toxo

Nice post Bruce. I think it was more a homage to your late wife than anything else and there's nothing wrong with that. It's a good thing. As far as pricing goes, leather is one of those things that is all things to all people so some enjoy the pottering, some enjoy the challenge, some just like being constructive. The list is infinite. I'm fortunate in that, being retired I can get an idea in my head and go and try it out in my "shop" (spare bedroom). Occasionally I make something, I might even sell something now and then but when it comes to "pricing", the man who came up with the phrase "A fool and his money are soon parted" had me in mind because I've always believed in having the right tool for the job and so I've just pulled the trigger on another sewing machine. That's three now plus the 801 skiver plus the Lucris clicker press plus the two arbor presses plus the laser engraver plus plus plus. Now factor in the cost of the components, leather, findings etc etc and it doesn't take a genius to work out that the idea of making any money is just silly. As far as scrap is concerned I find it really useful for setting up the sewing machine because I like to do different things and so have to change thread/needle size etc all the time and it's good to test on similar material before starting a new project.

When I looked it up it wanted the size as the generic style of the machine, ie, Juki 341 or Adler 69 etc. I daresay it's easy to sort out but I've just come away from a 1341 that turned out to be a Mitsubishi and I'm now looking at a "341" which is a clone of ???. Just nit picking and Easy to sort out but if it's only one screw can you be sure the machine has the hole in the right place?

I built this bag from this pattern and if you make it you have the template afterward to make again. When Tony See first designed it he asked for a name and I called it the "Monte Carlo" and got a free pattern. https://www.etsy.com/ Let me know if you do it. I have a couple of tips.

What do we know about this machine people? About to pull the trigger on a 1341 clone when I find out it's "similar" to a Mitsubishi 6860. Everything about the machine seems ok but I know nothing about Mitsubishi. What sort of reputation do they have in general. Could be a tractor for all I know. Thanks guys.

Barring something drastic I'll put the order in tomorrow. Then It's waiting 55 days but if I wait too long the shipping price and the wait might go up a lot because of the Red Sea situation and having to go around Africa.

Thanks Biker, did look for a Uwe one but he doesn't make them any more This one looks ok and bigger than others I've seen, They also do a guide for $15. I'm just trying to get everything on the one order, bobbins, bobbin cases, needles, thread if they have it (yes,I know that's risky but you don't know until you try and I'm fed up listening to people quoting something they heard from 20 years ago https://clouddisk.alibaba.com/file/redirectFileUrl.htm?appkey=OneChat&id=2186352404&parentId=2177377479&secOperateAliId=MC1IDX122E1Gqu--fZW59OP6FQj6IeySN6YMEwkrsAEOunM3rdJ0dc2M3jcnBvaN78O6eD7&fileAction=download&scene=1 This is just showing the table, not the machine.

I'm getting excited now. When It got to the details of what I was getting they quoted JL-1341L. When asked what the "L" was for they said it's for the large bobbin which is 28mm. So on the face of it that's good right, but does that mean they're harder to find? I've already asked if they can supply spares but I think they've finished for the day. They also do a table attachment that looks good, and big, for $85.

About to order a 1341 clone that uses a 28mm bobbin. Where does that come in bobbin sizes?

There's an option you haven't considered. A decent clicker press should be your ultimate goal so, given your space restrictions I would spend your money on clicker dies. With a soft plastic or rubber mallet you can easily place your leather over the upside down die and tap round it. I promise you it works. That way you can build a collection of dies until you find the right press for you.

That brand is one of the best but you will cuss it and waste some leather but it can be better than doing it by hand. Thankfully I don't have to use mine now I have a leccy one.

They can be challenging but useful in some applications. The blades make a big difference, I found razor blades useless and if you can find the thicker ones they can be sharpened. Just don't take big bites.

If you're right dikman that's important information.

