AlZilla

I wonder if neatsfoot oil would restore it? That stuff really soaks in there.

Early on, I found that wetting the leather before dyeing gave much better results. Then I also discovered that dipping the leather is usually far superior to daubers or cloths, etc. Dipping doesn't really take a ton of dye, just a shallow pool in a wide enough tray. This is just what I've found success with. You may find differently. I've also been using mostly standard Fiebings dye. My next purchase will be the pro series. I've had a couple instances of surface cracking to reveal undyed leather not far from the surface.

Maybe I pushed the envelope a bit ...

This thread says needle feed, jump foot and some of the parts are unique to that particular machine: If the relative wanted to give you $800 to take it off his hands, maybe it's a nice coat rack.

@ibrahim You'd be better off starting a new thread rather than tagging in on an old one. You'll get more attention. Also a pic or two so people can actually see what's going on.

what happens if you wind that top tension in? It looks like it's unscrewed pretty far and the look of the stitches seem to confirm it.

Assuming that the start position is the same every time you ask for a single stitch, it seems to me that the problem has to be a bad controller. If it starts in the same position every time and your foot tap is exactly that same every time, then it should do exactly the same thing every time. I wouldn't think the position sensor would have anything to do with the speed. Maybe a loose wire causing an inconsistent signal ... ?

If it's very thin faux leather, you might be able to sew a couple of layers together. Domestic machines just aren't set up to do leather, Maybe tell us a little about what you want to do? Meanwhile, here's a thread all about what kinds of machine will effectively sew leather:

This thread indicates your machine is a clone of the Pfaff 335. Maybe finding a manual for the 335 will give you some clues to look for? If oiling doesn't help, it does seem that something has moved on you.

Some history might help the big dogs when they show up. Is this machine new to you and acting this way or have you had it and it was working fine? Also, it sounds like yo have 2 presser feet, one of which works and one that doesn't. If so, is there a difference in length between the 2?

It might help if we knew what kind of leather you sew, how thick and thread thickness. Beyond garment leather, domestics get dicey quick. Actually, your question was if anyone here used their domestic for leather - not me. Plenty try but it'll be interesting to see if anyone chimes in with a yes.

Some pictures might help. 2 inches over how many total inches? I don't think upholsters try to replicate directly from old pieces. Maybe stretch and distortion is why.

Well, that is an embarrassment of riches. Looks like some fun projects on your horizon. Be sure to keep us up on the adventure!

Wow. Thanks for even considering it!

I don't like the sterile "new" look at all. Some times users can change their own template, which I went looking for before I knew what happened. Just too bright and white for me. But it's the content that matters and everyone is grateful for what must be a massive restore, We'll adapt. Thanks for all the hard work!

Losing this site would be a terrible blow. Thanks for your dedication and work getting it back together.

Proving that the tooler matters more than the tools. Very nice work!

You're in the US, this guy (Bob, or on the forum, CowboyBob) posts here nearly every day, helping people with their machines: https://tolindsewmach.com/ He sells many brands including Juki.

Oh, yeah, they could hang on the belt and drop into the pocket. Another great idea!

Yeah, I ordered the narrowest ones I could find. Should be fun.

Interesting. Someone on here mentioned a clip-on pocket sheath for non-clip knives a few days ago. I ordered some clips and I'm going to play with that idea.

Nice! So, about $400US. That's more like it! You're going to enjoy having heavy sewing capacity.

Or, let it sit a few days and see if it dries back out. Maybe in the sunshine. Edit: thinking about this, I wonder if there's something in the leather that your efforts brought to the surface? Can cigarette smoke accumulate over a number of years? I can tell you for sure, it accumulates all over ancient domestic sewing machines. And I seem to recall threads on another forum about gun holsters that were hell to clean up.

If it's not running, it's just a pile of parts with a broken table. I wouldn't give a hundred US for it. That probably seems harsh but the only thing you know you have is what you can see with your own eyes.

How about this one, 180 watt: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/176452435645 Or this 250 watt: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/333634374457 If you're mechanically inclined at all, I'd think you could engineer a little pulley reduction setup to increase torque even more without too much expense. Like so: