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Hi everyone, I just purchased a Consew 230R-1. I’m attempting to set it up for doing some leather projects. I’ve been hand sewing everything and wanted to try a machine. (Last time I used a sew machine was home economics in 1999.) I know it’s not the perfect machine for what I’m doing and I should have bought a much more expensive set up but I’ve found lots of positive feedback on this machine and it was in my price range. I have a few questions though. What size needle should I use? I will be trying to go through 2-4mm of leather if that’s possible. What thread size can is best for this and will fit through the machine and the tensioners? Do I use the same size and color in the bobbin? Last question is there a specific type of foot I should use to help with this that won’t mark up the leather? Like a roller foot or something? Some things I like about this machine is that it had reverse, I can change my stitch size and it has the walking foot. Some of the pictures are what I’ve sewn by hand and other projects I want to use the machine for. Thanks for your kindness.

I recently bought a Pfaff 545 to sew veg tanned leather journals, wallets, bags, and more. Had problems with hook timing because of old screws buggered slots on shaft. I cut deeper slots into screws allowing me to tighten down properly. Hook timing solved I think. Now I am trying to use size 138 thread top and in bobbin sews fine going forward but if I try to lock stitch creates jam on bobbin side of leather. My question is to big thread in bobbin or timing off by small adjustment. I really would like to use 138 on both sides for finished look. I would also like to use 207 size thread need to know if that is possible. I have learned more about sewing machines in the last month than I thought possible but still a newbie. I need to sew with no issues, so far I spend more time tinkering with machine than sewing. I would appreciate all the help you can offer. Thanks Jeff

I just ordered a Pfaff 1295 post bed but can't find information on what the best weight of nylon bonded thread is to use on this machine. Any recommendations? Thanks guys!

I have often wondered about the requirement of heavy thread on items like holsters or any other heavy use items, without considering cosmetics My question is is the strength of say #138 at 22 pound breaking strain, (bonded nylon) on say a 10cm length of stitched leather, at a nominal stitch interval, likely to break down at 22 pound applied pressure, or is the pressure divided by the number of adjoining stitches, and therefore require a far heavier pressure to break, i.e. each single stitch would break at 22 pounds but is the load shared by other stitches The second question is, if you have glued the leather as well as sewn, what do the experts expect to give way first Presumably someone must have done some real life tests in the past, or is it in reality just a case of always been overengineered and people just followed tradition

Hello all! I found a great little Singer 31-15 on Craigslist and purchased it. It sews great! Can anyone tell me what thread sizes this machine is capable of using? Any adjustments needed to use different thread sizes? Any needle suggestions for sewing leather with this machine? Does anyone have a link to a manual for it? And, of course, any suggestions at all for the 31-15 would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

My singer 111w153 runs well and seems to be adjusted correctly. I still have random dropped/skipped stitches. Alredy done Verified timing adsusted feet changed and checked timing belt changed take up bell crank cleaned and adjusted tension plate verfied bobbin tension adjusted sewing hook guide latch New belt and adjusted clutchmotor still at a loss as to my problem. Could be: thread/needle size timing not right with needle bar IDK... please help

I am reading about people using certain needle sizes and thread sizes for various appications in leather work. I cannot find anywhere, any information about what needle to use with what size thread for any specific use, whther it is for hand sewing or machine sewing. Can anyone please direct me to where I can find this info....?

Hi folks, I am trying to make the perfect gun belt. My struggles: gluing 2 pieces of 7 to 8 oz leather together on a flat surface. The problem with this is I am getting wrinkles on the inside of belt, also the inside belt holes look funky over time (bulged out slightly). This problem I have seen on a few of my belts, not all of them. I understand that the inside layer of a belt travels a shorter distance than the outside layer which makes since that something is going to give. To fix this problem. I have started gluing my belts around a 50" bucket. This seems to work out great! This makes the inside layer at least an 1" shorter than the outside layer. I just tell my customers to look at this as a top shelf belt and keep on your top shelf not a hanger.. My question is, will I encounter any bad side effects from gluing belts this way? The last thing I want is for the outside of my belts to show wrinkles. Struggles # 2 I am using a cowboy 3200 with #277 top and bottom thread. When I hammer the top stitches down they sit down nice,( acceptable to me) however after hammering down the stitches on inside of belt they are raised up more than my liking. (not acceptable to me). I don't think it is a setting on my machine as the knot is sitting in the middle like its supposed to and I don't see any loose stitches. To fix this problem I have been using a stitch groover on bottom of belt. I don't like using the stitch groover on the bottom. If I could decrease my bobbin thread size I think this will alleviate my raised stitches. My question: with me using #277 on the top what is the smallest thread I can use in my bobbin that will work on 2 pcs of 7 to 8 oz leather? My second question: Will this help or am I better off just using a stitch groover? Thanks for your help.

