machinehead

Hey Wiz, Landwerlen Leather Co. in Indianapolis has them in black and shades of brown. 317 636-8300

You are entirely welcome Steve. I enjoy reading your posts. Dave

Its a 123w class machine. It is a needle feed with vibrating presser meant for leather stitching usually. No feed dog.

Or, on closer look, it seems to be a Luberto's No. 9 which is the modern day equivalent of the other machines. Quite a find.

I am guessing it was manufactured by USMC or BUSMC. Google British United Shoe Machinery Pearson No. 6 . Also try Pearson- Benion. Hope this helps. .

I believe that your machine may be the precursor to the 16 class known as the " improved manufacturing". The earliest ones had a fiddle shaped bed. It is a larger version of the " improved family" machine which went on to become the 15 class. I am guessing that it has a long beak shuttle instead of a round bobbin case unless it is a very early 16 class. The full length removable plate on the back of the arm is like the one on the smaller improved family. The very early 16 class machines that I have seen have the conventional round access plate. Great find you have there.

Your machine is either a 78-1 or an 78-3. Not a 31 class machine at all.

This might be a good place to start. Look at page 18. http://www.consew.com/Files/112347/InstructionManuals/206RB-5.pdf

Will be listing some leather tools over the next few days. Have a look in my store. Thanks http://stores.ebay.com/Sewing-and-Leathercraft-Supply

Renia is the Mercedes of contact cements IMHO. Luke, I get " torn up" by Barge and Master"s as well. After years of exposure I think that I have about reached my limit.

This machine has no belt pulley for running it with a motor so unless you fabricate a shaft with a v belt pulley you are going to be holding your work with one hand and turning the hand crank with the other. Not unmanageable for small projects which is what this machine is designed for. When turning the crank it is best to move your arm from the shoulder and not the elbow or you will hurt for sure.

Singer 31-32.

The base looks like a Hengstenberg made in Germany. This company later was renamed the Bielefeld Sewing Machine Co I think.

Hey,Doug. I meant to say that the 110 class with the roller feed on the bottom instead of feed dogs is a machine that some folks use instead of the 31-15 for decorative top stitching. Instead, I typed class111. Then, later when I was speaking of sewing chaps I named the walking foot class 111 as a better choice than a 96 class. If I could type and / think at the same time I would be dangerous. Sorry for the confusion.

The 96-10 is a rotary hook machine and the 31-15 has an oscillating hook. Some folks claim that they have more thread jams with the rotary hook. The 96-10 is designed for medium to heavy fabric so that makes it a good choice for your projects, but the 31-15 has been a standard among boot makers to sew decorative stitching on the boot shaft. Some have moved on to Singer 111 class machines, but the old 31 is still out there hammering away. Both machines use the same feet , needle plate, and feed dog. Your buttonhole attachment should fit either machine. For the type of work you intend to do the standard practice is to acquire a wheel foot when sewing leather , a single row feed dog, and matching needle plate. When adjusting the distance of the wheel from the needle you usually want it as close as possible. When sewing textiles, a teflon foot would be a good choice. If you get the 96 Singer in all likelihood you will need to slow it way down with a larger hand wheel pulley, smaller motor pulley, a speed reducer, or some combination. The 96-10 is a high speed machine and sewing leather is a slow speed pursuit. If the price is right and the machine is in good shape I would probably snag it. But then I am addicted to old machines. It would make a good chap sewing machine I think, but a 111w would be a better choice. As to price I can't say because it can vary by location.

This tool is a channeller or channeler. This particular style is meant to cut a slit in the leather to about half its thickness so that after the stitching is finished the leather can be rubbed down over it to hide/protect it. And it looks like Gomph; one of the most sought after makers by those who collect leather tools.

Chancey you surprise me. So what if you gotta make a new case. Ain't no hill for a climber

May be a Claes Frentje Elastique Universal Feed machine.

This machine looks like an old Singer to me. The Feitsew is the brand of the motor, not the machine itself. Maybe if the lady used it for upholstery, it is a walking foot after all. If he doesn't know much about it, he could be mistaken. Do you have any photos of the backside of the machine? Can't make a lot of detail out on my screen with the small pics. It is a shame that she can't demonstrate it for you. All that said, a used machine isn't the best way for a beginner to start, IMHO. To begin with, that clutch motor would be way too fast for leather sewing and would frustrate you till you get the hang of it.

There is a glue made in Germany called Renia with primers for different sole materials. Google " Renia Bonding Shoe Repair Material " for an excellent tutorial on its uses and procedures. Its kind of pricey here in the States, but considering the time and aggravation saved on those hard to bond materials I think it is worth it.

The primary use for the Auto Solers is to put heels on. You have one model for heavier shoes/boots and one for ladies shoes/dress shoes. They can be adjusted so that they drive the wire into the material and cut it off at the length you set by turning a knob and/ moving a lever. You must keep your hand away from the sides of the shoe heel because the wire can come out the side and into you! Your American is an American Straight Needle which sews with the shoe right side up. Sheath and small case makers can use this machine. The Landis is a curved needle machine which sews with the shoe sole side up. You gotta learn how to dance to this one's tune as there is a learning curve. The Champion McKay is a chain stitch machine which sews through the bottom of the shoe as opposed to the welt edge. If these machines are as good as they look, you have a great bunch there.

Big House Daddy Leather has exactly what you are looking for.

Gary, My guess was that you have a Singer 143w1; but I don't think that they have reverse. I think that the photo that Sandy just posted may be a 143w1.

Yes, there are several still up and running but not all sell directly to the small time end user. Some sell to the small shop owners through distributors while others tan exclusively for large corporations.

Triple C or American Leather Direct is in Morgantown; but if you want to visit their tannery you will have to travel to Mexico.They have supposedly great quality leather tanned from U.S. steer hides. I remember when they started Triple C and the staff should really know their way around leather because the founders came from the old Caldwell Lace Leather. Another possibility for you is Thoroughbred Leather in Louisville. They also have their leather tanned in Mexico using U.S. hides; and again are known to supply good quality leather. If memory serves, Triple C doesn't have a minimum but Thoroughbred does.