silverlightning

Norway, do you have any relations to Sweden?

I shall have to use it for this type of thread then. I don't use it for the thickest of leathers, only for the fabrics and leathers it takes easily. I also have a Bernina with a much stronger motor that has room for more layers under the pressure foot, and the needle situation is much the same for both of them, I shall have to order from Bob :-) Something is acting up with my internet, it is veeeeeeeery slow and I have problems downloading from leaterworker.net. I have direct link to this thread and it is the only one that loads. Thing will hopefully be back to normal after the weekend.

Funny, I never expected to find anyone using the same machine I have. I went into a sewing shop for tread and bobbins they asked really patronising "would you not like to change it iin for a newer model?" lol. I checked my machine, and the motor is only 0.5 amp, but it sews through anything that fits under the pressure foot, which is rather limited.

Oh, thank's I'm looking for needles with a large enough eye for a bit thinker tread. The only leather needle I can get here is numbered "90/14". If you say number 18 fits this machine I'll go for that one. The hole in the plate is rather small and I suppose some needles get to large for this machine? So far I've mostly used a leather needles that came with the machine but I've managed to bend it, and there's no number.

I have posted in the wrong forum some how, sorry about that. Thanks for the offer Bob, I'll come back to you. Tomorrow I will go into town and see get some info on needle sizes and differences. The only leather needle I can find here is 90/14, but other types are in plenty. My machine came with lots of needles, and I have only used what looked right and worked and never really given the numbers much attention. Unfortunately the sizing numbers don't tell me very much Give me a day or so and I'll be more informed. Best Regards from Arild

Good to hear it's not only I who are holding on to these old machines. With an industrial motor I imagine that it tackles just about any challenge. The old motor might have been worn out after all these years. I didn't find any "after" picture, but I found the "before", and it looks great. It looks like you have the 40's or 50's model that allowed more easily adjustment of stitch length, and sew back and forward, a nice advantage. So far all I ever needed when sewing leather was straight forward, and a few bends and curves now and then :-)

Hi Forum Members :-) I am fairly new to sewing, and have problem finding the ideal thread and needle for leather projects. My leather projects are often restoring old bicycle saddles, replacing old leather and odd mending jobs that turn up. I have a domenstic machine not really meant for leather sewing, but the machines I have available are strong enough for the jobs I have had so far, if not ideal. However I still have not made up my mind what kind of threads are best for leather. I can get a type of thin strong synthetic fiber thread that works wel and goes with standard domestic leather needles. Sometimes I would like to sew with a slightly thicker thread, but the problem is the needle eye is to small, and I am wondering if there are leather needles for standard domestic machines that takes thicker treads. If you have any thoughts and suggestions on the subject I will be happy to hear them.

Hi James, have you found a solution? I have an old Singer 99K too. It was handed down in my family and I ended up with it because nobody else wanted it. I have used it for lots of projects, and after the motor was greased it is fast and strong enough for my leather projects. With a leather needle it sews two layers of fairly thick hard leather with no problem. Mostly I sew only one layer of the thick hard leather and then use a softer leather that folds around, that sort of gives two or three layers depending on what's needed. This was originally a hand operated machine bought new in 1933, and then a few years later was fitted with a electrical motor and every thing standard for domestic machines at the time. The motor is old, and probably far from the strongest and I would think a stronger motor would make a big difference in strength. I think there should be stronger motors available made in the 60's and 70's that easily fits this model. New grease in the motor made a big difference here, I don't know if you have checked this with yours. I like my machine as it is, and hesitate to alter the appearance of it.