Wizcrafts

Your wife has a wide range of sewing interests, which will probably require more than one sewing machine. The machines you have looked at are domestic/household type machines that are really no good for leather. This is because leather and suede is tough and kind of grabby on top which fights the feed if it is only on the bottom, via a feed dog. Because of its toughness and density, leather can cause a domestic sewing machine to break down, especially if it has plastic gears. If I was in your shoes I would buy a solid straight stitch or zig-zag sewing machine for light cloth and a medium duty compound feed, walking foot machine for leather and other dense materials, like vinyl.. I can't advise you about any particular brand of domestic sewing machine. I did write an article that is a sticky topic at the entrance page to this leather sewing machines forum. It goes into great detail about the type of sewing machine you need to sew leather.If you read through that topic you will understand more about why there are special machines for sewing leather that are different than those used to sew cloth.

Your machine uses Systen 135x16 leather point and 135x17 round point needles. Round points are for cloth and woven materials. These needles gracefully separate the fibers as the penetrate the material. The actual holes tend to heal as the stitches are locked. Leather point needles have different configurations. All of them will cut through the leather fibers destructively, leaving room to pull up large knots from bonded thread. If you use a leather point on cloth, it may sever the fibers, weakening the material. A dead giveaway that you are using a round point in leather is the squeak the needle makes as it fights to penetrate the leather. It heats up and leather fibers will stick to the hot needle. Buy 135x16 needles for leather! Some designs lay the stitches on angles, like hand stitching. Others sew inline, like the Schmetz S and most diamond, or tri points.

A lot of 441 clone users are going to want this set.

I think I saw one at Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines a couple years ago. I was interested in sewing up the arm, but use a long arm patcher instead.

You didn't hear this from me. When the hook is bound up you may be able to clear the thread by removing the throat plate which will let the hook rotate back and forth. You might be able to grab some thread stub and yank on it while wiggling the freed hook. Once the jammed thread is cleared out, oil the bobbin race, then reinstall the throat plate, minding the cutout for the tab on the shuttle case.

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This feed is known as feed up the arm. Some call it transverse feed. Singer made a Class 11 that included some feed up the arm configurations. You can read the differences between all the classes of Singer machines, from 1 through 99, including the Class 11, on this ismacs page.

The brass tube, or cup, is being held up too far by a bad setting of the lift lever bracket. When you lower the lift lever, the bracket should drop down enough to let the spring loaded brass cup push down on the tension disks.There are nuts under and over a threaded shaft on the back side of the lift bracket. Loosen the bottom nut and adjust the top nut to lower the position when the lift lever is down. Make sure you don't go below what's necessary to let the tube drop or it won't lift the cup off the disks when you raise the lever. There is a happy setting that you need to find, then lock the nuts down tight.

I've had roller foot machines and I always set the roller to make contact with the feed dog before I put the leather under it. You can adjust the foot pressure via the top pressure screw. If you set the roller above the plane of the feed dog, it may slip instead of rolling on top. If it slips the leather may lift up with the ascending needle and you may get skipped stitches. Because a roller foot only pushes down on one side, it must make hard contact with the material and be as close to the needle as possible without hitting it. A well built roller foot will roll in sync with the feed dog as it pulls on the bottom.

I read the product page and noticed that the customer rating is 2.2 out of 5. You aren't the only dissatisfied customer. Low end patchers like this are notorious for having rough areas in critical places. Inspect every part that the thread passes through for sharp edges. This includes the paddle spring and needle mounting clamp on the needle bar. Also remove the hook and feel all around it for burrs. You didn't describe the thread you are using. Is it a brand name thread? Or, did it ship with the machine (from China)? Is it bonded nylon or polyester? What size thread and what size needle are you using? Not all thread is created equal. Is your thread loose when you cut the end with thread snips?

The usual recommendation for sewing leather with T135 or v138 thread, top and bottom, is a #23 needle. The smallest recommended needle is a #22.

It sounds like he kit-bashed a farm supplies store screw into the bobbin case. If true, the threads may be ruined for the proper tension screw and he might need a complete bobbin case.

I think that a Consew 206RB-5 is perfect for sewing belts, guitar straps and leather appliques . It takes #138 bonded thread, top and bottom and has a large M size bobbin. The machine sews up to 3/8 inch seams (in soft to medium temper compressible material). It has a push down reverse lever to lock the stitches and can sew as long as 4 stitches per inch. This machine is equally at home sewing vinyl, canvas and upholstery leather. With an edge guide or edge guide foot it can sew along the edges of belts, guitar straps, chaps and anything else that can be sewn flat. It is also good at sewing patches onto the back of leather vests.

