I think I got the wrong machine :O

[Woehlk]

So long story short. I make and repair bags. mostly Louis Vuitton. Contacted a Adler reseller. Said I had a Pfaff 335, and she could not keep up with thicker threads. 20 (TEX 135) and needed an upgrade. 
So they sold me this beast of a machine. They assured me it was the right fit.
first problem I ran into, other then the machine only came with R needles. is that its not possible to get a 140 LR needle for the damn thing. and that is my go to needle for 20 thread. 

I dont mind overkill. but what other problems might I run into down the line? Sewing with bigger threads it not a problem oc. 

[kgg]

4 hours ago, Woehlk said:

So long story short. I make and repair bags. mostly Louis Vuitton.

4 hours ago, Woehlk said:

So they sold me this beast of a machine.

This wouldn't have been my first choice of a machine mainly due to the hole it would punch through the material, 2.5mm diameter unless you are sewing items above 1/2"(12.5mm) in thickness or saddles. I would have probably gone with a Juki LS-1341 or clone with a speed reducer as it would use a smaller diameter needle the system 135 x 16 x needle size for leather. My understanding is the 969 is a class 441 machine that takes the system 7x 3, 794 or 1000 needles (Schmetz). There are needles available for 7x3 or 794 from #19-#27 (120-220) for V92 to V415 thread. 

I would talk to the dealer to track down the needles if you are going to keep the machine and maybe discuss exchanging the machine for something like a 869 which would take the system 135 x 16 needles .

kgg

[friquant]

6 hours ago, Woehlk said:

I dont mind overkill. but what other problems might I run into down the line?

One curse of the 7x3 needle system is they are so long. This means they will flex more when using narrow sizes like the 140Nm you mentioned.

The needles are also more expensive, and available from fewer sources.

[Woehlk]

I would have thought the 869 would be a better machine for the job also. thickest leather I will sew is 8mm. 

[dikman]

Max of 8mm? That thing is definitely overkill, it's a 441-class machine, a harness stitcher!! It's too late now but you should have found out what options the seller has then ask here as to suitability. They should never have sold you a machine like that for what you are sewing.

[Woehlk]

this is what I thought. I will see if they would like to enxhange the machines, since I bought it only out of their expertise. 

[Woehlk]

So they agreed to exchange the machine, that is super nice. 

Im thinking the Adler 869-M is the right machine for me. Can anyone answer me about needle sizes. 

it seems, (from the manual) that all the feet and throat plates are made for needles 110-140. Does that means a 160 needle would not work? 

The perfect machine for me, would be able to sew 2-8mm leather. Sew with 20 (Tex 135) to 15 (tex 210) thread. 

The machine should be able to sew with thread max 10 size from the manual, so why would it not be able to handle larger needles? 

 

 

[friquant]

1 hour ago, Woehlk said:

It seems, (from the manual) that all the feet and throat plates are made for needles 110-140. Does that means a 160 needle would not work? 

I do not know specifically. 

In general, the size of hole in the throat plate / feed dog / center toe seems to be a compromise. Larger means you can accommodate bigger needles and bigger thread without it binding there. I can't say exactly what the downside is. Maybe larger means when you stitch thin goods with a skinny needle, they get sucked down into the hole??

[dikman]

Like friquant said, everything about sewing machines is a compromise, the 160 needle might fit in the needle hole but is likely to be a problem once you add the thickness of the thread. Best way is to try it at the dealers but I would imagine #138/Tex 135 would be the limit. That was good of them to admit they made a mistake and allow an exchange.

[AlZilla]

5 hours ago, Woehlk said:

So they agreed to exchange the machine, that is super nice. 

Nice. That's a company you keep doing business with.