AlZilla

Some leather just doesn't sand well. Also, that's fairly thin leather, which I've had trouble with, too.

It's a small sample so not a lot to go on. Definitely a skill and practice issue more so than a thread issue. Some of the stitches are very consistent, while others look like a road map ... Exactly where most of us started. The bottom right corner of the first pic looks like one of the holes is out of line. This can be caused by not holding the pricking iron exactly vertical. It's amazing how a little tilt can move the bottom hole out of line. One key to good stitching is consistent hand motions. Up, down, over, under, left, right, whatever you do, do it exactly the same on each stitch. The edge looks like it could have used a little sandpaper before burnishing. Many crafters will go through several grits of sandpaper before they ever pick up the edge slicker. To a point, it's a personal taste thing. For me, I rarely go finer than 150. Others will run up to 600. All things considered, you've turned out a functional piece you can use and gotten your feet wet, so I'd call it a success. Maybe look for one of the many places that sell bags of scrap leather. For what it is, I think it's over priced but it gives you some pieces to make key fobs, coasters, card holders and other small things to practice all these little skills. Hopefully more experienced crafters will weigh in, too. I've only been at it a couple years myself but I'm comfortable offering as much as I have here.

This earlier post shows the starter kit he got. Pretty much what you'd expect.

@cmunch To be in compliance with the rules, we really need a picture of this. Looking forward to seeing what else you list.

@Bunker85Hu Might want to specify where you'll ship. We have a global reach. Nice looking tools. Thanks for listing them here.

No, that's a quilter. They'll sew long runs of little pieces together like that in their construction process. She'll cut them apart later and sew them to other pieces, so no need to lock their stitches. The Davis machines were fairly popular a hundred+ years ago, so who knows. EDIT: the plate you refer to above is a straight stitch plate. I hadn't thought of that and it reminded me - Have you played with the also often overlooked presser foot pressure?

It sounds like an industrial would just be too big for you. Depending on how committed you are to solving it, a Davis Vertical Feed would probably do it. Walking foot, needle feed and no feed dogs. Quilters love them. I know of no modern equivalent. I have one of these in my stash and it's pretty cool. Go to 1:30 to see it in action.

How about painters tape or something like it on the presser foot? Might be a middle ground between Teflon and glue.

I had that same thought. But if they made 10 different bobbin setups, I'm thinking the spring must be l pretty fine tuned to the intended thread size.

In New England you can even start a Holy war by bringing the wrong kind of hot dog bun. This is a proper Hot Dog bun. Although a righteous Chicago Dog requires an entirely different bun.

I know nothing about that machine but I know a little about mechanical things. From your video, it just looks like a rough spot or a piece of metallic debris need to be cleaned up. I would definitely get LMC or whoever you bought it from to bless you taking it apart beforehand. It shouldn't be like that on a new machine but it doesn't seem like a fatal flaw. I'll be interested to find out what it ends up being.

Yes. The thicker threads we use for leather create a lot of unsightly bulk when you start forward, back up and come forward again. And the hole created by the needle isn't really big enough to have 3 stitches run thru. I use V138 and up. I start, needle up, where the 3rd hole would be and drop the needle 3 times, backwards. That gives me 2 complete stitches, with my needle all the way down and at the beginning of my intended stitch line. Now I can stitch the "right way" (forward) and I get 2 locked stitches when I hit the 3rd hole again. With domestic sizes of thread and needles on fabric it's not so obvious. On my machines without reverse, I do the same thing by turning the material around. Simple to do, but apparently takes a lot of words to explain... 😃

If I had this on a leather machine, I'd want it to backtack 3 holes first, then go forward from there. This way I only get the beginning stitches run over 2 times instead of 3. That's how I do it anyway. This way my first 2 stitches are doubled up as I get when hand stitching.

@BurntLeatherCo hasn't been seen around these parts since May. But that tag I just did might send them an email that somebody is talking about them. Maybe he/she will check in and you guys can get together.

Is it maybe supposed to come out over to the right, at the 5:00 position and ride over that tab?

I had a little time this morning and here's a post that apparently has a manual attached. https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/78444-download-singer-132k6-seiko-sk-8-manual/ Let us know how else we can help.

Here's a start. 373 posts that contain 132K6. You could rerun the search and add "manual". https://leatherworker.net/forum/search/?&q=132k6&search_and_or=or Welcome aboard!

@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/