Wizcrafts

Here is a manual for the Singer 150W103 The 150 series all use System 134, DBx1, 135x5, 135x7, DPx5, SY 1955 needles The description in the manual states that this is a high speed tailoring machine.

Have you considered this equivalent machine?

Cut out the excess slack via the check spring adjustments. The first adjustment is to set the lower travel via the movable curved bracket under the check assembly. The further down the spring moves, the lower the slack. Fine tune the action with the position of the curved slot by loosening the small set screw in the curved slot. Moving the disks clockwise tightens the thread. Moving them counterclockwise loosens the thread.

The Singer 153 series uses the same needles and bobbins as the 111 series. They are the common walking foot System 135x16 and 135x17. The needle bar stroke depends on these lengthy needles to complete its downstroke without hitting the presser and vibrating foot. Substituting and lowering the needle bar height for a shorter needle system will cause the bottom of the needle bar to hit the feet when sewing at maximum thickness, or when the feet are lifted to remove the work and release the top thread tension. Use the correct needle system and time the hook as per the specs. If the needle's eye is too high at pickoff time, loosen and lower the needle bar to retime it.

Fascinating!

Watch the check spring on the take-up stroke. If it shudders as the lever pulls the thread, then you hear a slight click in the bobbin area, the top thread may be getting hung up on the way past the bobbin case. To fix this you may have to adjust the lever that pulls back the bobbin case so it lets go sooner, and/or lower the hook in the hook saddle assembly. This is tricky, if even doable.

No. Shoe polish will wear off and will soil your clothes. If you want to darken/blacken a leather strap that already has a top finish applied to it, use Leather Refinish. This paint is sold on eBay and elsewhere in 4 ounce jars and is rubbed on in a circular motion with a sponge. You can apply several coats to get full coverage. It comes in various colors and shades thereof. I use Leather Refinish to change colors, or touch up colors on upholstery projects and leather jackets. It is water fast once it dries and is hard to rub off. I recommend getting a complete starter kit to prepare and condition the strap before you dye it.

The official literature claims that the maximum thread size is #92 bonded, using a #21 maximum needle size. The hook clearance would have to be increased to clear a #22 or #23 needle and lockstitch knots that are 50% bigger than expected. Other parts may also need to be opened up to pass the oversize thread. This will probably cause the loss of the lower end of thread handling, shifting the range up by 1 thread size. But, 138 thread will really stress out the take-up lever and associated crank shafts and bearings. The bobbin tension spring might have to be stronger to not bend out permanently from the large thread. The top tension beehive spring might have to be replaced with a heavier duty coil spring. The check spring will need to be tweaked. These changes and running heavier than recommended thread will likely void any warranty that normally comes with the machine. If you consistently run #138 thread in this machine you will wear it out rather quickly.

What height will your shoes have as you sew over the post? Most common post machines have a 6 to 7 inch high post and about 10 inches clearance from the needle to the inside of the body. This should be adequate for most shoes and medium shank boots. You will have to decide in advance on the type of feed the machine should have. You'll get maximum visibility with a roller foot machine. Some are only bottom drive and some are top and bottom driven. My Singer 168 post machine has triple feed walking feet. I used to have roller foot post machines that I used to sew caps and hats. If you get into sewing tall boots you will probably have to think about getting a Puritan machine. Red Wing work boots have some seams that are sewn with three needles running a chainstitch on the inside. Puritans come in a variety of post heights, from as low as 6 inches, all the way up to 3 feet. You will probably have to buy a used machine.

The thread in your photo is V138. This calls for a minimum size 22 needle. I find that a #22 needle does the job in soft materials, but not veg-tan leather. For that I have to use a #23 needle to poke a big enough hole to pull the knots up without cranking the tension down almost all the way. The needle system 135x17 is a round point for cloth, webbing, Velcro and vinyl. If you sew leather you should use System 135x16 - with a chisel, diamond, or tri-point shaped tip.

My two cents worth of opinion is that the dual feed machine (with teeth) will produce a more consistent stitch length. I have mostly compound feed walking foot machines and it doesn't take much force to drag the stitch length up or down from the preset length. Sometimes I use this to my advantage to cheat and get exactly into a corner, or complete going all the way around a project and matching holes. With a dual feed machine, one might have to be more on the money with the stitch length because these machines may not let the material slip under the feet. It has been a couple years since I sewed on a National dual feed walking foot machine, but that was my experience with it. The material didn't move until I was actually sewing and the feed was very positive. I couldn't cheat the stitch length by pulling material on it. Finally, a dual feed walking foot machine relies upon the teeth on the feet and feed dog. This is not an issue when sewing vinyl, cloth, or chrome tan leather and suede, all of which forget tooth marks. But, it will be an issue if you sew veg-tan leather which remembers tooth marks.

