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I will give my experience. 50 years of leather and sewing. Less than 10 years of making shoe and boots (hobby) . My choice for insole is veg belly. I find this conforms to the feet very well. I sew the insole thru the upper and into the midsole. The midsole is than sewed to outsole in the traditional manner. I use this method so I can use the belly for the insole. I find cutting the insole to prep for welting compromises the leather. The replacement of the outsole can be done in the traditional way. See George Koleff you will have to go to the Tim Skyrme YouTube site to access his videos. thehcc.org is maybe a good choice for your needs. The listing on this forum for shoes and boots is well worth reading.

Welcome to the battle. I have one machine (out of 5 that does it) In this case the needle assembly has a little play and I have adjusted the needle down a few .000. The needle plate arm (the point where the stitch is formed) has to be smooth.. There are forums on facebook and Youtube.

Hello This boot upper was sewn on Singer 44 20 with a Teflon foot. The insole to mid sole was sewn with a saddle stitch and mid sole to the out sole doing a lock stitch with a jerk needle. Handstitching on the outsole takes about two hours (tv time). The lining was butt stitched together using a 20u zig zag, you can also do the same with a shoe patcher. The cheapest way to go would be 31 or 44 singer. Any old singer with a front mounted stitch regulator can be locked at the beginning and end by simply moving to zero and making 4 or 5 stitches. My embroidery machines does this automatically between jumps. The cheap way chinese shoe patcher ( beginners frequently forget something on a upper and have to resort to a patcher). If you can find a Singer 29K newer version that will work) The use of a teflon pad on a shoe patcher rely helps.

Hi I have moved machines 100's of times .I set up at MC shows selling and installing patches and selling our leather products. The table goes in upside down ( we screwed thru the table to the floor.) The head goes into a purpose built box with rigid foam insulation. I've seen fellow vendors arrive with the legs thru the floor and heads with broken take-ups.and bent flywheels, especially shoe-patchers. You can't be too careful. tx Lynn

My suggestion. Turn till needle is at bottom, raise . .100" or 1/10 of inch needle should intersect 1/32 above eye. If this is okay and is stitching then fine tune up or down in fine increments. In the early 70s I did the same and had to put on a bus for a 600 mile trip, after that I learned fast. If this doesn't work go to YouTube and view Uwe Grosse Consew 225 timing video tx Lynn

This is only my opinion after many years of experience working in the sewing trades. A singer 111w155 would be the cheap used choice, with a long stitch and 1/2" clearance I bought one for $10 at a auction and put in a belt and it worked. But remember if it's used there is a reason. My choice for new would be the Consew 206rb or it's relatives. You get a high lift, long stitch, horizontal hook , large bobbin, safety clutch, reverse and good parts availability and no belts to be replaced. However I have seen new machines with tight clearances which may require clearance around hook . My sister in law and I bought new ones in 1976 and she didn't oil it for 20 years, yes it was noisy but still sewed good. I still have 2 Consew 206rb the Seiko version however my personal choice is a Nakajima 280L more lift and will sew 207 thread all day.

If it came from humid states and has been sitting it is probably all clogged up. My machine had been sitting outside in Florida for three years and was a mess. Download the manual listed on this post. Lube the bearing on the flywheel hub and back off the big nut a few clicks. Oil clutch, just squirt the brake band. I think the brake may be a little snug from grim are debris. Follow instructions for lubing the motor. The flywheel should spin very easily. There is also some posts on facebook clicker die swap and sell.

