dikman

Given that photos don't always show things as they really are (light/shadows/colour etc) that looks pretty good to me!

Videos - Uwe has posted some very good videos on here about adjusting machines, youtube is the only other place I've come across where there are videos relating to sewing machines. As for books, I've never seen any and, as Tom mentioned I've used various manufacturer's manuals, coupled with what I've found on this site to repair/maintain my machines. Industrial sewing machines are an extremely specialised subject and because they're usually associated with factory production any maintenance/repair would either be done inhouse or carried out by specialist businesses. I doubt if there's ever been a lot of call for general repair books on the subject, in part because of the wide variation in design between the manufacturers.(I could be wrong, of course, but I've yet to see any).

550w (= 3/4 hp) would work fine on your machine, 750w (=1 hp) would obviously give a bit more available power but unless the price was good I wouldn't worry about it. Most servos appear to come with 75mm (3") pulleys as standard, you should fit the smallest you can get, in my case the supplier (in China) sent 45mm. You're in the States, so I would suggest you take Wiz's advice and get a Family Sew as he has been happy with them (plus I reckon the price is good). You can buy cheaper from China (which is pretty well where they all come from anyway) but buying "locally" should give you peace-of-mind in the unlikely event you have any problems with it. As has been said, just start with the servo and smaller pulley first.Keep it simple.

As far as that first post goes, you're quite right Bob, BUT (there's always a but) he then says he wants to use 1mm thread. That's when the discussion turned to heavy machines. There are two incompatible elements to his requirements - a (cheap) machine and using heavy thread, which I think has been clarified here. My (medium-weight) machines can do pretty well anything I need except holsters. I've found that using #138 on belts doesn't look too bad, but the holsters have to be hand stitched, which is tedious but strangely satisfying (only problem is I feel that I can't really charge for all the time it actually takes!). My Seiko, btw, only cost me $150 (Aus) . I just needed to add a servo. It's great with #138. But a 3200 would be nice.....

If you've never used an industrial sewing machine with a clutch motor it can be a fairly scary experience - they are fast! For sewing leather you really need a slow speed, in part to give you more control and to give you confidence when starting out. It is certainly possible to sew leather with a clutch motor but it needs a light touch and can take a while to learn. A servo motor will be money well spent as it will give you smooth, slow speed control and make the machine much more pleasant to use. Some also find adding a speed reducer and smaller motor pulley as well as the servo helps, but you can start with a servo first and see if that's enough by itself. Me, I have 3 servos, all have smaller motor pulleys, two have speed reducers, one of those also has a slightly larger pulley replacing the handwheel and the third just has a large pulley replacing the handwheel (which has the same effect as a speed reducer).

1mm?? That's the stuff I use for hand stitching and there's no way any of my machines could handle that! You'll be looking at a pretty heavy machine to use that, and then you'll probably have trouble trying to sew such thin leather with it. Constabulary, that needle is, umm, huge! (Compared to what I've been working with). It looks bigger than my hand stitching needles!!

My guess, assuming nothing's loose, is a belt problem (maybe too loose?). I had a similar issue once and all I had to do was tighten the belt.

A nice machine, particularly if the price is right (and it's working, of course) but holsters? Afraid not, it won't take heavy enough thread, large enough needles or have the grunt to go through the leather (plus ideally you want a cylinder arm for holsters). Should be ok for belts, depending on the thickness, but it will be limited to #138 thread which is probably a lot thinner than you're using for hand stitching.

Ah, I just assumed you meant an industrial machine but I missed the fact that when you said "vintage" you could have been referring to domestic machines, as Wiz has picked up on. Don't even think about a domestic machine as no matter how good it is you will have problems sewing leather.

Look up the top at the last sticky (by Wiz). It should give you a bit of an insight into the subject. Basically, you're looking at a walking foot machine, either flat bed or cylinder arm (less common used) and ideally with a servo motor - if you're new to industrial machines a clutch motor is likely to scare the socks off you the first time you use it! You don't need a heavy duty machine, something like a Singer 111/211 class, Consew 206, Seiko SDH series, Pfaff 335 (or it's flatbed equivalent, can't remember the no.) etc. There are, of course, many more models than these. I'm assuming you want to use #69 or #138 thread, which is the heaviest these machines can use. There have been many posts asking the same basic question, it might help you to understand a bit more if you look these up here. If you find a used one then you need to understand a bit about them to know what to look for, best thing is to ask here if you do find something. Unfortunately, industrial sewing machines are a complex subject. Oh, one word of advice if you go looking online - if you see an ad for "industrial quality", "semi-industrial" etc be cautious as there are sellers who use these terms to try and sell old Singers (in particular) that are nothing more than domestic machines. It's either an industrial sewing machine or it isn't, no ifs, buts or maybes.

