Wizcrafts
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That is a Singer Class 66. It is made for sewing soft cloth, up to about 1/8 inch thick. It can sew leather up to 6 or 7 ounces combined, but with no larger than #69 bonded thread, using a #18 leather point HAx1 needle. The machine is bottom feed only and doesn't produce very long stitches. But, it is great for hemming and darning shirts, pants and skirts. I have one at home, motorized, in a hide-away table. Cute to look at, but no use in a shop setting.
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If it ever comes down to shipping the machine to a remote buyer, know in advance that the head must be removed from the stand and the heavy handwheel removed from the back of the machine. The machine and flywheel, plus the drawer with small parts, should be wooden boxed securely and strapped to the pallet. The treadle base should be strapped down on its side. It will be cheaper to take the palleted equipment to the shipper, or at least a commercial building with a loading dock, where it can be driven into the trailer by a loader.
Some sellers also disassemble the treadle stand for better security during shipping. Roads are sometimes rough and pallets can crack.
Because the costs of packing and shipping are a variable, it is best to simply state: Plus actual shipping costs. Otherwise, list it as pickup only from (location).
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These machines can be listed for sale in our Marketplace section of the forum. The Adler sewing machine would go here and the splitter would go here.
Get the model names and numbers from the tags on the machines. Identify them in the ads, include front view photos (the pic of the Adler is from the back) and state the asking prices and location, as well as who to contact.
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Maybe it need more oil?
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Upholstery class sewing machines are neither built for, nor are they capable of sewing serious holsters. Shift your sights up to the 441 class of harness/holster stitchers. This includes such brands as Cobra, Cowboy, Techsew and the progenitor: the Juki TSC-441. It also includes the deprecated, non-441, Adler 205-374 and its clones. The 205 was Adler's answer to the 441 challenge in the late 1980s.
If you are unwilling to Chinese up, look at the super heavy duty, needle and awl, Campbell Lockstitch and Union Lockstitch machines that are rebuilt in Texas; land of the free and home of the brave.
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3 hours ago, JJN said:
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I sometimes thread my CB4500 bobbins clockwise for springy, or extra thick thread. It feeds through the tension channel easier that way.
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I used to run a 15-91, before getting industrial machines. I found it was limited to 8 ounces, total, with no bigger than #69 bonded thread. The feed is bottom only. The pressure needed to hold down hard leather tends to drag the stitch length down. A Teflon foot helps it feed sticky materials.
A word of warning. You will burn out the pod motor trying to sew above 1/8 inch of leather. A working or rebuilt replacement motor will cost over $100 on eBay. Keep a fire extinguisher close.
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Put a few drops of oil in the shuttle race.
Are you loading the bobbins so the thread feeds counterclockwise? That may reduce some of the bobbin slap.
Did you know that you need to remove the faceplate occasionally and put a few drops of oil into each tiny oil hole in the moving parts inside the head?
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You can find presser feet online or on the phone that have less (finer pitch) aggressive teeth (old Singer 29 feet will usually fit the Adler 30). The trade off is that you may have to manually help feed the leather, especially if you fill in the gaps with tool handle coating. This really depends on how slippery the bottom layer is. If it is slick enough, less foot pressure will be needed to hold down and move the leather. However, grabby leather needs the teeth to sink in to drag it as you sew.
I would like to remind you that "patchers" were built for shoe and boot repairs and were marketed to shoe repair shops. I use mine for sewing/darning shoe uppers, fixing purse straps, sewing patches over pockets on vests and onto jacket sleeves and sewing tubular projects too small to go around my cylinder arm machines. Tooth marks in veg-tan can be smoothed out somewhat. Reducing the foot pressure to the minimum needed to hold down the leather and move it will leave less visible marks.
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13 hours ago, Vinito said:
I got the #138 thread and #19 needles and now the stitch is tight on the bottom again with top tension set as tight as it will go.
Number 19 needles are for T90 or v92 bonded thread. Your #138 thread is 50% bigger and needs a larger needle. As the thread diameter increases, the lockstitch knots become even larger and require a much bigger hole to be pulled up without extraordinary force. The denser the material, the bigger the needle hole needs to be for any given thread combination. That is why I mentioned that I prefer a #23 (160) needle when sewing with #138 thread, top and bottom, into leather. When sewing textiles a #22 needle is fine. But, leather is tougher inside and presents more resistance to the lockstitch knots as they try to move up with the take-up lever.
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Now, all you have left to do is give prospective responders your contact information. If you list an email addy, please obfuscate it so harvesters don't add it to spam lists.
Note, that you don't have access to our private message system unless you become a member of LWN.
Also note that all posts and replies must await approval to be unhidden in the Help Wanted forum.
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I have the same shuttle in my Singer 168 post machine. You thread the bobbin into the cap outside the machine, feeding counterclockwise. Pull the thread through the tension spring (set the tension), then hold both parts together with your right hand and drop the package into the shuttle driver post. It only fits one way. Once in place, snap the locking tab down.
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Not the same mount as yours, but my 30-7 came mounted on what Adler called a Power Stand. It has a 1/2 hp clutch motor built in. If you get a treadle stand, there will be a lot of fabricating needed to solidly mount a motor to it. It is doable though.
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Look out for a used Juki 4 thread, 2 needle MO series serger with a half horsepower motor. Or, contact Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines (see ad banners at top) and ask what they have in stock. For sure, Keystone Sewing and Techsew will have some for sale.
New 2 needle, 4 thread overlock machines, setup on tables with good motors, run from about $2000 and up. You'll want one with a wide throw to encompass all that material. The motor should be at least 1/2 horsepower.
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17 minutes ago, Hildebrand said:
Thank you for the replies. I tried it last night with the feed dog in place like @Ken Nelson suggested. Mine clears so I know it works that way I just need to fine tune things and get used to not having the lower feed help pull the leather through.
Thanks,
Todd
In my case, I lowered the height of my feed dog slightly to clear the holster plate. Later, I had a friend mill out some material from the inside, just in case.
Not having the feed dog increases drag on the leather, shortening the preset stitch length and usually making reverse not match forward holes anymore. I found that I could sort of compensate for this by backing off the top foot pressure screw. The lower the foot pressure, the easier it is to move the material. Leather is stickier than fabrics and also tends to grab the needle and thread knots on the way back up. You always need enough foot pressure to hold down the leather on the upstroke and nothing more.
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Factory spec for the doggie is a maximum height of 1mm showing above the stock throat plate. I usually temper this down to just the teeth showing, not the base metal. Make a note of the height before you remove the dog.
I had my holster plate modified by a machine shop to allow the feed dog to remain in place, clearing the interior metal, saving time and adjustments.
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4 hours ago, danielsedlacek said:
I'd love to find a teflon foot or a roller foot for my older Pfaff to minimize the marks left when sewing on leather. The machine I use is a Pfaff 545-H4-6/01.
Teflon and roller feet are for straight stitch, bottom feed machines. Your Pfaff has compound feed walking feet. This means that the feed dog, needle and inside foot move in sync as the outside foot alternates up and down. If the inside or outside feet are impressing objectionable marks, back off the pressure screw on top. It controls a spring that exerts force on the feet. The pressure screw is on top of the left side of the head, toward the back. Keep backing off this screw until the marks go away. Be careful not to back it out so far that it pops out! Some pressure is required for the feet to alternate and to keep the leather from lifting with the ascending needle, which causes skipped stitches.
I found a YouTube of your machine being described and demonstrated. Give it a view...
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I found a source for System 16-63 (16x113) on eBay, here
If they won't ship to Canada, contact Techsew in Montreal. They are an advertiser here and have parts and needles for all types and makes of industrial sewing machines. Just click on one of their banners that will appear in rotation with each page load, at the top of each page on LWN.
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55 minutes ago, Vinito said:
At any rate, if this patcher will do 1/4" I think that will work fairly well for some things I have in mind.
It will, as long as it is properly adjusted. The foot lift is changeable on the back by a moving collar on the long pressure spring. Moving the collar all the way to the right causes maximum lift. You may be able to eek our as much as 5/16 inch, depending. But, with the small trad and needles it uses that's a lot of leather to hold with thin thread. You'll probably break a lot of thin needles trying.
You can start making extra money by sewing patches onto Bikers' vests and jackets. Your machine can install new zippers into light weight jackets. Go gettem!
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21 minutes ago, Vinito said:
I do have a need/want for a couple holster type items I'd like to make
The 30-1 isn't really strong enough to sew holsters much thicker than about 1/4 inch. It is limited to a maximum of #138 thread, but the bobbins are so small they can only hold a couple yards of that size thread. Despite its appearance, the 30-1 is actually a shoe and boot repair machine, strictly for uppers. I use patchers for purse repairs and for sewing patches over pockets. Your machine is best used with #69 bonded thread and a #18 needle. It can also sew with #92 thread using a #19 or #20 needle.
If you need to sew holsters, find a machine capable of handling #277 bonded thread, top and bottom. These are known as harness stitchers. Mine is a Cowboy CB4500, which I recommend. Before that I had a Union Lockstitch machine, which has a long learning curve and costs a lot more for parts and accessories.
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5 hours ago, Vinito said:
FYI, leather is ~8 oz V.T., the thread is #69 bonded nylon and the needle is marked GB 140, whatever that means. I have some 18 size needles coming so maybe that'll be a bit closer match for the thread? Also have some 138 thread coming too so I can see how that might go as well.
You are correct in saying that the needles are too big for the thread. I use #18 (110) needles with #69 thread and sometimes #16 (100) for better precision. A #140 needle is a #22 in Singer size and is the typical recommended for #138 thread, top and bottom. I personally find the holes too tight in leather and prefer a #23/160 with #138 thread.
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3 hours ago, SilverForgeStudio said:
Still can't find if this brother uses "M" bobbins... Any thoughts?
According to this video, it has a large bobbin, meaning an M bobbin. Also, according the Brother, it had a large bobbin.
Thread tangling around the needle...
in Leather Sewing Machines
Posted
You should be using a #22 or 23 needle with T135 thread. Are you? Also, make sure the top thread is feeding through the check spring, before the take-up lever.