Wizcrafts

Any walking foot machine can sew wallets and belts up to 16 ounces or so, but only with up to #138 thread. Some can even clear #207 thread on top with #138 in the bobbin. The stress on the take-up mechanism is just too much with #207 thread, top and bottom. You need to up the ante to get a machine strong enough to punch through 16 ounces of veg-tan belt leather with #207, using a #24 needle and still pull the knots up inside the leather. There are a few new machines that claim to handle #207 top and bottom and sew 3/8 inch, but I haven't tried them. Somebody else who has may chime in here. Prospects include the following. Cobra Model 26 Cowboy 6900 Techsew 4800 Adler 867 Juki LU-1508NH

This knowledge is restricted to mighty Wizards! I follow in the footsteps of Merlin The Tailor.

At least the price of gas is at its lowest in years. You should be able to test the machine when you get there.

Not even close! It would take two of the Omegas to make one Singer 42-5. The machine looks like a Consew 206 clone. Triple feed walking foot, with reverse. I would call it a common upholstery class machine.

Use the position of the check spring disks to fine tune the amount of tightness the top thread has as it goes around the hook. One direction might cause the thread to snap as it goes around and the other will be quieter. This also is affected by how far the spring travels downward as well as the strength of the spring itself, which is adjustable. Set the bottom stop so the spring bottoms out just after the needle penetrates the material. This can vary with thickness. Tough materials might need the spring to move down farther than softer materials. The purpose of the stop bracket is to keep the thread taut until it is under the material. Heavy thread needs more spring tension to keep it taut and vice versa. The curved slot position gives or takes away some slack. Incantations may help in setting these three items.

I've never heard of or seen an Omega sewing machine. Other machines can use the same needle system. Additionally, there are different types of walking foot machines. Some are top and bottom feed and others have compound feed. There is a world of difference between those, even though they use the same needles. You really need close up photos of the head showing the left side of the head. This is where the crank shafts come out that power the feet. If you can obtain good sharp pix of that end and post them here, we can tell you what type of walking foot machine it is. Note, this is really important if you plan to sew leather, especially any leather that remembers marks. The dual feed machines have teeth on the feet and very few, if any alternate foot options. The top foot pulls the material in sync with the feed dog. Triple feed machines have all manner of feet available, cheaply, most of which are smooth. Teeth aren't needed because the needle, inside foot and feed dog all move in sync. There are ancient dual feed machines that are bottom driven but have a spring loaded outside foot that follows the material back as it stitches then lifts and springs forward for the next stitch. I have a Singer 42-5 that uses that system. Singer walking foot machines from the 1910s through 1940s used this feed. With the advent of the Singer 111w103, 153 and 155, they switched to the triple feed system that persists to this day. There are even some specialized walking foot machines that have a needle feed and jumping foot. If you will be sewing cloth, webbing and vinyl, any type of feed will do. Note #2: System 135x17 is a round point needle for cloth and woven materials, but not leather. Leather points are called System 135x16 and come in a multitude of point shapes.

Since you are in California, I can recommend you look at the Cobra Class 4 harness stitcher, which is based in Ontario, California. Comparable machines include the Cowboy CB4500 (which I have) and the Techsew 5100. These machines are the primary, modern, in-production models being used by members of Leatherworker.net. They are designed for sewing thick, hard leather with large needles and heavy thread. They are not so good at sewing anything under about 6 ounces, or soft, garment leather. However, I have published a blog article detailing how one can dumb down a CB4500, or Cobra Class 4 (etc) to sew with thin thread and needles.

You can buy a paper manual on eBay, or you can download and print out this online manual for the Singer 153w102 and nearby sub-classes.

From your list, all except the CB3200 are great for wallets. The 3200 is more of a holster and double leather belt sewing machines. It uses thread sizes from 138 through 346. While you can use #138 thread to sew the combined wallets together, it is too thick for the interiors unless they are at least 6 to 7 ounces thick. The Singer 111 and Consew 206 are flatbed machines and the 227 and 341 are cylinder arm machines. All have compound feed walking feet and handle up to #138 thread, top and bottom. Wallets are mostly flat, so I sew mine on flatbed machines. Unless it is subclass 156, the Singer 111 has no reverse, which may be a problem for wallet backs.

The Techsew 1460 is an upholstery class machine. It uses thread sizes up to #138, top and bottom. The maximum thickness is listed as 3/8 inch, but that would be in soft to medium temper materials. Hard temper veg-tan leather might be limited to between 1/4 and 5/16 inch. Any holsters sewn on this machine should not be for serious open carry use as #138 thread only has 22 pounds breaking strength. It will be great for belts, pouches, vests, zippers and wallets.

The Adler 105-64 was a heavy duty needle feed stitcher than is heavier duty than the 69.169/269 models. It is able to sew 7/16 inch with up to #346 thread. Any more thickness may not feed or sew properly. The 69/169 have triple feed but are lighter duty and can't sew as thick, nor use thread heavier than about #138. Both are long out of production. I use a Cowboy CB4500 for harness, holster and saddle work. It sews over 3/4 inch and has triple feed.

Try using FastStone Photo Resizer. I use it often to reduce either the quality or actual pixel size to reduce the file size of images. It is also useful for equalizing one side of a group of photos to make a carousal display of images for web pages.

Watch a Cowboy CB4500 sewing along a belt edge with the inline feet. I got them from Bob at Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines.

I use Organ, Gros-Beckert and Schmetz needles. You can get good needles from Techsew and keep everything local. You may even get favorable pricing as a machine buyer.

Those holes are for narrow plug-in pivots. Industrial sewing machine dealers sell them. Contact Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines, one of our supporting dealers. They have all kinds of head pivot blocks and other replacement parts for most makes and models.

The Singer 132k6 can handle up to #346 (Tex 350) bonded thread using a #26 needle. You should run #277 in the bobbin though. If you are actually going to sew 1/2 inch, #346 thread will give incredible strength and a super bold appearance. I would space the stitches out to 4 to the inch. Otherwise, use #277 on top and bottom. The 132k6 is actually a buffing wheel sewing machine. Those wheels are a half inch thick. When it comes to sewing leather you may be disappointed in the results. The spring loaded presser foot may just slide along the surface of slick top grain leather which leads to uneven stitches and even filigreeing. I know from previous experience. Your results may differ.

I use #207 thread, top and bottom, with a #24 needle, for that thickness. This is a job for the cb4500.

Is it the bobbin thread or the top thread that is getting tangled? Post a picture of the tangle to help us diagnose the possible cause.

On your machine the cutout scarf over the eye faces due right and the ribbed channel faces due left. The needle must be all the way up in the mount and tight.

I have that model. It is a good light duty walking foot, cylinder arm machine. Mine is mounted on a U shaped table that I stand at. The machine takes a standard Singer G bobbin. I use mine with thread sizes 46 through 138, but mostly #92, using a #19 needle. I did have to lose the stock brushless servo motor and replace it with a rotary knob operated Family Sew FS-550s and a speed reducer. This combination lets me sew well under 1 stitch per second, up to about 10 per second at full speed. Plus, it has pull down reverse on the stitch length lever.

I apologize for recommending that you go there in person. I had no idea they had closed up their in person business. This is good to know.

Are you holding back the starting threads for the first two or three stitches? Failure to hold them back almost always jams the top thread in the shuttle.

Are there teeth on the feet? If so, ask your dealers about smooth bottom or knurled feet.

Your machine is only a dual feed walking foot, with a moving outside foot and stationary inside foot and needle. Your presser foot options may be limited. However, I found a dealer in Australia who sells the Protex brand.

Go to the dealer and ask to try out a few machines, with and without a needle positioner. You have a rare advantage being that close to the dealer. That way you will know which machine and motor combo suit you best.