kgg

What I gathered from your post: 1) you ordered a machine and some additional items 2) there is an email trail of discussions outlining the machine and additional items 3) all the items are noted on their invoice. 4) you paid for the complete order 5) they deny you ordered and paid for the additional items That is definitely not a good experience from any company. I would email them again with attachments of the emails along with their invoice and ask them to revisit their decision. If that didn't work maybe consider posting on their social media your displeasure (facebook page, youtube channel, instagram). Definitely leaves a bad taste in ones mouth. kgg

That is a good one. kgg

That is a typical price ($1550 cad or $1140 usd) plus shipping for a used Juki LS-1341 in Ontario, Canada. The only thing I would have them really check is the amount of wear on the internal drive belt. I know of one sold about year ago and the belt was in terrible shape. Definitely. If you decide to upgrade or change machines at some point it will be easier to sell the Juki. Can't help there. kgg

Simple things to check: Have you inserted and threaded the needle properly? The long groove should be on the left side and the needle needs to be fully up into the needle bar. As you get closer to the upper sewing limit if the needle isn't set to the 9 to 3 o'clock position it can miss picking up the bobbin thread. Also sometimes you need to reset the needle by twisting it a degree or two. I just had this happen with a portable walking foot after breaking a needle. I replaced the needle and on a test seam on a thin piece of cotton fabric it sewed perfectly. Once I started to sew the 0.53 mm poly binding to the item which was a combination of cotton, double batting and a rubber coated fabric it was sewing at it's max. Twisting the needle a degree or two solved the problem. Have you selected the right hole for the needle size in the bobbin cover? If the hole selected is too large and the material is woolly the material is probably is being force through. Try sewing the same flannel with a piece of thin paper on on bobbin side to keep the woolies from being forced in. kgg

Since most of what you are making can easily be done on a flatbed I would suggest you purchase i) a brand name machine like a Juki DNU - 1541 S ( https://www.sewingmachinesplus.com/juki-1541s.php ) ii) for your bags a cylinder bed machine which probably could handle your hat patches a Juki LS-1341. If I had to choose one machine to cover off what you listed I would look for a brand name class 341 cylinder bed machine with a flat top attachment. If you can afford one a new Juki LS-1341, if the cost is beyond your budget a clone. There are many clones in this class like the Cowboy CB341, Cobra Class 26, Kobe LS-1341, Techsew 2750. Another option of course would be a used machine. kgg

I agree with Wiz and I also didn't know what you were planning on sewing. I would have suggested in a flatbed at least a Juki DNU-1541S or Juki DNU-1508N or clones and in a cylinder bed a Juki LS-1341 or clone with a flatbed attachment. Hope the 8700 does work for you. kgg

The photo of the looks in really good shape and doesn't appear to have been used very much as by the wear on table frame, the foot pedal for the motor, table top, hand wheel or the body of the machine. Appears both machines have a needle positioner which can be set so the needle stops in either the up or down position. Since you are going to look at them take along a sample of the thickest material including any seams you are planning on using and do a test run on the machines and see which would work best for your needs. kgg

The Juki DNU-1541 is a much more capable (rated thread size / sewing thickness) of a sewing machine that can handle much more under the pressor foot then the Juki DU-1181N so there is more or a greater chance of overloading the machine. The better choice between the Juki DNU-1541 and the DU-1181N would be the triple feed but that said my 1541 S hates thin stuff and that is where the 1181N excels in comparison. If you go an to look at the 1541 tilt the machine back and check the underside for items worn drive belt, bearings and build of lint. Amount of oil and color of oil in the small drive gear tank. Check for slop in the needle bar and check for thread wear tracks in the guides to help determine the amount of use. The table needs a bit of TLC but that is not a real big concern. There should be no unusual noises when the machine is running like knocking or banging. The main question is why are they selling the machine as it appears from the one only photo to be in an production environment??? kgg

The Juki DNU-1541 is a good machine but purchasing a used machine is always a gamble. Do you have any pictures of the machine to show what condition it is in? If it is just the DNU1541 and not the Juki DNU-1541 "S" I would probably pass since that model does not have the safety clutch feature. I would also pass on the Typical also as it also does not have the safety clutch. This may not be a problem for you but the safety clutch can save your machine from a expensive repair should you jam the machine up. Depending on the items you are planning on sewing you may want to watch the two following video's to help you decide what type of machine would best suite your needs. The first video is of a triple feed Juki DNU-1541S with the safety clutch and the second is of a walking foot Juki DU-1181N without the safety clutch both with servo motors. The videos show how these machines handle light, medium and heavy fabric. 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JES-2I7h3o&t=3s 2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKJuKTrjsbw&t=313s If possible buy a brand name machine like a Juki rather then a clone machine. Buy Once, Cry Once. kgg

Also what size of needle are you using as you will probably need a #24 or #25 needle depending on how thick the leather is. kgg

Buy a brand name machine like a Juki. If possible either a good used one probably from a dealer or buy a new clone machine. A new clone would be more cost effective then buying a new Juki LS-1341. The Juki LS-1341 is their replacement to the older Juki LS-341. I would suggest a cylinder bed machine with a flat top table attachment. Used: Juki LS-341 or New: LS-341 clone There are a lot of clones in this class too choose from like Cowboy CB341, Cobra class26, Kobe LS-1341, Techsew 2750 to name a few. However if the Singer 18-3 is in good working order I wouldn't sell it. kgg

