Wizcrafts

I now remember having that bobbin safety clutch disengage on a Singer 111, I had years ago. The first time it happened I thought I had broken the machine! I hauled the head downtown to an industrial sewing machine dealer, who gave it a spin, identified the problem and showed me how to re-engage the clutch. I can easily see how someone else would think the machine was broken if they weren't told about this feature and how to resolve it.

Tom; If you can't afford more than $500, and only intend to sew chaps and light vegtan projects, up to 5/16" or so, just about any used walking foot machine will do. While you will find these machines all the time on eBay, that should be your last option. First contact the dealers who support and frequent this forum. Many of them stock used machines in that price range. They stand behind the machines they sell and will help you through the learning process. EBay sellers won't usually want to be bothered with questions after you buy their machine. Avoid bottom feeders, even if they are cheap. Chap and garment leather is tacky and will drag against the pressor foot, causing the layers to get misaligned. Go for a walking foot, compound feed machine if possible. I learned this the hard way. Alternately, if you end up with a bottom feed only machine, buy a roller foot for it. Some are sold as a set, with a roller foot, single row feed dog and custom cover plate. Others look like a regular pressor foot, but have rollers in the front and back. Another thing to watch for is the motor. Industrial machines use a large motor that is fastened to the underside of the table, in which the machine sits. There are two types of motor in common use: clutch and servo. The motor has a removable, interchangeable pulley on the right end. A narrow v-belt connects from that little pulley to the larger pulley molded into the flywheel on the back of the machine head. A clutch motor is always on when the power switch is on, costing you money even when you aren't actively sewing. You control the speed below maximum by feathering the clutch with a large foot pedal mounted on a cross-member on the bottom front of the machine. Changing the motor pulley to a small size (circa 2") helps with slow speed control, but slows the top speed as well. When sewing leather speed is not your friend. A servo motor does nothing when switched on, until you press down on the foot pedal. It acts like a home sewing motor, but with much more torque. No current is drawn unless you are actively sewing and they are very easy to control by foot position. Most new machines are now equipped with servo motors. A new leather capable sewing machine could set you back up to $2000. But, Ryan O. Neel was selling a "Neels" flatbed, heavy duty, customized walking foot machine for just under $1000, a while back. Look up Neel's Saddlery in the index. Another good source of leather sewing machines is Bob Kovar, at Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines. I get stuff from him because I am fairly close to Ohio. His number is 866-362-7397

You didn't say what kind of leather you want to sew! Do you mean garment or chap leather? These old Singer sewing machines will sew up to a 5/16 inch of soft leather, maximum. A .6 amp motor is way under-powered for most leather use, unless the material is very light weight and pliable. You'd be better off replacing the motor with one that is rated at 1 amp or more. You will be limited to a #18 leatherpoint needle and #69 bonded nylon thread on a Class 66 Singer. You might get lucky and find some #20 needles with professional suppliers. These may allow you to use up to #92 thread. While you might be able to sew a few belts on such a machine you won't be able to do any production with it. Belt leather is too dense for these home machines to endure. You will probably destroy the sewing machine after a while if you sew belting, bridle, or holster leather. Once you reveal the type of leather you intend to sew, we can assist you with finding the best machine for that job. Most leather workers use compound feed walking foot machines with heavy duty thread tension and drive-train parts and large bobbins. Most leather capable walking foot machines will sew up to 3/8" of anything you can get under the pressor foot, with #138 bonded nylon thread. They come with either a clutch or servo motor, typically rated at about 1/2 horsepower (~400 to 500 watts). The motor on the Singer 66 is rated a 0.6 amps. 110volts x 0.6 amps = 66 watts @ under 1/10th hp. You do the math. If you must use a Singer Class 66 machine you should buy a walking foot attachment for it. It is not the same as an industrial walking foot, but it will help to feed layers evenly when sewing vinyl or garment leather. It will also reduce your sewing capacity to about 1/4".

I have all of the parts to make a Tandy Countess clutch purse and want to do the original 1980's floral stamped design (not the roses currently available), but can't locate a Craftaid template for it. If anybody here has one available, please contact me. I prefer a plastic Craftaid (n.o.s., or used-but-workable), but a full size PDF will do as plan B. Thanks in advance.

That part is the "feed dog." Its motion is controlled by a stitch length regulator. If I recall accurately, you access this by pressing down on a button on the bed of the machine, then turn the flywheel slightly forward or backward until it pops into a position that changes the stitch length as the hand wheel is rotated. Your machine may have the stitch length set to zero. Keep holding down the button and rotate the wheel to change the stitch length mechanism. One direction will shorten and the other will lengthen the stitches. There is a hole in the front of the base of the machine. If you shine a spotlight on it and look in as you turn the mechanism you can see the stitch length markings move. When you release the button and rotate the wheel a bit it will pop back into normal operating position and should move the feed dog the set length. If this doesn't fix the problem it may have parts that have come loose in the feed mechanism chain.

