Wizcrafts

The brake (not break) is a curved piece of cork that's mounted inside the motor and is controlled by the activating lever. When the lever is all the way up, the brake sits hard against the armature. As you lower the lever, the brake moves away, just before the motor starts powering up. The range of free motion is limited. After that point is passed, the motor is power driven until you remove your foot from the pedal. Then the brake stops the motion quickly. The brake assembly is secured by two screws and is removable if it bothers you, or you sew so slowly that it doesn't matter. It can also be filed or ground down to get more slack. If you care to share a photo of the motor we can probably help with its operational details. Use the lowest resolution your camera allows for the smallest file size.

The Singer 241 series are high speed factory production machines, meant to be run at several thousand stitches per minute (spm) to distribute the oil to all the wicks. In the case of the -13, that speed is 4300 spm. Compared to the Singer 241-11 and 12, the -13 has a courser and wider tooth feed dog, with a matching throat plate, higher foot lift, longer stitch length, longer needle bar stroke and longer needle system and I believe a different needle bar. There may be more differences inside and outside the machine, including the upper tension spring. The specs for all three are shown in the Singer 241 manual. Note, that all three have a factory maximum needle size of #21 (hence, #92 bonded, or Tex 105, or button hole thread). Using larger needles for larger thread requires modifying the bobbin case with a grinder and file, as shown in this video.

You should contact Adler USA about a replacement eyelet, or just remove what's left, polish the edges and live without the eyelet.

Most clutch motors have a big bolt on the right end, in front of the output shaft, which can be adjusted for more or less free play. This free play works with a coil spring that causes the control arm to stay up until you push down on the floor pedal. Tighten up the coil spring to make sure the arm is all the way up in idle, then back off the adjustment bolt until you have enough slack/free motion to feather the clutch. If the motor wants to go off to the races despite your adjustments, place a tennis ball under the toe end of the floor pedal. Then buy a smaller motor pulley that fits the shaft on the motor and a new v-belt to match the longer reach. If the motor is still grabby, open it up and smear a thin coat of light grease on the clutch pad to let it slip a bit. Unless you have restless leg syndrome, you should be able to learn to feather the clutch for slow speed operation. It's the same as driving a clutch car.

The leather used in clothes is usually chrome tanned and tumbled until it is soft. We call this Garment Leather. In the case of leather jackets, they often use a thicker Chap Leather. You can strengthen it by gluing a strong lining onto the flesh side. The lining could be heavy cloth, or another layer of the same leather, or a denser type of leather. For instance, belts and holsters are made with vegetable tanned "carving" leather than is dense. This leather can be shaped and stamped and it holds its shape and any impressions. Chrome tanned leathers do not hold a shape or take tooling impressions. If you need more assistance, join the forum and repost your question in the All About Leather forum, (or just read the topics in that forum). All posts and replies in this Help Wanted section have to wait for a moderator to approve them before they can be seen. Also, you can't use our private message system without becoming a member. BTW: The O.P. lives in Pakistan.

I normally use a #18/110 needle with #69 (T70) thread when sewing leather or webbing. It is less stressful on the thread going through the eye. Try this before wasting more effort troubleshooting the thread shredding problem. You can get away with a #16 needle and #69 thread in cloth because there's less friction.

You can determine whether or not the motor has a brake by unplugging the motor and removing the upper belt from the machine, then right hand wheeling the speed reducer's big pulley under the table. Alternate between leaving the floor pedal fully up, then slightly depressing the floor speed pedal with your left hand. If there is a brake it will he very hard to reducer with the motor (off) in the up position of the pedal. Slightly depressing the floor speed pedal would release any brake and allow the pulley to turn with very little effort. The actual range of free motion on servo motors tends to be minuscule, so feather the pedal. If moving the pedal, while its unpowered, doesn't get easier when you toe down, there is probably no brake. Some machines ship with a little plastic bag of spare motor parts, including brushes and an extra cork brake. If there is a cork brake in the spare parts, your motor uses a brake! The brake is removable if you find you don't really need it to stop at your normal sewing speeds.

I really detest the brushless servo motors that start at 100 or more rpm. They cause the machine to start and stop with a jerk. The last one I had (and replaced) was on a Techsew 2700 I bought second hand. When I first set it up, the motor caused such a mechanical jolt that the bobbin thread unloaded in the bobbin basket. I replaced it with a Family Sew FS-550s that starts at zero and smoothly increases in speed. That is the only way I go, other than regular clutch motors. More slow speed torque is achieved by installing a speed reducer. My machine came with an unattached 2:1 reducer which is now installed. I can start sewing at a few rpm and ramp up to about 1800 with the reducer installed. It starts and stops without a jolt.

With the v-belt disconnected from the motor, and/or the speed reducer, the machine should turn freely with the feet up. With the feet lowered the pressure spring comes into play. The tighter that spring, the harder it will be to hand wheel the machine as the feet alternate up and down. That foot pressure would be adjusted by the large threaded screw on top of the left side of the machine. This is different than the 2700 which has a flat pressure spring running along the back that is adjusted by a thumbscrew in the middle of the machine, to the rear. I should mention that if you bought the machine with a speed reducer, it will be harder to hand wheel than one connected directly to the motor. This because the reducer becomes an increaser when turning it from the machine instead of the motor. And, as mentioned in an earlier reply, your motor may or may not have a cork brake that needs to be relieved with a little toe movement to hand wheel without the motor turning over. Another point of great importance is to oil the machine thoroughly before running it with the motor. This includes opening the face plate cover and dropping oil into the tiny holes in the crankshafts and the sliding part on the take-up lever. Oil to excess and leave a shop cloth under the feet to absorb the drip. Before sewing anything important, wipe oil off the feet and the bottom of the head where the presser foot, alternating foot and needle bars come down. Only use Lily White sewing machine oil!

Read this thread and needle chart to understand how industrial sewing machine thread sizes compare to hand sewing thread sizes. Pay close attention to the right column under Diameter. You'll see that 0.8mm is about size 554 bonded, or 8 cord linen thread. Almost every upholstery class sewing machine maxes out with #138 (T135) thread, which is .414mm diameter. You cannot sew .8mm thread into 10 ounces of leather. The lockstitch knots would occupy too much vertical space to hide them. Only the very largest needle and awl harness and sole stitchers can sew with #554/8 cord thread.

I once owned a Singer 96k40, which was a tailoring machine similar to the 31-15. Both use Class 15 side load bobbins and have bottom feed only. The 96 is lighter duty than the 31 series.

You really should get the quietest machine you can fine, with the best balance so it doesn't vibrate on the floor as you sew. Definitely get one with a servo motor that starts rotating from zero, rather than 200rpm. You don't need any of those controls for home. slow speed, leather sewing. They are for factory production machines that are run hard and put up wet, 8 to 12 hours a day, at 2500 rpm and up. Just find a solid, slow speed, manually oiled, non-electronic, triple feed, (hopefully with a cylinder arm + table attachment) walking foot machine (like this CB341).

I never knew there was a dealer in Waco who sells Cowboy machines. Or, is that a private sale of a used machine?

Leather goods manufacturers don't necessarily use one single machine to produce their wares. Travel bags like those you linked to (India) might require 3 or 4 different types of sewing machines, plus one or more kick presses for rivets, scuff feet and decorative spots. I will hazard a guesstimate that these bags are sewn using a combination of flatbed and narrow cylinder arm walking foot machines and a tall, narrow post bed machine which could have a roller feed, or might be a chainstitch needle and awl machine like a Puritan, with a minimal footprint post. If you are thinking about making messenger bags, or briefcases, plan on buying flat bed, cylinder arm and post bed machines.

I've done that a few times and then took work home and got paid on a piece work basis. I made more that way than working hourly at the shop. Plus, you can work at you own pace at home. One such gig paid for a walking foot machine in one month.

The wax pot was there for linen thread. Before there was bonded nylon/synthetic thread, there was cotton or linen thread. Machines that were built to sew heavy and hard leather used left twist Irish linen thread that needed to be waxed on the way to the needle. The wax had to be in liquid form to avoid clogging the needle, so pre-waxed hand stitching thread wouldn't work. The liquid wax dried in the holes around the lockstitches. This is the same technique that is still used to sew soles onto shoes with curved needle/awl machines and Randall Lockstitch machines. The bottom line is, if you aren't going to sew with Irish linen thread, you don't need a wax pot on top of the machine! Bonded/pre-lubricated thread is sewn as is.

Nothing in particular. There was a bee in the house. I deleted the comment.

What new box? This machine is obsolete. The only way to get an authentic was box would be to remove it from another 97-10.

Are you referring to the BUSM Pilot the O.P. bought in 2013? That was 6 years ago.

I don't usually direct members away from here, but in your case, I recommend visiting our Sewing Leather forum first. Ask questions and read topics and replies to get a better understanding of the thicknesses of wallets and the best sizes of thread and which needles to use to sew them together. Hand sewing is also discussed in that forum. Once you understand the techniques and thread/needle sizes vs thicknesses to be sewn, come back here for a machine recommendation. You may have to import a suitable machine if none are to be found locally. Importing is tricky business because you may end up having to do all the work of de-greasing, assembling, timing and adjusting the machine before it actually sews. In essence, you may become the "dealer" for legal purposes. That leaves you on your own if things go wrong, or parts are damaged, or you can't get it to sew. If possible, try to find a company, in your country, that produces leather goods. Such a company might be willing to share sources for machines with you. They may even sell you one of their used - but still functioning - machines that has already been replaced with a new one. But, beware of bottom feed, high speed garment sewing machines. They will be of no use to you as a leathercrafter. If it does come down to importing a brand new machine, complete with a table and proper (servo) motor for your electricity, stick to known brands, like Juki, Cowboy/Hightex, Seiko/Consew, Adler and Pfaff. Some of these companies may offer an option of paying a little more to have the machine setup with your desired thread and sewn off in a certain thickness of leather (within its capacity) before it is shipped.

Those machines are not built to sew leather. They are for sail cloth, marine vinyl and upholstery leather. They will not hold up if you sew veg-tan thicker than about 8 ounces. Sailrite makes a much better portable walking foot machine that has beefed up moving parts.

The only way you're going to get help on this forum is to post pictures of the motor and its path to the machine pulley. We are used to dealing with motors rated at 1/2 to 3/4 horsepower, not 1/15th. As for the type of motor you linked to, it is a typical throwaway household sewing machine motor and vari-speed pedal. They are sold by numerous domestic sewing machine dealers, rebuilders and enthusiasts. The price seems unusually low to me. I usually see these combinations sell for 50 to 70 bucks. I wouldn't trust or even plug in anything that cheap. A Singer patcher is best powered by a 1/3 HP to 1/2 HP motor.

Trivial. Change needle and thread, wind appropriate bobbins in advance. Tweak top tension and foot pressure to hold down thicker/denser leather, then back off for thinner and softer stuff. Use round point needles for fabrics and vinyl and use leather points for leather.

This Consew 206RB-5 is probably what you need.

I didn't mention the Janome because it is a bottom feed only, domestic sewing machine. We don't deal with domestic machines on this forum anyway, strictly industrial leather sewing machines. There are other forums where people can discuss domestic sewing machines.