to back tack. The 111 Singers must be manually oiled frequently. They have a safety clutch that disengages the bobbin drive if it gets jammed with thread. When that happens a button pops up on the bed. The bobbin mechanism is disengaged until you clear the tangled thread out. Then, you push down on the button and turn the hand wheel until the mechanism catches again and it locks back into time. Before this invention, a jammed bobbin case would throw the machine hopelessly out of time. The Singer 111w155 can sew leather up to 5/16".

In addition to Ferg's chart for the model 211, whatever clearance the pressor feet have, with the lifter on the back raised, subtract about 1/16" and that is the maximum sewing thickness. The biggest thread it handles is #138 bonded nylon. Without knowing what clearance your machine has under the raised feet, I'll have to guess it will sew about 5/16" maximum. It uses the standard walking foot needle system: 135x16 or 135x17. Clean it up, keep it oiled, replace any worn out parts, put a servo motor on it and she'll be cherry for another half century. Just don't wear it out trying to run #207 thread through it. The 591 is a garment sewing machine that is capable of also sewing light weight drapes. It uses a smaller needle system than the 111 and 211, and clones. Those needles top off at about size 21. The machine is not set-up to sew with anything heavier than #69 thread. It is for garment making, tailoring and drapery hemming, not for leather. Never was, never will be. Been there, done that. Don't be fooled by the strong appearance of industrial sewing machines. The skin does not reveal what is inside or how much pressure they can stand while working. Garment machines are not designed for sewing with heavy thread, big needles or dense payloads. You can easily knock them out of sync by trying to sew leather belts with them. In reality, the sturdy iron casings and bronze bearings on industrial machines are made that way to absorb the high heat from continuous high speed sewing. Most modern high speed garment machines have an oil pan, oil pump and wicks that distribute oil to moving parts and bearings. How does 3000, to 5000 stitches per minute sound for sewing a belt? NOT! Only walking foot, or harness machines are actually built leather tough. These are slower speed machines, with very thick take-up parts, heavy tension springs and sturdy drive systems. Most walking foot upholstery machines have a maximum sewing speed of 800 to 1000 stitches per minute. Most leather sewing machines are geared way down to about 160 to 320 stitches per minute (exception: Union Lockstitch; 800). Plunging a #25 or 27 needle, threaded with #277 nylon thread, into 1/2" to 3/4" of hard belt leather generates an incredible amount of friction and heat. I've seen smoke coming from leather and thread literally melting in the needle's eye, at 600 spi.

This is something that should go into its own new topic. Post it anew and I will answer your questions.

Ask the seller if the motor is 110 or 220 volt, in case you only have 110. Get all of his curved needles, bobbins and any linen thread and stitching wax he can spare. Beg for a manual, if he has it. Ask to be shown how to thread the top thread and wind the bobbins. Actually, a working demonstration will be your best bet. Bring some thick leather. This machine should be bolted onto a concrete floor, or at least set upon a level concrete floor. Oil it in every oil hole before using it. Make sure it turns by hand freely and is not jammed.

$200 is an awesome price for a sole stitcher! If you are going into the shoe repair business, this is a must have machine. This is a machine that sews around the perimeter of thick, dense leather items. If you are not into shoe repair, it is really of little practical use to you, unless you sew a lot of thick leather projects just along their outer edge. This would include hand cuff and ammo pouches, knife sheathes and some Western gun holsters with a single row of stitching. The machine uses 6 or 7 cord, right twist, waxed linen thread, (hot melted beeswax or Sellari's liquid wax). The thread is sold in one pound spools by Campbell-Bosworth and costs around $42 a spool. Needles are curved and expensive. Oh yeah; it weighs about 700 pounds

Did you order a shorter V-belt with it? You're going to need one. In my case, I replaced a clutch motor with a 2.5" pulley with a SewPro 500GR servo motor, touting a 2" pulley. I ended up requiring a V-belt 2 inches shorter that the original. The servo motor sits closer to the body than a clutch motor. If you neglected to get the belt with the motor, order one 1 inch shorter for just the motor, then another inch for each 1/2" difference in the diameter of the motor pulley.

