MtlBiker

@ironwrx - I really like Kamsnaps rivets and their DK93 press (I actually have two of them). Their service is great and the shipping is reasonable. I use their grommets, double-cap rivets, line 20 snaps and other stuff I can't remember at the moment. They have starter bundles that are a good deal but right now it seems they have a sale on the press for about US$75. Why two presses? I usually keep a hole punching die installed in one and the appropriate die I need in the other. Makes it a lot faster especially if you have a lot to do.

@needlesnpins - FWIW, I love my Consew 206RB-5. I'm in Canada and got mine, brand new, for $1300 Canadian. You should be able to get one in the States for about $1000. And if you find a used one, make sure it has a servo motor. These are workhorses and if you find a used one, check it out carefully to make sure it hasn't been used in a factory setting and is all beaten up.

@john11139 - First, it's "Sailrite", not "Sail Rite". I have a recent model LSZ-1 Premium with the newer "WorkerB" motor. I love it! I dreamed about getting one for the longest time and have no regrets after getting it. The Sailrite customer service is outstanding, as are their videos and tutorials. It's the only one of my industrial machines with zig-zag, and while I didn't really have a need for zig-zag stitching, I'm finding that the ability to move the needle position left, center or right lets me get closer (like for zippers) with the standard presser foot. I call this my "semi-industrial" because it lacks the compound walking foot of my other machines. I also didn't really have much need of a portable machine (thought I'd bring it back and forth to my office sometimes) and keep the machine installed in one of Sailrite's folding semi-industrial tables, giving me a larger area for my material assemblies. I use only v92 thread on it, but Matt of Sailrite assured me that it would also work well with v138 although that's not in the website specs. Is it the right machine for everyone? Certainly not. But then again there isn't really one machine that is right for every need, which is why so many of us have more than one machine. But if for some reason I had to choose only one machine (maybe plus a good domestic) it would probably be the Sailrite. And that's because of the portability, quality and I just plain like the darn machine. Have you seen the Sailrite video about how the Sailrite machines differ from the clones? It's an older video but should still be on Youtube. Hope this is of help.

(I'm the guy who started this thread.) If I may make this suggestion... Save your money and don't buy a speed reducer. Instead, just get a smaller (like 45mm) pulley and new belt. That's what I did with my machine and believe me, it's plenty slow that way. And it's no less capable at slow speed than my cylinder arm machine which DOES have a speed reducer. What I would like to have (that my cylinder arm machine has) is a needle positioner (NP) motor. That can be disabled, or set to always stop with the needle IN the material assembly or out, as you prefer. For me at least having the needle always stop in the down position makes things a lot easier for me, especially when it comes to corners. And I don't have to take my hands away from holding the assembly, like I do have to do with my Consew. I've got to turn the hand wheel slowly to embed the needle before turning a corner. Much faster and easier with a NP motor.

@Tugadude - Thanks for that photo! Much clearer to me now. So the watches go around some kind of (fake wrist) object, and then that goes into the case between the separations. Without having those fake wrist object in Klara's photo, I just didn't see how this would be used.

I've been dreaming of (one day, hopefully sooner rather than later) getting a post bed machine. I've obviously got a lot to learn, but I hadn't heard the term "Single or Dual Drive". I've heard roller foot/feed and walking foot. Would you be kind enough to explain?

Looks like a nice job, @Klara. Hand stitched? But what is a "watch roll"? Does that case hold 4 watches, each in its own little space? I don't quite see how watches will fit into the case, especially if they have different types of straps, some metal ones don't bend too well. Do you have a photo with the watches in place? Cheers!

Show me yours, and I'll show you mine?

Wish there was a LIKE button here!

Well, the first post in this thread does not mention the material you sew. Only that you are looking for resources for the 206RL. Whatever.

135x17 needles are for fabrics 135x16 needles are for leather Either will fit in your machine.

