Uwe

I just took a closer look at one of my Singer 111W151 machines. This machine was in storage and had been sewn to a 4 mm thick (10 oz) piece of veg tan leather before I got it. Bottom+needle feed are a step up from the usual straight stitch garment type machines that only use bottom feed. The hook and the underside of the machine look identical to my 111W155 machines with no apparent difference in strength of the parts in the mechanism. Slowing things down and increasing torque with smaller motor pulleys, larger hand wheel, a servo motor and/or speed reducer pulley should offer the same benefits as with other machines. The top presser foot does not move at all while stitching, it just glides on top of the material. The needle and the feed dog move the material. The feed dog on my machine has teeth, which may leave marks on the underside. The presser foot just needs to be polished well to slide easily and not leave marks. Whether or not it will do exactly what you have in mind, I don't know. I've not sewn with my 111W151 - it's needs a good CLA before I put her to work. But I have a feeling the Singer 111W151 is not a bad candidate for sewing dress belts.

Your machine may, at some point, have been set up for small operations using a special throat plate with a small opening and a very small feed dog like this: This particular gauge set allows a maximum stitch length of about 3mm. If you want to prevent the operator from accidentally dialing in a larger stitch length that would damage parts, it makes sense to install a special cover plate that limits the movement of the stitch length lever.

I doubt a regular dimmer switch will work. There are special motor speed controllers for motorized shop tools like routers and portable fans, etc. These *may* work to slow down a clutch motor, but you'll very likely also loose torque.

Both machines are capable of synchronized binder operations. The Cowboy CB-341(copy of Juki LS-341, same as Techsew 2750) is bit hard to find and I'm not sure if the necessary binding parts (swivel arm, feed dog, throat plate, etc.) are readily available for the 341 type machines. The two machines you're considering have very different cylinder arm designs, each with their own advantages. The thin cylinder arm of the Techsew 2800 great if you need to get into tight spots and can live with a few compromises. The thick cylinder arm design of the 341 allows for beefier parts, bigger bobbin, thicker thread handling, improved feed dog movement, etc. The video below shows binding operation on three different machine designs, two of which are the ones you're considering. The first machine is a Adler 205 - a very large and heavy duty machine. The second machine (1:30 mark) is an Adler 269 clone with thick arm design very much like the Cowboy 341 for medium/heavy duty. The third machine (starting at 2:45) is an Adler 69 that has the same arm design as the Techsew 2800( also Pfaff 335) for light to medium duty.

Also check for burrs and other rough edges (needle, feed dog, hook etc.) that might fray the thread, especially if you installed new presser feet or feed dog recently. A new needle is always a good idea when you have thread trouble, perhaps one size up. Make sure the thread slides easily through the eye of the needle. If you found the thread in a bargain bin, check for proper twist as shown in EVERY Singer user manual: Turn a few stitches over by hand and watch the thread up close. Often you can see where things go wrong when you do slow stitches. That thread check spring should move freely and rest on the edge of the adjusting blade. Perhaps the thumb screw is too tight or front of the check the spring is caught under it? This shouldn't fray the thread but it's good to fix it anyways.

Thanks for the detailed write up on this topic Dave! I've inspected the various reverse mechanisms on my machines on occasion. The RB1 and RB2 mechanism is similar to the one on the Durkopp Adler 204/205 machines (also Pfaff 145/545/1245). On the DA machines the (plastic) stitch regulator cover plate is not flat but has built-in steps that compensate for asymmetries in the design. One alternative to grinding down the high lobe on the non-adjustable RB designs is to build up (make higher) the low lobe, perhaps by attaching (glue/solder) a very thin metal strip/shim. This approach might reduce overall maximum stitch length but might be easier to reverse.

There are height adjustable sewing tables available that adjust in 5 seconds instead of 30 minutes, but most folks on this continent will not even consider a table that costs more than $200. Kessler is a German manufacturer that makes high-end height adjustable tables, some of them motorized. Prices likely run well over $1000 for the motorized versions, available from vendors like MJ Foley. I've been tempted to buy certain used machines (e.g this Durkopp Adler 1183i) simply because they are mounted in a motorised table - but I don't have one yet. You can get a very nice, versatile cylinder arm sewing machine with a good flatbed attachment in a motorized table that will serve a wide range of projects. But that fancy setup will likely cost the same if not more than two basic machines, one flatbed and one cylinder arm, each mounted in cheap, fixed-height tables. If you love a good IKEA hack, consider the nice, motorized IKEA BEKANT table ($529). If you have the room, get two separate machines. If you live in a fancy, microscopic New York City style apartment, go for the nice cylinder arm with a worthy flatbed attachment on a motorized table solution. Nearly all serious sewers end up with more than one machine, no matter how much they or their spouses initially protest.

