Fognozzle

Hi all, I'm a complete beginner with the keys to a Singer K6. The machine is used and has no thread and no needles other than the one in it. So I need to do lots of practice, with a view towards heavy canvas and (in the future) some leather work. Right now I have a couple of repairs I'd like to make on some canvas bags, probably half-inch (12mm) thick seams at the thickest. I want to buy a range of thread colours (black, white, grey, greens, browns, khakis) but I want things to be consistent while I'm learning, so I'm looking for a recommendation for a good starting setup - ideally, a strong, reliable quality thread that's easy to use, has needles available, and is readily available in those colours - ideally here in Australia. And hopefully all without costing a fortune! What do you recommend?

Oh salami and cheese, you are talking my language! If we can add a loaf of fresh sourdough and some good cider, we've got ourselves a party! That K6 is $1500 on his website. We're going to look at it today - Mrs Fognozzle has already nominated some jobs for it, so I suppose that's already an aye from that side of the chamber! Thanks Wizcrafts for that tip, salient for many I'm sure, although not enough to dissuade me at this point as I'm still mainly focussed on canvas for any machine work. I had a little chat with Bert offline and he recommended I see how I go with the clutch before swapping it for a servo, which seems like good advice. He reckons with the right belt tension and proper lubrication it should be easy to use. Hopefully I'll get to have a play with it today anyway and let you know how I go!

I understand the complexity that Constabulary is speaking of, but as toxo says the objective would mostly be to have a quick reference to divide machines into 'unsuitable' or 'worthy of further investigation', and to also provide a shortlist of specific machines worth hunting down. As a beginner, it's rather a tall order to research every single machine in 10 pages of "industrial sewing machine" search results!

Thanks dikman, what you say makes sense. I spoke to the seller, he seems really helpful and confirmed that it has the slower speed motor, although not a servo obviously. He sells the Ho Hsing (600w) for $375, but has offered to do it for $300 with the machine. He also said he'd have a look and see if he can find a cheaper (but still decent) servo option.

Yep, he's dreaming I think he'd take $2000 for it, but no less. Not right now anyway. The one I'm looking at is on eBay for $1650: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Used-Singer-132K6-heavy-duty-Industrial-sewing-machine/184208546428 and on their website for $1500: https://www.camsew.com.au/UsedMachines/UsedMachines.html# What do you think? The website describes it as a long arm, but it looks like a regular machine to me, maybe they reused a title? The other question I have is what accessories do I need? I suppose a walking foot is essential, but anything else? I read that some motors are 1420rpm and others are 2840rpm, with the 1420 being more desirable for leather. What's the ideal motor setup in your opinion? I'm thinking if he's a dealer with plenty of parts laying around he can probably set it up however I want?

I'm in, although I'm leaning towards a nice wood fired pizza right now... Agreed on the K6, it seems like the model to get. I actually called in to my local saddlery this afternoon, just in case he might have something for sale (he kinda does, he's retiring soon), and he showed me his K6. Filthy, well used, but he loved it. Reckoned he'd get $2500 for it though. I've found a reconditioned one in Melbourne for $1500, it's obviously been resprayed at some point (silver) but it's from a dealer that claims to stand behind his products and offers a full 12 months warranty, help setting up etc. I'm planning to call him tomorrow and get a vibe, and see whether weekend pickup might be an option. Then I just have to decide whether I really want to drop that kind of money, although if the dealer is as genuine as he seems I probably won't lose too much if I decide to move it on later?

HI Bert, maybe we could further simplify the list by making clear that it is aimed at beginners? So the machines would need to be reasonably well supported with parts and information, and not so complex (or temperamental) that a beginner will struggle with them unnecessarily. Obviously I'm at a disadvantage here as I'm new to this hobby, but in my other hobbies I think I could generally compile a list of good equipment choices for a beginner

That's a huge help, thanks guys. I'll see if I can make a more condensed 'shortlist' as I come across machines, I'm sure there must be a huge number of models there that we won't really run into. In the meantime, if anyone wants to have a crack at naming, say, the 10 most popular machines of interest to leatherworkers, I'll use my black belt in excel-fu to compile the info and make it pretty

Meh, that dealer expressly states NO warranty or returns. I think I'll give that one a miss, he's not open on the weekend anyway. The hunt continues...

Hi all, as you're probably aware I'm a newbie here with pretty much the same questions that have been asked many times before about finding a suitable machine. What I'd love to find is a simple chart that lists common machine models, and just what their capacity is (let's say, maximum needle & thread size, maximum foot clearance). I realise this won't provide all the answers, but it seems like it would be a huge help when trawling through classifieds and auction sites to quickly eliminate those models that are entirely unsuitable and narrow down some real contenders for further analysis and discussion. Does anyone know of such a chart? If not, do others agree that this would be a useful thing? And what would you consider the absolute essential specifications to include?