Here is a picture of the sewing machine that the seller of this patcher is actually using for his excellent leather work. It is similar to the long arm Cowboy and Cobra and other Juki 441 clones sold over here. The only reasonable use for an ancient, 99 year old Singer patcher, is sewing patches onto vests and jackets, installing short zippers and fixing rips in bags, clothes, shoes and boots.

I would offer $100 to $150 tops for that old machine, especially since it is sold as head only. You are going to have to invest a lot of time and possibly some cash to fix it up. A machine in that condition was not well cared for. Plus, although the butterfly works, how badly worn is the crank mechanism inside it, that moves the pressor foot? A brand new 29k from that time period could only deliver 5 stitches per inch (5 mm long), into thin leather (4 oz). By the time you place 8 oz of leather under the foot, you'd be lucky to get 4 mm stitches. It goes downhill from there, until you max out at 16 oz thickness, at which time you'd get 3 mm stitches, maximum. If you are going to use the patcher to repair boots and shoes, tiny stitches are normal. Also, the old patchers are pretty much limited to thin thread, like #V69 / T70. You might however be able to run #92 through it. The stitch lengths I mentioned are for a tight, like new or completely rebuilt machine. If the patcher is as unserviced internally as it appears to be externally, you can probably cut the maximum stitch length by 25%, or worse. I have tested old patchers that struggled to yield even 8 stitches per inch (per 2.5 cm), on 4 oz leather. Take some pieces of 4 ounce leather and try it out. If it yields close to 5 mm stitches in one layer, the drive mechanism is tight. Thread it up, including the bobbin and make sure it stitches properly, top and bottom, from 4 ounces, up to 16 ounces (4 pieces). If the foot has difficulty moving the leather enough to form a reasonable stitch length, it is worn out and will require dis-assembly and shimming or brazing of worn out parts.

I have never had a v-belt with much more than a 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch deflection. With 1.25" you will probably have a lot of slippage under heavy loads. Tighten up that belt Trainee!

You are most welcome Jose! I'm glad to have been helpful to you. Now that you have optimized your machine, use it to its fullest extent. However, when you run into projects that require more machine than you have, don't break your old Singer; get a new machine with greater thickness and thread handling capacities.

Apply a tiny bit of toe motion to the floor pedal to release the internal brake. This will allow the motor and machine to turn freely. I set the belt tension quite high on my setup. I have very little deflection of the belt. I know that this places an increased load on the motor's shaft bearings, but they are strong. A tight belt allows the motor to penetrate very dense leather. If you are not sewing through dense leather, move the motor mount upwards to give more slack. You don't want so much slack that the motor spins and the machine doesn't. Make sure you tighten down the set screws in the hand wheel! A tight motor belt applies a lot of torque to the machine and a tight machine penetrating dense leather could cause loose hand wheel screws to let go (I know this from experience - the screws flew out of the wheel and into the wall behind the machine!). If the set screws come loose, the flywheel will spin but won't drive the machine into dense leather anymore. This could damage the output shaft and the flywheel.

Yep. The lift block on the back , over the long pressure spring, that engages the pressor foot lift lever, must be set too far towards the front of the machine. Move it toward the back and you'll get lift. If your machine does not have the leaf spring, but a coil spring for top tension, the lift assembly is on the back of the head and has a butterfly thumb nut to tighten the movable piece with the marks: L-M-H, which set the amount of lift of the foot. If that lift block is missing the thumb nut, or other pieces, there will be little or no lift. If the metal cam block behind that assembly is loose, or misaligned, lift will suffer. Move the L-M-H block towards the front of the machine to increase lift, or away to reduce it. Reposition the cam block behind it to get back missing lift range. Just be sure to allow the foot to go all the way down between strokes.