Really no number, or you just don't know the number? Have you seen the machine? Do you have any photos? Is the machine something you've seen offered for sale online somewhere? You'll want to know the condition of the machine and whether or not it has a servo motor. I've seen photos of the first 206 and it said "206RB-1", but I don't know if any of the earliest production units didn't have the "-1". What's the asking price? Delivered? Are you able to visit the machine and try it out before buying? You want to get into leather... what kind of leather, what thicknesses, how many layers? What do you want to make? Among my machines I have a 206RB-5 and I love it, but there is no one machine that will do it all.

I'm no expert on this and I'm sure others will chime in, but... As far as I know the DDL-8700 is NOT in the same class as the Consew 206RL. That Juki is for the apparel industry and offers high speed without a walking foot. What exactly are you planning to sew with it? I hope that Juki works out for you but it would have been much better to come here FIRST, before ordering a machine (or returning the Consew) to ask for advice. You should tell us what you plan to sew and what your budget is, and I'm sure you would have had great suggestions from the members here. 13mm is about half an inch... are your assemblies really that thick? Are you sewing leather? What kind of thread (thickness and type) do you think you will need to use? I wish you well! Edit: As far as I know, the Consew has a longer stitch length and a higher presser foot lift than what you're reporting for that Juki. I hope you didn't make a mistake with your purchase.

@CowboyBob - Thanks very much! I'll take a closer look tonight when I get home. Yesterday I didn't see anything that looked to me as being wrong.

I think I've been oiling my machine properly, perhaps even over-oiling it (better safe than sorry), but after having some service done I noticed there is a wick under the machine on the right side that seems to end just hanging... like in the air. It doesn't look right to me but I can't see where it should be attached or tucked. Does it look correct to you folks or should be be somehow reattached? Thanks!

@ChipperBags - In case you're using an iPhone, I've been using a program called "Image SIze" by Codenia.com for a couple of years now. It's great for reducing image sizes for posting to websites. I also have their "Batch Resize" for doing more than one image at a time. Not free, but very reasonable purchase. From the last photo you posted, it looks like your thread is NOT correct through the first pin. It looks like it's going straight through when it should be in one hole, back around the post and out through another hole. I understand that's a new machine for you... have you followed the instructions in the excellent Sailrite manual for threading?

You'll probably get lots of replies from more experienced folks here, but for what it's worth my feeling is that the price is (way) too high. Good that it has a servo and table and knee lift, but it's an old machine which might be hard to get parts and service for. Have you considered a brand new Sailrite LS-1? Right now I see the base model can be had for about $675. And the base LSZ-1 (with zig-zag) is about $850. And Sailrite has outstanding customer support as well as how-to videos. And wouldn't a portable offer you more potential for your sail repair business? (Like right on the dock next to a boat?) Among my machines I have an LSZ-1 Premium with their "WorkerB" motor and I absolutely love it. Of course there is no one machine that will do everything for you, but if for some reason I had to choose only one of my machines to keep it would be the Sailrite.

I would also suggest you get a machine with servo motor (absolutely!) and a speed reducer. Both those came included on my Techsew 2750 Pro, and they make a world of difference. With leather especially, it really helps to be able to stitch at very low speed when needed, and that's what the speed reducer does. And if you haven't heard it before, remember that there really is not ONE machine that will do everything for you. That's why so many of us have several machines. And I'm drooling now about one day getting a post bed machine. It never ends! A machine comparable to the 2750 seems like it might be a good first machine starting point for you. But again, if you can find a good local dealer, it would make a world of difference.

I see you're in Canada (as I am)... My strongest suggestion is that before you try buying a machine from the States, you investigate Canadian dealers. Especially since you don't appear to have a lot of machine experience, a GOOD (and hopefully local) dealer would be extremely valuable. Are you near enough for a reasonable drive to a major city in Alberta? There MUST be dealers there. When you say 4-6oz range for the leather, you also need to factor in layers, as the backpacks and duffels you talk about surely have overlapping (maybe even triple thickness) areas. Combined heights of your pieces might possibly be close to 1/2" thick! I'm relatively inexperienced compared to others here, but based on what you've said so far, my suggestion would be that a cylinder arm machine would probably be more useful to you than a flatbed. Plus there are flatbed attachments available for many of the cylinder arm machines so you'd get the best of both worlds. The question then becomes which strength of machine would be most appropriate. There's an outstanding thread here (I'll try to find it) about what kind of machine you need for sewing leather. Of course your budget will also be a factor... I'm assuming you are considering buying a new machine instead of used?

