Ideal and "make do" machines for newbie

[Bry2]

Good morning,

I am looking at starting to sew leather and biothane.   I have braided and done other work but have never sewn with leather.   I have sewn horse blankets, and large items (not clothing etc).   Can I get reccomendations for what the ideal machine would be and what a good safe starter machine is?

[Northmount]

55 minutes ago, Bry2 said:

Can I get reccomendations for what the ideal machine would be and what a good safe starter machine is?

Have you looked at this thread? 

 

[Wizcrafts]

1 hour ago, Bry2 said:

Good morning,

I am looking at starting to sew leather and biothane.   I have braided and done other work but have never sewn with leather.   I have sewn horse blankets, and large items (not clothing etc).   Can I get reccomendations for what the ideal machine would be and what a good safe starter machine is?

Almost any walking foot machine based on the design of the Singer 111w155 will do that work. Look in your local ads for a SInger 111w155, a Juki LU-563, a Consew 205rb-(number), or any other brand that has triple (compound) feed. They are usually found in upholstery shops and they sell them off when they buy new machines. Expect to pay between $500 and $1200 for a good condition walking foot machine.

[kgg]

9 hours ago, Bry2 said:

I am looking at starting to sew leather and biothane. 

For the leather part up to 3/8" thick of your planned sewing I agree with @Wizcrafts. However the biothane is a completely different beast as you are basically sewing through sticky rubberish material so you may have to go up to a Class 441 machine like a manual one arm bandit ( Tippman Boss or a Cowboy Outlaw) or motorized Class 441 like a Cowboy 2500, 3500 or 4500.

A lot is going to depend on the thread size you want to use, thickness of item and how deep your pockets are.

kgg