Wizcrafts

I bought mine on eBay. It was somewhere around $20.00.

My machine is close to a Consew 206RB, with the exception of the top pressure spring being a different type. There are plenty of 206RBs for sale on eBay, and from some of our member dealers. I have never had or used a portable walking foot machine, so I can't say what I think of any particular brand. On the other hand, I can advise you about what modifications will be needed to use a Sailrite, or equivalent portable machine for sewing leather. According to Bob Kovar, at Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines, it takes the dealer about an hour to un-box and setup a new portable walking foot machine, to get it ready to sell and sew. After that, if you are going to sew any leather that marks easily, the pressor feet need to be replaced with smooth bottom feet. If the buyer intends to sew belt leather, a Monster flywheel is needed, which costs about $130, from Sailrite. I would not advise you to buy a $200 portable walking foot machine on eBay. You will probably regret it. Plan on spending double that amount for a decent portable walking foot machine, or over triple for a Sailrite. Then add the extra pressor feet and Monster wheel, for another $150, or so. Some of our members buy these machines and modify them personally. There is at least one old thread here about modifying the pressor feet for more clearance, by grinding off the teeth and repositioning the outside foot by lengthening its mounting hole. After that mod you can sew 3/8", with the Monster wheel addition. If you want to learn more about what to expect from a portable walking foot machine, contact Bob Kovar, at 866-362-7397. He sets them up and makes sure they are ready to sew, before they go on the truck. His price is reasonable and he takes care of warranty work himself. He also sells pressor feet and accessories for them.

Art; I'm just trying to help the guy out. I will break even at $200, shipped, for what I have into the machine. I'm not using it now that I have a real walking foot machine, so why horde it? That is a cute cover on the lid. I got it that way.

I have a 1953 Singer 15-91, all fixed up, with a rebuilt motor and a walking foot attachment, in a carrying case. It will sew 1/4" of any leather or vinyl, with the flat foot, or 3/16" with the walking foot, with a number 18 leather point needle and #69 nylon thread. I'll sell it to you for $200 shipped. Everything on it works.

Weezy; Have you read the topic about the right type of machine for sewing leather? It will answer many of you and other people's questions.

Last, but not least, please take time to read my topic about choosing the right type of sewing machine for leather. It may save you a lot of time, money and aggravation.

Deer and elk skins are sticky material. They will not feed properly unless you change the pressor foot to at least a teflon foot. Preferably, buy a roller foot to replace the standard foot. This is a wide pressor foot that contains two or more knurled rollers inside the front and back. These rollers allow the material to flow more freely under the foot, as the bottom feed dog moves the work. Failure to change the foot may result in tiny stitches that perforate the skins, due to the drag on top from a metal pressor foot. Since you haven't bought the machine yet, I recommend that you look into your accessory pressor foot options first. Pfaff home machines may use different pressor feet than most other brands. If you do end up with a home sewing machine and cannot find a roller or teflon foot, see if there is a compatible "Even-Feed" or "Walking-Foot" replacement foot for your machine. These look like big bugs from outer space. They screw onto the pressor bar and a moving arm gets attached around the needle clamping screw. The up/down motion of the needle cranks the alternating inner and outer pressor feet in the contraption so they walk with the material with each stitch. This setup, coupled with a 1.2 or 1.5 amp motor, and maybe a solid state foot controller, is as good as it gets for sewing leather on a home style machine. The next step up, before a full blown industrial machine, is a portable walking foot machine (avail from ~$300 - $800, plus ~$40 shipping). Bob Kovar, of Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines, 866-362-7397, sells portables. They are suitable for what you intend to sew and more.

As promised, here are some pictures of the thread path, needle and bobbin of a long arm Singer patcher. These should help you to get ready to sew with one. Remember, if the hand wheel is on the back end of the machine, rotate it towards you from the top, counterclockwise. If the wheel is on the front of the body, rotate it clockwise, to the right.