Did you read the O.P's profile? She lives in Canada. A machine bought from a USA seller will cost about twice as much after paying shipping, duty, brokerage, GST and converting the weaker Canadian dollar.

It looks like a Singer 153 type. Can't see the feet or brass tag to get the sub-class. Ask the seller to read the brass model tag if you want to know more before you buy it. Most of this series can sew with up to #92 thread, top and bottom, or #138 on top with #92 in the bobbin. If it has compound feed walking feet, it is a good machine for leather work. It can sew about 5/16 inch of material. Some models may sew a little thicker, but #92 thread isn't gonna hold 3/8 inch of leather together for long. This type of machine will eat the top thread if you fail to hold back the starting threads. Finally, this machine does not have reverse. You will have to spin the work around, or sew all around and over the starting stitches to lock them in.

I bought the same Adler patcher a year ago and paid $1300, as is. It needed another $200 to replace damaged parts. Now it is a money making repair machine used to sew patches over pockets and repair purses and tote bags. I also used it to sew round leather dice cups and use it any time I need to sew up the arm. Please be aware that this is not a production machine. It was meant for shoe and boot upper repairs.

First, look for industrial sewing machine dealers nearby (meaning driving distance). Ask any who are still in business and answer the phone what makes and models of walking foot machines they stock that can actually sew 10mm and clear at least 12mm with the feet lifted. Next, ask if they can set it up with the proper bias tape folder and supply the spools of bias tape and a table mounting bracket. Your best option will be a dedicated Apex or similar carpet binding machine. Note, that carpet binding for vehicles is different than for room carpets. Those are often sewn by machine that has a motorized puller wheel behind the needle and foot/feet. Smaller carpets for cars and boats can be sewn on regular table mounted walking foot machines. If you don't plan on using the same machine to sew leather, you can opt for a dual feed machine that has teeth on the feet. They provide better feeding of difficult materials. Your dealer should advise you about all the details if they have any experience with carpet sewing machines. Should local sources not pan out, contact Techsew in Montreal. They advertise here and Ron, the primary contact, is extremely knowledgeable. They sell and repair all manner of industrial sewing machines. Make sure that the location flag in the upper right shows the Canadian flag for your geo-location and a proper response in CDN.

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=Sunstar+KM+640+BL

The reason I said this is because you would have to tilt the machine back on its hinges to get to the bobbin on a standard flatbed table. This would likely bend the work under the foot and probably cause it to move out of position.

Running out of bobbin thread is a normal occurrence for professional sewers. The only way to be certain you won't run out is to load a fresh bobbin before starting a critical job. Otherwise, when you run out, remove the work, load in a new bobbin, then start sewing about 5 stitches before you ran out an just sew over the last stitch. Burn or clip the thread stubs when you're done. Note, there are some machines that let you pull the empty bobbin out with the work in place and load a new one, then resume sewing. You would have to backtack a few stitches though to lock it the previous stitches. I can do that on top loading machines, like Singer 111 builds, 153 clones and 211 walking foot machines. It isn't so easy on a side loader like a Singer 31-15 or Consew 206.

I've moved this post to the Leather Sewing Machines section where it will get better answers.

Yes, the CB4500, or the CB3200 will sew belts and slings all day, every day. Just keep the minimum thickness over 6 or 7 ounces of medium or hard temper materials. I personally keep my sewing on a CB4500 to 8 ounces and up using #138 thread and up. Note that the standard CB4500 or CB3200 setup includes a 3:1 speed reducer for slow precision sewing on leather. This really slows down the machine to the point you may waste valuable time on long runs in webbing. In that case you can buy an extra long belt, debelt and bypass the reducer and go direct from motor to machine.

You have a roller foot machine. If you want to have a walking foot, buy a walking foot machine! You can't just slap on a needle bar attachment and expect it to feed leather. The attachments you are thinking about are actually called even feed feet and are used by quilters. All they do is follow the top layer with a sliding foot.. A real walking foot machine has driven components that pull the work on the top and bottom. The most common type is called compound feed, which is actually triple feed. This system has synchronized movement of the feed dog, needle and an inside alternating/vibrating foot. When the inside foot and needle are down the outside foot moves up, allowing the inside foot and needle to pull the work forward. When the needle ascends, the inside foot lifts and the outside foot drops, holding the work firmly in place.

Yes, deflection is very possible with extra long, #19 needles in a quarter inch of tight webbing. However, if you use #21 or #22 needles, deflection is less likely. Nobody is going to notice the bigger holes in webbing. Just increase the stitch length to offset the larger holes. PS: I would recommend using #138 thread in .2 inches of webbing. Then use a #22 or #23 needle which is the right size for this thread.

What about Cansew? They stock bonded polyester thread in sizes 69 through 207. I used to buy bonded nylon from them and it was top grade thread.

Here is an operator's manual for the Adler 367.