AlZilla

@KyLeatherMan, I moved your post to our Marketplace area. Please review the rules, linked here and be sure you're in compliance. For sure we need a price and location and you need to address your willingness to ship. Thanks for listing it here and good luck with your sale!

Edge beveling seems to be an under addressed area for the rookie leather crafter. I would have liked to run into this rule of thumb early on, to start with a third to half the thickness of my leather and adjust to taste. Such a bewildering array of expensive bevelers to choose from in the market, I've just stuck with the small one that came in my original tool set. Thanks for this post.

Another one of those projects I wish I had an excuse to build. Well planned and nicely executed.

I like 1/8th" craft foam. It's about the thickness of 8 ounce leather and gives me a good idea how things are going to align and fit together. I don't sew anything or make a full prototype. Once I get it satisfactory, I have a craft foam pattern.

A local industrial sewing machine guy is a valuable asset. The 280-L appears to be one of the many machines like the 111W series and it should have reverse. Most of us equip a machine like that with a servo motor and a speed reducer. But that's a rabbit hole you can burrow into if you decide to pursue it.

It's a good question and I'll be interested in what the mad geniuses here have to say. Does it happen before or after you refrigerate it? Or does it matter?

@Zonker1972 For future reference, either reply 'sold' or you could use the "Report" function in the upper right corner. We lock them and move them to Old/Sold. Like I'm about to do here ...

Yeah, a lot of us learn that the hard way. Partly because a lot of semi-scrupulous sellers market them as leather machines. You could put a bigger motor under the table and a torque increasing speed reducer. But you're still limited by the needle and thread size. But ... Let's talk about these Pfaff's! I haven't found one yet because they usually bring a premium price. You have multiples! I believe Singer bought the rights to make a machine based on the 130. If you look at Singer 306's you can see the similarity. A friend of mine recently found a Singer 206, of which I am most envious. It's a pint sized version of the 306. You have a great machine and I suggest you look into making some denim bags. I made a bunch from thrift store jeans and people loved them. The skills you learn will mostly translate to to a bigger machine, once you find one. Then just start keeping an eye out. I started my industrial adventure with a Singer 111W153, commonly called an "industrial walking foot" machine which is a good range to land in. It's a good all around general purpose machine. Many other kinds serve equally well, maybe better in some cases. Have you looked at Wiz's treatise on leather sewing machines? https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/25239-the-type-of-sewing-machine-you-need-to-sew-leather/

l didn't notice that. Probably telepathic.

At 5:30 of this video, the lady is sewing those welted fingers with which you're struggling. I hate posting a yt video that might disappear, but it is what it is.

Interesting project. I see the difference in the 2 lengths, 219 vs 215.72. I wonder if that difference could be in how the old gloves stretched over the years. I've had similar problems trying to use an old hat I took apart as a template. Pieces just don't seem to like up as if expect.

From the lace at the top to the binding on the bottom, the first finger measures 5 3/4" long, all the way across. I can't see inside to see the details. It sounds like you're making a new glove?

What are you making that the three pieces wouldn't be the same length? 4 ounce leather really doesn't have any stretch that would lend itself to easing unequal lengths, at least as I understand easing from doing it with fabric. I'm going to move this to the Leather Sewing Machine sub forum.

I'm going to move you over to the Leather Sewing Machine sub forum. I'll be surprised if those parts aren't available.

I've got a scad of these old domestics, but no Pfaffs I'll agree with Friquant that the old Pfaff really should start slow and smooth and ramp up evenly. Foot controllers are often a culprit, The motor itself can be a factor. Most of them can be disassembled, cleaned, the commutator surface refreshed and new brushes installed. Plenty of youtube videos. Find one shows how to test the windings for opens and shorts. A multimeter can test the foot controller. I don't have any exact values to give you but the resistance should start off high and drop to zero or close enough with the pedal fully engaged and do it smoothly. Let us know how its going.

That cabinet manual might be interesting to important for Singer collectors. Cabinet information for antique machines is sketchy. Ismacs.net has a number listed but it's far from a complete list.

I wouldn't deliver a flawed product in this case.

Looks like about $140 US. If I'm going to part with one that I've gone through and made good as new, it takes at least $100 US to pry it away. Most people would rather go the Walmart and drop that same money on a less capable, low end plastic machine. The difference is a couple years of service vs a couple of lifetimes. Here's hoping this works out for you. I've made a lot of denim bags on 237's and similar Kenmores.

Depends. If it's a personal item and I can't fix it, I might live with it. If it's a sale item and I can't fix it, I'd start over.

Gotcha, I misunderstood your question. That does seem a little odd.

Yep. The bobbin thread runs through a slot/notch and under the tension spring on the bobbin case. EDIT: I'm not sure what machine you have but when you drop the bobbin in, there will be an angled slot somewhere in the case. The bobbin thread will go into that slot *in the same direction that the slot is angled up*. That notch you refer to should be the top end of the slot. Pull the bobbin thread up and out that notch. The bobbin thread then changes direction and passes under the spring. Every machine I have operates this way.

Very good advice. Making all your rookie mistakes on the first project.

I'll second CKPSMS. They're on amazon or ebay. I've purchased quite a bit and always been satisfied.

Very nice. If it's in a shop I imagine it won't be inexpensive but I'd hope they will have gone through it and fixed any issues. In my part of the world, we find them anywhere from free to $30 or $40 from private sellers. I doubt a small shop would bother with one. My biggest complaint with any of those 70's and 80's machines is when they start slow and the motor grumbles and growls. It can be just a lack of lubrication or it can be the motor and/or foot controller. All fixable issues but take time and money. I would expect a machine from a shop to start smoothly and run easy.

Good point. Tandy has tons of leathercraft books for free on it's website. https://tandyleather.com/blogs/leathercraft-library