I have had 29-4's and latter versions and a Adler 30-1. The Adler is very close to the 29-4 with the addition of a eccentric adjustment in the base for hook timing. The sweet spot is 69 or 92 thread. If the shuttle, hook and carrier have a lot of wear it may take 138. You can buy 138 from Lu Thread and Bantam Saddle and Tack in small spools at good prices. The only shoe patcher that will sew long stitches 1/4" is Claes ($5m) and Chinese shoe patcher ($120) Both have almost 1/2 lift. A 1mm pc. of Teflon glued to the foot will work wonders to stitching quality. Good Luck Lynn

Hi I have had one issue like this on the 206. The hook assembly would sometimes jam even on 92. Suggest try 69 thread. If it works that's your problem. Suggest you ask one of our dealer about new assembly. I have had some luck running valve grinding compound to polish assembly. Good luck Lynn

Regarding rattle. These machines of this type singer 3115, 44s and others have conical type bushings (bearings) on rotating and oscillating mechanisms. By loosing the nut you can tighten the bushing this will reduce clearance. Also oscillating parts like feed dog shaft can be also adjusted. Also in many cases the stitch length can be lengthened by grinding the stitch length slot. (make sure you center feed dog first) Did you know you can lock starting and ending stitches by simply moving lever to 0 or close to 0. My commercial embroidery machines do this between trims and color changes. I program at 6 stitches. As to tension my embroidery machines run bobbin tension at about 25% of top tension. These are really lock stitch machines with fancy electrons xyz axis. Looks like you are on your way to a good machine. tx Lynn

I just finished a 44-20 very similar a crank oscillating shuttle machine. My problem was shuttle carrier driver and side play in the shaft. This made stitching irregular. The cure was bushing the shaft to eliminate free play. The driver had a set screw and was also pinned and hook had to be re timed. The pin was out slightly to the shaft. Time by rotating needle to bottom and then raising 1/10" should just be meeting hook. Hook should then meet needle sightly above eye. Depending on material slight adjustment my be required. Harry Rogers on YouTube has a good article on 331k. Describes problems with substandard hooks and shuttles. I've seen these machines rattle like crazy and still make a good stitch. (there is a fix for that) good luck Lynn

I'll try to help. I have had these machines continually since 1974 and have done my own service. Do the following remove throat plate (needle plate 2 screws). With the needle bar at dead bottom, move up .17" take a picture of hook under throat plate this will give me a idea of timing. Also need picture of threading. tx Lynn

I regret not helping you more, but my model c is still in front of the box truck which I moved to Colorado. I have had the clicker for so many years that I operate by muscle memory. I can tell you that double clicking is a result of heat built up between clutch surface and flywheel. Properly adjusted I was able to do about 750 clicks before double clicking. This was on small steel rule dies. A fan on the flywheel helped on warm days. The range on the adjust wheel on the top was only about 4" from stuck to not cutting. Your machine looked like mine which had set outside in Fl. for 3 years. You may want to invest in a Helmold steel rule bender and some 2 or 3 point .937 die stock. The proper way to release a stuck die is backing up the small flywheel at the top. I however use a 4' pipe wrench which came with machine. There is a video on the Red Wing site a 1953 film. good luck lynn

I would check proper needle position, may be to far down. Loosen gib screws on hook and see if rotation changes. Check belt for obstruction. Remove throat plate to see if hook rotates normally. If non of these help pull belt off bottom sprocket and rotate upper and lower shafts to find blockage. Next next next If you are not experienced go no farther and re post for help if you have found blockage. tx Lynn

I think you have a singer 111w155 There are variants. This version has a high lift 1/2" and a 1/4" stitch. Things you need to check, condition of belt (look under cover plate in front of the fly wheel) No hinge pins so you can't tip it up. The hook should be sharp with a good point. A belt is around $20 A generic hook around $20 A thread tension assembly about $15. A new real wood top with a laminate surface around $125 Profession labor around $250 The machine has no reverse, most factory operators know how to back tack (lift the foot with the knee slightly, slide the material back a few stitches and sewn forward, do this simultaneously while sewing, lifting material and pushing material back and forth) A skill I never acquired. I consider this machine as good as any of his competition and with good parts availability. Uwe Grosse has great videos on YouTube

