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Ahhhh, ok that explains it. I was wondering why some had it, some didn't and there wasn't any reference to it doing anything. Thanks Bob.

Can someone help me identify what this part does on the 211G? I've looked through all the reference material I have and do not see it indicated on any of the service manuals. I know it's gotta do something (or I think it does ;-) ) Singer 211G.doc Singer 211G.doc

Steve - Thanks for the recommendation. I just spoke with Bob, he had everything I needed in stock and I was able to get everything shipped out. He was definitely helpful and had some good advice on how to change the timing belt. I appreciate it.

OK, got my 211G and am in the process of cleaning and removing the years of use. In the process I need some parts and was wondering if anybody had a good recommendation for parts suppliers for these machines. I can find a bunch on the net but would rather deal with someone that has a good reputation vs. hit or miss. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, I hope it will. Once I get it in and taken apart, cleaned and put back together I'll be ready to go. Hopefully there won't be much work required. Thanks for the info on the needles and thread, it is appreciated.

OK, I went ahead and picked up the 211, should be here this week. Now the question is what type of thread and needles should I get? I can find the info on Singers site but I'm having a h*** of a time trying to find out what these numbers convert to. According to Singer manual it has Needle #22 for Thread 16-24, and then Needle #20 for Thread 24-30, it also states that thread must be "left twist" thread. So my question is, who are good suppliers for these items and also what are the converted numbers? Additionally is there a special code to order "left twist"? I swear that it reminds me of a left handed crescent wrench.

I don't think that it will, this is a zig zag machine and was really meant for lighter materials. If you are interested in reading about the setup here is the singer service manual http://parts.singerco.com/IPsvcManuals/306W25.pdf

I just did one of these for my bike, the pattern was rather simple. All I did is measure the distance between the swing arms at the front and at the back, then I added the additional height I wanted it, for me this was a 15" front, 12" back over an 11" length. I drew out the rectangles and then rounded the corners, for the back I just added additional for the flap. For determining the width of the gussets I looked at how far out my passenger peg went along with the front floorbard and subtracted 1" for that, I added additional length to the gusset to act as weather stripping and laced it together after tooling. It really is a pretty basic pattern. If you want some design ideas you can check out www.garageleathers.com

Thanks folks. Do you think it is worth it without the reverse? I can pick up a Consew 225 or 290 for the same price I believe the 225 is basically the same as the Singer 111, not sure about the 290 though.

The one I'm looking at is a 211G155 which is without a reverse

I'm looking at picking up a Singer 211G and in my research Singers technical manual states that the machine is a 1/4" under the foot but that an optional 3/8" is available. Does anyone have any experience with this machine? Can you purchase the part that does change it from 1/4 to 3/8" and replace that yourself? How about the overall characteristics of the machine, I'm looking to sew motorcyle saddlebags, chaps, equipment cases (cell phone's, laptop bags, etc.) Can it handle it. I didn't see any posts on the machine so any advice would be great.

Very nice work.

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OK, here's the finished product. I give it about a B to B-, but all in all I don't think it's bad for a first seat. Lots of lessons learned. Now on to the pillon, bags, etc.. Thanks everyone for the advice and comments and still looking to find out how you avoid wrinkles when you stretch it out on a seat this size. From what I've seen on other sites it appears some builders just do a skirting that hides it and the factory splits it into 2 seperate pieces a top and bottom side, but I didn't think that would look good. Oh well, I'll just keep swimming

Well I went ahead and finished it out. I used a mixture of 6:1 Fiebings Light Brown for the background and then Walnut Oil for the rest of the seat. Preferred that over neatsfoot as the color is less grey and has a nice hue to it. Had some sitting around from a cutting board I did a few weeks ago. All in all I think it it came out pretty good. I'll post some pic's this afternoon, tried to take them last night but the artificial light was a bit harsh.

Thanks McJeep. Actually I started leatherworking 3 months ago and this is the first thing I've actually assembled. The rest of the time I've just been working on carving and tool utilization. Max, when you say "oil it", what exactly do you mean. Mink Oil or something similar? Thanks.

Well, in between helping my sister move into her new place and work and.... life, finally finished my seat. Here are some pics. I had a tough time getting the wrinkles out of the back as you can see. I think I didn't put enough fill or that I cut the piece to short and stretching it out may have caused that ripple. Any suggestions, comments or advice as always is welcome. My bike is white so I'm thinking of doing the background in a darker brown and the rest in a light tan. I'll post some more when I finish that.

While I'm in the process of making all new seats and bags for my Road*, I've been researching saddlebag construction. I want to make bags that are quick release and rather substantial for long trips. In my research I came across the courbouilli method of hardening leather for armour. I was wondering if anyone has ever tried this for making "rigid" saddlebags and if so, what success or failures you've had. I was thinking about building a wooden form that conformed to the shape of bag I want, wet mold the leather on it, then harden it by pouring hot water and additives over it, then heat drying it. What do you guys think?

Thanks, that's what I finally did. Spaced it at 1/4, and now I'm matching the panels to ensure they have the same amount of holes and equal spacing. I hope to begin tooling today or tomorrow and start lacing this weekend. I'll post some pic's as things develop.

Thanks Troy, appreciate the heads up on the stapler. I've cut all the leather for the seat from my templates and scribed out my lacing line 1/8" from the edges. I am going to be doing a basketweave with 1/8" lace. From what I've read on the site there seems to be several different thoughts on how to space your holes for the lacing. The perimeter of my seat is 5'7" so 67 inches. Here's what I have read regarding that. 1. Space the holes the same distance apart as the width of the lace, so 1/8" apart. = 536 holes for the top. 2. Measure the perimeter and divide by 100. That would put the spacing a little more than 1/2" apart so about 134 holes for the top. 3. other variations are just spacing evenly at different increments of an inch. (i.e. 1/4", every other 1/8", etc..) I don't mind puching the holes, I'm just concerned that at the 1/8" spacing this leaves very little leather between holes and I would be concerned about pulling through the holes.

Nice looking seat, good work.

Great thanks, that's good information to know. Since I predominately want to sew heavy motorcycle saddlebags, toolbags, seats, etc.. (a cottage industry, not retail) what models of these older machines would folks on the forum recommend? I see a huge amount of older Singers, etc. on e-bay and craigslist that are reasonably priced and would love to know what would work. As far as thread/needle size what should I be looking for if I'm sewing 8-10oz veg tan (2 layers).

I have an old treadle Singer Model 66 that I inherited from my grandmother, the machine is in perfect working order and I was wondering if this machine is good for sewing leather and if so, to what weight. Most of the items I read online indicate that if you can shove it under the foot, you can sew it on this machine but not being a person who has sewing experience I thought I would ask.

Thanks for the advice so far. Ok, so here was step 2, making the patterns. If anyone has any advice on how to do it different or better, I'm all ears. After I removed all the stitching I ironed and folded the different pieces in half and used some heavy duty material to trace the half seat on making sure it was folded along the factory middle line. I then used that half pattern to make the second half. I'm not sure if this is the best way to do it, however the material on the factory seat was stretched out of shape so I guessed. I then used those halves to trace my cut pattern for the top of the saddle and cut out the practice template. My question here is: What is the preferred method for cutting the piece? I used a razor knife but didn't like how uneven the edges were. (they weren't bad, but it seems to me they could be cleaner). What does everyone use?

Thanks guys, appreciate the input. I saw an post about the washer item so I'll research that and it sounds like a good idea. I've pulled the old seat apart and broken down the sewing so I have some rough templates to begin work on. That should keep me busy for a day or so.