CowboyBob

just posted earlier today http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=43014

No way will either one of these machines that were made to sew shirts,dresses @ high speed & other lightweight stuff will sew holsters with the size of thread you need to use. Bob

If you do not have enough foot pressure to hold the leather down it causes the leather to lift as the needle pulls out this will cause skip stitches.When you keep the leather down as the needle pulls out this allows the needle to make a loop large enough for the hook to catch it. How thick are you trying to sew right now? Bob

I'd say it's worth $500.00,it will sew close to 3/8",the knob your talking must be for the stitch length. Bob

Tachgirl, We have a chart here:http://www.tolindsewmach.com/thread-chart.html Bob

The rotary machines won't sew as heavy as a oscillating shuttle machine.You MIGHT beable to use #69 thread if you tighten up the tension alot.Parts will be almost impossible to find for this too since it's so old. HTH Bob

Yes,it's a good machine that has a bobbin slightly smaller than a 563 & takes the same feet & needles too.Wiz has one he modded & sews to 3/8" with. HTH Bob

They all are good machines BUT I wouldn't even think of buying the 211 alot of parts & some screws have been discontinued on it & they are special to this machine.The stitch length is the same adjustment as the 111w which even though it's an older machine ALL the parts are still available & since it has a larger handwheel it will sew slower,parts are very low priced for it. The Pfaff is probably the best & the 545H4 is the one with the higher lift,the 545H3 has a foot lift real close to the 111w, 1/2",there is quite a few common aftermarket replacement parts for the Pfaff on the market. HTH Bob

I'm glad it was easy. Bob

Well there'sw the zipper feet were either the left or right toe is off,we also have edge guide feet that have a builtin edge guide that will let you sew 1/8",3/16" or 1/4" from the edge.Then there is the cording or piping feet that come in sizes 1/8-3/4" HTH Bob

No all DBx1's are the same length.Maybe you need to lower your needlebar alittle,try just holding the needle down alittle a couple of mm & see if it works.

Tighten your foot pressure alittle.Needle length won't affect this lifting of the material,it do to #1not enough foot pressure #2 trying to sew to thick or hard of material. Leather needle might help alittle.

Do to the rotary hook design in the Consew 230 it won't sew the heaver threads & thickness as the 31-15 will. The 31's are a great workhorse of a machine no matter how old it is you can still buy parts for them. The Consews rotay hook makes it a higher speed machine like 4000 stitches per min great for sewing thin stuff like shirts,drapes & etc. Bob

They usually have 3-sets of gears in them,the stitch length is controlled by a knob under the left end of the machine,you it has 3 detents on it that stops on each different stitch length,you pull the knob it out or push it in to change the stitch length. Bob

You might be trying to use to large of thread,this machine is limited to the largest size of #92 or smaller like #69 or #46 HTH Bob

I can get gears f/12 pr in.It can use #138 & sew close to 20oz Bob

Kevin, It's a tossup.The Adler of course is made in Germany very good quality but parts are very costly & any attachments you need will almost usually have to be handmade,the 618 is a very common machine,feet & parts are much lower cost & there's more of a selection. We do stock some knockoff Adler feet but they still cost almost 2x as much as the more common 618 feet. You might want to try sewing on both & see which one you like better. HTH Bob

Jeremy There stitch length is controlled by gears,usually real short like something like 14,16,18,22,24 pr in. They were made for shoe uppers. Bob

Doug, It's a light duty tailor type of machine.Some parts might be hard to get. It's best to stay away from a Mercury unless it's cheap enough that you can use the table. I found the old dealers price from 1995 HTH Bob

For 207 use #23 Here's a chart: http://www.tolindsewmach.com/thread-chart.html So how do you like the bigger machine? Bob

Have you oiled everything on it?Don't forget to open the side cover on the left & oil all the pivot points. Now this type of machine has a walking foot & they push each other up & what happens is there will be more resistance when the back (or outside foot lifts) because there's some foot pressure on it.Lift the foot up & spin it over by hand & let me know how it works. Bob

Congrats on the good buy.It sounds like all you need to do is loosen the center foot screw & turn it alittle.Your correct about the foot pressure screw if you look in the back you'll see the leaf spring that your adjusting & how when you turn it down you get more pressure,don't use the little black screw on top.On the clutch motor,they have a cork pad in them & sometimes the face of the flywheel in there gets rust on it so it grabs,there's 3-screws you can takeoff & take the clutch unit of & put a tablespoon size of grease or vaseling on it to make it slip better. Leather point needles are 135x16 you can look here: http://www.tolindsewmach.com/thread-chart.html to match your size thread with the correct size needle.You should be able to find them. You can go to Consews webiste & copy off the manual look in the resources part. Since it's been setting don't forget to oil everything that moves on it & it should be a great machine for you. Bob

Put it on a long stitch & check to see if it hits in the front or back,if not you can loosen the screw in pic#1 & adjust it there,If the feed dog is hitting then you'll need to loosen the 2-screws in pic#2 that are underneath. HTH Bob

The first one is a used Juki Lu 562 - from the little bit I have found to read about them it sounds like they can sew up to 20oz of leather and are an overall good machine. This particular machine has not been used in over a year, the gentleman that used it had an upholstry business and has passed away. I spoke to his wife about the machine and she said it is in good working order. She is asking $650 for the machine and a couple tables he had to go with it. Is this a good price? Would this machine work for what I do? My guess is not being used in so long it would need a good servicing. Correct? Take sample of what you want to sew & try it out,that's not to bad of a price if it sews ok,you should oil it too before you sew on it,esp the hook & bobbincase area. HTH Bob