There is almost nothing like a Union Lockstitch machine once you get to know them. I owned that monster machine for about 12 years. I don't think there is anything I didn't understand about it after the first year! I virtually rebuilt it from scratch with new old parts I acquired along the way. I totally disassembled it to relocate 250 miles, then rebuilt it on its table, timed it and went to work. I used to change the stitch length regularly, depending on the thickness of the work and thread. Once you get used to the interactions between the needlebar and the rack that moves it, you're home free. The most important thing I learned right away, when changing the stitch length, was to line up the tip of the needle with the hole made by the awl! I bent a few very large and expensive needles until I grokked that fact. If another ULS was offered to me today by someone who couldn't figure out how to use it, I wouldn't hesitate to give it a home.

Bob; Thanks for that information. I wasn't looking for another flatbed machine, even with such extended capabilities. I'll probably want to trade it for a cylinder arm stitcher of equal value, that will sew a bit over 1/2", with #346 thread, really close to the end of the arm (for inverted sewing on holsters, pouches and cases). Let me know if we can work something out. I really wish I had kept my Union Lockstitch machine, which I sold ten years ago! There was nothing I couldn't sew with it, except for nylon webbing. It had 22 - 3" diameter bobbins, every throat plate made for it, swing-away edge guides, every pressor foot available (including stepping feet), hundreds of needles and awls, baskets of nylon and linen thread, triplicates of each wrench and extras of every spring, thread guide, looper, screw, take-up part, or bearing that could wear out. If only I had known then I would be getting back into this now.

I had two concerns about the usefulness of the Boss to the OP. One is the limited throat depth which can probably be worked around by folding material up inside the machine (if it will fold up!). The other has to do with arthritis in his hands. Squeezing the pressor foot lift lever and pulling on the action lever could be stressful under these conditions. But, I assumed too much as they are not my hands.

And I thought we were all friends here on this forum. My mistake.

I have an opportunity to buy a flatbed Adler 204-374, locally. I thought it was a cylinder arm machine until the photos arrived and it turns out to be a flatbed. I can't find anything online describing that model. Can anybody here fill me in on the most important details about them? I need to know the capabilities for thread and needle sizes, needle system, bobbin style, thickness of leather it will sew, known issues, etc. Also, what a typical price would be for this machine (see photo). Thanks in advance.

You won't go wrong if you get either of those machines, or a Neel's machine. They all do serious sewing! And, the support is unequaled in the industry. When you are investing a couple of grand into a machine you definitely should be looking for follow-up support and advice. Bob, Steve and Ryan O'Neel all give that kind of support. Regarding that 201 you are thinking of buying, watch it run before plunking down the long-wheelbase ten. If smoke comes out of the wires or motor, head for the hills!

Did you not say something about arthritis in your hands or arms? Are you sure you want a hand operated sewing machine? Then again, they are ok for short runs, but how will you turn the holsters around to sew the different sides in a Tippman Boss? It only has a 6.5" throat.

A Singer 29 is made for boot and shoe repairs. What else it can do depends on the full model number, which you haven't told us. Try to find out the full model number. If it is a 29-4 it will sew about 1/4" reliably, with #69 nylon thread. The best stitch length will be around 6 to the inch, depending on how worn out the feed mechanism is. If it is a 29k something, depending on which model and arm length, it may be capable of sewing 5/16" with #138 thread. The long arm big bobbin patchers can handle #138 top and bottom, into leather 5/16" thick. Note, that a 29 anything is a shoe patcher and has top feed only, via teeth on the pressor foot. These teeth leave marks in soft leather or vegtan belts. Search this section of the forum and you will find several posts about various 29 models, including my own topic about a 29K172 long arm patcher. FWI, here are some photos of both long and short arm patchers. The short arm (black) is a 29-4, from around 1923 and the long arm (blue) is a 29K172, from when I don't know (sometime in the Mid-20th Century).

