Cobra Steve

Hey buddy, contact Loretta, or George at Tandy Leather next door to me (1-909-425-0596), there are many choices there. Steve

HI Ken, like everyone says, it's a great machine. The one big difference is that the 31-20 has a big bobbin compared with the 31-15. It is not as big as today's big bobbin machines, but still, was the largest for it's time. Thanks, Steve

Hi Ed, and welcome to LW. Glad you found us. I have a 9 year old who is in Cub Scouts as well. Thanks, Steve

Hi LeatherCaptain, yes more yield on the bobbin is one of the reasons, but many people like the look of heavier thread, and since you see the outside of the holster, it is more important to some, to see the heavier thread. Of the holster makers that I know, half use 277 on top and in the bobbin, and the other half use 277 on top and 207 in the bobbin. It's mostly preference. Thanks, Steve

Hi Dusty Leather, we are glad you found us. Steve

Hey Fifty Six, welcome, and glad you found us. Steve

Hi Old Soldier Sahib, and welcome to LW. Glad you found us. Steve

Hi slugmar and welcome to LW, glad you found us. Thanks, Steve

Hey TCC, the Consew 220 is a garment machine, not a walking foot machine. You can buy em' by the dozen in downtown L.A. for $300.00 or less. Steve

I would like to take this time to thank everyone who recently expressed their opinion in the 2 polls that were taken. Leather Machine Co., Inc. would not be where it is today without the support from all of my friends at LW. I will continue to do everything I can to help you with posts, or individual help on your machines, regardless of the brand. Thank you for your kind words. Steve

Hello holytoledo, welcome and glad you found us. Steve

Hi Mike, the Singer 401 A is one of the best domestic machines that Singer made, it is one of the last metal gear machines. The machine will sew somethings that are a 1/4 inch, but not leather. You need a walking foot machine for that job, plus the largest thread that you can use, is a 69. For leather you need at least a 92, and probably a 138. Call Bob and see if he has anything, if not, contact one of the other Sewing Machine dealers on this forum, or myself. Thanks, Steve

Welcome Marty, glad you found us. I am sure you will receive very good advice regarding your questions. Steve

Hi oldmaster, going by your name, we are glad to have you. Thanks for joining. Steve

Welcome to LW goldpony! Glad to have you. Good info, and good people here. Thanks, Steve

Josh, thank you for your friendship and support, I really appreciate it. I wish you the very best in life, and your business. Happy Birthday you old fart! Steve

Hi EngineCo1, glad you found us! I respect everything you do. Thanks, Steve

Hello TTC, I noticed that you are from Rialto. I am in Highland. There are 2 styles of Walking Foot Machines, the first is a compound needle feed where the center foot, needle and feed dog all feed the material together. This will eliminate any slippage that might normally occur when trying to sew 2 pieces of 8 oz. leather, or heavier, together. The second style is only a walking foot(not compound feed), this machine has the outside foot and the feed dog feeding the material together. Both will work fine, but the compound feed will sew a little bit thicker. The walking foot machine could sew up to 20 oz. when set up correctly, the compound feed could sew 24 oz. and maybe a little thicker, depending on what you are sewing. You will want to sew slow when sewing leather. If you need more advice please call me at 909-425-2080. Thanks, Steve

Hi Bearns, welcome. We are happy that you found LW. Lots of good info here. Thanks, Steve

Hi longtooth, the 135X16 and the 135X17 are the same needle except the 135X16 is a leather point needle, and the 135X17 is a round point needle for upholstery/canvas materials. Thanks, Steve

Hi all! I will be there as well. Please come and visit with me in my booth, I will be looking forward to it. Thanks, Steve

Hi all, I spoke with Jane (his wife) just after the surgery, and she too said all went well. Hi Dave Smith. Thanks, Steve

Hello JLS Leather, the model 16-188 was one of the first walking foot machines that Singer had. It is not a needle feed, meaning it is not a compound feed machine. It was designed to sew light to medium weight material(usually not more than 16 oz.), but when adjusted correctly, and the machine is not totally worn out, will make a nice stitch. The first thing that you will need to do is replace the bobbin case.Forget repairing it, or rebuilding it, just call Bob at Toledo Sew(1-866-362-7397) and replace it. Have Bob set the tension for 69/138 thread. When you receive your new bobbin case, then you will be able to adjust your top tension so that your stitch will do what you want it to do. Remember to start from scratch when it comes to adjusting the top tension. What I mean by that is to tighten the adjusting nut until it comes in contact with the tension spring, it looks like a beehive, then on some scratch material sew a couple of inches. You will probably find that there will be loops on the bottom. Tighten the top tension one full turn at a time until the stitch pulls up. Make sure that you do the regular things like clean out the hook assembly, remove any burrs that might be the cause of thread fraying, and oil it. This should help get you on your way. Thanks, Steve

Hi slava, and welcome to LW. Glad you're here. Steve

Hi tuffcase, there are sewing machine companies that sell thread also. I am one of them. Bob Kovar at Toledo Sewing Machine Co. (1-866-362-7397) is another one, or you could go online. Thanks, Steve