The very first question I should ask is: are you rotating the hand wheel toward you from the top? The wheel, when attached to the back, rotates counterclockwise, when sewing. If you rotate it away from you, clockwise, the machine will not stitch! Check the thread path and make sure that the thread feeds from the top area, around the little peg on top of the head, around the tension disks, out the disks and through the little looped wire, up to the front of the hole in the take-up lever, down the other side of it, then down the throat, through the little thread spring over the needle holder, down the hole to the needle, where it feeds from left to right. If the thread is does not feed from left to right, with the eye of the needle on the right, the machine will skip stitches. Maybe the needle was replaced and incorrectly aligned. The eye should face dead right, with the long thread channel facing left. The needle should be a 29x3 or 29x4 system patcher needle and should be inserted as high up as it can go, then secured with the lower set screw. Possibly, the needle is simply to far to the left for the pickup point to take the loop off the needle. You can verify if this is happening by moving the needle up, then swinging the throat plate 90 degrees. With the cover plate off the bobbin area, move the hand wheel toward you from the top and watch as the bobbin shuttle backs up, then moves toward the descending needle. The sharp point should pass the eye of the needle just after the needle moves slightly up, then halts.This is where the loop is formed. If the needle is not close enough to the pickup point the stitches may skip. Fix this by loosening the upper screw on the needle holder and tapping the assembly from the left side, to move the needle assembly to the right, then fasten the screw back down. Or, maybe the bobbin thread is not feeding through the bobbin tension spring. Make sure you load the bobbin so it feeds backwards to the thread loading slot and makes a sharp turn after going through the slot, then feeds under the bobbin tension spring, then through the tiny hole in the side of the bobbin case and out the other side. I'll post some pictures showing the correct alignment of the thread and needle and timing of the bobbin, later on.

Johanna; I went to update my pinned topic about leather sewing machines, and all I get if "Could not locate." It appears that all of my work has vanished! Or, something went wrong in the database. Please check into this and let me know if the topic can be retrieved. Thanks, Wiz Feinberg a.k.a: Wizcrafts The update was going to be a link to a YouTube video I uploaded today, showing my walking foot machine in action. Name: Wiz Feinberg - Wizcrafts UserName: Wizcrafts IP Address: 76.122.131.41 Email Address: leatherworks@wizcrafts.net

If you intend to sew leather straps, a walking foot machine makes it so much easier. I have just uploaded a video, to YouTube, of my walking foot machine at work, sewing a rifle sling. ! Read the description for further details about the job being sewn.The next videos will have better closeup details, but this one will show newbies to sewing leather straps how it is supposed to be done.

Why don't you give Bob Kovar a call, at Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines. His number is: 866-362-7397. Tell him what you want to sew and the thread size you intend to use and he will find a machine to fit your budget. You are going to want either a roller foot machine or a walking foot machine. Since you intend to sew suede, you'll be able to use a set of walking foot pressor feet with teeth on the bottom. Actually, ask Bob about his portable walking foot machine. It just may do exactly what you are hoping for, at a very reasonable price. Just don't expect a portable to also sew dense belt leather, without modification.

Head knife, with the blade well sharpened, especially at the tips. I score the surface along the traced cutting line, then dig the tip into the leather and follow along the curves until I reach a straightaway. Then, I roll the curved portion of the head knife along the straightaways, until the end is reached.

Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines has parts, threading rods, needles and bobbins, for Singer and Adler shoe patchers, as well as most other industrial sewing machines. Call Bob Kovar, at: 866-362-7397

If you install the flat foot with steel rollers inside it you will not have to change the feed dog or cover plate. If you install the actual big rolling wheel, that replaces the pressor foot, you will need the matching single row feed dog and single slot cover plate. These are usually, but not always, sold as a set online. If you intend to use the machine exclusively for leather garments and chaps, a true roller foot set is a must. The wheels are usually available in two diameters. Get the bigger diameter, which is about 1 inch. Bob Kovar, at Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines sells the roller foot conversion set. If you are going to sew a variety of projects, including cloth upholstery, go with a flat foot that has inside rollers protruding from the bottom. As for the poor bottom tension, the cause and answer depends on the type and size of thread you are trying to use, which you did not state. Here are some basics that will affect the bottom stitch appearance. If the bottom tension is too loose the knots may appear on the top of the work. If the bottom tension is too tight, the knots will appear under the work. If the knots are being pulled into the layers, but the stitches are loose on the bottom, too much thread is being released by the bobbin. Tighten the bobbin pressure spring one turn. Try reversing the bobbin, so it feeds against the rotation of the shuttle. This is standard practice to avoid bobbins spinning after the machine slows or stops, thus emptying thread into the shuttle without tension. Buy a bobbin case that has an "anti-backlash" spring inside it. This cures the previous situation. If tightening the bobbin spring cures the loose bottom stitches, but pulls the knots down too far, add top tension until the knots rise inside the layers. The size of your needle can also affect the placement of the knots. If the needle is too small, knots will tend to be on the bottom. If the needle is too big the knots may appear on or near the top. You want the right size needle that feeds the thread without being too loose or to tight. If the top and bottom thread are the same size and the work is dense, go up one needle size, to account for twice the thread thickness in the knots. If you run out of available needle sizes, go down one size in thread, at least in the bobbin. One thing you must keep in mind is that you bought a garment sewing machine. It is not designed or provisioned for properly sewing heavy nylon thread into dense leather.

Another thought. If indeed the top thread is jumping out of the top tension disks, it may be caused by the shock of take-up and not enough slack in the check spring. Try lengthening the stroke of the check spring (loosen hold down screw and rotate the limiting bracket counterclockwise, that controls the spring's bottom resting position, to lower it). Or, add a bit more pressure to the spring thread guide by rotating it's shaft clockwise (loosen a set screw in the body, turn split shaft clockwise with flat blade screwdriver, tighten the set screw).

It sure sounds to me like the needle is too far from the shuttle's pickup point, or the timing is too advanced, or both. But, your mentioning that the loop was very small makes me suspect too much top tension, or too big of a hole, from a too big needle. If you downsize your needle it will move even farther from the pickup point. I had a big Adler flatbed machine for a few weeks and it came equipped with a #200 needle. I bought some #160 needles so I could sew with #138 thread and found that I got constant skipped stitches. I then learned that there is a fixed width spacer screwed onto the inside of the shuttle. That spacer is matched to the needle size and ensures that the point never actually hits the needle. This works fine when both needle and spacer are the same width. But, changing to a narrower needle moves it to the right of the point, which cannot be moved closer due to that spacer block. I was going to gave to buy a thinner spacer to use #160/22 needles, but traded the machine instead. Maybe your machine uses a similar spacer system inside the shuttle?

I haven't asked about parts for a long time, because I have bought a bunch from Campbell Bosworth. However, I am running out of money for new parts and I still need some miscellaneous parts and accessories for my Union Lockstitch machine. If any of y'all have an extra machine you are using for parts and can let some go, please PM me. Some parts I am looking for include these: #350 skip-a-dee lever #352 washer for above lever #290 bobbins Needles and awls in small and large sizes various, non-standard pressor feet (right toe, left toe, stepping, round reins, pricking, stitch in the ditch) various throat plates, especially a raised holster plate, with a slot for a raised edge guide A raised roller edge guide 4 sided wrenches in various sizes a needle bar with a blade to gouge a channel on the bottom of the leather (goes with ditch foot) The big spring that goes on the take-up arm The thread feeder/guide that goes on the take-up arm Misc. screws and nuts and bolts

Once you get a copy of the manual you will find that you have a pretty decent sewing machine. You can get all kinds of Singer 111 pressor feet and attachments for it. It will take series 135x16 and 135x17 industrial needles, up to #25. It should be able to sew 3/8" of leather, if you apply sufficient top pressure. Look to see if there is a second top pressure screw for the inside pressor foot and adjust it as necessary. I sometimes screw the inner foot tension spring all the way down, then back off the outside foot pressure, to reduce marking tracks on the leather.