I meant to reply to this regarding the machine you were considering, but got carried away with the why-nots. I have a Singer 15-91, which is almost identical to a 201, in that they both use the same, built-in motor and gearing system. The only real difference I can see is the placement of the take-up and tensioning parts and thread guides. Since my 15-91 is virtually the same machine I can give you some insight into what it can and cannot sew. Here are some things I have learned about the capabilities of these machines. The maximum thickness under the pressor foot is no greater than 5/16", with the tension engaged. The foot can be lifted higher to remove or position the work, but it will not stitch reliably beyond that thickness. The machines use home sewing needles, which are usually limited to a maximum size of #18. I did find and buy some #20 needles for the 15-91, but they are rare. The thickest thread it can deal with is #69 bonded nylon. I had to reduce the bobbin tension way down to get the knots up into two layers of 8-9 oz belt leather, without over-tightening the top tension disk. Over-tightening the top tension disks causes the poor machine to bog down as it tries to pull up the thread. This stresses out the take-up arm, to the point I was concerned it might warp or break off. The little motor that is built into the body bogs down when trying to penetrate two layers of carving leather. I had to hand wheel a few stitches to get the motor to kick in and take over. The motor gets hot as it is forced to sew into leather. It finally smoked and I had to replace it, costing me 50 bucks for a rebuilt motor. It took a lot of time and some heavy screwdrivers and lots of hand pressure to disassemble the machine's read end to replace the motor. These machines are very old and have old wiring that tends to break when you dink with it. I have to rewire the power block on the back after replacing the motor. I had to screw the pressor foot tension spring all the way down to keep the leather from lifting up, when the needle came back up to form stitches. If the leather raised up with the foot, there were skipped stitches. The Singer 15- and 201- machines only use feed dogs to advance the material. With the pressor foot tightened all the way down it causes drag on the top layer of leather, or whatever material in being sewn. This drag causes alignment errors between layers and the stitches will vary in length. There is only 7" of clearance between the needle and the bottom of the body (on a 15-91). This makes it difficult to rotate thick leather as it is sewn around turns and shapes reaching that size. A pancake holster may well have a side that is over 7 inches long. There is about 2" additional clearance that tapers above the inside base. If you can fold the material up into that area you will be able to sew wider projects. If it is too heavy to fold up you will be limited to 7" inside the needlebar. Here is a photo of a Singer 15-91, which is similar to a 201 model: With these limitations in mind you should be able to make a more educated decision about what type of sewing machine to look for. Call Bob Kovar at Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines (Toledo, Ohio), at 866-362-7397, and ask what he has in the warehouse that will fit your needs. I am sure he has used machines that will get you going, at a price that a member of the human race can afford.

What Art is referring to as a leather sewing machine is a good point for newbies to stitching. A leather sewing machine is either a modified version of a standard machine, or a specially designed new model, which has a speed reduction motor system, a heavy hand wheel, beefed up moving parts and usually a large bobbin. The stress that carving or belt leather puts on a sewing machine will quickly wear out lesser machines. Home sewing machines cannot stand up to regular leather sewing on anything like a holster or thick belt. They may be able to sew such projects, but not with heavy thread and big needles and not for very long before they go out of wack. Such items as the take-up lever, the tension springs, thread guides, feed dogs, shuttle and oiling system are more critical for sewing thick material that has a lot of resistance. Those parts need to be replaced with custom made parts that are stronger, to handle the thicker thread and higher tensions needed to sew thread sizes up to #207 into vegtan leather that is 3/8" thick. The motors on real leather sewing machines are geared way down for slower speed with higher torque. This gives the operator better control over the speed as controlled by the foot pedal that connects to a clutch or servo motor. Clutch motors must be "feathered" by lightly engaging the clutch to sew slowly, a feat in itself, while servo motors are easier to control with foot pedal position (but are more expensive). You need a lot of penetrating power to push a number 23 needle through 3 layers of 8 oz vegtan holster leather. A 2" pulley on a 1/2 horsepower clutch motor, or a gear reduction servo motor is a must for slow speed piercing power. The faster you sew into hard leather the more heat you generate on the needle. I have seen smoke come from a needle when sewing a belt at about 10 stitches per second (a leather machine usually sews half that speed or less). A hot needle can melt nylon thread or fray polyester. It can scar the top of the leather as it makes the holes. If it gets red hot it will lose its temper and warp or deflect until it hits the shuttle, or bottom plate. As leather stitchers tend to use large needles, the holes in the bottom cover plate and feed dogs must be larger than on garment machines. Walking foot machines have elongated slots in the feed dog, allowing the needle to move forward and backward as it penetrates the material and feeds it the set stitch length. The adjustable pressure spring for the pressor feet is much heavier on a leather sewing machine that a garment machine. Walking foot machines have two springs, for the inner and outer feet. If you buy a decent leather machine from a reputable dealer you will get plenty of tips and assistance when you need it. If you buy on eBay or a private sale, you will be on your own to figure out how to adjust the machine. Some very good machines are available through dealers who are members of this forum. Neel's Saddlery, Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines and Cobra are members of our forum and have some of the best machines, anywhere, for sewing leather.

