dikman

Good idea, don't rush into it. Nothing wrong with hand stitching (other than the time it takes to do a belt!!). There is a lot to learn about industrial machines so keep reading. As Uwe said, buying a new machine (while the initial cost is higher) means you have a machine that will work with minimal issues. Buying used means you will probably either have to pay to have it checked/serviced or learn how to fix it yourself (assuming you haven't bought a complete lemon). That Juki, by the way, should be more than adequate to sew belts. So have patience, keep reading and don't be afraid to ask questions.

" de-criticalizes "??

I just bought a Seiko, it looks the same as the one Sark posted. Based on my experience it's definitely the preferred choice. Mine easily handles up to 138 thread and will go through whatever I can fit under the foot. A beautiful machine. Plus that one on CL comes with a servo, which is even better! I drove for an hour across town for mine and it was worth it. Consew is the brand name that Seiko use for the American market, so essentially the same machine.

You mentioned silicone spray, personally I wouldn't use it as the last thing you want is silicone contaminating your leather.

My Irish isn't too good, is that price 10 Euros for the set? If so that's about AUS$14!!!!!

At the risk of boring people, I have to make one more statement - I love this machine!! I have some M20/138 bonded braided polyester thread and none of my machines like it, they inevitably catch the braiding at some point during stitching and usually after a very few stitches. I gave up trying to get the adjustments right. So, out of curiosity I decided to try it in the Seiko. Perfect first time, no tweaking necessary. Don't know why it won't work on the others but does on this one, but I don't really care. I'm very impressed.

Yetibelle, that's not a bad solution, as it's easier working on these things from up top rather than clambering around underneath! Just make sure that it doesn't interfere with tilting the head back. On of mine is mounted underneath but in order to tilt the head back I have to slacken the speed reducer first (no big deal but it is annoying).

The knob generally sets the max speed and the foot control will then operate within that range (0 to whatever). Make sure you fit the smallest pulley you can to the motor (I've got 45 mm / 1 3/4") as it all helps.

Sorry mate, I just realised that your machine is probably similar to my 211G166 and in order to fit a replacement pulley on the head unit a sleeve will have to be fitted around the shaft and fit inside the body of the machine which Is why I haven't done it to my 211 (yet). On most machines there is a bushing/bearing fitted inside the pulley end of the main body and the shaft fits through it. The 211 is different and the pulley (handwheel) is machined to fit over the shaft and extends inside the main body. If you try replacing the pulley then the main shaft can oscillate unless it has this sleeve fitted. Use the 8" in place of the 5", you should have the room there and it will still make a difference.

Thanks guys. I think the lower oil tank is leaking, probably just needs new gasket material. I'm also thinking of fitting a handle/knob to the large pulley as this would make it easier to handcrank it.

Almost done, just have to sort out the knee lifter. The tabletop came with it so I re-used it but fitted it to stronger legs (the kneelifter positioning is different to the Singers so it was easier to use the original table rather than drop it onto a Singer table).The motor has a 1 3/4" pulley so fitting an 8" on the head unit gives me a 1:4.4 reduction, and coupled with the servo I can crawl it nicely with lots of torque. I just need to replace the belt with a smaller cross-section one, as while this one works I think it's a bit too stiff. (Since I started this sewing machine thing I've accumulated quite a selection of belts but I never seem to have the size I need ).

Doh, thanks Uwe, you're quite right, of course. Don't know how I missed that (and I even had my glasses on!). I saw the red bit and thought it was an LCD display. That reduces its value straight away .

Nice job! Now, replace that 5" pulley with an 8" and fit a larger pulley on the head unit (replace the handwheel) and I reckon you might not need a servo. It will also have gobs of torque.

Hooked it up to a motor and tried a run down an old belt with #138 thread - beautiful, didn't miss a beat. Two pieces of scrap veg, just over 1/4" thick, and it treated it like a very thin piece, perfect stitches. I've got no doubt this thing will sew whatever I can fit under the feet. And I reckon it might handle #207, just a pity I haven't got any to try. Me happy , me like . Now I think I know why folks like their Seikos/Consews so much.

Holsters are arguably one of the toughest things to sew, due to thickness, so a slow speed with good torque is needed. I'm puzzled why you can't adjust the speed any slower (my servos can be set to almost a crawl just by themselves). Fit the smallest pulley you can to the motor, generally 2", and a speed reducer will definitely help as it will give more torque at low speed. The big machines have a small pulley on the motor and a (very) large pulley on the head unit. I did this on my Pfaff (fitted an 8" on the head) and it gives excellent slow speed control + torque. Some of the big machines will also have a speed reducer fitted as this combination gives an incredible amount of grunt to let them punch through very thick leather. By all means fit the speed reducer, as it won't do any harm, but you really have to get that servo running slower too.

