Wizcrafts

I'm guessing that decent prices would be $300 to $400 for the 211G155 walking foot machine and about $150 each for the #188 drapery machines. Be prepared to purchase new servo motors for all of these machines. They are probably equipped with high speed low hp clutch motors and large motor pulleys. Servo motors will cost you about $165 each, plus shipping and are bolt-in replacements for the clutch motors, wires and switch boxes. Most servo motors sold here have small 2" pulleys to reduce top speed and increase torque. If the seller doesn't have needles, bobbins and thread, they can all be purchased from Bob Kovar, at Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines. He also sells the servo motors with built-in gear reduction.

Chris; The Singer 153W102 is a cylinder arm, straight stitch (no reverse) standard flat foot machine, good for sewing leather and vinyl up to a bit over 1/4" thick, with up to a #22, series 135x16/17 needle and up to #138 nylon thread. They use a standard industrial bobbin, which doesn't hold much #138 thread. These machines do better sewing #69 thread, with a #18 needle. I would classify the 153 as a heavy garment sewing machine (jeans, vests, jackets, chaps), with leather capabilities. It is excellent for sewing garment and chap leather or saddlebags made from Latigo. It is definitely NOT a saddle or horse gear machine. I think that the cylinder arm is about 3" in diameter by around 9" long, and is cut off right after the bobbin case and cover, just to the left of the outside pressor foot. You can sew real close to the edge of the machine. They shipped with clutch motors, typically between 1/3 and 1/2 horsepower, at 1725 rpm. You must learn to feather the clutch to sew at slow speed. If you can try it out take some material and run it through the machine, using whatever needle and thread they have on hand. It is a handy little cylinder arm machine for small projects that need to be sewn close to the edge, or upside down (e.g: cases, pouches, bags). If you are looking for a machine to sew saddles and horse gear, keep looking elsewhere. The machines that do saddles are about twice the size of a 153W, have 15+ inch arm length, use a long system 794 needle, available up to size 27, and can sew up 3/4" veg-tan or bridle/harness leather with #346 bonded nylon or polyester thread. These machines are usually equipped with a lube pot on top, to keep the thread from melting. They are usually geared down with speed reducers and have very high torque slow speed servo motors.

I have a National 306N and it ias the best walking foot machine I have ever owned. I get my needles and bobbins from Bob Kovar, owner of Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines and member of this forum. He has parts should you need them. He used to be a dealer of National machines, which were made in Japan. They have a lot of parts in common with Consew machines, especially the 206RB series. The 306N uses a large M series bobbin that holds about 50% more thread than a standard bobbin. The largest thread I have sewn on the National is 207, top and bottom. Most people would recommend using 138 in the bobbin and 207 on top. The 306N uses series 135x16 and 135x17 needles, available from Bob Kovar, in sizes up to #25.

Question #1 was answered by Cobra Steve. Q2: Since leather is dense material, a top speed of no more than 5 or 6 stitches per second is about right for 1/4" of belt or bridle leather. Chap or garment leather can be sewn faster. Belts and straps, or holsters, over 5/16" should be sewn even slower; around 4 stitches per second, to avoid burning the thread on a hot needle (and your fingers if you touch the hot needle). Q3: Almost any industrial sewing machine with a compound feed or walking foot system will sew 1/4"+. You should get one with a half horsepower clutch motor, with a speed reducer pulley set, or a servo motor, with built-in gear reduction, or a 2" motor pulley and a speed limiter control knob. Q4: I believe you meant to ask about the difference between drop feed and needle feed machines. A sewing machine with feed dogs (with the jagged teeth) under a cover plate, below the needle area, which can be raised or lowered in height where they protrude above the top of their slots, are called drop feed. Some sewing machines actually have a mechanical control know to drop these feed dogs below the surface completely. These dropped feed machines can then be used for freehand or hoop embroidery. A needle feed machine is a horse of another color! These are commercial machines that may or may not have feed dogs under the cover plate. The needle is mechanically driven away from the operator (in normal sewing) as it penetrates the layers and sews. Because the needle moves the material after penetrating the layers, it reduces slippage. But, if there is too much pressure on the pressor foot, the material may drag on it and the stitch length may be reduced. There is a type of needle feed machine, made for harness makers, which has a pressor foot that lifts up as the needle feeds the work, then lowers to secure it as the needle is withdrawn. This is sometimes called a jump foot harness stitcher. IHTH!

Yes. As a matter of fact, you can buy a three piece set that includes the roller presser foot, single row feed dog and a single slot throat plate. You just need to find the combination that fits a Singer 111W102.

Jimbob; Ur welcome! I also have a 15-91 that I bought from the local Sally Ann store, equipped it with an even feed attachment, and was using to sew Naugahyde, until I bought a real walking foot machine. All I had to do to it was rebuild the motor and lube it. They are tough little machines! Since 1984 I have worked my way up through a series of sewing machines. I started with a slant needle Singer, that was best at breaking needles in leather, to a Singer tailoring machine (nvg), to a Singer with alternating spring loaded feet (n/g), to a Singer 111W155 (good), to a Juki LU563 (vg), to a National walking foot machine (Great), to a Union Lockstitch machine (Great). I can tell you that if you are sewing garment or chap leather, or Naugahyde, or jeans, you should get a compound feed walking foot machine. There are many excellent flatbed walking foot machines to choose from, including those made by Adler, Artisan, Brother, Cobra, Consew, Cowboy, Juki, Neel's Saddlery, Seiko and Toro. If you intend to sew holsters, knife sheaths, saddle bags, or shaped cases, get a heavy duty cylinder arm harness stitcher, with the throat plate cut off close to the bobbin case cover, and with fairly narrow presser feet. Do not dink around with older machines made to sew textiles; they won't do the kind of job you may have to do, won't properly deal with heavy thread and may go out of time or break if over stressed. Dress belts and guitar straps fall in between and I usually sew then on a flatbed walking foot machine, where they can be turned around and laid flat. Weight belts and rifle slings with foam padding between the layers are best sewn on a cylinder arm or post machine. I happen to have a Union Lockstitch, needle and awl machine, which is used on all heavy leather projects. It sews 3/4" without blinking, with #346 or larger bonded thread, all the way up to 12 cord linen thread. It can even sew soles onto shoes (I've done it)! A walking foot is really only needed when you are sewing multiple layers of slippery material, or items with thick seams and second levels. The outer foot lifts up and grabs the upper level, or walks down to a lower leveel, while the inner foot presses down on the work, and usually pulls the work with the needle and feed dogs. You can actually hold the work tightly on a walking foot machine and it won't slip, unless you have really backed off the presser foot tension springs (there are 2). If you are only sewing flat layers of belt or harness leather together (no big seams to go over), a heavy duty flat foot, drop feed machine will do the job. These are usually knock-offs of the venerable Singer 45K series. These are available in flatbed and cylinder arm types. Names like Cowboy and Techsew come to mind. These machines will usually sew a bit over 3/8", with #346 thread, run through a silicon lube container. Whatever machine you end up purchasing, if you intend to sew any thick leather, you'll want to get either a speed reducer, or a servo motor. Most industrial machines come with a clutch motor, which can be difficult to control for slow speeds. You must learn to feather the clutch to slow down. Servo motors are electronically controlled by the position of the foot pedal and are easier to use at slow speeds.

James; No, to my knowledge that machine is not convertible without a major parts addition operation. The casing itself would need to be altered to hold the walking foot lifter shaft, on the back. It is a good straight stitch machine though.

Sometimes, I will double loop the top thread through the tension disks, and/or, triple wrap it around the guide post. This adds more top tension, which you can counterbalance on the bobbin spring.

Bobby; Thanks for the advice, but, how do I find Bob Douglas? Does he have a website? How about a handle on the forum?

I am looking for a new or used French Edger tool, one half inch (1/2) wide at the blade. I intend to use it to skive a channel for sight tracks in fold over holsters. No chipped or rusted blades please. Call "Wiz" at 810-422-5301, or reply through the forum if you are a member, if you have a 1/2" French Edge tool for sale.

Becky; I happen to have a Singer 15-91, which is pretty much the same machine you have. Mine has the Pod motor built into the case, whic I rebuilt. Before I bought my walking foot machine I used that 1950's Singer to sew everything from leather to vinyl, up to 5/16" thickness. I found that the machine does not want to sew with anything thicker than V92 /T90 bonded nylon on top and V69 /T70 in the bobbin, because of the same tension issues you found. But, I unwound the top tension disk assembly and rethreaded it so the spring and front numbered plate went all the way around and it did indeed squueze the thop thread sufficiently to get the knot in the middle of a 1/4" thick belt. Another trick is to use a #20 leather point needle, which I found on eBay. That needle makes a bigger hole and makes it easier for the thread to pull up the knot. I hope this helps you out. Don't expect anything more from these little old machines, as they were designed for light duty sewing. If you ask around I'm sure you can find a dealer on this forum who sells used leather sewing machines. Bob Kovar, of Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines is one who does. He has lots of old and rebuilt machines in his warehouse. A Singer 111W155 is a good starter walking foot machine that can be had dirt cheap. Have a servo motor added, in place of the clutch motor, and you can sew up to #207 bonded nylon on top, in these machines, with #138 in the bobbin. Bob also sells all weights of nylon thread and all needles and bobbins and has lots of spare parts. I get stuff from hime all the time.

