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

I think you need to take the bobbin thread and have it exit by the thumb size recess on the front side and slide the cover close. Then hold the end of the top thread and move the needle down holding the end of the top thread. With my machine I cheat and just thread the bobbin thread up through the hole in cover then slide the cover over. A caution is that make sure you use the correct hole in the cover as there is a different size needle hole on each end. Also a standard class 15 domestic sewing machine bobbins are really available and cheap. kgg

Like Constabulary I use the tension mounted on the side as a guide for threading my bobbins. I have not seen any video's on using a 29K for darning but all the manuals I have seen have instructions of how to thread the needle for darning using the side mounted tensioner. Anyone have a video, love to see how that works. This is a manual for the 29k-71 but if you refer to pages 9 and 10 you will see the top threading path. This is how I set up my 29k for the top and bobbin threads. kgg 29k71-2.pdf

This link to Aliexpress my help with finding odds and ends for your portable walking foot machine. The Chinese versions of the Sailrite are called 106-rp, the quality???. I just type in 106-RP in the search line: https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?catId=0&initiative_id=SB_20221118042012&SearchText=106-RP&spm=a2g0o.productlist.1000002.0 kgg

This link to Artisan manuals may help: www.artisansew.com/manuals.html This link to the youtube video Cowboy 8020 may also help as it appears to be a similar leather splitter: www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8XSHI2X--0 kgg

If the needle striking problem disappears it will prove that those are incorrect and made maybe for a PFAFF 1245. If the original presser foot work great, if not hopefully they are also incorrect otherwise you may have problems like a bent needle bar. I would checkout the golden wheel page for their CS 335bh manuals www.golden-wheel.com/en/product/product_detail-370 kgg

The 341 class machines should be good for your bags / wallets / knife sheaths but probably not for gun holsters. Another option that you may want to consider is the 441 class machines like the Cowboy 3200 /3500 /4500, Cobra Class 3 / 4, Techsew 4100 / 5100 / 5200 with the needle plate that RockyAussie developed to be able to use them on thinner items. kgg

They are clones of the Juki LS-341 with the three more common clones on this forum being, in descending price point, are Techsew 2750 (~$2749 USD), Cowboy CB341 (~$2395 USD) and the Cobra Class 26 (~$2390 USD). The shipping cost will of course depend on how far away you are from either of them. Flattop attachments can be purchased for any of them from either the dealers or third party attachment suppliers. I would go with who you feel confident in supplying the best support, before and after the sale. The question really comes down to what you want to sew and is the 341 class clone machines the best for your items. kgg

What size of needle are you using with the V60 (T70) thread. The # 100 (#16) needle is made for sewing thin soft material with V69 but is more for V46 in thicker material. Using V69 move up to at least #19 and in thick or tough material a #21. You maybe having some needle deflection and the thread rubbing on something. Also check and see if there isn't a burr on the thread guides, presser foot or feed dog. If you haven't passed the thread through the needle guide on the needle bar just before the needle you will also get fraying. A good view of this guide hole is at 7:12 of the Sailrite video. Also the type of hardback coating as well as how thick the items being sewn are will also to be factors. These machines were design for flat sail material 1/4" thick and can struggle with fluffy stuff. This can sometimes come down to whether the fluff is towards the feed dog as it maybe catching or being compacted into the needle plate or feed dog. Sometimes this can be solved by using a thin piece of paper between the fluff and the feed dog. A good cross reference of thread size to needle size can be found at www.tolindsewmach.com/thread-chart.html kgg

The Techsew appears to be a closer clone of the Juki LS - 1342 then the Juki LS-341. It has the adjustable presser foot climber mechanism which the Juki LS-1342 and LS1342-7 have that is not available on either the Juki LS-1341 or the old Juki LS-341. The Cobra class 26 appears to be a clone of the Juki LS-341 except able to take a #25 needle and not having the adjustable presser foot climber mechanism also with a slightly smaller max sewing thickness. The Juki LS's are rated for a #24 needle and a thread size of V138 in thick material. The Juki machines specify their arm measurement as the distance from the needle to the body and their arms 255mm (10.04 inches). It is unclear as how Techsew or Leather Machine Co. measure the length of their arms, from the needle or from the end to the body of the machine?? I think the Techsew claim of being able to use V277 in a #24 needle is an error as I think a #24 needle would be good for V138 in thick material or V207 in thinner material. Something to check with Techsew. Besides the price, the question really is the climbing feature a need or a want item for you items? If not then the Juki LS-341clones would be a cheaper option like the Techsew 2750 (~$2749 USD) or the Cobra Class 26 (~$2390 USD) or the Cowboy CB341 (~$2395 USD) and of course the shipping cost will depend on how far away you are from either of them. kgg

I'd say tough love, but it maybe a gem in the rough. A good winter's project as it is a walking foot machine. kgg