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We bought a second hand 205-370 last Autumn and it's been more than a bit of a hassle getting some parts, needles, etc. for it here in the UK. They're truly quite a rare beast here. With some other work getting in the way before we put "The Beast" to full occupation it's not been until the last few weeks we've been using it regularly . . and we've hit numerous issues . . but the one that has us stumped is that it cannot use the "794 system" needles! WTF!!! That is the chosen, recommended size - indeed only size we think - for this machine. We didn't pay much attention to the needles the machine came with at first, the machine was fitted with a fat one used to produce the grey upholstery hide sample it arrived with and the opened and unopened packets of needles in it's drawer were round point for clothing only. We believe the previous owners used the 205 for work of a lighter nature than what it is capable of and what we bought it for, we need to use the 205 for heavy harness leather work, this machine is only one of two worldwide that it the ultimate for this work and we do know it's strength means it'll still sew when others will grind to a halt. So any issue with needles is worrying. To that end we purchased various points of new needles of the correct size for the 205, this machine uses the 794 range, no other "system" is recommended. We then also sourced the correct, heavier "button twist" type of thread that is OK for the 205 and we need for heavy leather-work. We fitted our first needle and set up the machine to sew only to find that the first needle broke almost immediately, another fitted showed instantly that it's diamond point was burred over. We checked that we were fitting the needles correctly - we were - and our timing, etc. was spot on. It is then we looked in more depth at the needles the 205 came with. They were a completely different system. The one fitted for the leather sample was a Singer 250/27 whilst the packets in the drawer were Schmetz "System 7x23", they were all size 180/24. These are all too small, technically, the 205 was showing it's great aptitude to be tolerant we think. Popping open the cover at the end of the cylinder arm we fitted a new needle and moved it slowly by hand. The needle, a GB 200 leather point, was TOO LONG and it's point was first glancing off the bobbin shuttle and then colliding with the swing hinge for that part. So we fitted one of the 180/24 needles and that cleared all obstructions. So now we know why this 205 came with the wrong sizes of needles. But the 205 is designed to use ONLY a 794 "system" needle. The pair of us took time out one day to fully go through the 205's whole needle and shuttle/hook assembly carefully taking notes and photo's and we hope eventually got some answers. A few of these photo's are attached beneath our text, "A" shows that we're missing the two ring spacers and that the inner ring is simply pushed too far forward . . by it's four springs maybe? "B" shows the needle size that came with the machine passing the bobbin shuttle whilst "C" shows the "794" hitting the same part. "D" shows the two needle sizes side by side and a better view of the "794" hitting the side of the bobbin shuttles hinge . . the inevitable happens each time. This is where we think this 205 is "going wrong". The Machine's bobbin housing sits too far forward and is not spring loaded as it should be, this is totally proven by some of Uwe's video. The grub screw in the side of the cylinder arm which locks the mechanism is not performing as it should it almost misses the inner ring completely when it's required to hold that assembly - so the bobbin housing may be in the wrong place. Incidentally the one shown in our pix is a temporary machine screw replacement to help it work . . the fitted grub screw has a chamfered point. There are also two spring spacers missing and the four small springs behind the hook assembly may also be wrong too. Whilst the needle/hook will collect the bobbin thread the correct needle collides with the bobbin case and, when the smaller incorrectly sized needles that came with the 205 are used, whilst these needles don't hit anything they do drop lower stitches from time to time. Needle too short? This may also be why the two needle protection spacers originally fitted are far too big at the pair totalling 3.60 mm, they don't as such effect sewing but they do an important role in sewing heavy work. They prevent the needle breaking under deflection by weight, so this 205 has the maximum spacing . . was this to try and solve the mechanical issues breaking needles? We would VERY much appreciate ANY input to solving our issue from fellow forum members . . thank you.

What is the proper needle for leather on the class 4, they sent me 794 S style needles, does the "S" stand for spear point ? Is that for cloth? thanks Clint

Hello all, I'm looking for needles for a singer 7-33, I need 7x5 but am having no luck with google.

