gottaknow

The hand wheel just has those two screws. There are no other screws involved. These hand wheels come off different on each machine. Sometimes, you can just pull it with your hand. Sometimes a gentle tap around the wheel with the wooden end of a hammer handle, and often a puller. I use a very large puller with padded jaws, tightening the puller and tapping the wheel with a hammer handle. They usually pop right off with a few turns of the puller. Regards, Eric

Sorry for your loss Mia. Glad to hear you'll be using your machine. Regards, Eric

Another method is to take a piece of leather to protect the bottom shaft, then clamp a vise grip on the shaft. Turn the wheel away from you, making sure that you've cleared the jam. When you come to the stop of the clutch, give it an extra bump in case your clutch is sticky. It should snap back into place. It's ok to lube the clutch unit with oil. Regards, Eric.

Sounds to me like the machine isn't set up correctly. You didn't say where you purchased it or if you sewed on it before hand, something you should always so if you can. Your 206 should sew up to 3/8" soft to medium leather with little issue. It's sweet spot will be 1/4". Not really a holster machine, but a really decent upholstery machine. Still, if it's not set up and adjusted correctly you'll have issues with pretty much anything you sew. What was the main issue/s you were having? Regards, Eric

Hey Mark. The main difference is the temperature at which the oil is expected to perform the best. Juki 1 has a lower viscosity and works best with cooler operating temps. Juki 2 has a higher viscosity and works well with higher operating temps. In the big picture of things, you could probably use either oil and be just fine. Juki is however very proud of their oil (expensive!) I buy my oil in bulk with about the same viscosity as the 2. There is however a big difference when sewing a custom leather item at a fairly slow pace, never getting things warm in the machine and a factory where the machine will be pushed hard for 8 hours solid. Juki has to recommend the particular oil they feel will do the very best under the most extreme conditions. Some machines run hotter than others. You will never notice a difference with hobby or casual use. I use an infrared thermometer to monitor certain machines during the day. I can quickly spot an oil or bearing problem before something seizes up. It does happen. I had a machines oil pump fail years ago and the top shaft froze. It went from 3600 stitches per minute to zero. It seized so hard, the machine and stand tipped over. The operator was in shock for a few days...heh. Congrats on your new machine and have fun! Regards, Eric

Boyd Walker here in Spokane. They have been around for a very long time. Regards, Eric

Sounds like you simply don't have the thread under the tension spring. Drop the bobbin in so that when you pull on the thread it rotates ccw. Locate the small slot in the front side of the basket where the bobbin sits. Push the thread down into that slot. Leave 4-5 inches. Thread your needle and hold onto the needle thread. Rotate the handwheel towards you and watch the hook pick up the needle thread and slide over the top of the hook. The needle thread will grab your bobbin thread and bring it up through the hole in the feed dogs. Grab the bobbin thread and push down on the bobbin as you pull on the bobbin thread. It should guide the thread under the tension spring. Now when you pull on the bobbin thread, you should feel the tension on it. Have fun! Regards,Eric

Scott, for heavy binding I never use a 90 degree folder. Either a 45 degree or a 30 degree. Much easier and same ease of use. For straight runs, a C style folder (no angle) is preferred. Also, if you can find a pebble finish folder, better yet as it reduces drag drastically through the folder. When we've done binding on tactical gear, I have several Singer 153K's and a Pfaff cylinder with walking feet. Never had to use a vibrating binder when using a relaxed angle folder, and we've run some heavy stuff for the DOD. Atlanta Attachment Co. is the king when it comes to folders. Regards, Eric

You can ignore what I responded with as it's actually referring to a Juki 5410. That's what I get for trying to think late at night after a long day. The 1541 will sew what you want and then some. It uses the 135x17 class needle (135x16 for leather). I still prefer verticle hooks, but the 1541 does have the large bobbin capacity hook. Regards, Eric

I have 25 1541's in service at the factory. Mine have servo motors, with underbed trimmers and programmable functions. Overall a dependable needle feed machine. Because of the horizontal rotary hook, it won't handle what a 211 will, even though they use the same needle class. I'm talking about the 211's without the walking foot. Still, max needle size for these are 22's. Anything bigger, and you run out or room between the hook point and and basket finger. Even if you set the bobbin basket finger (I cheat and bend them a bit) wide open, it doesn't leave much room for thread bigger than Tex 105. Past that you'll run into tensioning issues as well. That said, it will sew garment leather nicely with size 18 needles and Tex 69. That's this machines sweet spot. One thing I really like about these is they will handle really flimsy material clear down to a size 12 needle with Tex 27 thread. These are a decent, dependable machine. One note on the oil system. The pump will only push oil up to the top shaft if you run the machine at nearly full speed, even if it's just to wind a bobbin. There's a sight glass on the top of the arm that lines up nicely with an oil port on the top shaft. If you unscrew the sight glass, you can manually oil the top shaft. Have fun! Regards, Eric

I'm using my desktop, I think I just don't know what I'm doing...heh

Dangit northmount, how in the world do you post links. I tried for a bit, then bumped the thread. I have the same issue with pasting text. Help? Regards, Eric

I bumped it there for you RoosterShooter.

