Wizcrafts

I have never actually seen or used Vinymo brand thread, but if it is not left twist, bad things will happen when it is used in a normal lockstitch sewing machine. Untwisted and right twist unravel in most machines, except for shoe sole stitchers

Just a penny!

This reply is totally off topic and not even about an industrial leather sewing machine. It is a hijack of the existing topic. All such replies will be hidden.

I use and recommend the Family Sew FS-550s servo motor with a 50mm pulley preinstalled. It is easy to control down to a stitch and a half per second, or less, if your toe is steady. System 135x17 is round point, for cloth, webbing and vinyl. System 135x16 is a leather point of some shape. It could be an oval chisel or a triangle, or a diamond shape. A Juki LU-563 is not going to treat #207 thread nicely. There may be shreds and skips and knots on the bottom.It totally can't handle #277 thread at all! Fergetit ! You have an upholstery class machine, with reverse, such as it is. It can sew with #138 thread all day. The LU bobbins can hold twice as much thread as the standard Singer G bobbin used in the Juki LU-562.

I can't see the machine in the photo you didn't post. Without a couple of frontal views of the table, nobody can know what is missing. There are various levers, pedals and shafts involved in driving the flywheel. It may have been set up with a continuous run motor, or a clutch motor, or even a modern servo motor. Or, it may have been foot treadled. Here is a topic on our website that has several good photos showing the machine and table with the motor and control rods. Here is a video of a Campbell Randall Lockstitch sewing, including a view of the motor and linkage. Another page showing the motor and linkage.

It is a general purpose upholstery class machine. It maxes out at 3/8 inch with #138 bonded thread, like every other similar upholstery machine. Their needle stroke is too short to clear 1/2 inch under the alternating feet. The needle is not long enough either. Further, the top of the alternating feet will make hard contact with the bottom of the needle bar if you try climbing too high. This may break the thread guide off and may even throw the needle bar out of time. The Juki 1508NH will do what you asked. It was built specifically to use longer needles and lift higher before any parts make contact. Why look at less qualified machines that use standard walking foot needles? Note, that only the 1508 subclass NH can sew 1/2 inch and use #210 thread. The other 1508s only sew 3/8 inch with #138. There is another class of machines that can sew up to about 1/2 inch. They are cloned from the ancient Singer 45k and have bottom feed only. Cowboy has this model, called the CB2500.

This 205 variant has been discussed on Leatherworker.net and elsewhere in the past. Here are some links to those conversations and a manual. https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/19014-adler-205-8-qustions/ User manual from Adler Considering that it has bottom feed only and uses system 214 needles (same as a Singer 45k), I doubt it can sew anywhere near an inch. It's more like 1/2 to 5/8 inch.

I only use bonded nylon or bonded polyester spools of thread in my lockstitch machines. The only lube on thread should be silicon thread lubricant.The maximum your Consew 227 can handle is #138, with a #23 (aka 160) needle. If the seams are taped or glued, use titanium coated needles. Keep a small can of Goof Off and a dauber handy to clean the adhesive off the needle.

There is one I know of: Juki LU-1508NH that has a longer needle stroke, takes System 190 needles and can be setup to sew 1/2 inch with up to #207 thread, using a #24 needle. The next step up is the Juki TSC-441 that sews at least 3/4 inch with up to #415 thread and uses System 794 needles.

The #26 is the old Singer size. The 230 is the metric designation. Some of us think in Singer US sizes while others think in millimeters. The bottom line is that a #26/230 needle is the proper size for #346 thread, top and bottom, and it pokes a really big hole. My largest needles are #27. Some giant harness stitchers and sole stitchers have humongous holes in the throat plate or feed dog that allow for a #30 needle. I once had a needle and awl set for a Union Lockstitch machine that resembled roofing nails, which covered #554 bonded nylon thread.

Followup info. Your domestic sewing machine uses "low shank" (short) feet. Industrial straight stitch machines use high shank (tall) feet. Never shall the twain meet.

As a stopgap measure, buy either a Teflon or roller equipped presser foot (for domestic sewing machines) that lets leather glide under it rather than be dragged. To sew with #69 bonded thread you need either #16 or #18 needles. If you are sewing cloth or webbing, or vinyl, use standard round point needles. When you sew leather change to leather points. The roller foot may require an adapter to mate it to your domestic machine presser bar. This, combined with the thick foot, will reduce the clearance under the foot to about 1/8 inch. Teflon presser feet are simpler to use, but are easily damaged if they land on top of the feed dog teeth. It's best to buy a bunch of them at one time so you can swap them out as you forget about avoiding the teeth (ask how I know). You may also be able to improve the feeding of leather by spraying the top of the seams with silicon as you sew. Keep the bobbin winder knob as tight as possible on the flywheel. The impact of sewing leather tends to cause it to loosen and may allow the wheel to spin and not drive the machine. Finally, try to buy titanium needles for sewing leather, or any other textile that is secured by basting tape.

The Singer 15 class machines are domestic use, cloth garment sewing machines with bottom feed only. They have light weight take-up and tension parts and are not up to snuff for sewing leather of much thickness over a few ounces of garment or thin chap leather. Leather that is sticky on top doesn't feed very well on this type of machine. You are best to dedicate that machine to sewing cloth and look for a used industrial walking foot machine for sewing leather, vinyl and webbing. A good starter machine would be a Singer 111w155, or a Juki LU-562, or a Consew 206RB-1 through -5. The criteria to watch for is triple feed, where the needle, inside foot and feed dog move in concert as the outside foot alternates up and down.

This describes the Cowboy CB3200. You would want to order it with a range of needles and thread covering thread sizes #92 through 277. Then, consider a flat slotted throat plate for lighter weight projects and smaller thread and needles. Get lots of bobbins and preload them with various sizes of thread. Buy thread spools in pairs of each color so you can wind a fresh bobbin as you sew.

I might could use a needle clamping screw that goes on the needle bar, among other parts. Do you have that screw in your spare parts? It is square headed.

System 134 sounds right for that Pfaff. Avoid 134-35 as they are too long. You want System 134 Leather Point or Diamond/Tri Point. The needle bar can be raised to accommodate longer needles, but why do that?

I have two machines that drop into the same table. The knee lever works for the walking foot machine but not the 31-15. However, it can be altered to lift the foot in the 31 class machine. Better yet, get a table with a foot lift floor pedal that can pull down on the lift mechanisms with a long chain. Just make sure you buy manual oiled machines that don't need an oil filled pan. Then buy a straight stitch and a walking foot that have 7" x 17" beds. The tilt pin holes can be modified so both machines can tilt back in the table clamps.

I see from your profile that you are into shoe making. A lot of shoe and boot makers use 31-15 machines that are converted into roller foot machines to sew decorative patterns into the uppers.This class of machine can sew very tiny stitches with small thread and needles. You can buy bonded nylon thread as small as #33 and lay down an intricate pattern at 24 to 32 stitches per inch, using a #9 needle. Also available is #46 bonded thread which can be sewn with a #12 or #14 needle. You won't get the same short stitches as with the smaller needle, but it will still sew a nice pattern at about 16 per inch.

I have the US version of that machine: the 31-15. Yours is British, made in Scotland. It is essentially the same machine as mine. The 31(- or k) 15 uses Class 15 bobbins and is a tailoring machine. The foot lifts to about 1/4 to 5/16 inch. But, with higher foot lift there is a risk of activating the tension release pin prematurely. That would cause a total loss of top tension. You are best not sewing more than 1/4 inch on that machine. The feed is drop feed only, via interchangeable feed dogs. For leather you'll want to purchase an aggressive feed dog and matching throat plate. If the leather drags under the foot you may need either a Teflon or roller foot. With smooth feed it should get 5 stitches per inch. If the standard foot grabs the leather you'll get shorter stitches. The maximum safe thread size is #69 bonded nylon, with a #18 needle. You may possibly be able to get it to sew with #92 bonded thread using a #19 or #20 needle. However, the beehive tension spring on this machine is rather feeble (meant for thin cotton thread) and may need to be replaced with a walking foot tension spring for nylon thread. Your 8 ounce soft leather seams should be well within its capacity. Three layers would be pushing it, especially since it has bottom feed only. If you try sewing dense leather you'll likely cause the needle bar to move up from the impacts. That will throw out the timing. Despite its appearance, this is a light duty sewing machine. FWIIW, I only use my 31-15 for cloth garments and jacket linings and sometimes for thin pigskin wallet interiors. I use walking foot machines (and patchers) for everything else.