A realy good one-time purchase would be a Juki 441 clone machine. All of our member-dealers sell such machines. They have brand names including: Cowboy, Cobra, Artisan and Techsew. Most of these brands are available with cylinder arm lengths from 9" to 16.5", with some as long as 25". I am guessing that a 9" space between the needle and right inside of the body might be enough spin room to sew your holsters. If so, a Cowboy CD3500, a Cobra Class 3, or an Artisan 3000 would cost you right around the $1500- mark. Shipping would be extra though. All of these machines will sew at least 3/4"; some will sew 7/8". All can handle #415 bonded polyester or nylon or 6 cord linen thread. All have triple feed mechanisms, where the needle, inside pressor foot and feed dogs move together at the same speed. All have a stitch length lever that can be left up to sew in reverse. The bobbins are huge and all the parts are very heavy duty. These machines come mounted on short body tables, on steel frames with roller wheels. They all have servo motors and speed reducers. The prices go up by a thousand dollars for the 16.5" arm models. Parts tend to be interchangeable between all of these Chinese 441 clones. So, if you buy a 9" arm machine from one company and they go out of business, the parts for another surviving company's 9" machine will probably fit it. Most of the dealers have have a banner ad, except for Bob Kovar; the owner of Cowboy stitchers. You can call him at 866-362-7397. Cowboy is shipped from Toledo Ohio, after the machines are set up and tested. Cobra machines ship from California. All are sent by truck, due to their weight. Figure out what turn around length you can work with and buy the most machine for your available money. Stick with our dealers if you can. They take care of their buyers with help on the phone and servicing or parts replacements, should things get fudged up. All sell needles, bobbins, thread and oil (get lots of oil!).

The swing away guide was added on. They don't come with any machine as standard equipment. Bob Kovar, of Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines, sells the swing-away edge guides, along with bobbins, needles, thread, and parts for most industrial sewing machines. Call him at 866-362-7397 to get the current price for the guide.

It looks to me like the bend in the actuator rod is too high, behind the roller wheel. Try lowering it so that the bend is right behind the wheel and the angled rod will push the wheel away as you move the knee lever. There needs to be a little free play before the knee lever hits the roller. Normally, the knee lifter is adjusted so that it completely raises the pressor foot until the machine stops it. If the bend in the lift rod is too high, you lose motion on the short side. If the bend is too low, the angled rod may run off under the wheel, causing the pressor foot to snap down hard. Then you have to manually raise the foot to get the angled rod back behind the lifter wheel. A properly positioned bent rod stays in contact throughout the allowable motion of the knee lifter assembly. Once the lift rod has been set, you can adjust the actual knee pad position both vertically and laterally. Set it so you have no trouble hitting it when you intend to and without distressing your knee.

Grab it while you can. Worry about the price later. This is a rare bird.

Steve; There are a few needle vs thread size charts, including one on the Singer website. But, there aren't charts for needle size vs leather thickness! I can provide you with some pointers to help you Grok the correct needle size for thick or thin leather. Thinner needles penetrate leather more easily than wider ones. Leather point (left-twist chisel; LL) needles go in easier than round point needles. Thick needles generate more heat from friction than thinner needles, as they penetrate dense leather. The thinner the thread on the top and bottom, the smaller the required needle. The thinner the needle, the more likely it is to be deflected by hard spots, or previously sewn thread in the leather. Here is a general chart of thread vs needle sizes, for sewing from garment to belt and bridle leather. Thread Size Needle sizes Temper of leather #69/T70 #14 (garments/chaps only), #16 (medium temper), or #18 (harder temper) #92/T90 #18, #19, #20 (ditto) #138/T135 #21 (soft), #22 (medium, typical), #23 (hard or thick) #207/T210 #23, or #24 (soft thread : hard thread) #277/T270 #25, or #26 (ditto) #346/T350 #26, or #27 (ditto) Where I give more than one needle size, it can pertain to the hardness of the thread, or the combined hardness of the leather being sewn. Most bonded nylon thread is stiffer than the same size in bonded polyester (outdoor marine thread). Linen or cotton thread is much softer than either. A stiffer thread will require a larder needle size than a more flexible thread of the same number size. Most modern needle only machines do not sew properly with waxed linen thread, but may be able to handle glace finish linen thread. This thread is available in 1 pound spools, in left (most machines), or right (shoe solers) twist, in 3, through 10 cord sizes. 3 cord is pretty close to #138 bonded nylon. 4 cord is close to #277 and 5 cord is like #346. All are soft and flexible and can use a smaller needle size that the equivalent nylon thread. This generates less friction and heat scarring. Generally speaking, use #69 thread on leather garments, or thin (6 - 8 oz) dress belts, or on shoes and boots. Use #138 on harder leather projects, of items of 1/4" to 5/16" thickness. Move up to #207 for 3/8" and #277 (or 4 cord linen) for 7/16" to 1/2". Above 1/2" I use #346 bonded nylon or polyester, or 5 or 6 glazed cord linen. FYI: #69 bonded nylon thread has a breaking point of 11 pounds. Each time you double the thread size, you double the breaking strength of the thread. If you make a holster for a competition shootist, or Police Officer, always use the heaviest thread your machine can handle. While #138 thread (22 pounds) may seem to be strong enough to keep a holster together, consider the forces applied to the sewn layers of leather as an officer fights for control of his gun while a felon is trying to yank it out in any direction that will give. That is why you almost always see either #277 or #346 bonded nylon, or 5 or 6 cord waxed linen thread on professionally built holsters. I hope this helps Edit: I forgot that you were asking for recommendations for a shoe patcher. Limit my answers to those for nylon thread in sizes 69, 92 and 138 only. Your machine can also sew with 3 cord linen thread. Limit needle size options to #22 or #23 maximum.As Cobra Steve mentioned, the thickness is limited by the lift of the foot and is slightly over 1/4". You might sew 5/16" if the mechanism is tight, but, the unassisted stitch length will be tiny (about 8 spi). You can help the machine feed longer stitches in thicker leather by pulling the leather behind the foot as it sews.