If you want to get serious about sewing leather you'll need a motorized walking foot or jumping foot industrial sewing machine. Ask Bob Tovar about the Cowboy stitchers, which are available in flatbed and cylinder arm versions, with needle feed, some with walking feet, others with jumping feet, some capable of sewing up to 3/4" and able to use very heavy thread. You really need to define your goals, communicate them to Bob and see what you can afford and buy the best you can for the money. This usually means buying new or rebuilt, rather than plain second hand. A Boss is a manually operated stitcher, with a pull lever. If you expect to use a manual machine to crank out chaps you better have a tough arm! Do yourself a favor and invest in a decent motorized machine that is setup to handle real leather, all day long.

That is different from the machine I had, in 1985. It resembled a walking foot machine, was sold as one, but was not. The outer foot moved backwards in concert with the material being pulled by the feed dogs. When it reached a certain point, with the needle now up, it began to raise off the material. At that moment a heavy leaf spring behind the outer foot shot it forward, to its starting position, ready to come down and repeat the process as the needle came down. The needle moved up and down, as did the inside pressor foot. Because the outside foot was pulled by the top layer of material, layers in between could shift and go out of alignment. When I stitched belt edges, for appearance, the polished surface of my hand stamped and waxed belts acted like wax paper under the outer foot. The poor machine couldn't maintain a constant stitch length as the moving foot slipped and snapped all over the work. A roller foot is nice, but will leave a heck of a track in vertan leather. If you back off the top spring pressure to alleviate the marking, the leather might lift when the needle comes up. Or, it might not. It should be perfect for chap leather.

If it is a driven walking foot you are good to go, up to the thickness you can fit under the feet. But, if it is a spring loaded outside foot you will find that it slips on smooth leather. I had one of those spring/jumping foot machines when I started in the leather sewing business, and the stitch length varied all over the place on anything remotely slippery.

Art; I have one of those SewPro 500GR 300 Watt motors driving my National Walking Foot machine (a Consew 206RB clone). I thought it was under-powered too, until I realized that the belt was slipping on the hand wheel pulley when starting to sew thick leather. After tightening the belt more than I first thought it needed, the slippage disappeared and there is no problem penetrating thick leather with heavy thread. The gear reduction servo motor has 3000 RPM max, with the speed pot on full clockwise. It is fitted with a 2" output pulley, so it slows down the top speed even more. This is a bit less than the clutch motors it replaces. It definitely has more torque than the 1/3 horsepower clutch motor, with a 2.25" pulley, that it replaced. And, it can sew so slowly I could almost fall asleep waiting for the machine to complete a cycle. Q: Are these 31-15 machines spring foot machines, or walking foot machines?

Thanks for the good answers. I do believe I'll tell Charlie to add a gallon of Lax Wax to the order I placed today! I'll ask again: do any of you guys or gals have any spare/extra/unwanted parts for a Union Lockstitch machine?

Aw, shucks, no luck. All Campbell has is Lax Wax and Charlie says it isn't water based. Darcy, can you get the brand name from your gallon can and let me know what it is?

I am curious if anybody uses a water based stitching wax for securing linen thread in a needle and awl machine? I used to have a solution known as Super Cyroxilin, but that was years ago. When it thickened too much in the wax pot I just added some warm water to get it liquefied again. Cleanup was a snap also, with hot water left in until the wax became runny and could be poured out of the pot. Does anyone know where I can get this type of stitching wax and what it might cost? I suppose I could try rubber cement - LOL Thanks

Andrew; I use a variety of pressor feet on that National walking foot machine you saw at my house. But, the set I use the most has a smooth left toe and inner foot. If you want to add feet, I'd recommend a 1/4" welting foot set and maybe a double split toe foot for added hold-down force. As for the stitch-in-the-ditch foot, you may have to make your own with a small grinder or sander to modify a regular inner foot. Or, just use a hand groover before you sew and an edge guide while sewing. The Adler you got from me has a nice edge guide. One type of foot I used to have for my previous ULS machine was a stepper foot (set). This was a right toe only foot that had a half round protrusion with narrow points on the bottom, on the back of the toe. The points were spaced to push the thread down, behind the needle, at the preset spi setting (5, 6, 7 ,8, etc). It acted just like a hand rolling overstitch wheel. It was hell on the leather if you turned a corner or sewed an English point on a strap, because the overstitch points would move out of the thread track and mark the leather.

I am restoring a 1916 Singer 66-1 and need some decals to finish the job. The large name decals (SINGER) are worn off and some of the red eyes and scrolls are damaged. If anyone knows where I can get some very old design new Singer decals please let me know.

The usual solution for sewing thick leather on a walking foot machine is to change the motor to a speed reduced SewPro 500GR servo motor, with a 2" pulley on the end. This will bring the top speed down to around 400 or 500 stitches per minute, maximum. The gear reduction is built in and gives a lot of low speed torque, needed to penetrate hard leather. The motor has variable speed and can be foot controlled to sew one stitch per second or less. The motor is a drop in replacement for the standard clutch motor that normally ships with industrial machines on k-legs tables. If you don't already have a source for these motors, Bob Kovar sells them at Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines. Steve may also have them, but he will have to chime in about that.