I'm not familiar with pricing over there, but I'd guess it's at the upper end for a machine like this? Looks pretty good, though, no paint missing from the bed, still has the needle protection bar fitted (I've yet to see a used machine that still has it!) and has a servo, with remote adjuster at the front of the table. I'd guess that having a servo would bump the price up a bit. As it's a company selling it it's probably not going to be a bargain buy, but it still might be a good buy.

Polished huh, who'd a thought. You did a good job on it! Yeah, I think we all kick ourselves at some time over the one that got away. I know I have, that's why the last one I just bought I didn't waste any time, hadn't been up long and once I'd confirmed it was a walking foot I grabbed it. A 1 hour drive across town (before it got too hot, but I still sweated dismantling it) but it was worth it.

I'm not surprised that Kwok Hing didn't understand you as they don't deal in belts. I've bought them from auto parts stores, but the last one I needed was a bit narrower than they stocked and I eventually found some at a bearing (as in ball bearings etc) supply place. As for a sander, you could look at the belt sanders used in woodworking. Some of these have 4" wide belts, a disc on the side for a circular sanding disc and are not that expensive (or too big!). For sanding leather you don't need anything heavy duty. I also use a small sanding drum in a Dremel-type tool for getting into tight corners or just touching something up.

Floyd, that's a pretty snappy photo you posted, looks a bit like it was sprayed with chrome paint. Very smooth!

Looking good so far. Fixed the latch opener, needle bar needed re-adjusting (the needle that was fitted was shorter than the specified needle), both feet needed re-adjusting, the thread friction discs are grooved (not surprising) so I reversed them front-to-back which moved the grooves away from the thread path, and the "biggest" problem, the screw that holds the needle in had one side of the screwdriver slot missing! I couldn't find anything among my supply of screws that matched the thread size (I've got no idea what it is) so as a last resort I silver soldered the busted screw to the head of a larger screw. Not pretty, but it works. It came with welting feet fitted, but fortunately I seem to be accumulating a collection of assorted spare feet so fitted a standard set. Loaded up some #69 thread and handcranked on some scrap leather with no problems. Next thing was to load up some #138 thread, again it didn't miss a beat, basically whatever I could fit under the feet it sewed. Next thing is to hook it up to a motor and see if it will sew a long run.

Logically (!) one would assume that they would be metric, but I too have struggled with screw thread sizes on my various machines. I'm sure that some use a proprietary thing that they make up themselves!!! If all else fails, can you drill and tap the plate for something that you have?

Looks pretty neat, but probably just a re-design of an existing model in order to make it look like something super-dooper. Bear in mind that the problem with an all-in-one unit like that, particularly with push buttons to change settings, is that to actually change anything you have to get down on your knees underneath the unit to get to it! If it has a knob and is underneath at least it will be easier to adjust.

Gregg, are you saying that mine's probably a 3? I've downloaded the manual (from your site ) for the 3 and everything looks the same. The bottom oil tank (that feeds the hook) was empty and all the oil wicks/felt pads were dry so I oiled everything that moved (!) and left it overnight. The woman said that there was a bit of a problem with lower thread tension, but I noticed when dismantling it that a lever/arm next to the hook was poking out at an angle and didn't seem to be doing anything. This, as I found out, is the latch opener, and definitely needs adjustment!! I also suspect that the two feet need re-adjusting, all minor things. Hopefully today I can spend time going over the adjustments. I'm also considering fitting a larger pulley to the head, in place of the handwheel. I did this to my Pfaff and it makes a huge difference to the low speed control and torque, and is much easier than messing around with speed reducers.

After looking at lots of google images of Seikos, I could only find two of an STH-8BLD, but both had the black stitch adjustment dial like mine, whereas the 8BLD-3 all have a light coloured dial. So I figure mine's an 8BLD. Next question is what's the difference between the D and the D-3? I haven't been able to find a manual for the 8BLD yet.

Thanks for the prices, Darren - I think . Because this is only a hobby for me (and I sell very little, only to fellow shooting club members who ask me to make something for them) I can't even consider one at those prices- unfortunately. It just means I have to handstitch the really thick stuff. Whiz, if you lived closer () we could possibly do a deal on my Singer postbed machine. Ok, a few photos of my latest acquisition. It appears to be in pretty good condition, just needs a bit of fluff cleaned out and oiling. It's a large bobbin (yay) and I got 5 spares with it, a bunch of needles (probably cloth) and some oddments of thread (#69). I also bought some nice imported Irish Tweed from her as I'm thinking it might make a couple of nice rifle bags. So, a question for all you knowledgeable types - how do I figure out what model it is? I can't find any model number, the only thing on it is a serial number - TH 9908501.