Tandy consew t1919

[anvil29]

Howdy, well I convinced my wife I needed a sewing machine. I started out with a Chinese shoe patcher 3 or 4 years ago and I can't complain. It sewed as good as my abilities but I wanted a flatbed electric machine. Looked at several amazon choices but the local tandy (2hrs) had the 1919 in stock. It cost a little more but I'd rather buy from an actual business that I can go to. Any how, I was satisfied with the fit and finish and it does sew but I'm not gonna comment on stitch quality as it only came with size 21 needles and I have 69 thread so I need to get some 138 thread. I tested 3 layers of 4 ounce veg and it had plenty of power to sew it but the foot height was too short. I have put a rare earth magnet on the riser lever to gain a lot more clearance but have not tested it yet. I'm not recommending anyone else do this as I don't know any ramifications it may cause just hoping it works for me. If you try you are at your own risk. The machine still runs fairly fast but I am nowhere near an experienced operator. I'll add any more opinions as I use it more in case anyone on a budget is looking for a flatbed.

[Wizcrafts]

3 hours ago, anvil29 said:

I'm not gonna comment on stitch quality as it only came with size 21 needles and I have 69 thread so I need to get some 138 thread.

First, the Consew model you have is a mini-walking foot machine with top and bottom feed..It is similar to the Sailrite mini-walkers that are used in boat upholstery and sail repairs.

Second, Your combination of needle and thread is mismatched. Number 69 (aka: T70) thread calls for a #18 needle. Number 92 thread calls for a #19 needle. Number 138 thread requires either a #22 or 23 needle, depending on what type of material you are sewing. Your number 21 needles are too big for your thread and too small for #138 that you want to buy. To be fair, number 21 needles are probably a good fit for #105 thread, which is rare and is sometimes used to sew denim clothing.

Third, your machine's foot lift under power is only 5/16 inch thickness. That would be soft material, like sailcloth, denim, or marine vinyl. Practically, you should limit the thickness to 1/4 inch.

You can probably buy accessories and upgrades from Sailrite. They also have some very informative videos.

[kgg]

5 hours ago, anvil29 said:

Any how, I was satisfied with the fit and finish and it does sew but I'm not gonna comment on stitch quality as it only came with size 21 needles and I have 69 thread so I need to get some 138 thread.

Here is a link to a good chart that cross references needle size to thread size ( https://www.tolindsewmach.com/thread-chart.html  ).

I have owned a Reliable Barracuda, Kobe LSZ-1 and the Sailrite® Ultrafeed® LSZ Sailright with the their "new servo motor". The main difference would be maybe in build quality as the price varies from $500 to about $2500 CAD. These portable walking foot machines are in my opinion:

i) not meant for leather work as they were designed to do sail repair work on the ocean.

ii) in reality the take up thread arm isn't really meant to work consistently with V138 and you may run into needle to hook clearance problems using V138.

iii) has a very small Singer class 15 bobbin. Those can be purchased off places like Amazon, Temu, Aliexpress

iv) stitch length is not consistent and will shorten as the thickness of the material under the presser foot increases.

v) increasing the lift can be done but there can be major drawbacks and takes about an hour of fiddling around in the head. I was able to increase the factory setting of a Kobe LSZ-1 from 6.35 mm to about 12mm but that little machine did one task, edge binding and was reset before I sold it.

vi) the presser foot and feed dog are pretty rough and the original ones will leave impressions in veg tan. You can get after market smooth ones.

vii) the holes for mounting edge guides and binding attachments may require the holes in the bed to be threaded as I have see that problem on a number of the Sailrite portable walking foot clones.

To get your speed down you can add a Sailrite® WorkerB® Power Pack Motor System for about $300 USD ($450 CAD) but by the time you get it into Canada with the rate of exchange / shipping /taxes you would be looking at about $600 plus CAD. Which would be about two thirds of what you paid for the machine initially. Another option would be to add a custom speed reducer using the existing 90 watt motor and some inexpensive pulleys.

kgg

 

[anvil29]

Thank you for all the suggestions and comments. I still have to order some thread and needles. Guess I'm going to go with 92 thread and matching needle, seems to be the practical match of the machine from what yall saying. Which is fine as I just make small flats like card wallets, wallets, guitar straps, etc. Nothing that requires real high strength thread. I'll probably buff the foot and feed dog to knock off the sharp bits and see how that does.