HCM

Yeah, I know. I was just referencing the 1425 because I have one.

I'm not familiar with the 280L, but I do love my 380. Regarding the feet, my issue is that the person who makes my attachments and custom parts doesn't make anything for singer 111 style feet. He only has Adler and Pfaff machines to test on, so he can't make me anything for the Juki or Nakaima. I usually make all my feet because of that, but when it comes to things like custom feed dogs and needle plates, he can't do anything for me. I have tried other companies to make my parts, but nobody else gets the job done the way he does. I stick with who I can trust, and unfortunately, that means adapting to his standards. I don't really ever stitch more than 3/8", that is honestly about the thickest I ever sew, and usually that is only at a point where a piece is folded or maybe around stitching some hardware on. I want a little more foot lift clearance more than anything, just so I can lift my feet and turn workpieces easier. My Pfaff 1425 has 16mm max lift, but I can't do a lot of my work on that machine because it has a needle positioner and makes it hard to do work where I need to be real careful about where I put my needle. My 335 clone has quite a bit of lift, but it is set up as a binding machine anyway, and with the binding needle plate and feed dog, I only get maybe 7mm lift. I'd have to check what it is really capable of without that setup. One thing I am really not looking forward to is the Pfaff reverse. I do very precise work and usually need both my hands to hold pieces when I stitch, so I have come to use my elbow to engage the reverse lever. My 1425 has a reverse lever, but a lot of Pfaffs have the bar that is also the stitch length adjustment. Unfortunately, you cant hit that with your elbow!!! Oh well.

The Nakajima 380 is a drop feed machine too, one of the reasons I like it. I considered going all Adler too, but then I would have to start all over with all 4 of my machines. Not sure I want to to that.

I didn't think to do that, actually. Good idea, thanks! I can adjust the needle bar and time the machine just fine, but won't I have to adjust the Presser feet too? That I will have to look into. My Pfaff 1425 and 335 actually came to me running the 135x16 system, so I didn't even realize pfaff ran a different size! Still not sure I want to have to adjust the machine, buy needles and change everything back when I sell it. Good idea though.

Hi all, I am in need of a little machine advice. I am considering selling off a couple of my machines to consolidate to one foot system. I have two Pfaffs and two Jukis, so it's kind of annoying not being able to use certain feet on two different machine types. It's more annoying than anything, but sometimes it actually causes problems because I have some very specially made feet for certain operations that I would like to be able to use on all my machines when necessary. So, I am thinking of getting rid of the Jukis and going with just Pfaffs, because I already have parts and machines in Pfaff. The machines I would sell are a Juki DNU-1541s and my Nakajima 380 (made by Juki also). I absolutely love both of these machines, and will have an especially hard time parting with the Nakajima 380. So, my questions are regarding what models to look for. The Nakajima 380 is a medium duty machine, and I am having some problems with the thicknesses of leather I am sewing. I actually had to grind out some of my foot because the needlebar was actually hitting the foot on one of my workpieces. Well, not the needlebar exactly, but the thread holder on the end of the needlebar. Anyway, point is, I need something with a little more capacity. The Nakajima sews up to about 9mm (almost 3/8"), but it's not comfortable. I need something with a few more millimeters or room. I don't always sew pieces that thick on it, but it would be nice to have some more lift on some of my work because it's hard to turn the pieces sometimes. So, I want to find a Pfaff that would be a little heavier duty than what I have in the Nakajima. I already use a Pfaff 335 clone, and I think that machine maxes out at or below what the Nakajima does, so I need something that is a step up from the 335, but can still do medium weight work comfortably. The Juki DNU-1541s is a medium-heavy duty flatbed, so I need to find something similar to that. I already have a Pfaff 1425, but it is a programmable machine with all the bells and whistles. I need something that is just a simple machine without the needle positioner,thread trimmer and computer stuff, just something for my slow paced stitching jobs. I am thinking about just getting another 1425 without the automatic functions, but I would like to know if there is something better out there that will handle up to about 3/8". I really don't want to get rid of these two machines, but I think it will be good to consolidate systems. And besides, I need an arm machine with more capacity anyway, so the time to say goodbye is upon me. I would appreciate any advice on the models, because I am not that familiar with the options. Thanks.

After years of wondering what kind of work I could do with one, I added a band knife splitter into my shop a few months ago. Already, the quality of my work has increased greatly. I am extremely happy with the machine. It's a 16" Camoga. However, there is nobody within a few hundred miles of me that knows how to set one up properly, and I am left on my own to learn how to troubleshoot, operate and fix it. I know there are some people here who know their way around a splitter, so hopefully you can help me out. I am wondering if the problem I am experiencing is normal. I am having an issue with the leading edge of the leather not splitting well. I get a good, clean and even split on the entire piece, except the leading edge, it always comes out thicker. I am splitting mostly soft, thin leather and I use the guide bar not the top roller. I thought the blade was too far away from the feed, so I moved it in and the guy I got the machine from told me to move it back to where it was, so I did. He also said the right side of the blade should be a little closer than the left side so the blade works at a bit of an angle. Does that sound like a good setup for the type of leather I use? I'd really appreciate any help here, thanks!