You're "inept" (means not good) at normal sewing? Meaning what? What is "normal sewing"? Normal sewing with a machine? Hand stitching? As @Samalan said, it really would help others help you if we knew what you were trying to sew. When I machine stitch leather, I don't crease first. But I do when hand stitching. Is there a particular machine (or type) you're considering? Can you visit a dealer with samples of what you're wanting to sew to see what the different machines can do?

Your paragraph text on the first image isn't straight. Kinda sloppy.

I'm probably not the best to try answering your question, but I've tried to sew thin leather with a domestic machine and failed because the leather is rather uh, sticky, and without a walking foot and needle feed (meaning compound feed) it just didn't work out. And for the $200 budget, you mentioned, it's very unlikely you would find something that meets your needs. But... Have you read about the thing @RockyAussie (do a search under his name) designed for those heavy duty machines to let them much more easily handle thinner assemblies and threads? Might be the solution you're looking for. I don't have time right now to search for the right post by him, but if you can't find it and nobody else jumps in, I'll try to find a link for you tomorrow. Hope this leads to a workable solution for you.

@TomE and @toxo - I have been heavily into photography for over the last 60 years. I do a lot less photography these days, but used to have a full studio set up in our art gallery. I have done sports, nature, portraits and glamour/artistic nudes and have been published several times. Generally only serious photographers are so concerned with color accuracy and for most web site postings and display, a little variance doesn't really matter. Especially since the people viewing those images only rarely themselves have color calibrated systems. I did my own printing, but often advised other photographers how best to send an image to a service bureau for printing. Unless the photographer has a properly color calibrated system, there's no way that a service bureau (properly calibrated) would see what the photographer expected them to see. Often the photographer (without a calibrated system) would spend a lot of time editing and getting a photo exactly to his/her liking, only to find that when printed by a service bureau it wasn't the same. Every step along the way needed to be calibrated. Probably nobody here is interested in seeing a small sample of my photography, but just in case, here is a NSFW link to some of my Artistic Nudes.

Tom, the issue that you have NOT assigned a color profile to your image. That means it'll never appear in a consistent manner to a viewer. The very best thing you could do is to assign the sRGB color space to your image(s) if you are intending them to be viewed on the web. Even then, if the user has an uncalibrated monitor they may not see what you intended them to see. The AdobeRGB color space is what I usually work in as it has a larger color gamut than the others, but when I save images for a specific purpose I assign the appropriate color space to them. You're obviously particular about how the images appear, so as I said, the best solution is to assign the sRGB color space to them. (I downloaded your image and checked it... no managed color space.) You're using PhotoShop you said... keep your main image in AdobeRGB, and if you're using Save For Web, make sure to assign sRGB to the smaller image you're using on the web. Hope this helps.

Just want to point something out... I said that I started with my Janome HD3000, but that isn't 100% true. A few years earlier I'd bought a Brother computerized machine on a whim, and while I had great ideas about what I'd make, I actually never used it. It was only when Covid started and we had to start isolating that I started to sew. And it only took me about 2 weeks to realize that the computerized, mostly plastic frame machine, with all kinds of bells and whistles, wasn't really a solid machine at all. The HD3000 has a metal frame and is a MECHANICAL machine (not computerized) and is way stronger and more reliable than most of the computerized machines. And it was amazing how much it could sew compared to the computerized Brother. But the rage these days is getting a gazillion different stitches with a computerized machine and I'm suggesting that isn't the best route to go, Especially with the kinds of things you plan on sewing. I think you should give your choice of a domestic machine a little more consideration before making your choice. Good luck!