Darren Brosowski

I do not push the standard 441 table as it is pretty small and for the same money you can make something like this beast. Everyone has a different idea as to what they want or need.

The problem is that most older machines are second, third or fourth hand old so unless you know a lot about what to look for and the price difference between old and new is significant it is difficult to suggest buying an old machine privately. Generally a good second hand machine would have to be half the new price to justify the lack of warranty and support. Keep in mind I am a dealer so my view may be biased.

Hi Stropping, I think you contacted me on eBay about the throat plate. Yes it is listed for the 45k1. There are several different plates and the difference between the 91610 and 91609 is the needle hole size. The 98622 shuttle will fit the machine.

I think you will find that the whole shuttle race assembly is clamped into the body and can be adjusted left and right.

nstarleather, I am not sure why you call this a bad experience. Shipping by air is roughly ten times the price so no cheaper overall. As an importer it is up to you to know the costs at your end and that is an international expectation. It is not up to the seller to know or help you with problems at your end. Do your homework. Importers have to make a profit and some of what you are paying for is their knowledge of how to minimise the landing costs.

You can use a range of binders but will have to drill and tap holes in the machine

Wiz has given you "a" correct answer but I am not sure it is the right one!!!!! Shoe machinery is a very specialised area and you need to be very specific about the question. There are a boat load of machines used to make moccasins; Singer 17 - Seiko TE Singer 18 - Seiko TF Differential feed for the ruffled outsole dual roller for the piping on top compound flat bed for general sewing possibly an insole seamer. As you mention general leather sewing I can only think that you are after a flat bed or cylinder bed compound feed and would suggest a CB227 or similar such as Pfaff 335, Seiko CW8 (LSW or LSC), Consew 227 etc, etc.......

PM me Matt. I am a Cowboy dealer

Just to clarify.... My earlier post was not to have a go at Keestar as I have done plenty of business with them and they have proved to be very reliable. The machines are generally well set up from the factory and they are very professional. My issue is that importing your own machine is fraught with pitfalls and is not overall cheaper than buying a machine from a local dealer. By Chinese standards the 441 is a very low volume machine and there are not multiple factories making the parts and assembling the machines. The difference is the expertise and support of your local dealer.

The Ferdco 440 is a GA5/CB105. It is a great style of machine and Bob can help you out with a new one. There are pluses and minuses to these machines which can trace their roots to the Singer 45k series.Simple, rugged and reliable they have been used for leather sewing for over 100 years. They are simple feed so it takes practice and technique to get even stitch length. I am a fan of these machines and sell quite a few as hand crank, treadle and powered.

Shipping from Australia would be cheaper than the USA and I would suggest buying the head only and using a local table. I would have to get a price as I have not brought in that machine before

Dale, A call to Steve would have solved the problem. Not sure if the machine is new from Cobra or second hand but either way he would help because he wants you to be happy and say great things about his product and service. It is disappointing for any dealer, myself included, to see paople asking questions on a public forum.

If you have the space a full sized industrial is usually the better option. Keep in mind that you may want to fit a servo motor.

There are thousands of machines out there any the 31 was probably only worth $100 to you as a leather belt suggests a very old motor.

Mate, There is no such thing as too many machines! They all do something slightly different and sometimes one will work better on a certain thread or material than one of the others will. The only thing I would suggest is that you start looking out for something a bit heavier - say a 45k25 or any of that family.

Damp glue can clog up the needle and cause all sorts of problems!

The Nippy is one of many copies of the Fortuna so a Chinese part will fit. Nobody here in Australia will have one in stock. email me on darren@ablesewing.com.au and I will get a price for you as I need to get some parts from a supplier in Taiwan.

The 31 is great for the light work and is the second best flat bed Singer built - the 42-5 is the best. For heavier work with thicker thread a CB3200 or CB4500 is the other machine you need. Sewing machines are like any other tool - no one tool does all jobs - so you need more than one.

I have two Singer books that list the needles for some of the WSV models It does not prove anything

Interesting comment from Bob. My experience with the 335 is mostly with older machines and I have never had a problem with M20 - #138. In many ways it is very similar to the Singer 155/Seiko LSC so I am not sure why it would be limited to #92 - M30 The Serafil should work better than a braided thread so I suspect that either the timing is out a touch or there is damage on the shuttle hook somewhere.

It comes down to what is supplied with the machine. Table, motor and attachments included in the price are the usual difference. The base machine is essentially the same.

There are a couple of hand crank machines designed for this but I do not think that anyone in the USA has them

"SV" can mean a lot or nothing. Sometimes it could be as simple as a special foot or attachment fitted at the factory for a customer and at other times the machine itself had major modifications. On both the ISMACS list and Singer Parts lists the 111w starts at the 111w100 so anything before that was most likely anything before that were pre-production models. You would have to look at serial numbers to confirm this.

Simple things to look at when test driving a machine? The obvious signs of rust and needle bar wobble have been covered. - Always work on the basis of putting a new servo motor on at some stage. If it is a black Singer motor then sooner rather than later for safety. - pull the top tension apart and look at the condition of the discs and thread surface. Often they are scored by coarse threads and a new assembly is required. - Assume that the bobbin case needs replacing. - With an open frame shuttle take off the tension spring and check for scoring and rust. Light rust can be polished out but heavy marking means a new shuttle - Tilt the machine head back and check for movement in the shuttle drive shaft. Excessive wear of the gears could lead to lots of movement. - Check the play in the two shafts (front and back) for the feed dog. Excessive movement suggests poor servicing. - Grab the balance wheel and see if there is any end-to-end movement. Once again, this tells you about service history. None of these things say "DO NOT BUY" but give you a position to negotiate a reasonable price.

The choice here is thickness of material and thread size. The 335 is probably best at a maximum of 6mm (1/4") and #138 (M20) but that is the bottom end for a 441 style machine such as a Cobra 4.