Redbeeerd

Thanks for all your input, will pick it up if I can solve shipping before they sell to someone else (20 hour drive round trip)

I have been offered to buy this for $200. I know (from what I've been told here) its limitations, but one of my main goals is to some day make a pair of boots or shoes. Will it work as a crutch for sewing other stuff or is it too much of a hassle? It has been in use until recently, the company is closing shop and selling off their stuff so it should be in working order.

Hmm... It looks to be in decent condition and it's 50 bucks.

Excellent, thanks!

Heya! I am trying to find information about the Singer 207 D2 but I'm not finding any. Anyone here know what kind of machine it is and if it is usable for leatherworking?

I've had the pieces outside for about a week now and it seems the smell is fading! Perfect advice man, thanks!

Oh, I didn't even think that far, thanks!

Heya! What kind of leather is good to use as a liner for a shave kit? And reversely, what leather should absolutely not be used?

Heya! There is always a crapload of used leather and suede jackets, pants, skirts etc on places like eBay. Would it be a bad idea to buy such items to use the leather? Example: right now I am looking for suede to use as a liner for a small bag. I'm a beginner and the bag is just practice so it probably won't be very good. On a Swedish auction site I can buy a suede jacket for 10 bucks including shipping. What would be good reasons not to buy?

Excellent advice, thank you!

I'll have a look, I'm sure I can buy it somewhere! Thanks!

That's encouraging, thanks for sharing!

I was a bit confused about the reviews to be honest but it seems people got rid of the smell eventually. Might be mold then. I'll let the pieces rest outside for a couple of weeks, maybe the UV helps out a bit.

It's mildew then, this is pretty much all the information I need to calibrate so to speak. Now I just need to find a way to get rid of the smell. The leather smelled really strongly when I received it so I have stored it outside in our firewood shed. It's been between -5 and -25 celsius continuously since then so it should not get any worse for now at least.

Hey all! As a beginner I just came across a problem that I thought I'd never encounter: what does leather smell like? Now I know what leather smells like, but since I'm in no way experienced with this craft I'm sure there are variations of smell I'm not used t. Now, a smell I know extremely well is mildew. After demolishing an old, damp house by hand last year I'm pretty sure I've reached the equivalent of mildew sommelier: it was everywhere, and the ground even smelled a couple of weeks after having covered the rubble with soil. On to the storage smell. I bought cheap leather on an auction site and was warned beforehand it had a smell from having spent a long time in storage. I asked whether it was mildew and the seller answered no, it's a normal smell that disappears if you wash the leather or just air it outside. Leather arrives, and, to me, the smell is obvious: mildew. Since I'm new to this (even though very sceptical about this "storage smell") I wash the leather with hot water and soap. I air it outside in the sun for a day. No change. I borrow an ozone generator and let the leather sit in a room with the machine for 48 hours. No change. I wash the leather with white vinegar. No change. I wash it with baking soda and water, dry it out, cover it with baking soda for 24 hours. No change. Now this is where I start to wonder if leather can smell very similar to mildew even though it is totally fine and mildew free? From what I understand just the ozone treatment alone should have totally wiped out any mildew, or smell thereof, but the smell persists. Is it just a hopeless case of mildew smell or is it me that need to adjust my interpretation of this smell?

This should be stickies to be honest, it is exactly the kind of guidance I was looking for! I now have a few models to use as a starting point whether I buy those exact ones or I start using them as reference when I find machines I know nothing about. I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to answer this post!

It's a 29K51 by the way, great catch @Constabulary

I'll grab it then, thanks for the advice!

Yes, I do know I don't need one. I'm practicing hand stitching every day but I can already see that some projects I want to do in the future will benefit from using a machine. The reason I'm asking now is that, since it seems people here don't know the value of some machines, I might find a great deal on a machine I can use for a long time. I just need to know what I'm looking for

Perfect answer, thank you!

I will definitely look for one of those! I have been offered a 29K(?) of some kind for 40 bucks. I've read it's not ideal but is it good enough to start out with?

Thanks for that link, it gives me a lot of information I definitely need. You're spot on with the problem I'm trying to solve: Singer has produced an insane amount of models and it is next to impossible for me to condense all the info on them down to something useful. I know a few have been mentioned like 111w155 and 31-150, but looking at Blocket (our Craigslist) I have counted at least 50 models the last two weeks alone. I'll dig in and read som more but if someone has more advice if be happy!

Hey all! I'm a beginner and I'm not looking to spend much as I have a tendency to go overboard a bit when digging into new things... Initially I see myself doing belts, gun slings, shaving kits, maybe gloves, eventually a pair of boots (I have a fixation with making myself a pair of boots before I die) Are there any particular old Singer machines that are suitable for leatherworking? Preferably not electric since that is an area I'm not comfortable in exploring. I live in Sweden and there are tons of Singers being sold for next to nothing (30-40 bucks) but I have no clue what to look for. Anyone have an idea or two? EDIT: nevermind, electric are of interest as well

It took longer than I wanted but now it is finished. I tried different methods for stitching and it really shows