It is very relevant! It indicates that your top thread may be coming out center of the upper tension disks and is just riding freely through their upper edges, which taper away from each other. This in effect leaves zero top tension and 100% bottom tension, hence the rats nest under the work. Make sure that the top thread is looped around the multiple thread guide post holes and exits the lowest hole inline with the tension disks. Pull it into the disks, then around and out of the check spring disk, up to the take-up lever, and down to the needle. Watch the top thread in the disks as you sew. If you see it jump out of the middle of the tension disks, pull it out and wrap it around the guide post one more time. This would have to be a very rigid thread if it is able to jump out of the upper tension disks. Perhaps your top tension may be so tight that the thread is forced out of the middle. Try reducing both the top and bottom spring tensions to half what they currently are.

Ah, now we're getting the right info from you! If the loop at the eye of the needle is too small, the hook will miss it, as you noticed. You have three possible things to adjust to fix this problem. There is too much top tension. Loosen the bobbin tension to the minimum that still gives a little pressure on the bobbin spring, then loosen the top tension to match. With less top tension the needle should form a bigger loop, as it begins its ascent. The pickup point is too far from the needle. Move the pickup point a little closer to the needle's eye. The timing is set to early. After moving the pickup point closer, retard it slightly, to allow the needle to move up a tad more, before the point intercepts the loop. You may have to pick off the loop just above the hole in the needle's eye. It might be that the thread you are using is too rigid for the leather you are sewing. It may be that the needle is lifting the leather just as it begins to ascend. More top pressure will stop the lifting. Finally, the needle may be to big for your thread. Try going down one more size. If that makes it worse, go up to the next larger needle.

First of all, change the needle; it might be bent or chipped. Make sure the thread guide channel is on the left and the eye on the right side of the needle. Check the bobbin thread to ensure that it is tight and is not wound around where it shouldn't be wound. Check the top thread path to make sure the thread is going through all guides and tensioners. Sew a few stitches forward, then backward, without any thread. See if the needle goes directly into the previous holes when sewing in reverse. Make sure there is enough top pressure to keep the leather from lifting with the needle, on the upstroke. That will cause skipped stitches and frayed thread.

Thanks to everyone who replied, especially the ones regarding printing services. The machine is just going to have to sit in its case until somebody needs one and is willing to pay a fair price for it. I placed it on Craigslist twice and got zero replies. I cannot afford to invest in custom printing for a machine I already have over a hundred dollars in, don't use and can't sell for what I already have in it. It is a lesson too late learned, when I was just getting back into sewing, after 12 years out of the business. I now have two very heavy duty machines that take care of all of my leather, vinyl and denim work. Should any of you come up with replacement decals at a reasonable price, I may consider buying a set. Otherwise, there is no need for any further replies.

This article is now being Tweeted on Twitter. Thanks all! BTW: I am @Wizcrafts on Twitter. My tweets are mostly about computer and website security, malware threats and spam analysis, but I do make the occasional Tweet about my leather and sewing work. Today is my birthday, so I probably won't be posting anything new today. I'll get back to this article later, or tomorrow. I know I have a contract sewing job to do sometime tomorrow. Maybe I'll shoot a couple of pix of my walking foot machine earning me some money. It may help someone who wants to sew similar leather projects. I have shot a few movies of my machines, with my digital camera, but haven't figured out how to convert them from Apple .MOV files into WM .AVI files. I may see if YouTube has a converter and upload them there, for the world to see (in Flash format).

In addition to using either rubber cement, contact cement, or a spray adhesive, I also use double sided sticky tape to secure two layers for sewing. This tape is available in industrial strength, if you look around at various suppliers. It is very useful along edges and on zippers.