------NO LONGER AVAILABLE------- I didn't get any bites after 2 weeks, so it's going back to weaver tomorrow.

Did you try Randall Machine? 401 Irvine St. Yoakum, TX 77995 Toll Free: 1.800.223.6018 http://randallmachine.com/

I have a bunch of left over dees, rings and buckles from weaver. I was going to return them, but I can only get credit now. So, I'd rather sell them at a discount than take credit. I'm putting the feelers out to see if there is interest, if not I'll just send them back. On most of the items, I got a large volume discount. I am pricing them at 20% less than my best wholesale price. These are a really good deal! I'd really prefer to sell these as complete lots, or all together. I'll consider breaking up the items for at least 50 or 100 pieces, drop me a line and I can let you know which ones come in bags of 50 and 100. 3/8" dee nickel plate #Z452 $0.025 (600 pieces) 1/2" dee nickel plate #Z452 $0.055 (600 pieces) 5/8" dee nickel plate #Z452 $0.055 (3,200 pcs) 3/4" dee nickel plate #Z452 $0.055 (3,800 pcs) 3/8" buckle solid brass with brass tongue #12 $0.20 (600 pcs) 5/8" buckle solid brass with brass tongue #12 $0.29 (600 pcs) 3/4" buckle solid brass with brass tongue #12 $0.30 (900 pcs) 1/2" ring solid brass #7 $0.09 (900 pcs) 5/8" ring solid brass #7 $0.14 (300 pcs)

I thought I would revive this thread and plug some software I just heard about. I use illustrator because I already had it with my business, but this caught my attention because it can do some things that illustrator can't even dream about. Not to mention it can do true 3D modeling. It is incredibly easy to use on a basic level and with some learning you can even render with it. With a little experience, one can accomplish the same art you can do with illustrator but in some cases in half the time or even less. Oh, did I forget to mention that it's free? Check it out.... http://sketchup.google.com/ Yes, it's a google program, that's why it's free! The one catch is, I think, the free version is very limited on export capabilities. I haven't really tried it yet, so I don't know exactly what it can and can't do. I think the pro version, something like $500, allows vector export so you can send your art to illustrator. Again, I'm not sure about this but check it out. Here is a really simple demonstration of how great this software is. Hopefully this can pull some of you out of the dinosaur age with your paper and pencils. Hahahaha, paper! And pencils! It just sounds so....barbaric!

Are you talking about something like a holster where you're stitches share the same begin and end point? If so, I don't do any backtacks on something like that. All I do is overlap some stitches on the end into the same holes where I started. For heavy leather, I just overlap about 4 stitches, for lighter work, about 6 stitches. On stitches that don't share the same begin and end point, I just start my tack going backward between 3-5 stitches (depending on the type of leather and how strong I need the stitch to be) and proceed stitching forward. I end it the same way, by just a few stitches backward. I always assumed this was the normal operating procedure, but I've never asked anyone else how they do it. One more thing... If I need the tack to be strong and it's more function than decorative, I like to do my tack stitches a little smaller than the stitch I'm using. I will push my reverse lever about 3/4 as far as it will go and that way I can fit a few more tack stitches in the same length than if I did full length stitches. I only do that when it's crucial for a strong tack, I usually like the tacks to be in the same holes because it looks a lot nicer. Does that sound like what y'all do?

He specifically asked for 9" though. Isn't the SR-2 6"?

Hey all, I have a High Post Puritan chain stitcher that I need to get rid of. I just don't have a place for it, and I don't use it. I was going to put it up on ebay for auction, but wanted to see if anyone here is interested first. So, if anyone is looking for one, let me know. I'll hold off on posting it to ebay for awhile.

I use these, but I think they raised the price since I bought last! http://www.allbrands.com/products/abp13324.html