Sorry Bert, I missed your earlier question. Not really sure how patient I am! I'm pretty keen to get started, and this Melbourne trip is a bit of an opportunity, but obviously I don't want to end up with a machine I can't use. If I can find a good turnkey option then I don't mind paying a little extra for the convenience, otherwise I'll probably end up researching the life out of it for a few more months.

Yeah, that was my thought too. The Gumtree member himself seems ok, but he's selling it for a mate and it sounds like the mate doesn't care if it sells or not. The 211-166 is on eBay here: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/INDUSTRIAL-HEAVU-DUTY-SINGER-211-WALKING-FOOT-SEWING-MACHINE-JAPAN/264692174471 INDUSTRIAL HEAVY DUTY WALKING FOOT STRAIGHT STITCH SEWING MACHINE MODEL: SINGER 211-166 JAPAN IN PERFECTLY WORKING ORDER CAN TAKE UP TO SIZE 22 WITH THREAD SIZE 20 BUILT IN WITH SELF WINDING BOBBIN COMES WITH INSTRUCTION SHEETS, NEEDLES, BOBBINS AND SEWING TOOLS

Any opinions on a 211-166 (walking foot)? Found a dealer offering one for $1250.

Thanks Bert, doesn't sound heavy enough for me. I'm just cruising ebay at the moment as we have to do a Melbourne run this weekend. I think I need to try and compile a list of models and their basic specs, this is a bit of a crapshoot for a beginner!

Hey guys, any idea what this might be?

Well, I struck out on both counts. No sign of the roadside Singer, and the seller in Echuca isn't really interested in selling the 132K6 as he's not able to get hold of its replacement just yet, so it's "only half for sale". Basically I'd have to offer his asking price AND twist his arm I'll keep hunting.

Wow thanks everyone, that's great info and a handy lead. What do you think might be a reasonable offer for that 132K6? And is that also a good machine if I want to sew leather in future? (I'm not anticipating that as a need, just curious). Also - and I feel a bit daft for just realising this - I picked up an old singer off the side of the road in Melbourne many years ago, mostly I was interested in using the bench and motor as a base for a grain mill for brewing. I know I still have the bench and motor, but I may also still have the machine somewhere in the back of the shed. It is probably a domestic machine, and/or irretrievably broken, but I'll have a look today and see if I can find it!

Thanks Bert. So realistically, am I looking at the heaviest end of the market, with a $2-$3,000 price tag for a good working example? Or is there another path I can take?

Thanks dikman. I'm on the NSW/VIC border near Echuca, but I get to Melbourne periodically. Bendigo & Shepparton are both large cities and pretty convenient. As for seams and threads, I just don't know yet and could use some advice. Based on nothing other than googling I would guess that V138 thread and a #22 needle are realistic? A rough guess puts 24oz canvas at about 0.7mm thick, so 3 layers doubled at the seam would be 4-5mm, tripled 6-7mm?

Hi everyone, noob alert, sorry! I want to make some heavy canvas bags with leather trim. The leather will all be hand stitched, but I want to machine sew the canvas, which could be up to 24oz (800gsm) and there may be several layers sandwiched at the seams. I'm browsing machines on eBay, but of course I have no idea. Ideally I'd like to find something reasonably common and reliable, with good online availability of parts and information. Cheap would be great, but I'm prepared to cough up for the right machine. I'm pretty handy and can make general mechanical and electrical repairs, replace a motor etc. Are there any obvious contenders I should be looking out for?

Hi everyone, new member here from the Riverina in Australia. My confession: I have a bit of a man-bag habit I'm a reasonably experienced DIYer and hobbyist in woodworking and metalworking, and I've tinkered over the years with some really basic repairs and modifications of leather accessories and military style bags. I'm here because I've been wanting to up my leatherworking game for years, but I've never really found the time. That's changed now, and I'm currently incubating a number of bag ideas in heavy waxed canvas with leather fittings. I'm really not sure where to start though, so I was hoping I could blurt out my stream of noobie questions and see if some kind soul might take pity on me and give me some guidance! I don't foresee any need to machine-sew leather, I will hand stitch all my fittings, but the main body of the bags will be heavy canvas. I have no idea whether hand stitching a canvas bag is realistic for a noob, but I feel like the canvas probably ought to be machine sewn? A well-known maker of similar bags uses 24oz canvas, I'm not sure yet what I can source but if I could find that weight I'd like to use it. So I'm leaning towards getting some (presumably unwaxed) canvas, and pinning together a prototype bag to dial in some dimensions. But I don't know what I can reasonably sew on my partner's domestic machine. Could I perhaps hem the exposed edges of individual pieces myself on a domestic machine, then hand stitch the final assembly? Or take the component parts to my local saddler/cobbler for him to assemble on his machine? Alternatively, might I find a used machine out there for a reasonable cost that will meet my needs? If so, what cost, and what should I be looking for? Finally, any tips on finding and choosing my canvas? I'm assuming it will be easier to buy (and work) dry canvas, then wax the finished bag - am I right?