How much? All of the dealers on this forum are in competition with their heavy stitchers, especially the 9" arm models. If I were you I would contact them all and compare not only the price of the machine, but also the cost of shipping and what accessories can be thrown in at what, if any additional cost. The banners on top of the pages have phone numbers. The exception is Bob Kovar, of Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines. He has no banner, and no website yet. His phone number is 866-362-7397. Bob is the dealer in the US for Cowboy leather stitchers and they have a model CB3500 (I think) with a 9" arm. Then, there is the Cobra Class 3 - 9" arm machine.

A Singer patcher, or clone machine like this, will not sew holsters or knife sheaths effectively. They are limited to a bit more than 1/4" of leather under the foot. The stitch length gets shorter as the thickness of the material approaches 1/4". The maximum thread that can be used safely is #138 on top and in the bobbin. If the machine has a small dime size bobbin, it won't hold enough #138 thread in one load to sew 2 average belts along both edges. What Shoe Patchers are built for Singer began producing the 29 series cylinder arm, universal feed sewing machines in the late 1800s. They were first known as UFM, meaning Universal Feed Machine. The direction of feed is controlled exclusively by the butterfly knobs under the head. Rotating the knobs turns the pressor foot. The foot has sharp teeth under it. These teeth grip the top of the leather and pull it backwards in 360 degrees of rotation. The nose of the cylinder arm is very slim and houses a very small type of bobbin. Early models, like the 29-4 and early 29K models all had a tiny bobbin, about the width of a dime, and 3/16" deep. They are meant to be threaded with #69 bonded nylon or 3 cord unwaxed linen thread. Most shoe shops have a patcher and use #69 thread on top and in the bobbin, using a #16 or #18 leather point 29x4 needle. This is suitable for patching tears in shoe and boot uppers, or securing loose Velcro straps. It is also great for sewing patches onto leather vests or nylon jackets or baseball caps. I sometimes use a patcher to install zippers into leather coats. They are also great for sewing up purses after opening the inside seams to work on interior rips or additions. A well cared for patcher is capable of sewing no longer than 5 stitches per inch, at about 6 ounces thickness. At 1/4" your stitch length drops to no more than 6 or 7 per inch. The most thickness that can be fed by the foot is under 5/16"; or 20 ounces. A worn out patcher will not even reach 5 spi on 4 ounce leather. The stitch length is usually the first thing to go on a patcher. Patchers use series 29x3 and 29x4 needles, which are available in sizes from #80 up to #160. It is very difficult to push a #160 needle through 16 ounces of belt leather, with #138 thread on top and bottom. That is what you would probably want to use to sew 20 ounce leather holsters. The teeth leave deep marks in veg tan leather and tend to slip on polished top finishes. If the feed slips, your stitch length will vary all over the place. One tends to tighten the top spring pressure to compensate for slippage, making the tooth marks even worse.