Thanks 3DReefer but Fusion looks like it's an online/cloudbased proggie? If so I'm not interested as I want something that's stand-alone. I consider my NBN connection too unreliable (after nearly 12 moths they're still trying to find out why I get dropouts!!).

In the manual, at the end where it obviously refers to issues it mentions a "Kha-Zha noise". Made me wonder just what the fault is that causes that....

Check Uwe's posts on here, he makes some nice add-on tables.

I fitted a smaller pulley on my three servos, it's something that is often recommended on here. It will certainly help, but you may still need a pulley reducer setup if you want to sew real slow (or fit a larger pulley in place of the handwheel).

I experimented a bit with BLO but didn't really like it. I had to re-finish the stock on one of my muzzleloaders as the previous owner had varnished it (yuk!). I stripped it back and then used a tung oil-based burnishing oil. This stuff is thin and you have to apply several coats, hand rubbing in between like garypl said. It dries fairly quickly, though, and you can get a finish like glass!

A question for you more experienced folks out there - what is a good free design programme to start with? I really need to start learning how to design things but am reluctant to spend anything until I know I can do it!

If you look at the G40 in Constab's second link you'll see a long threaded bolt down the front that is used to adjust the belt tension. It simply raises or lowers the motor around the pivot on the mounting. Pretty much the same for all servos.

Hi Michaela and welcome to the forum. Others with far greater knowledge than me will chime in, but based on what you've written the 3200 sounds like a good bet. You're right in that while the Cobra Class 4/Cowboy 3500 will certainly handle the heavy stuff you will probably have trouble using them on lighter material. Some on here can do it, but I believe it needs a bit of fiddling around to do so.

Bailey, stick to the advice available on this forum and you're not likely to go wrong. There is a lot to learn about Industrial sewing machines and this is the place to learn. Keep looking, something will eventually turn up (a nice cylinder arm walking foot with a servo motor is always a good start ).

The motor is a "capacitor start" type, hence the capacitor (silver tube) which is used to give a phase shift to get the motor started. It's possible that the capacitor has dried out a bit (happens as they age) and may affect the starting of the motor. Modern motors usually have the cap. built in, not mounted outside. I agree with replacing the motor, as it's obviously pretty old and may start giving other problems. A servo is really the best mod you can do to a walking foot machine.

They do a very good job of NOT showing anything that can identify just what it actually is! It's what I would call a con job!

Making stamps is an interesting thought. There are different types of filament available including one with carbon fibre in it, which should be pretty tough. I made an inertial bullet puller using the "standard" PLA filament and am surprised at how much abuse the PLA can take, although for a stamp it probably won't be smooth enough (although the surface can be sanded a bit). I really need to learn how to design things....

I built my own and knowing absolutely nothing about them before it was quite an experience!! The good thing about building one is you learn a lot about how they work and get a better understanding of how to keep it working. Coming to grips with the software was a bit overwhelming at first (and I'm not talking 3D creating software, I haven't got that far yet!) but eventually I got there. I just printed an indexing wheel for my lathe and only took 10 hours to print!!!!! I'm impressed that Uwe got straight into 3D designing.

Should still work, my Pfaff did, best thing is to try it. At least with Singers feet are readily available.

Mizzy, that is a binding attachment. A tape (usually cloth) is fed in from the right and the u-shaped thingy causes it to fold over on the edge of the material and it's then stitched provide a neat finish along the edge. On my Pfaff it's a bolt-on attachment, I'm guessing that with the Singer you'd normally replace the entire piece including the part it was welded to. Someone with more knowledge of these will probably clarify this. If you're going to run it without the binder then you'll probably need to replace the feet and the feed dog assembly (I did on the Pfaff).