I like the glossy look and I think it's quite accurate. The 1934 documentary "Birth of a sewing Machine" shows, among many other things, just how glossy these machines were around the 17:11 mark when the lady applies the decals. The japanned paint bath dip starts a little earlier at the 15:08 mark. I too am super curious to know the details of your paint process. I've been contemplating power-coating some parts in glossy black to see how it turns out.

I just came across this model number cross reference (snapshot from a Superior Sewing Machines PDF file) which supports a tight relationship between the Nakajima and Juki, as TinkerTailor said. The model numbers don't always line up 1:1, though.

My videos on the thread snapping topic (before and after, belt adjustment ) were related to vertical axis hook machines with a timing belt (the TacSew T1563 and Consew 225 in my case). Gear driven horizontal axis hook designs are different animals. Mixing and matching adjustment rules may have unintended results. I don't have an RB4 machine and I don't have an RB4 adjustment manual, so I can't really investigate. One quick check you can do is to make sure that the thread take-up lever is in its lowest position exactly when the thread wraps around the very bottom (far point) of the bobbin case, thus providing the most thread slack exactly when it's needed. I believe that's kind of a universal rule regardless of the machine's hook axis orientation. If that's the case and the thread still snaps around the bobbin case, something else is amiss (or a mess). If the thread take-up lever is NOT in the bottom-most position when the thread wraps around the far side of the bobbin, we need to figure out why and how to adjust it. A close-up video snippet would be great if you have the option.

In the Pfaff universe you want to look for standard bearers Pfaff 145, 545, or 1245 for doing leather and upholstery. Those are successive generations of highly regarded triple (unison) feed industrial sewing machine design that will go places where domestic machines (including domestic Pfaffs) fear to tread. Original Pfaff parts can be expensive, but many aftermarket parts are available for reasonable prices. Alternatively, you can occasionally find a nice vintage Pfaff 130 for cheap. The Pfaff 130 is a bottom-only feed (not quite industrial, but no plastic gears either) machine with zig-zag that will probably sew many garment leather tasks just fine. Some people mount them in industrial tables with big motors and the machines live to tell the tale.

If it's a Singer 337 like in the video below I don't think it'll be happy sewing two layers of 10oz. leather. It's a nice domestic garment sewing machine perhaps, but not a leather sewing machine.

Many manufacturers of sewing hooks use a mark to identify they made it. I recognize many of the marks but not all. I think it might be useful to have a little visual look-up reference to identify the manufacturer of a hook based on the mark. I hope people will add to this reference, ideally with an image of the company name and logo and an example or two of the actual mark on a hook. I'm starting this topic in part hoping to figure out which shuttle hook manufacturer uses this mark: I'll get the ball rolling by adding a couple hook manufacturers that I know of. Koban (Japan), also makes OEM hooks for Juki: Hirose (Japan) Cerliani (Italy) Juki (Japan):

Please start a new discussion topic for new questions, rather than piggy-backing them onto other (old) posts with a totally different topic. It helps keep discussions relevant, focussed and organized. Give it a title like "Serrated vs. smooth feed dogs on walking foot machines", in this case.

The whole binding business is a science in itself. There's a lot of experimenting and trial/error involved in finding a setup that works for you. Watching youtube videos is a quick and cheap way to educate yourself on the available options. Most folks who do a lot of binding operations, especially on bags and other three dimensional projects (as opposed to flat things like wallets and belts) end up with a dedicated cylinder arm machine with a binder setup that moves back and forth with the walking foot. Depending on material thickness and thread size requirements there are three general classes of suitable machines. There many original machines and aftermarket copies/clones in each class, I'm just naming a few popular suspects, order from heavy to light duty: 1. Durkopp Adler 205 for heavy duty projects 2. Durkopp Adler 269/Juki 341 class for medium to heavy duty projects 3. Pfaff 335/Durkopp Adler 69 class for light to medium duty projects This video happens to show all three classes listed above performing binding operations (the first demo on the Adler 205 uses a fixed tape folder, the rest use moving binders): Here's a video of a Durkopp Adler 205 class machine doing a binding operation with a moving binder. Some flatbed machines like the Pfaff 145/545 (unfortunately not available on a Juki 562/563 to my knowledge) can also be fitted with a moving synchronized binders that connect to the feed dog for synchronized movement as shown in this video:

The first Ebay item referenced above is a complete kit with tape folder, throat plate/feed dog, presser feet (Ebay listings tend to vanish over time - it's best to upload a screen shot here to keep the topic relevant for years to come) The additional special binding throat plate has a built-in step to compensate for different thickness of material vs. material+tape and allows positioning the tape folder a little lower to center the folded tape better with the material being sewn. The special "stubby" inner binding presser foot and left-toed outer foot allow for the tape folder to be positioned very close to the presser feet without touching and the feet match the throat plate to improve holding and feeding the material. You'll be able to do simple binding operations with just the tape folder and regular/standard throat plate and presser feet. It all depends on the materials and thicknesses you're trying to work with. If the simple folder-only solution is not satisfactory, try the complete matching set of binding parts.