Here's a bump for this thread RoosterShooter asked me about. I can't seem to paste links or quotes from other threads, so I bumped it. Regards, Eric

That's a good price on a 1245. I would sew on it as I'm sure you will. The 1245 is a well made workhorse. You'll find the overall quality better than your Highlead. It's a machine that will always hold it's value as well. For medium to slightly heavy work, I prefer the verticle hook. Much easier to time the hook and the range of adjustment is greater than a horizontal hook. Because of the open access, it's even possible to re-time the machine without removing the feet, throat plate, or feed dogs. The latch opener adjustment on verticle hook machines allows for fine tuning this important adjustment when using multiple thread sizes. Pfaff parts are expensive and they are somewhat over engineered(extra moving parts). All in all, if this machine was close to me, I'd buy it just to have it. I can't speak fo your Highlead, It sounds like you're happy with it. It's not a brand we'd use in the factory though. Regards, Eric

From our own forum, here's a pic. I have several 211 threads, including a pretty complete rebuild. Regards, Eric

Excellent!

I'm sorry, but I'll need more information.

No problem. Also, 220 3 phase has 3 hot legs and a ground. 220 single phase has 2 hot legs and a ground. They are not the same thing. Unless your grinder has 4 prongs on the plug, it's single phase. Just a heads up while you're still shopping around. Regards, Eric

Just for your info, the motor shown is not a servo motor. It is a regular clutch motor that has an electromagnetic actuated clutch and brake. True, the clutch and brake are controlled by the control box which does allow for needle positioning. It is an industrial motor and control box. I still have these in service running 40 hours a week since the early 80's. They were well designed and well made, far from whimpy. These motors and control boxes aren't for home use. You have to have 220V/3 phase power. These are pretty much obsolete these days, though I can still get the control boxes repaired by DSI. The motors are somewhat of a beast to work on, the bearings usually go out first. You could replace it with a servo motor for home use. Listen to the Wiz man, read his machine advice for leather work pinned at the top of this forum. Oh, and have fun! Regards, Eric

A clutch motor has a long lever connected to the motor just behind the pulley. They are designed to go fast! A servo motor is made for speed control and will allow you to sew a stitch at a time. We have several users on the site here that can recommend a good one and several dealers that you can get good advice from as well. Regards, Eric

Your 211 will sew two ply of soft garment leather, 3/16" is a comfortable thickness. You can cross over seams with a little help from your hands. It will work nicely on canvas, denim, and lots of other woven fabric. It won't like hard leather. The Singer needle system for that machine is 135x7. For leather you'll want 135x6. The sizes you'll need most 16, 18, and 20's. That's small to larger. You can use smaller and larger, but your machine will be most happy in those sizes. A common thread is either bonded nylon or polyester. I prefer polyester. For garment production, we use a thread that has a polyester core with a cotton wrap. Thread sizes can range from Tex 40 to Tex 105. A common thread with an 18 or 20 needle is Tex 69. Tensioning thread for a consistant stitch gets tougher beyond Tex 105. You should be able to download all the manuals online. There are plenty of links on the site here. The 211G151 was and is still a factory workhorse. Sew within it's limits and you'll be happy. A servo motor will give you all the control you need. Have fun. Regards, Eric

This would be a good time to make two marks on the needle bar. The marks will be 2mm apart from each other. The higher mark would designate the needle bar down position. A mark 2mm below it would indicate the 2mm rise to set your hook timing. Make the mark line up with the bottom of the needle bar bushing. This is the way most machines reference needle bar height and hook timing. If for any reason you need to remove the needle bar, you can quickly return it to the correct height without worrying or even checking the hook timing. I set multiple hook timings every day. You develop a feel for where a given machine should be set. With experience, you'll find any timing references are a starting point to get you going. When you run into problems, (and you will) don't be afraid to stray from the absolute. I have a lot of lockstitch machines that aren't set to the book. It depends on the sewing conditions. Thread, material, thickness all can require a different hook setting. If you enjoy the learning process, all the more fun added to the sewing. Regards, Eric

Oh, I forgot to add that the 281-22 will struggle with 2 ply of 5/6 oz. It will handle 2 ply of soft garment leather 2/3 oz, including deer hide. The good news is these machines are plentiful and can usually be bought for a few hundred $. Worth having for many uses. Regards, Eric

The 211G151 is a needle feed machine with a verticle hook. It will do just fine with garment leather and canvas. It will actually sew 1/4" of canvas using a size 22 needle. There are many different feet available and the machine is easy to work on. The parts are readily available and it takes the common 135x7 needle class. The 151 does not have a reverse like many Singer machines from that era, but it's easy to learn to do a manual back tack. That is a really good price for a complete machine, even if it has a clutch motor. You can always put a servo motor on if you need speed control. We still use these in the factory, currently sewing tin cloth canvas for Filson. They don't like really lightweight fabric, but you can sew ripstop nylon after learning some basic adjustments. It sews well with thread from tex40 to tex105, that's it's comfort zone. It likes bonded nylon because of the verticle hook versus the newer Juki 5410 needle feed which has a horizontal oriented hook. Regards, Eric