Yes

ULS made various shapes of slide-on throat plates. I used to have custom throat plates made when I had those machines. Yours is obviously a raised and tapered plate, possibly for footwear. The holes for the edge guide are a bonus because the shorty plate doesn't have slots to mount a swing-away edge guide. You should request a copy of the user's threading and parts manual from Campbell-Randall. Parts are still available, but are not cheap.

Only used and very old industrial sewing machines sell for the $400 price point. New, they sell for $1000 and up. Tandy stores should have a portable walking foot machine made by Sailrite, that is able to sew 1/4 inch of leather with #92 (15 pound test) bonded nylon thread. Consew makes a great low cost walking foot machine as the Consew P1206RB-1. It is a quality machine that will do what you want with up to #138 bonded nylon thread (22 pound test), into 3/8 inch of medium temper leather. Janome doesn't make industrial leather sewing machines. The model 3000 is a plastic body domestic (household) cloth garment sewing machine.

Considering the age of that long-obsolete model and what has been done to modify it, I'd say it is what it is. I doubt you will be able to restore it to its original configuration. Of course, I've been wrong before.

These are probably NOT the type of sewing machine you need to sew very thin or soft leather and other fabrics. It really boils down to the firmness of the leather or other materials. The whole problem is that compound feed walking foot machines have a small inside foot that pushes down hard directly over a large, often oblong hole or slot in the feed dog. That dog moves inside a large rectangular cutout that can be a trap for thin, soft material. You would be better served by either a straight stitch machine or a dual feed, fixed needle machine. The only possible drawback is that dual (top/bottom) feed machines have teeth on the top and bottom. They will mark the leather on both sides. Moving along, straight stitch drop feed machines usually have static position needles with a single fixed position presser foot. The needle goes through a small hole in the throat plate. They are just like domestic sewing machines, but much more robust and mounted on 20 x 48 inch tables with big motors underneath. You can get a roller foot conversion kit for most Singer straight stitch and their clones. I had a 96k40 that had a roller foot conversion and used it to sew leather vests that were too soft for my walking foot machines. I now have a Singer 31-15 that handles flat work. The roller rides on the left edge of the needle giving great visibility. It revolves over leather instead of dragging it. When you aren't sewing leather, a standard flat foot can be installed. They comes in all kinds of styles, like narrow zipper, piping, edge guides, wide toes, left toe, right toe, dohseedoh. Not gonna happen on a light duty straight stitch machine. Maybe #92, but more likely #69 bonded nylon and 1/4 to 5/16 inch. Walking foot machines can handle #138 thread. A few can tension #207 if specifically set up for it. Most do sew 3/8 inch, but that is usually the upper limit. Some newer models can sew 7/16" with #207. But, they will be rough on 2 or 3 ounces and probably eat it.

Depending on their conditions, I'd look at the Juki LU-563 or Consew 146rb-1 before the Consew 226. The 226 has a smaller bobbin. The significant differences between the first two is that the Juki has triple feed, straight stitch and a drop in extra large bobbin, whereas the Consew 146 has top and bottom feed only, a slightly smaller M bobbin and wide zig-zag. The Juki uses Singer 111w155 style feet which are available in a myriad of configurations. There would be fewer presser foot options for the Consew 146 compared to the Juki. Also, the Juki 563 may take heavier thread than the Consew.