My Adler Durkopp 239 is also very similar to the Singer 111 but with reverse. I overcame your problems by replacing the hand wheel with a much larger pulley giving me much slower speeds down to a single stitch at a time and more torque. The total cost was around £40 iirc yet no one on your side of the pond thought it was a good idea, prefering instead to spend considerably more money on under the table designs. I remember posting a video showing it sewing a few layers of veg tan. I can do another if you like

Anything upholstery, Cechaflo is THE maestro. If you can't find what you need here I'd be very surprised. https://www.youtube.com/@Cechaflo/videos

My Adler 69 is almost the same as the Pfaff 335 and as Dikman says they work ok. Mine sews very well, it just needs a little help climbing over big differences in thickness but once it's up there it's fine. As @xnikolaos pointed out you just have to look at the end plate to see if it's a binder or not.

He says he'll unbox one today and get it set up for tomorrow. His Ebay add says specification is the same as the Juki LU 1342. I can find no mention on the Juki site of a Juki LU 1342. Should I be worried about all these anomalies or should I just go and test the thing? What concerns me though is, if the max stitch length is 11mm is it gonna go down to the lightweight bag/wallet range?

Update! First it was the same as the Juki 1342. Then the stitch length is 11mm (Juki is 6mm) The front throat plate is the same as the 1341 not the 1342. He's telling me that's a special order and very expensive. He's told me all their servos are 750s but his Ebay add says 1000W. I really don't know where I am. I'm never gonna use an 11mm stitch length and I imagine if the hump jumper was crucial then Juki would've included it in the 1341. So, this new W&G 1342 @ £1899 plus delivery or the used Juki 1341 @ £1450 plus delivery? Thoughts please peeps? These discrepancies may well be simple confusion. I'm gonna go see a couple of my leather shops in London on Monday so it won't hurt to look at the W&G. I've asked him for the full specification of the 1342. He hasn't come back yet. I won't go if I don't get it. The W&G guy also has a 341 which i've pretty much discounted.

Search for an 801 bell skiving machine. That's what most of em are. Preferably one with a vacuum. Most don't have a vacuum but you can rig one up yourself. People will say you don't need one and that's true but once you're used to a machine skiving is much easier and a hell of a lot faster. Lotsa vids on YT. Even if you don't need one now you can keep an eye out. I waited quite a time then found one in a warehouse type place advertised for £600 with vacuum. When I got there it didn't work properly but I'd done my homework and I knew what was wrong with it and knew it wouldn't take much to make it right so I haggled and got it for £300.

Have just come to the end of my latex gloves. Still have some blue nitrile ones but I don't like em. Been awhile since I bought any so thought I'd ask you knowledgable gang what's out there these days. Thanks guys.

I have the Lucris Mk3 5 ton and can't fault it.

I'm definitely taking this advice from Don. And one of these. https://www.amazon.co.uk/FastCap-Glu-Bot-Glue-Bottle-Ounces/dp/B0006IUW8G/ref=sr_1_3?crid=HXMWWX95ALS4&keywords=glubot%2Bglue%2Bbottle&qid=1703914765&sprefix=Glupot%2Caps%2C112&sr=8-3&th=1

I do admire your loyalty to "0wn brands" Wiz and I daresay what you're saying is the case sometimes but I spoke to the dealer of the Wilcox & Gibbs 1342 today. He's in London (about 30 miles away). He doesn't have one built at the moment but will have one done next week for me to go and try. He does have a 1341 ready made that I can try whilst I'm there. I must say it feels better finding one near enough to drive to and test.

Good job! She'll be telling people for years "my dad made it for me". My daughter still uses the first bag I made her every day.

Thanks kgg. I think they do it to confuse. After all the reading I was happy to see the Wilcox 1342 was in London because I can go and try it. No better way to buy a machine. I make bags so I don't envisage going much more than 138 unless I want to and there's the rub. Better to have the capability and not need it because you don't know what's around the corner.

So is this a 1341 or a 1342? https://thorsewingmachines.com/index.php/product/thor-gc-1341-cylinder-arm-walking-foot-sewing-machine-for-leather-upholstery-and-heavy-weight-materials/ All the 1341 clones seem to have the H/J. This one is labelled 1342 but doesn't show the narrower throat plate. I think I'll plan a trip to London next week to look at this one. If this one handles v92 and up ok it might be a front runner. I'll visit my leather shops whilst I'm there. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/143959379246 Not sure where the Techsew 4800 pro comes.