Sewing machine for thin leather. Advice?

[Hairic]

Hello again all! Just wondering if anyone has any decent recommendations on a cheaper sewing machine that will do basically what my techsew 5100 will not do, and that's the thinner leather,  I need to be able to sew some super thin leather at times and the 5100 is to aggressive in my opinion for like 1-2 oz leather, I really only want to spend like 200 bucks if possible, but I'm wondering if like the singer 4411 would work, if anyone has experience with that kind of stuff would love to hear from you, I need to be able to sew like thin leather wallets, check book wallets, that kind of stuff, and not saying its not possible with the 5100 but I know the turn out would be better with a slightly less aggressive machine.  Is a walking foot needed for that kind of stuff? 

[Northmount]

@Hairic  Moved your post to leather sewing machines.

 

[MtlBiker]

5 hours ago, Hairic said:

Hello again all! Just wondering if anyone has any decent recommendations on a cheaper sewing machine that will do basically what my techsew 5100 will not do, and that's the thinner leather,  I need to be able to sew some super thin leather at times and the 5100 is to aggressive in my opinion for like 1-2 oz leather, I really only want to spend like 200 bucks if possible, but I'm wondering if like the singer 4411 would work, if anyone has experience with that kind of stuff would love to hear from you, I need to be able to sew like thin leather wallets, check book wallets, that kind of stuff, and not saying its not possible with the 5100 but I know the turn out would be better with a slightly less aggressive machine.  Is a walking foot needed for that kind of stuff? 

I'm probably not the best to try answering your question, but I've tried to sew thin leather with a domestic machine and failed because the leather is rather uh, sticky, and without a walking foot and needle feed (meaning compound feed) it just didn't work out.  And for the $200 budget, you mentioned, it's very unlikely you would find something that meets your needs.  But...

Have you read about the thing @RockyAussie (do a search under his name) designed for those heavy duty machines to let them much more easily handle thinner assemblies and threads?  Might be the solution you're looking for.  I don't have time right now to search for the right post by him, but if you can't find it and nobody else jumps in, I'll try to find a link for you tomorrow.

Hope this leads to a workable solution for you.

[Wizcrafts]

See if you can find an old Singer 31-15 and convert it into a roller foot machine. The conversion kits contain 3 parts: A roller foot, a wide single row feed dog, and a matching throat plate. With these parts installed and the machine threaded with either #46 or #69 thread, it will sew wallet interiors with ease. The rollers are usually available in 3/4 and 1 inch diameters. The smaller wheel makes it easier to make sharp turns. The visibility is incredible with the needle coming down right next to the bottom edge of the slanted wheel and no other foot in the way.

Note, this setup requires some stiffness in the leather to keep the leather from puckering up with the needle, which can cause skipped stitches.

[fredk]

I've used a Singer 99k with a roller foot attached. No other add-ons or adjustments,  Sewed a 2mm leather wallet and will do soft very thin leather

[dikman]

6 hours ago, MtlBiker said:

Have you read about the thing @RockyAussie (do a search under his name) designed for those heavy duty machines to let them much more easily handle thinner assemblies and threads?  Might be the solution you're looking for.  

Unlikely to work. The modified plate/feed dog will let a big harness stitcher handle #138 thread, and thinner material, but I doubt if it will suit what the OP wants (plus it would be well outside his budget!). I believe it can go down to #69 thread but getting suitable needles may be an issue.

The Singer 4411 is a domestic machine (described by some as a "heavy duty" machine, but this is only because it has a bit of metal framing inside). If you've got one then try it (and good luck) but if you have to buy one then don't waste your money.

[RockyAussie]

16 hours ago, Hairic said:

Hello again all! Just wondering if anyone has any decent recommendations on a cheaper sewing machine that will do basically what my techsew 5100 will not do, and that's the thinner leather,  I need to be able to sew some super thin leather at times and the 5100 is to aggressive in my opinion for like 1-2 oz leather, I really only want to spend like 200 bucks if possible, but I'm wondering if like the singer 4411 would work, if anyone has experience with that kind of stuff would love to hear from you, I need to be able to sew like thin leather wallets, check book wallets, that kind of stuff, and not saying its not possible with the 5100 but I know the turn out would be better with a slightly less aggressive machine.  Is a walking foot needed for that kind of stuff? 

This is the post mentioned above that may be what you are looking for. You can see in it that you can get down to around 4 oz total thickness but with your machine the smallest leather point needle is a 160 - 23 and that means the 138 (20m) thread is about it.

Cost of the narrow needle plate set with delivery into the USA is $110 US.

 

[fredk]

On 8/2/2022 at 6:55 PM, Hairic said:

Hello again all! Just wondering if anyone has any decent recommendations on a cheaper sewing machine that will do basically what my techsew 5100 will not do, and that's the thinner leather,  I need to be able to sew some super thin leather at times and the 5100 is to aggressive in my opinion for like 1-2 oz leather, I really only want to spend like 200 bucks if possible, but I'm wondering if like the singer 4411 would work, if anyone has experience with that kind of stuff would love to hear from you, I need to be able to sew like thin leather wallets, check book wallets, that kind of stuff, and not saying its not possible with the 5100 but I know the turn out would be better with a slightly less aggressive machine.  Is a walking foot needed for that kind of stuff? 

You don't say where you are but a working 99k can be picked up for as low as £25. About £50 - £80 is average, £125 plus for a serviced one from a s/m dealer. I got a mint, low used, fully serviced one with a 1 year guarantee and 1 year of servicing for about £200

[Wizcrafts]

3 minutes ago, fredk said:

You don't say where you are but a working 99k can be picked up for as low as £25. About £50 - £80 is average, £125 plus for a serviced one from a s/m dealer. I got a mint, low used, fully serviced one with a 1 year guarantee and 1 year of servicing for about £200

@Hairic- This is why there is a field for your location in your profile. When you ask for help on the forum it helps get more relevant answers if people know your location. Now, you will need to convert fredk's prices from Euros into US Dollars.

[Handstitched]

I have a 'Pfaff 60' . It's a domestic machine, compound feed,  but  happily sews thin leather quite well ( Schmetz  leather needle) . I use it for kangaroo leather ,wallets, wallet inners  etc.  If you can find a similar machine , like what @Wizcrafts  & @fredk mentioned?  Its quite handy to have more than one machine in some instances. 

HS