I neglected to mention that the Cowboy and Cobra 441 clones are available with shorter 9" arms, for about $500 to $600 less than the long arm models. They still sew over 3/4" and have triple feed. Artisan may still have some model 3000 short arm machines left.

You are right about the GA5-1. It only has bottom feed and a flat pressor foot and fixed position needle. It is perfect for belts, bridles, weight belts, buffing wheels; things that are level on the top and can be tooth driven on the bottom. It, and the other machines like it, are capable of sewing 1/2" maximum, although they are factory set to sew 7/16" under the foot. The foot can be raised a bit, until it almost hits the needlebar at the bottom of its stroke. This allows a full half inch to be sewn. Since you are sewing padded and foam filled items, a compound feed machine will work better for you. These machines are triple feed: the feed dog, needle and inner pressor foot move in concert. The only job the outer foot has is to hold down the work as the needle lifts and moves forward, between stitches. If your work dictates a cylinder arm machine, some of your best options, in no particular order, are as follows. Adler 205-370 (needle feed, jump foot + feed dog, 3/4") Juki 441 (triple feed, 3/4") Cowboy CB4500 (triple feed, 7/8") Cobra Class 4 (triple feed, 7/8") Artisan Toro 3200 (triple feed, 7/8") Luberto Classic (square drive, needle feed, jump foot, 1") Union Lockstitch (quasi-post, needle & awl, jump foot machine, 3/4") Campbell-Randall (quasi-post, needle & awl, jump foot machine, 3/4" or 1") Ferdinand Bull (jump foot, ~3/4") Tippmann Aerostitch (needle feed, jump foot; requires an air compressor, ~3/4") Puritan (post, chain stitch, needle & awl, jump foot machine, ~3/4") Cowboy CB2500 (feed dog fed, flat or roller foot, 1/2" with raised foot) Some of these are very expensive new, some are sold as rebuilds, others are deprecated, but sometimes available used. Prices are all over the map. A Juki 441 or Adler 205 cost several thousand dollars, as do the Union Lockstitch and Randall stitchers. 441 clones sell for $2500 and less. A CB2500 is just over 1k.

Jeremy; The thickness you want to sew is the limiting factor in your machine options. Further, your preference for a flatbed machine complicates the availability of suitable machines. Nonetheless, here are some viable options for you to consider. Adler 204 series flatbed machines can sew 3/4" with a #200 needle and #277 thread. There is or was one for sale privately, by AW Harness, in the East Coast. The ad is/was in the Used Sewing Machines For Sale section of the forum. Cowboy and Cobra stitchers have a flatbed model that sews 1/2 inch plus. Old Singer Class 7 machines sew to 7/8". The Singer 132K6 sews 1/2". There are other brands of sewing machine that sew 1/2 inch. They are usually targeted at the buffing wheel and car wash cloth industries. A standard industrial sewing machine cannot sew over 3/8" unless you dink with the pressor feet and needle bar and even the needle system. The machines setup for 1/2" and over use a much longer needle system, have beefed up moving parts, huge bobbins and extra heavy tension springs, thread guides, shafts, gears and bearings. The very people you have excluded from answering you are in the best position to assist you in finding a suitable machine for your purposes.

My bad! I confused you with someone in Montreal to whom I had just replied a few minutes earlier. There is a really great servo motor available from Toledo Industrial sewing machines (866-362-7397). It is a SewPro 500GR. It has built in 3:1 gear reduction and a 2" output pulley. They cost around $176 shipped and bot in place of the original clutch motor. Order a 2" shorter v-belt with it. I bought one and can't find any fault with it.

That is a Singer 111w155 walking foot machine. It is probably 50 to 60 years old. If it is in good working condition (not too much slack, well oiled, no junk in bobbin case, no stripped parts), it should be able to sew up to 5/16" of medium temper leather, or a pair of jeans, or sailcloth. The maximum thread size is typically #138, sewn using a #22 needle. The needle system is 135x17, or 135x16 (leather). Get a servo motor from Raphael Sewing/Techsew, in Montreal, and you'll be good to go. Better yet, take it to them and have them go over it and adjust and oil it for you, replacing any really worn parts. If you take the table with they can install the servo motor for you. If you want to do all this yourself, you are on your own.