We use .5mil vinyl to heaseal the back of our patches, this seals the threads and adds body to the patch. I also do this on bonding leather together for wallets and purses. This can be tricky because the heat transfer through the leather can be variable based on thickness. Base line for patches is 350 degrees for 30 seconds For leather it can be 60 seconds or more. There are variables. However using top grain chrome leather in most cases will work. ( Euro leather can be a problem because it has some veg properties because of regulations) One neat property is the ability to mold while hot. The best method is having thinner leather close to the heats source. The leather is protected on each side while bonding with parchment paper. tx Lynn

Your close, make sure the hook guard is not pushing the needle away from hook. You can bend the guard. Make sure the feed dog needle hole is polished, Mitchell # 52 cord can be your machines best friend. Is the belt tight, worn sprockets can affect timing (has to be really sloppy to be a issue) Try this formula for hook timing radius (hook to bobbin case center) x2 x .10x .90 = height of needle bar from bottom position. The hook should be passing the needle scarf at that point. Then adjust needle bar so hook is in the scarf slightly above the needle. Make sure bobbin case allows proper thread path with no restriction. Your at the point you are very close.

Coey tanning in Wartrace Tenn. is a good source.

I've had a version of that machine for 30 years starting with a Thompson mini walker (stolen) today I have a Camper's Tent Maker (with auto lube). Most of my use has been sewing backing to twill for making embroidered patch. Great for keeping two layers even. I also use it in my tiny shop in the house for wallets and tote bags. My studio is 100 feet away at 8000 feet (cold) where I have my big machines. I've put a round pc. of 1/2" lead inside the rim on the wheel to slow starting (more momentum) Also replaced drive sprocket on motor with 10 tooth (from 11). I think it will work on your application singerman 12 has a excellent presentation on his Ebay site (industrial sewing machines portable walking foot) If your sewing veg Sailrite has (delicate feet).

On your kneelift picture I usually grind the top portion to a gradual cirve

Hello I have a offer of $500 to $1000. Would need to be boxed and shipped to Colorado. I would pay freight. tx Lynn

I tried to download a video but it was giving me chest pains so I did a picture. I will cover a few issues. I believe most patchers load (pierce) at the same point regardless of stitch length. Therefore once you adjust the piercing point to match the needle your good to go. If you will notice the pierce is is along side the needle hole. that can be adjusted by moving the foot side to side slightly or rotating the screw slightly. I usually use a set screw vs the shown screw. The screw shown can interfere with the needle bar in some rotational places. The teflon on the throat plate is simply rough sanded cleaned with acetate and glued on. I use Seal All contact cement good stuff. This goes back 25 years ago when we had a fad going at mc shows with unlined mc vests and I was having feeding problems doing pockets, that 29-4 still has that teflon on the plate. Early Machines 29-4 and 30-1 feet may need to raised a little by grinding the foot.. Later model Adler or Singer will work well with this mod, as will the chinese varieties. The ultimate would be a Claes Model 30 (1/4 stitch length 1/2 lift) The handcrank chinese shoe patches is the easiest to modify because of high lift and long stitch capabilities. The ultimate conversion would be a tiny tool steel tube around the needle allowing good vision with a open foot.

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Made short file with foot stitching on 5mm leather with teflon on needle plate leaving no marking on leather. tx Lynn foot.wlmp

You guys just about covered it all again and again good for you and your patience. I've only had one low mileage model a singer 72. this one was in the shop. My road machine was a 30-1 set up with a xl belt reduction drive running a 1.5 amp motor. This setup came out of a sturdy box and was set on the lid and was ready to go. Here are my modifications mig the bell crank, made a special needle plate out of a thin pc, of metal and glued a 2mm pc teflon on it. I also took a foot and welded a nut on the end and ground the screw to a point so I could grab the material. the point matched the needle penetration therefore it didn't mark the leather. I have heavily polished the hook and shuttle to gain a little more clearance. These are a nice addition to the fleet but it is certainly not going to be your primary machine.