Budget beginner machine help

[CKeebortz]

I need a machine for preferably around $200 for doing some stitching on 10-12 ounce leather straps. 
Im a firefighter and have always been into custom leather goods like Radio Straps and suspenders for my gear. Im starting to make my own and have been doing stitching by hand for a few now. With it being such long pieces even doing half at a time it takes forever. I need recommendations for a machine to do stitching on a 10-12 ounce strap for around $200 preferably cheaper is better. I thought about doing the cheap Chinese one on amazon but the stitching ive seen looks shotty and I want to keep high quality look. Right now Im using ritza tiger thread .8mm so i would need to use a thread that looks comparable to thickness when done. Thank you foe your suggesttions. 

[DieselTech]

I dont think this is obtainable at $200. 

[DieselTech]

If you get a amazon machine, like a shoe patcher or whatever it's called. Is going to take a bunch of hand finishing work to get it up & sew consistently & smoothly. 

The cheapest options I can think of is. 

Weaver 303

Cowboy 797

Sailite leatherworker/fabricator.

[kgg]

4 hours ago, CKeebortz said:

I need a machine for preferably around $200 for doing some stitching on 10-12 ounce leather straps. 

In his day and age getting a machine for $200 that works and that can handle 10-12 oz leather is as scarce as hens teeth. The amazon machines, Chinese Patchers, I call them the "Tinkers Delight", which for most are going to be a waste of money but are great frustration generators. If you moved your budget up to the $1000 mark you could probably get a good used upholstery class machine depending on where you live or a new manual class 441 like a Tippmann Boss.

kgg

[Wizcrafts]

7 hours ago, CKeebortz said:

I need a machine for preferably around $200 for doing some stitching on 10-12 ounce leather straps.

You need to increase your budget. $1400 is about the bottom price for a new stitcher capable of sewing 12 ounces of veg-tan. Here is an example of a $1400 leather stitcher that comes with a servo motor and table.

You may find some deals on used walking foot machines in your local Facebook Marketplace, or Craigslist. I see decent walking foot machines selling from $800 to $1200 all the time. They are basically upholstery sewing machines, with triple feed. Many can sew up to 3/8 inch of soft to medium temper materials, and about 1/4 inch of hard temper belt leather. These machines would max out with #138 bonded thread, which has 22 pounds breaking strength.

[GerryR]

I have a "Chinese Patcher" and put a servo motor/controller on it.  It cost me about $150.00 total.  Maybe I'm not as fussy as others, but I think the stitching is fine.  I changed the needle system to 135x16 so I have more options, and can sew up to 138 thread size.  The change was rather minor; the needle bar had to be adjusted.  I have a way of putting a flat on the needles like the HAx1 that the standard machine uses, but I have read where others modify the groove in the needle bar to accept the round 135x16 needles.  The real negative I find to be is the small bobbin size, but I have been able to do the complete perimeter of a belt with no problems.  Still the best buy to get one into a machine!  (I had a Singer 153W103 and sold it as this sewed just as well.  YMMV!)  It will do up to 5/16" (20 oz.) leather, depending of course on the temper.

Edited February 21 by GerryR

[jollyroger]

6 hours ago, GerryR said:

I have a "Chinese Patcher" and put a servo motor/controller on it.  It cost me about $150.00 total.  Maybe I'm not as fussy as others, but I think the stitching is fine.  I changed the needle system to 135x16 so I have more options, and can sew up to 138 thread size.  The change was rather minor; the needle bar had to be adjusted.  I have a way of putting a flat on the needles like the HAx1 that the standard machine uses, but I have read where others modify the groove in the needle bar to accept the round 135x16 needles.  The real negative I find to be is the small bobbin size, but I have been able to do the complete perimeter of a belt with no problems.  Still the best buy to get one into a machine!  (I had a Singer 153W103 and sold it as this sewed just as well.  YMMV!)  It will do up to 5/16" (20 oz.) leather, depending of course on the temper.

I would be interested in more details about your Chinese Patcher so I can try to replicate it. The Cowboy CB2500 looks pretty nice but I don't have $1500 for a machine yet - hopefully one day.

thanks for your input

[purplefox66]

You are way way better to not gat any machine until you find one that meets your needs. Save your money until you can buy what you need and not just any sewing machine.

[jollyroger]

2 minutes ago, purplefox66 said:

You are way way better to not gat any machine until you find one that meets your needs. Save your money until you can buy what you need and not just any sewing machine.

good advice. my first need is to stitch faster and it sounds like it meets GerryR's needs. And I won't really know what my needs are until I get a machine that can't meet them, right? seems like a cheaper, capable machine is the best one to learn on but I'm new here and don't really know.

[purplefox66]

The best machine to learn on is the one that meets your needs 

[purplefox66]

One other thing is if you don't know what your needs are do not buy a machine o f any kind until you know what you want to sew. I am not saying this to be rude or anything of the kind but trying to help you from making a costly mistake.

[kgg]

5 hours ago, jollyroger said:

I would be interested in more details about your Chinese Patcher so I can try to replicate it. The Cowboy CB2500 looks pretty nice but I don't have $1500 for a machine yet - hopefully one day.

You really should read this article, it may help you decide what would be the best machine to look for. I think most of us have at some point have bought the wrong machine and it ended up being sold or is just gathering dust in a corner. Either way it was a waste of money and effort.

kgg

 

[MarshalWill]

9 minutes ago, kgg said:

You really should read this article, it may help you decide what would be the best machine to look for. I think most of us have at some point have bought the wrong machine and it ended up being sold or is just gathering dust in a corner. Either way it was a waste of money and effort.

kgg

This is great advice. kgg must have been watching me years ago. I converted a treadle machine to electric one time. I spent a lot of time rounding up parts, making a table, adding a slip clutch and a dryer motor. It was great for everything but my intended purpose, which was to stitch holsters and such. The stitch length was way too short on the longest setting and with the 1/2 hp motor, if anything didn't line up, the needle would dangerously disintegrate into shards. It gathered dust in a corner and eventually I got rid of it, having learned a good lesson. All these years later, I still don't have a machine for my intended purpose but do intend to get one later this year.

[jollyroger]

sorry I asked. taken to dm

[MtlBiker]

59 minutes ago, jollyroger said:

sorry I asked. taken to dm

You didn't like the honest and experienced advice you were given here?

 

[purplefox66]

Some people just can't be helped. They ask for advice then when they get advice they know more about everything and have all the answers.

[GerryR]

Here is a "portable" patcher I put together.  It does need 220VAC to run, though.  Much quicker than sewing by hand, and it can be clamped to any bench.  The stitch quality is quite good IMO.  This is the aluminum alloy patcher, not the cast iron one.  The foot pedal speed control is made from a bicycle hand brake.

[toxo]

10 minutes ago, GerryR said:

Here is a "portable" patcher I put together.  It does need 220VAC to run, though.  Much quicker than sewing by hand, and it can be clamped to any bench.  The stitch quality is quite good IMO.  This is the aluminum alloy patcher, not the cast iron one.  The foot pedal speed control is made from a bicycle hand brake.

Love it!

[DieselTech]

36 minutes ago, GerryR said:

Here is a "portable" patcher I put together.  It does need 220VAC to run, though.  Much quicker than sewing by hand, and it can be clamped to any bench.  The stitch quality is quite good IMO.  This is the aluminum alloy patcher, not the cast iron one.  The foot pedal speed control is made from a bicycle hand brake.

Nice work! Let's see some stitches from that beast! 

[GerryR]

Sorry, that unit has been sold, but I can post some pictures from the cast iron version that I have.  It isn't a portable but everything is nearly identical.  I'll take some pictures of a belt I made and post them.  May be a little hard to see the black-on-black, but you should be able to get the idea.

 

Edited to add pictures;  last picture is the backside which is brown but doesn't show it in the picture.  The buckle end pictures shows the beginning and end of a 45 inch long belt done with one bobbin with thread to spear (92 thread).

Edited February 23 by GerryR

[DieselTech]

41 minutes ago, GerryR said:

Sorry, that unit has been sold, but I can post some pictures from the cast iron version that I have.  It isn't a portable but everything is nearly identical.  I'll take some pictures of a belt I made and post them.  May be a little hard to see the black-on-black, but you should be able to get the idea.

Thanks I appreciate your time & trouble.