I apologize ahead of time for another thread question but I have been reading continously for 3 days and can't find the answers I am seeking and need some advice. I even called Campbell-Randall and they couldn't answer my question. I can't find out what the difference between #6, or #5 and 18/3 or 18/4 and what size is 207? Then there are all the needle sizes. one place a size is 00 and someplace else it is a different #??? I bought some Barbour #6 ($50 worth) and then ordered some John James #2 needles but don't think the two are compatible?? So if there is a chart or someone could point me to the right post, my sanity would be forever grateful. I love these forums and Nigel's video's but I'm over educated for my intelligence and need some advice. Thank you so so much in advance.

hey everyone, I need some needles, bobbins and bobbin holders for my Singer 29K58 and my Singer 31-15. Is there someone in Canada who carries such things and if so, whom???

Hey all, I recently invested a great deal of time and money buying myself an industrial walking foot sewing machine - namely an Adler 167-GK-373 walking foot. However I've found it's not quite what I had in mind for my needs. Hand-stitching is for me. As such I've decided to offer it up to you lovely people, for a good deal off what I've paid for the machine, replacement parts, upgraded motor and time to refurbish and calibrate it all. It's an Adler 167 walking foot, made in West Germany, and has been totally cleaned inside and out. A totally solid machine, consistent stitching, reverse stitching, variable pressure foot. Brilliant machine, just not for me I have also upgraded the motor to a new Servo Motor (JK-563A-1 220V 750W 1 HP SERVO MOTOR WITH NEEDLE POSITION) It also has a new feed dog, needle plate, new feet (which I've polished) and comes with all the needles (5-6 packs), threads, clippers and spare parts from the machine that I've accumulated. I live in Scotland and as such it kind of needs to be collected from me, but I can arrange for a courier at what I suspect is a bit of cost (£100+ I would imagine ish). Price I'm looking for is £1100 ono. Many thanks for looking Gordon

I assume I can sew #69 thread on my Cobra 4, but I am not sure of the correct needle - something like 110/18 or 120/19? I usually use 794S or LL points with larger thread and needles, but I cannot seem to find a source for this needle system and smaller size. Any suggestions on size and supplier?

I need replacement needles for some leather repairers we have at our MISSION. Our Volunteers use Champion (no model visible) Needles printed on side ICH 12 C, or ICH 12 O? Sizes are 2.25" long, .078" Round or metric equiv. of 5.715 cm 0.19812 cm Any help would be great, thanks! Brad E Walton II 217-418-3593 hotdj1@icloud.com

For sale is a Frobana (Wuppertal, Germany) made Sole stitcher. I bought this machine in 2007, got the inside oiled and working again, but somehow never got around to using it much. It takes up too much space in my shop, and it really breaks my heart that this machine is not being used, so I have decided to part with it. It is working perfectly fine, and I would say the overall technical condition is good, with the look being fair. Still the original paintjob, only the wooden base looks quite a bit worse for the wear. Please judge the machine according to the pictures I have provided. I have also made a video showing the machine stitching some 13 ounce leather. Machine: Machine, as seen in pictures and video, with one new needle mounted Key to change leather thickness (if I find it) photocopy of the manual, and a large spool of linen thread - I had to use a wrong type of thread for the video and pics. I will help you get parts and needles at cost, if I can get them Asking price: 290$ plus actual shipping costs Also for sale: 7 needles for the stitcher. These are all unused, though the three on the left had some stains when I got them from lying around the shop a bit, the four on the right are like new. I would prefer to sell these along with the machine and will only sell the seperately if the machine sells first. Asking price: 20$ per needle, or 120$ for all, plus actual shipping costs, 95 if bought together with the machine. Payment up front by Paypal or bank transfer, or cash on pickup in Cologne, Germany. Pictures of machine and needles (including shots of the interior of the machine, and of the stitching): https://www.dropbox.com/sh/31lolk8vcnbfo44/AAC3OfPe8wJrv2QxgctTDqgua Video of the stitcher in action:

