Pintodeluxe

Nope. 135x16 are leather point needles. 137X17 needles are for cloth or vinyl. Otherwise, they're a direct swap. Best of luck.

Nuclear steampunk. Love it!

I have a Sailrite Leatherwork, as well as a Juki LU-563 and Consew 226. The Leatherwork has a servo and even has a little speed reducer! The tiny table is so cute, and can fit virtually anywhere. Does it sew leather? Sure. The main limitations I've found is the foot lift is only 3/8", and it can sew about 5/16" of compressed leather. The foot steppage isn't very high compared to the full industrials. But it does have fairly smooth knurled feet so it won't mark leather. I use it on upholstery leather, where it does just fine. It wouldn't take many layers of veg tanned leather to be too thick to sew. It definitely beats a home sewing machine, and might fit the bill for someone making belts, wallets or luggage tags in a limited space. Cheers

It is a good machine, as long as the small G style bobbin and standard height foot lift aren't limitations for what you do. I consider 138 at the upper limit of machines in this class, and they often sew better with 92 weight thread, even when properly tuned. An H4 version of this machine would get you high lift, with a 190 system needle. That would enable you to sew thicker leather. A 545 version of this machine would get you a large M style bobbin. The price is right on this one though, so if the condition is okay, it might be the one. One thing I notice about the Pfaff walking foot machines in general, is the springs and controls are very stiff. Some people don't like that. I almost made a 545 H4 my primary machine, but went with a Juki LU-563 converted to a 190 needle system instead. No regrets, but the Pfaff would have been fine too.

If the 226 is like the Juki 562/563 then it depends on the year it was made. Some versions I've had, I noticed an oiling port by the handwheel for manual lubrication. Other versions of the same model # have sealed ball bearings. I've bee happier with the manual lube versions, as they seem quieter.

1+ well said. Much agreed!

I've had digital servos that were super slow-sewing, and other digital servos that were jumpy. I agree with Wiz that the analog are more predictable, and easier to sew slowly with. The analog servos do truly seem to be all the same. Rex, Family, Hi-Tech and other brands all seem to re-badge the same motor as their own. Try one. Worst case scenario... it's still not slow enough for you and you can add a speed reducer at a later date. I added a box style speed reducer with an analog servo and it is perfect for me. I could have gotten away with the servo only, but the reducer adds power and further reduces speed.

Yes, I bought both machines. I only kept the Juki LU-563 though. My reasons were this... 1. I prefer top loading bobbin. 2. The 563 features a huge U style bobbin. It's quite a bit bigger than an M style bobbin. These are just my personal preferences, and the Seiko is a good machine too. The Early 206rb, 206rb-1, 206rb-2 are good machines too.

You'll be able to sew 3/8" thick material, whether that be fabric or leather. It's a good machine. Get a Family style servo with single knob adjustment. They're sold under many names, but the servos with a single knob are easy to set up. The electronic servos with two or more buttons to set are a real pain. The only advantage they have is they can run a needle position sensor, but I don't use one. If the basic Family style servo with small 45mm pulley is slow enough for you, you'll be all set. If you need slower, add a box style speed reducer. That's the setup I have on my Juki LU-563. My first machine was a 226 with servo and small motor pulley, and that worked great too.

I like low tension sewing, so I set my bobbin tension fairly light. Like pulling dental floss from its container, or maybe a little more tension than that. That way you won't have to use tons of upper tension to balance the stitch.

I would adjust the topside mechanism first. Try adjusting the stops on the right side of the machine to set reverse lever travel. Knocking the pin out would be a last resort. Definitely don't use brute force with a hammer. That's just a game to see which part breaks first, and nobody wins that game.

When getting an upholstery class machine set up and running, use 92 weight thread and a #20 needle. Chisel point / leather needles will result in a cleaner exit hole, but round point are fine for initial testing. Realize that 138 thread is the limit for this machine. To sew 138 with leather, you'll need a #23 needle. Please post pictures of your thread path from the thread stand all the way to the needle. Please switch to 92 weight thread and a #20 needle for testing. Adjust tension for that setup and report back.

Did the sewing mechanic get it sewing right? Does it sew well with 92 weight thread too and bottom? Is that white thread the same stuff you were having trouble with? Sometimes when troubleshooting a machine problem, the best thing I have done is ditch problem thread. Sun Guard thread never worked for me at all, for instance. I tossed it in the trash and my problem went away.

I like 190 system needles better anyway. Since your H4 was designed to use these longer needles, you definitely made the right decision. Someone probably ran out of long needles, and adjusted the needle bar to use the needles they had in stock. I switched my Juki 563 to accept 190 needles, and I like the setup a lot better. It sews through thicker material without any interference between the feet and needle bar.

I like a size 19 or 20 with 92 weight thread. Increase upper tension or investigate if your tension assembly is worn out. I've had tension discs on older machines that literally had grooves worn in them. To the point that no adjusting would produce adequate upper tension. If that's the case, replace the upper tension assembly. Remove the bobbin case. There should be two tiny screws and a semicircular retainer. Check for work or bent tension tab. Replace bobbin case as needed. If everything looks good on the bobbin case, try decreasing bobbin tension.