Like a lot of people on here, I am struggling with which machine to get. I have not been able to find a chart that correlates thread size with leather thickness. My question is; how light of thread and needle size do I need to sew two layers of 4 oz veg tan? How heavy of thread and needle do I need to sew two layers of 10oz? Some of the heavy machines say they will sew as light as 69 thread size. Is that realistic? I appreciate the time the experienced craftsmen spend answering rookie questions. Thanks in advance.

Hello all, I haven't posted in a while, but I've definitely been on the forums researching. I've been reading a LOT of forum threads about sewing machines and understand what is necessary as far as walking foot, servo motor, etc. Unfortunately, the cash outlay necessary is out my league, at least for now. I have been hand stitching all of my work and now have a client who would like some tote bags and I thought it was time to finally get a sewing machine to help. I have a small home machine which I do a lot of thin deerskin bags for the same client and I knew it wasn't going to help. I scoured the Bay and craigslist and found a lady selling a Singer 31-47. I checked ISMACS, and it was in the 31 family and is for heavy fabrics and leather. I picked it up for $250. It has the original table and clutch motor. I've done a s much reading as I can find, but my question is, after much digression, what is the biggest thread size that I can run through this machine? The lady I bought it from said her husband did upholstery work and the thread that came with it is size EE, which is 69? I'd like to go to at least 92 or even 138 but cannot find any information regarding thread sizes for my machine. If anyone can help it would be appreciated.

I am new to leather work and i was watching nigel armitage videos. In one video he said depending on how many stitches per inch you do you should have an appropriate thread size so im curious for 7 or 8 stitches per inch on a phone case or wallet do i use the .6 mm thread or .8 or 1. Basically im looking for a general explanation so when i go up to a bag or tablet case i can know what to do. I hope this makes since im not sure im explaining myself right

Good people of the forum, I beseech thy wisdom! I have been looking for some kind of guideline concerning thread size to stitches per inch ratio for hand stitching. I rummaged around the forums trying to find the info but this thread seems to be as close as it gets: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=53981&hl=%2Bthread+%2Bsize Now, this is on machine thread. I tried to find equivalents in mm sizes and my understanding is that machine thread sizes are actually mm decimals (207 thread being 0.207mm...?...)* and are quite smaller than those of hand sewing thread. If this is correct, it might be difficult - or impossible (?) - to extrapolate on the above thread's info to make an equivalent for hand sewing... What thread size/ stitches per inch ratio do you seasoned (and not-so-seasoned) leatherworkers use when it comes to hand stitching? *I found a chart while googling on the subject but I can't find it anymore. This is from what I remember (poorly) so please don't go too hard on me if I'm wrong.

Howdy from Farmville, VA! Yes, Farmville is a REAL place:) My husband is a cowboy from TX who enjoys leatherwork, he creates mostly custom tack for our roping horses and can repair just about anything to do with leather. His Singer home machine just broke and we just purchased an old industrial SEIKO machine walking foot and cylinder arm which I believe is a CW-1. It works well but has no paperwork with it. I have been searching for days to find a manual and to try and determine what size needles I should order and what size/type of thread. My husband is old school and did a lot of his work by hand. I need help! Any and all would be appreciated:) I have attached some pics of the machine in case anyone is interested or knows exactly what we have. Thanks!

Looking at picking up some stitching thread for a wallet from Maine Thread Company. In particular, their Waxed Polycord. They offer the following sizes: What size should I get? Cheers!

Been doing mostly various kinds of gun leather for awhile now, but all by hand sewing. I am in the process of buying a machine to get to the next level, which has led me to the subject of thread. There are a multitude of choices out there especially for a new guy to machine sewing. I managed to narrow it down to thread in sizes 207 and 277 based on some recommendations here on Leatherworker. At his point the choices get confusing: Nylon? Polyester? Bonded ? What recommendations do you guys have. I found this on eBay, one of many, any information/recommendations of this variation? In case the graphic it too small the label reads : American & Efird, Inc.,Mt Holly, N.C., Anefil Nylon, Bonded, White, 30001, ST277.