The 135x 17 needles are in a nut shell made to separate the fibers of the fabric while a leather point is made to slice / cut through leather. I would suggest depending on how thick and tough the leather is using a #18 or #20 needle. For the price get some of each. A good link is Wawak.com : https://www.wawak.com/sewing/needles/industrial-machine/schmetz-leather-industrial-machine-needles-135x16-tri-dpx16-d-10pack/#sku=smnl135118 I early on converted to Schmetz and only use Schmetz needles in all my machine with excellent results. I replace my needles when they have about 8 hours of sewing time on them or when I find they are getting dull whichever comes first. kgg

Some of the typical corrupts are: i) Needles. The correct system for the Juki LU-1508N is 135 x 17 for fabric and 135 x 16 for leather. Use a correctly inserted and sized needle for the thread size. You may have to go up a needle size or two when sewing thick or tough material so the loop of the top thread can be correctly formed and caught by the hook. Buy brand name needles like Schmetz. I have tried other brands was never never really satisfied with them. I early on converted to Schmetz and only use Schmetz needles in all my machine with excellent results. I replace my needles when they have about 8 hours of sewing time on them or when I find they are getting dull whichever comes first. A good chart for thread size vs needle size: www.tolindsewmach.com/thread-chart.html ii) Needle bar height. Maybe set a little too high or low so the needle doesn't catch the bobbin thread properly. iii) Bobbin area. May have a build up of old thread lint. iv) Thread. Poor quality thread particularly black noticeable on 8 oz spools. Buy good quality brand name thread What size of thread are you using? Any chance of posting a picture of how you have the machine threaded from the top of thread spool to the eye of the needle. There maybe something there? kgg

The links to the machine or thread didn't work for me but when I tracked them back the machine is a clone of the old Singer 29K maybe a 29k- 70. When sites that cater to the domestic user say "upholstery or heavy duty" they usual are referring to V69 thread. The needle you are using 135 x 17 size 18/110 will work with V46 in thicker material or V69 thread in thinner / tougher material. The 1/4" thickness of your leather is near or at the top sewing limit capacity of the machine. The needles 135 x 17 needles are for sewing fabric and the one that came with the machine probably isn't the best quality. My suggestion would be to change the needle to a leather 135 X 16 needle and either a size 18 or 19 and a brand name like Schmetz needles for V69 thread that you are using. A good needle size to thread size chart would be: www.tolindsewmach.com/thread-chart.html kgg

I think the trick / loophole is that those pelts are " Inuit branded ". I would contact your customs people for clarification or contact a broker. If you do manage to get some, I can tell you from experience items like hats / mittens / coats there is nothing warmer but can feel heavy. An example of a snowmobile mutt, note the bottom line " This item cannot be shipped to Europe or to the US. " : https://naturalboutique.ca/shop/ols/products/snowmobile-mitts-natural-seal kgg

Yes. You have selected one of the best hides to make great mukluks and mittens but as you are in the USA you well not be able to import legally any seal products including pelts. I think since the early 1970's this ban has been in place. Check out the USA's Marine Mammal Protection Act. kgg

Here is a good staring place to understand pulley reduction for single or multiple pulleys: www.blocklayer.com/pulley-belteng kgg

I still would contact that company and as well as Vergez Blanchard. kgg

If you mean you bought them from Vergez Blanchard as new I would have expected them to be in a lot better condition. They should have been presentable, sharp and ready to work with maybe a minor touchup on the sharpness. I would contact the Vergez Blanchard company and express my disappointment with photo's of how they arrived. kgg

I stand corrected , sorry. kgg

I would say the problem lies in your speed reduction. I am going to assume you have a 2" pulley on your motor, you increased the diameter of the hand-wheel from 4 to 6 inches and with a motor speed of 100 rpm's. 1) The original speed of the hand-wheel would have been 50 rpm's. Changing the hand-wheel to 6 inches would increase the torque and reduced the hand-wheel speed to 33.3 rpm's. 2) Installing a standard intermediate speed reducer (6" large pulley with a 2" small pulley) between the machines i) original 4" hand-wheel and the 2" motor pulley you would increase the torque and further reduce the hand-wheel speed to reduce the 17 rpm's ii) if you keep the larger size diameter hand-wheel (6") you already installed you would again increase the torque and further reduce the hand-wheel speed to reduce the 11 rpm's I think the problem of the belt slipping maybe poor sidewall contact or belt type not matching both pulley profiles. Other things could be incorrect size of hand-wheel pulley, glazed motor pulley, incorrect distance between hand-wheel and motor pulley and / or undersized motor or a bad motor. I think installing a intermediate speed reducer would probably solve your problem as long as the proper belts and pulley distances are done. When sewing are you just putting the doubled leather under the presser foot and going for it or are you hand-wheeling the needle down through both layers to let the machine have a run at it? kgg

A good place to get bobbins / needles with fast delivery is Wawak.com Leather needles: 135 x 16 (DPx16), www.wawak.com/sewing/needles/industrial-machine/schmetz-leather-industrial-machine-needles-135x16-tri-dpx16-d-10pack/#sku=smnl135118 Bobbins: metal Class 15, www.wawak.com/sewing/sewing-machine-accessories/bobbins-cases/singer-class-15-metal-bobbins-1pack/#sku=bob8 Thread size vs needle size reference chart: www.tolindsewmach.com/thread-chart.html kgg

Why not give one a try. If they work great. Not sure if you get caught you don't windup in the dog house. kgg

That's good news the machine is working. If you have a sewing / fabric shop in your area the bobbins are the same as you would use in a domestic sewing machine. kgg

Looking at your video again and it maybe the angle of the lighting but it appears that you have the groove of the needle on the Right side and the scarf on the Left. If so the needle is insert backwards. kgg