Hi All So i have been reading a lot of posts on sewing machines and have purchased a Juki 1508 NH based on the information in this forum. The machine comes with a 190 needle system so my question on needles is which brand and point style to buy. The only clear pictures i can find on needles is a pdf from schmetz that shows the actual needle point and has examples of how the the stitching will look So are schmetz good reiiable needles or should I be looking for something different. When it comes to thread, is there a particular brand that is better than others...and should i be looking at bonded nylon or polyester. I would like something that mimics a hand stitched look similar to tiger thread or lin cable ( if thats possible) the machine will be used mainly for wallets , small accessory items, handbags, veg tan belts and light luggage pieces. Most will incorporate piping or binding on the seams Thanks to all for posting and sharing your ideas ac.

Hi I am desperatly looking for needles for my Adler series 30, and my pearson no.6, The one I had on my Adler broke 2 days ago has inscribed on it GB 120, or maybe if there is something equivalent, been searching since yesterday on the net...nothing conclusive. I still have one on the pearson but only one I have...would like spares but no rush for pearson. Thanks everyone

I am hand stitching my first belt. I did fine with the diamond punch, doing fine with the awl, and the needles are even working good. My question is; it is getting tough to pull the needle through the hole. Is there any kind of rubber covers that will go over the finger tips to give me a better grip. It would not take much. I wiggle the awl to make the holes bigger but I don't want to make it much bigger. I just need a little help pulling the needle through and I am tired of using pliers.

I think I could use some help here. Recently removed the round point needles that came in the Techsew 4100 machine I purchased, and installed Organ 794 LR Size 230/26 with white 277 thread. First round was a complete disaster, finally managed to get the results shown in the photos. Not certain it is what it should be though, and I can't say that I'm happy with it. Any suggestions on what I should be doing to get this to be a better stitch? Also looks like it is blowing out the back, not a clean exit. One row is just with the needle, the second row has the thread.

After several days of carefully browsing through the countless topics I decided to abuse the good will of the senior members in order to get specific answers/advice to my case. I will be short so I won't waste your time. Looking to move from hand-stitching to machine sewing while keeping the same "look" for new larger items impossible to handstitch. So looking to make women wallets, bags, totes etc. This would be done with heavy jeans cotton, waxed canvas, 1-2mm leather and thick thread. I chose these based on availability in my country: - JACK JK 62682LG - enlarged hook heavy duty cylinder bed, 6mm max stitch, DPx17 #18-24 needle sizes - JACK 550W servo motor with NPS (needle positioning system) - stitching slow and accurate is important to me - will be sewing with 20/3 and 10/3 synthetic thread. I don't know how it translates into the 207/277 sizes - no slanted stitches - I need a straight large stitch, large holes I was thinking of ordering size #18/20 needles for lighter leather/fabrics and #24 for heavier 3-5mm leather. So i ordered some 135-16 system needles with D/TRI point. Please let me know your recommendations if you think I should order different parts or needles. Thank you!

I recently purchased a Singer 31-15. It came with two sets of needles. The first set of needles were marked "Singer" on the shaft, and from the eye size, look to be either #16 or #18. These have no scarfs on the needles. The second set of needles were still in the package and are marked Organ needles 16x257/LR (110/18). These have a scarf on each needle. Both sets of needles look nearly the same; they are both the same diameter and length (except for the scarf on the second set). I was using #69 thread with the Singer needles to set up the machine, and got everything working fine. It sews correctly on either cloth or leather. Without making any other changes, I then tried to use the Organ 16x257/LR leather needles in the machine. These did not work. They will not catch the bobbin thread. In both situations, the groove on the needle was to the left, and threaded from left to right. However, when I reversed the Organ needle (groove on the right, still threaded left to right), it would sew maybe a dozen stitches before breaking the top thread. Anyone have any ideas how to the leather needles with a scarf to work?