I'm glad you got your Landis 16 going - sounds very nice, actually. I'm hoping mine will function just as well when I get done with it. Now you have to figure out how to make your camera/phone take video that's in focus and then upload it to Youtube in HD. The machine and all your work deserve a high quality show & tell.

Here's a ruffling foot demo video. Whether this approach will work on your type of leather, I'm not sure. But it's the closest thing I've seen so far. And here's a slightly more elaborate ruffling/pleating contraption made by Kwok Hing: http://www.kwokhing.com/ru/

I knew my ears were ringing for a reason. I posted my wired floor pedal mod/hack in the other, duplicate topic:

Some Efka motors have pedal options for standing workstations. If you don't have a grand or two to spend on a high-end Efka motor, you can buy a cheap three-part servo motor like a Consew CSM1000 for around $125 and hack/make your own wired floor pedal. I once built something like that for a table-top portable setup for a Durkopp Adler 69.

The machine looks a lot like a Durkopp Adler 67 type machine (Pfaff 145 also uses similar throat plates). That foot in the picture looks a lot like a plain top roller foot riding on a normal bottom feed dog. How they get the material to ruffle, I don't really know. You can't really see the material going into the machine in this picture, or whether it really gets ruffled in this step. If the leather is thin enough you can perhaps ruffle it by purposely unbalancing the thread tensions so that the bobbin thread always gets pulled all the way to the top. Then the taught top thread holds the stitch line back while the bottom feed pushes the leather backward, thereby ruffling it. But that concept only works with a single layer and with bottom-only feed, and it may only work in my head, not in real life. But I've seen a similar ruffle effect happening while sewing fabric on a bottom feed machine when my top thread accidentally got caught on something. Your leather ruffling sample looks much too thick for that approach and you're stitching the ruffled top part to a straight bottom layer to lock in the ruffle.

I think that diagram shows the exact same parts, just assembled and separately, from a slightly different angle. 91046 is the complete hook assembly, 91044 is the frame that is part of the 91046 assembly. The page from the 45K68/69/71 parts book shows hook assembly 91774, which consists of individual parts 91772, 91771, 91043, 91795

I had been wondering about the same thing some time ago. I have a dozen or so aftermarket 91774 open frame 45K shuttle hooks. I suppose there's bit of tight spot on the corner of a closed frame hook ( similar to my Adler 205 video.) There's probably a smoother ride for the thread to drag along the smooth edge of a closed frame hook as opposed to bouncing down a few steps on a open frame hook. The closed frame hook likely is more rigid and dimensionally stable, less likely to twist or bend. I'm wondering if open and closed frame versions are interchangeable in Singer 45K models. If anybody recognizes the manufacturer's mark on my aftermarket hooks (looks like an H inside a G) please let me know - I've not been able to find a reference.

Your thread should be somewhat taught after the first thread guide pin (use both holes in the first pin as Bob suggested.) When your thread take-up lever pulls more thread, it should not pull a whole bunch of thread from the spool and make it go slack/loose, thus allowing it to curl up like that. Experiment with wrapping the thread in a spiral fashion (rather than straight up-and-down) through the guide holes to see if it helps. As for teeth mark on the bottom, you're somewhat limited with your options, since your machine is a bottom-only feed machine. If the feed dog had no teeth, it would not be able to move the material reliably, causing uneven stitch length. There are special feed dogs with a sticky rubber coating available for some machines, but I doubt yours is one of them. You can try easing up on the top foot pressure until it is light enough to hopefully lessen the marks from the feed dog, but still strong enough to help feed the material evenly. Other sewing machine designs use needle feed and/or top feed in addition to bottom feed, allowing the machine to move the material reliably with fewer/lighter marks on the leather.

The Pfaff 145 H3 uses 134-35 needles (My Pfaff 545 H4 uses the System 190 needles), according to the Pfaff 145 manual. I bookmarked Constabulary's link to that needle vendor - nice comparison charts for the systems in question! The 135x16 or 135x17 system is only 0.8mm longer in needle's butt-to-eye distance compared to the 134-35 system. That tiny difference might be compensated for via needle bar adjustment without any trouble, as Constabulary suggested.