A Singer 111w155 walking foot machine will sew 3/8". It was the last one of the 111 series and about the best. It has no reverse lever though, so you will have to spin the work around to backstitch, or tie the last stitches together underneath and burn the knot with a lighter or soldering iron tip. A 111w155 can be found for a couple hundred dollars in most places that have upholstery shops. Look for one with a 1/2 hp motor. You will probably need to buy a smaller pulley for the motor if you do buy a used 111. The standard setup for upholstery is for high speed sewing that is useless on belt leather. It will run away from you and overheat the needle, burning the thread. If you can find a used Consew walking foot machine you are better off.

A Consew, Juki, Singer, Cobra, Cowboy, National, Neels, or Artisan large M bobbin, compound feed, walking foot, heavy tension spring machine, with a SewPro 500GR servo variable speed-reducer motor, on an industrial table and K-legs, capable of stitching 3/8" leather with up to #207 thread on top and #138 in the bobbin, using a Schmetz 135x16 #23 leatherpoint needle.

Yes, I am sure I have a 29K(172), not 29U. Look at the photo full size. You can read the model number through the hand wheel on the front. Thanks for the link to the manuals. They will come in handy. There are parts manuals and service manuals listed. Unfortunately, they don't have one for my 29K172.

I also bought that (SewPro 500GR) motor from Toledo Industrial Sewing machines and Bob Kovar. But, I didn't know about the adjustable brake. I need to back mine off some for more free movement before it engages. How is the brake adjusted?

Does anybody on this forum have a copy of the user's manual for a Singer 29K172 long arm, big bobbin patcher? PDF, original, or photocopy is fine. A download link for a pdf would be appreciated. If you have a hard copy please PM me for my address and your price.

You will certainly be able to buy #18 leatherpoint needles for that machine, but you may also need to drill the hole in the plate a bit larger, to clear the bigger needles. You will need to remove the burr from the opposite side from where the drill bit enters. I have some #20 needles that I found online, for a Singer 15-91 home machine. It allows me to sew #92 thread with ease. This is not my main machine, just an extra I had before I bought a walking foot machine.

Great suggestion Barra! I sometimes use one of my hand "clipper" style staplers to hold gussets in position. You can get these at Lowes, Home Hardware and office supply stores. Then, you may still be able to find a Neva Clog stapler on this forum, or on eBay. Most hand clippers will staple together about 8 ounces of chrome tanned leather, using 5/16" leg staples. Brands capable of stapling 1/8" of leather include Neva Clog and Arrow hand held clippers.

Johanna; I am a member of this forum, going as Wizcrafts. I just read your post regarding the web hosting deals. Do you have any room left or is the disk filled? I am not only a leathercrafter, but also a professional webmaster and website and computer security apostle. I have created and maintain several Apache/Linux .htaccess and iptables blocklists used to deny access to spammers, scammers and hackers. Due to the large amount of traffic this attracts I use a lot of data transfer (1 gig already 8 days into this month). My web sites and blog database currently use about a gig of disk space. I have several add-on and parked sites under one account, on LunarPages, and plan to change hosts to afford to stay online this coming year. My hosting with them is up for renewal by January 14, 2010. I purchase and maintain my domains through Dotster, not through web hosts. If you still have space you want to lease please get back to me with a price and the details about disk space, data transfer, databases, email POP and SMTP and forwarding account limits and details, which Perl, which PHP and if you allow full .htaccess overrides and Server Side Includes via XBitHack . I would be transferring everything myself, via FTP and setting up the parked and add-on domains and multiple POP3 email accounts. My primary domain is wizcrafts.net Thanks in advance for your consideration and for maintaining this great forum. Name: Bob Wiz Feinberg UserName: Wizcrafts IP Address: 68.62.28.12 Email Address: leatherworks@wizcrafts.net

I have a Japanese made "National" 306N walking foot machine, that is very similar to the Consew 206RB, which I use to sew up to 3/8" of vegtan or harness leather together, using #138 bonded nylon thread and a #22 leatherpoint needle (135x16). It routinely sews 5/16" of chrome-tan leather for hours at a time. I have also sewn a tad over 3/8" of harness leather with #T210 (v207) bonded nylon thread on the top and bottom, using a #24 leatherpoint needle, relaxed bobbin tension, increased top tension and a heavy duty pressor foot set to apply pressure evenly. This stitching must be done slowly, with a small pulley on the motor and a soft touch with your foot on the floor pedal. It helps to have a gear reduction servo motor, like the SewPro 500GR installed. You can get used machines like this, equipped with that very motor, from Bob Kovar, at Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines (866-362-7397).

Art; Thanks for the reply and your recommendation. Unfortunately, their prices are way beyond my means. Does anybody else know where I can buy American tanned bridle leather at a much more affordable price? Anybody have an extra back or large bend they will sell?