Wizcrafts

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.

If you do buy some 100 packs in different sizes, let us know. I can use more leather 332LLG in leather points in various sizes. There are quite a few owners of Adler 30-7 and 30-70 machines. I'm sure we can help offset your cost.

The 241-12 is definitely not for use in leather sewing of any form fashion of kind, without huge modifications. It is a high speed, drop feed only, production sewing machine that only takes thin thread. They are not meant to be run slow.

As I said, the 2700 is a light leather sewing machine. The CB341 (cloned from Juki 341) is much beefier for similar money. It uses a larger M style bobbin and can tension up to #207 thread, which the 2700 cannot handle. If you can't afford one of the new qualified cylinder arm machines, go used! We have a marketplace section of the forum where people can sell used sewing machines, among other items. Oftentimes, these machines are in very good condition and are being sold because the owners bought newer, more expensive machines to replace them, or have just gone out of business. That's how I acquired my Techsew 2700.

Call Campbell Randal Company for their advice on needle and awl vs thread combinations. They will ask what thickness and density you are sewing and what thread you will be using. I have owned 2 Union Lockstitch machines and always used a full size larger awl than needle. I used to match the thread to the needle by pulling various needle sizes along the top thread until it got tight. If the thread was tightly bonded and lubed I would use a tight fitting needle. If the thread was loosely bonded, or linen with any kind of wax, I chose a larger needle so the thread wouldn't stick inside the barb at pick-off time. The awl has to poke a big enough hole for the lockstitch knots to pull up. Experiment!

The Singer 29k2 was probably built sometime during the late 1890s through very early 1900s. Look up the serial number on ismacs, as linked to by Jimi. The original body color is black.

If you intend to open a shop that does leather repairs, you will regret losing the patcher. If you just build things at home, not so much. It is, after all, about 100 years old. I have a Techsew 2700 and it is a good walking foot machine. It uses standard Singer G size bobbins and takes a plethora of Singer 111w155 feet. The machine can handle bonded thread sizes 46 through 138. Note that the machine pulley isn't very large and it tends to spin really fast. I had to install a 2:1 speed reducer on mine after installing a servo motor that has a 2" pulley.

I could use a couple of those!

I got some from Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines and others from our member Constabulary in Germany. The system is 332 LLG, not to be confused with 332LG. Adler USA did have some sizes in Schmetz, with leather points, but you may have to order boxes of 100.

If it is a model 100 TN, it uses two inline needles to form the decorative saddle stitches.

I believe that the Consew 206RB and P1206RB have the same capacities. The differences are that the P1206 doesn't have a safety clutch and has an oil pump on the bottom and the foot lift is 5/8 inch. It's maximum stitch length is 3.6/inch The 206RB-5 has a safety clutch, is manually oiled and has 9/16 inch foot lift. It's maximum stitch is 2.5/inch. They use the same bobbins and needles. Both can sew up to 3/8 inch. Both are rated at #138 thread, but may handle #207 if properly adjusted by the dealer.

I just read in the manual that this model was designed to sew neckties. On page 4 is the following description.

Are you aware that it is a twin needle (inline), chainstitch, saddle stitch machine for decorative stitches? You can contact Union Special for more information about the machine's age. Here is a link to a detailed manual for the Union Special 100TN. The copyright date on page two is 1962 for the second edition.

Are you asking about a Union Special or an Adler 105?

I don't know about parts, but here is a link to a downloadable manual. They may or may not have the hook and other components for this aged machine. If not, try Bob Kovar.

Manually oiled sewing machines use what's known as Lily White oil. It is very thin and clear. You can find it in Joann Fabrics and Walmart in 4 ounce squeeze bottles. It is sold in quarts and gallons by all industrial sewing machine dealers. I buy a quart a couple times a year and fill up small oil bottles that have precision tube spouts (also sold by industrial sewing machine dealers). Being a Class 15 machine there are no usual gears to grease. Everything is crank driven and only requires light weight Lily oil. There are oil holes in all moving crank shafts. Some are marked on the body. Others are underneath the machine and more are inside the head (behind the faceplate). The cranks in the head need lots of drops of oil. Keep a rag under the presser foot for a while after oiling the machine. You can buy accessory presser feet and bonded thread from any industrial sewing machine dealer, anywhere. They are very common on all Singer straight stitch machines. I buy a lot of parts, thread, needles, bobbins, oil and machines here.