I read the specs on the eBay page and I believe it listed the throat length as just under 12 inches. It is a clone of a clone of a clone of a Singer 29ksomething. Each time they clone a mold it shrinks a little. The same thing used to happen to belt buckles that were copied in China in the early 1990s, ripping off the US based Bergamot and Siskiyou buckle companies.

The phone number for Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines is: 866-362-7397.

@Teradee- I already recommended posting your machines for sale in the Marketplace section, under Sewing Equipment > Used. This Leather Sewing Machines section is strictly for discussing the capabilities, operation, repair techniques, specifications and rebuilding of leather sewing machines.

Wow! This project is making my heart skip a beat!

You can try using a bobbin case tension spring screw from a domestic Singer machine. Maybe one will fit. Otherwise, contact an industrial sewing machine dealer. You can either buy the screw, or a new bobbin case, plus a spare screw. Maybe you want needles, thread, oil, edge guide feet, etc. Order a bunch of small items to make it worth while instead of just one or two screws (that may get lost again). Before you order, tilt the head back and look inside the oil pan under the machine. Use a magnet tool to fish around in the pan. You may find that screw!

Dwight; Sewing patches onto vests, hats, jackets and riding suits is at least 33% of my income from my shared leather shop. Some days it is 100%. A person with the right equipment and skills can do well in this side of the business. Obviously, the person you asked is charging what they think the job is worth. They have probably invested a small fortune in their machines, multiple colors and sizes of thread, bobbins, extra shuttles, needles, thread snips, staplers, double sided tapes, oil and repairs as needed. Unless you intend to go into competition with that person, I would take the work to them. They will know how to accomplish the positioning you want and save you hundreds of dollars in supplies and machines you don't otherwise need. The cost of the parts is only half of the equation. There is a significant learning curve to be effective in the patch sewing business. You have to learn about sewing over single, double and triple pockets, opening and closing linings, avoiding sewing through a zip open back or side lining, or accidentally sewing over a zipper. There are hidden seams around pockets that will deflect the foot and break a needle if you don't know they are there and take measures to deal with those internal obstacles. Then there are the different border colors that require you to stock multiple shades of colors like browns, yellows, golds, oranges, grays, etc. Some patches are best sewn with a round point needle rather than a leather point needle. There's a lot to learn. Pay the man or woman to do the sewing and let them save you a lot of time and trouble.

I looked up that machine and it is good for leather upholstery, or chaps, jackets, vests, straps, belts, or other not too thick or dense leather projects. It should be able to use #138 thread top and bottom. This thread has 22 pounds breaking strength. It has a large M style bobbin.

It helps that I have the very same machine in my living room at home. It needed parts and adjusting when I got it. Now, I trust it to sew commercial goods.

@Dwight Don't do it! Unless you have a machine shop and are skilled with metal working tools you are asking for more trouble than you can imagine. Why don't you check your local Craigslist, or Facebook Marketplace for an actual working used Singer 29ksomething patcher?

Here are some items to check for. Is the top thread threaded correctly through the tension disks, around the check spring, through the take-up lever, down to the guide on the needle bar? Is the foot lift lever down so the tension disks are closed and tensioning the thread? Is the needle inserted all the way up with the rib on the left and scarf on the right? Is the timing right? The hook should arrive at the centerline of the needle about 1/16 inch above the eye after the needle has risen about 3/32 inch above BDC. Does the hook pass the needle without hitting it or pushing it to the left? If it hits, move the hook to the right and retime. Is the bobbin case opener lever pulling back far enough on the flange on the bobbin case to let the top thread pass freely around the tab on the way out? Are you holding back the starting threads for a few stitches to lock them in place? Note: Retarded timing can cause the top thread to hang or snap as it goes around the shuttle. The extra stress can bind it at the positioning tab.

I use a #19 needle with v92 and a #22 or #23 with v138 bonded thread. If you use a needle that is too small it makes tighter holes and the take-up lever has to work harder to pull the knots up. It also tends to lift the leather as the threaded, knotted needle ascends. This causes missed stitches and ratted top thread. Here's a needle and thread chart that I consult.

You can start her out with a domestic sewing machine found at Joann Fabrics. They have a (Viking) section where there is a person demoing the machines they carry. They even give classes. Everything from sewing seams up to embroidery. If she gets good at it and wants to take the next step, you can buy her a straight stitch dress makers' sewing machine (e.g., Juki DDL-8700). Some of these spin at 90 stitches per second and have oil pumps! Not a beginners machine!