For the amount of money those last 2 are going for, you could buy a real sewing machine. If you're serious about sewing leather, you can't cut corners. When I first got started I was told that an old singer was the way to go. So, I went to the pawn shop and found a cute little singer for about $50. Well, that one didn't last but a week or so until I had to take it in to the repair guy. He explained that what I had, a belt driven sewing machine, wasn't strong enough for sewing leather. He said I needed a gear driven machine. And just by chance, he had one of those! He wanted my machine and $100 to swap. He said I would be amazed at the difference, and I was. But it was only a couple weeks later that I went to buy a real commercial sewing machine. These machines are great little machines, but they will not stand up to the heavy duty use that they claim. No way, not at all. I can promise you those machines will not do your job happily. I recommend you look at craigslist for a commercial sewing machine. Just get a lockstitch machine, and don't worry about all the fancy stitches those things can do. The majority of that stuff you will not use anyway. For 4oz tooling + chap you could do without a walking foot, for awhile. For 8 oz plus chap, you should really get a walking foot. I happen to have a non walking foot machine that I use for onlay and applique work that has a rolling foot, servo motor and reducer. Just for the sake of testing, I ran a piece of 8-9 oz an 4-5 oz chap through it. It sewed just fine. this machine is a needle fed machine though, not just your standard drop feed. You might get by with a setup like this, but could probably find a walking foot for a hundred more if you're patient. Do not buy anything from ebay that is not a recognizable machine, these are usually chinese junk machines. I know too many people who have been burned buying these machines, don't be tempted. If you really want to buy the proper machine, people here can point you in the right direction.

Great, thanks for the info. I guess it's comparable to my walking foot machines in terms of the duty. That's pretty much exactly the performace I get as far as needle/thread/material. Thanks for answering all my questions, and mostly for talking me out of that machine!

Thanks Bree, I apprecite the advice. I sewed on the machine, and it worked great. The mechanic said the only issue was that the hand crank wheel wouldn't work because of the crack. But now that I think about it, I wouldn't buy a car with a similar problem. I guess that could lead to other issues later that I didn't think about. I am not familiar enough with this machine at all to know whether or not it would be okay. I was hoping for a trade off with the extra machines I have, but I will just try and sell the extra cylinder arms I have and save the cash to go buy what I need from a more reliable source. Thanks for talking me out of it. While on the subject, do you know what the minimum-maximum needle and thread sizes are for this machine? I think you already explained that 3/8" can be expected for maximum duty, but what is the lightest material weight you think would work on a patcher. That's something I'm really curious to know! Thanks so much!

Sorry I disappeared for awhile...I'm back! Ah yes, forgot to mention one thing. This particular machine was dropped by the previous owner and there is a small fracture in the frame. The mechanic says the gear is broken inside and it won't accept the hand crank wheel that goes on the front. I didn't know this at first, and am not sure I want that. Well, I gotta think about it now. Only reason I'm considering it is because I have a few extra machines laying around here and I'm gonna try and work out a trade for a cylinder arm i don't need. I'd rather have the patcher than another cylinder, because I have 3 cylinder arms. Is the hand wheel really that important if I have a servo motor which will go nice and slow? Other than that, the machine functions fine.....I think.

Only problem with that is that he has made this machine into a "portable" machine with the little motor mounted right on the machine itself. I'm not confident that this motor will show the machine's true colors, if ya know what I mean. I'll try it anyway, and see where to go from there. Just wanted to hear from someone that the 30-7 is a good machine before going for it. Sounds like a winner to me, so far. thanks!

Stitching sleeve patches with an Art 3000. HAHA LOL, wouldn't wanna do that! I have a nakajima cylinder arm with a 9 inch reducer and servo motor on it. It does anything I can throw at it. I know the patchers aren't heavy stitchers, but I was just wondering how heavy I could go with it. The guy who has the machine now has a dinky little motor on it that looks like it came from a toy. He says the way the machine is built allows it to sew very strong with this little motor. Normally I wouldn't beleive it, but I have a machine with a motor the size of my fist that will stitch through 5 layers of 5 oz veg leather all glued together with barge between each layer. It's like sewing through plywood. I know the patcher can't do that, but if it could do 3/8", that will more than work for me. But.....do I need to put a reducer and servo motor on their to get slow torque? What motor will work best with this thing? Sorry for the sloppy post, I'm in a hurry....gotta run! I guess I need to go take some of my pieces over to the guy and try out the machine to see if it will do what I want.

Thanks or the response. I was also told that it would be tough to find parts for this machine. Heard that from someone who wants to sell me a consew 29-bl. I trust these people, and he says this is a better machine just because of ease of finding parts. However, he wants $2000, a long way away form the probably negotiable $900 for the adler. 3/8 capacity should be able to accomodate most of my work, so that would be alright. any I'm assuming #69-#138 thread is what this would take, right?

Hey folks, I see a lot about adler 30-1, but nothing about a machine I found. It's an adler 30-7. The guy has converted it into a portable machine by mounting a motor onto it. That does not make me excited at all. He wants 900 for it. I wouldn't pay that much for it though. All my machines have servo and reducers on them. If I set this up the same way, can I do some hevy work on it? What's the difference between this and the other patchers everyone seems to talk about? I just don't see a lot of these machines in these parts, and aside from a heavy stitcher and band knife splitter, it's the only piece of equipment I don't have in my shop. Oh, and what size thread can I use on this machine? Any other input? EDIT: Oh my! I've lurked here for so long, I didn't realize it was my first post. So, thank you to the community here for all the info I've got as a lurker, and I'm glad to pop my cherry with post #1 !!!!!!!!!!!