hi guys, i am working through my first project where i'm doing a good amount of hand-stitching. the stitching is turning out nicely; i don't really have any problems there. however... i did have quite a bit of trouble in the beginning with the 'stitching needles' i got from tandy (linked below). they're much, much too big and i snapped 8 needles (8 needles to do about 12 stitches!) before giving up on them. http://www.tandyleat...g/1195-033.aspx i went to fabricland (which is a fabric and sewing supply store here in canada) and bought a few packs of needles in the hopes of finding a good size. luckily i did find one (shown in attached image) that is a better size for what i'm doing. using these needles i did about a hundred saddle stitches without any trouble. problem is: i don't really know what size/type of needle i've got! based on the packaging i would guess the pack i bought has needles in sizes 3-9 (and probably i was using a size 3) but not sure. can anyone take a guess at what size/type of needle i've picked? and also i've you could share a supplier for quality needles? i don't really want to keep buying these 'variety packs' of needles when i really only want the one size. thanks a lot! braden

Are all of the Singer 29 series leather needles the same, specifically can I use a Singer 29-4 in a Singer 29K10? Thanks, James

Needle Quandary In my brief and exciting venture in the world of leather machine stitching I have encountered challenges and some small victories, and spent considerable time learning and being confused, not necessarily in that order. One on the remaining mysteries is the issue of machine needles. There seems to be numerous codes used to describe the size, shape, length, intended use, etc. for the various needles. One would think that he same machine would use the same needle for the same use. Specifically I am referring to the 441 Type machines offered by Tech Sew, Leather Machine Co. and Toledo Industrial. I looked up the needles on the web sites for the following machines and found that each appears to use a different needle: Cobra 4 7X4 NW Tech Sew 5100 7X1 Cowboy 4500 7X3 (DYX3) 7X appears to be the common denominator but after that things change. Are these needles interchangeable between machines or are the machines different enough to require different needles? Is there some sort of cross reference available to decipher the various codes and aid in selecting needles? Thanks !!!!

I`ve recently inherited a Singer-45K25. It seems to have an excessively large needle. If anyone out there knows the sizes of needles and thread that are standard for this machine, your help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Ron Brooks

Advertised this machine in the past but no longer able to find on the site. I have a new COWBOY 4500 SEWING MACHINE, as shown in Leathrcrafters and Saddlers Journal and offered by Toledo Sewing Machine. Has all of the listed accessories and much more that I had purchased for the machine. Large spools of thread, needles, etc; and will all be included. I am not able to pack and ship but machine may be picked up in Opelika, Al., just off I-85. Asking price is below the price machine is being sold and with free extras. $2500.00 cash takes it home. Wish I had discovered an experienced teacher in the area, to teach me how to use the machine but no luck around here. I think I put the cart before the horse when I made the purchase. Had no desire to to attempt to take a stab at making a mess of things with such a great piece of machinery so it sits on it's pedestal and waits for a more courageous individual. If you make the purchase, please plan on having assistance with you as I am not physically able to load or lift anything these days. disabled senior,senior. Hope this is a machine for someone. Ray

It's time to reorder leather needles for my industrial machine. Is there a discernible difference between 135 x 16 needles from different companies?

Hi All! So I'm relatively new to my Singer 211G165 and honestly purchased it with only a little research on what I needed (walking foot) , but luckily so far it's been "OK" for me. I use it to sew chromium leather handbags. (sometimes up to 3 or 4 layers thick) Sometimes it works well, other times it does not, and I'd love everyones feedback on the best needles, thread, etc to use. Lately I've been having problems with stitches skipping, bobbin thread breaking, or getting tangled in the bobbin case. While trying to investigate, it appears that the little square tab that sticks off of the side of the bobbin case is not where it should be? I am wondering if that little tab is supposed to be underneath the needle plate? It looks like it was at one point because the needle plate is worn down... I will post a picture this evening! Also my hand wheel is very hard to turn... is that normal? In some videos i've seen, it looks very easy to them.. I also just realized that the "Swing away guide" thing exists and I am SUPER excited to get one of those! I have tons of questions, but that will work for now. I really appreciate everyones responses! best, erin