awizardalso

I'm making a couple assumptions here, since he didn't say anything about the needle not moving, I assume it does and by the feed dog not moving, I assume he meant not up and down either. This leads me to think the bottom shaft may not be turning. Still, it's just a guess on my part. I have a few questions of my own to ask. I've been over almost every little thing in my machine. I'm not an expert by any means but I feel pretty familiar with how it works. I am wondering about why it appears to work when he turns the pulley by hand but not from the belt. I know what it's like to be needing an answer and that's the best I could suggest.

I was correct in assuming the machines are basically the same. I found a copy of the 155 manual and the safety clutch instructions are identical to mine. The picture's aren't very good but should be helpful enough to at least determine if it's the clutch that needs to be reset.

I could be off base with this. I have a 111W113 machine. It hasn't happened to me, yet, but the manual explains about a safety clutch built into the lower belt pulley. If the sewing hook (bobbin holder) gets jammed, the clutch releases and, if I understand correctly, the bottom shaft will stop turning (and with it the feed dog and sewing hook will stop moving) even though the belt keeps turning the bottom pulley. If you turn the handwheel, does the needle move? Does the belt and the bottom pulley move but not the shaft? If so, this may help On my machine, I have a pushbutton like stud on the rear right side of the machine sewing surface. It mates with a ratchet sprocket on the bottom shaft. The instructions say to remove any material that may be jamming the hook. Press down the button to lock the shaft from turning backward. Turn the handwheel away from you (backwards) until the locking lever in the clutch mechanism snaps back into place. Hope this helps you. I'm not sure about the differences between the 113 and the 155, but I believe they're quite similar. Do you have a manual for the machine?

Thanks. The closest Tandy's is 50 miles up the road in Cleveland. I'm having trouble finding an economical ride up there. The more I can save the more I'll get to spend when I get there. It's been quite awhile. We had a store here in Canton but they closed years ago, then the Akron store closed. Haven't looked very hard but there doesn't seem to be any leather suppliers around here even similar to Tandy's. You're welcome for me taking a look, but it should be me thanking you for the inspiration. Mike

Greetings, Awesome seems to be an understatement. I haven't had a chance to go through many of the old posts, so please forgive me if it's been asked before. What do you do for weather-proofing? I just started getting back into working with leather after 20 years. I haven't made any bike seats (that I'll admit to) and it is something that fits in with my intents. I had been using Mop-n-Glo as a finish for what I did make, but nothing that would be exposed to the weather, like a bike seat. For that matter, I haven't made anything from tooling leather that could be exposed to the weather.

Thank you all for the welcome. I need to find some local suppliers for leather. Tandy's has moved out of the area. The closest one is now 60 miles up the road in Cleveland. Leather isn't one of those things I like to buy without looking at it first. I did find a a full length coat to cut apart and as soon as I run find my old vest to use for a pattern, I'll be working on another one.

Greetings all, My name is Mike, though I'm better known locally as Wizard. In the late 70's I made myself a quick-draw Zippo lighter holster after my lighter leaked in my pocket with some very bad consequences. Interest in them was so good I started making more for friends and eventually had several stores selling them faster than I could make them. Eventually, I built a bicycle powered sewing machine to get into making clothing. To make a long story shorter, just as things started taking off, circumstances beyond my control caused me to pack it all up. I've always had the intention of getting back into leather work again and have lately been getting all my tools back out. A few years back, I was extremely blessed to find an old Singer industrial machine, mechanically in excellent shape, for free. I just finished building a bicycle powered drive system for this one also. My main goals are making small leather craft items like various belt pouches, holsters, and motorcycle gear (vests, chaps, saddlebags) again. I'm in need of tips on sewing with a machine. Things like thread/needle sizes, different attachments and their uses, etc. Nothing specifically at the moment but as things progress. Hopefully, I'll be able to contribute something of value back to this forum. Here's a couple pics of some of my work. The rose and the initial 'M' are works in progress. The lighter pouch is only missing the finished edges (I can't find my slicker wheel). My bicycle powered sewing machine can be seen here: