Singer 31-15 thread size?

[Tkleather1]

I am currently running 69 thread through my singer 31-15, I am curious what the biggest thread and twist and whatnot I can run through this machine. I am hoping that Cobra steve and Art and all of the other Professional stitcher Gurus can chime in here and help me.

[Luke Hatley]

on mine it is 69 on the bobbin and 69- 92- 138 on top.

it works for me.

[Cobra Steve]

TK, Luke is right on the money.

[Tkleather1]

on mine it is 69 on the bobbin and 69- 92- 138 on top.

it works for me.

luke when you run the 138 what size needle are you running? do I have to run a bigger needle than if I am running 69? you can pm me if you want with the info so we are not taking up space here.

[ponygirl]

luke when you run the 138 what size needle are you running? do I have to run a bigger needle than if I am running 69? you can pm me if you want with the info so we are not taking up space here.

Actually if you all could keep this conversation here it would be appreciated (TK - I bought that little 31-15 today that I was telling you about. I'm so excited, she runs really nice

So am I reading this right... you can run a 69 thread on the bobbin which is for the bottom thread and either a 69, 92 or a 138 on top? What size do you think would be good for chinks and chaps with 4oz-6oz garment leather? Why type of thread (cotton.. nylon?) would you use for this project on this machine? Where do you buy these from... I was going to just wander over to a local fabric shop tomorrow. Are you using leather needles or just regular ones? pardon my ignorance and thanks for the help!

[Luke Hatley]

ponygirl.. i would use size 20 or 22 needle for the 138 thread.and it should be nylon

or polyester.the fabric shop might not have a"leather point needle", that is what you should use for

leather.

you do know that you have a needle feed machine ? so make sure that the feed dogs are in good

shape and the leather is not too thick or spongy, or it will not feed too good!

[ponygirl]

ponygirl.. i would use size 20 or 22 needle for the 138 thread.and it should be nylon

or polyester.the fabric shop might not have a"leather point needle", that is what you should use for

leather.

you do know that you have a needle feed machine ? so make sure that the feed dogs are in good

shape and the leather is not too thick or spongy, or it will not feed too good!

Luke, To be honest, I don't know much. I do know it's a needle feed machine.. the feed dog keeps running the material through straight right? Are those the little feet underneath my leather? I thought that was a walking foot? If you have any references about this machine that talk about it's mechanics I'd love to read them, I've been unable to find a manual. You mean 138 for the top thread and still a 69 on the bobbin? Another elementary question.. would it be bad to run the same size thread both top and bottom?

What do you sew with your 31-15?

[Tkleather1]

its not a needle feed because the needle just goes up and down not back and forth correct? I am right now running nylon thread and have had fairly good results. Ponygirl as for what I am wanting to do I want a little bigger thread for the chinks that I am doing one for looks and two I think that it will be a little tougher. i have never had any trouble with the 69 except that it looks really small and on some projects I want the stitching to stand out a little better. almost all of the projects that I have been worried about the small thread I just double stitch and it takes all of my worries away, Well that and beer.

[SteveBrambley]

its not a needle feed because the needle just goes up and down not back and forth correct? I am right now running nylon thread and have had fairly good results. Ponygirl as for what I am wanting to do I want a little bigger thread for the chinks that I am doing one for looks and two I think that it will be a little tougher. i have never had any trouble with the 69 except that it looks really small and on some projects I want the stitching to stand out a little better. almost all of the projects that I have been worried about the small thread I just double stitch and it takes all of my worries away, Well that and beer.

Yes indeed, you are quite correct, the 31-15 and 31K15 are not Needle Feed, they are simple Drop Feed. I used one, many years ago, for making small leather goods - wallets, coin purses, key cases and so forth. Back then we only used linen threads, about the equivalent of a 69 or thinner, with a size 100 needle. However, my late mother also used one to make leather coats and jackets, using a larger needle (120 I think) and thicker thread, so, these machines are capable of some relatively heavy work!

Steve

[Art]

Hi Luke and Ponygirl,

The 31 is drop feed only, just like a regular sewing machine. The feed dogs do all the movement of the material. Drop feed machines don't like to climb hills or cross thick seams, but for flat work they are a nice little machine but limited for uneven work.

On needle sizes, the thread should move freely through the eye of the needle, absolutely no drag.

On bobbin thread, 69 is about it, maybe 92, but I don't think it was designed for 69 even, probably 46 and down. It is a tailoring machine, not a leather machine, but for lite stuff it will work. Getting enough tension to horse big thread through veg tan is not somewhere that machine will go willingly.

Art

ponygirl.. i would use size 20 or 22 needle for the 138 thread.and it should be nylon

or polyester.the fabric shop might not have a"leather point needle", that is what you should use for

leather.

you do know that you have a needle feed machine ? so make sure that the feed dogs are in good

shape and the leather is not too thick or spongy, or it will not feed too good!

[SteveBrambley]

Hi Luke and Ponygirl,

The 31 is drop feed only, just like a regular sewing machine. The feed dogs do all the movement of the material. Drop feed machines don't like to climb hills or cross thick seams, but for flat work they are a nice little machine but limited for uneven work.

On needle sizes, the thread should move freely through the eye of the needle, absolutely no drag.

On bobbin thread, 69 is about it, maybe 92, but I don't think it was designed for 69 even, probably 46 and down. It is a tailoring machine, not a leather machine, but for lite stuff it will work. Getting enough tension to horse big thread through veg tan is not somewhere that machine will go willingly.

Hi Art,

I agree with you completely on what you are saying about the 31-15/31K15, they were indeed the, almost, archetypal tailoring machine and would once have been used in most high street tailors and dressmakers shops. However, they were also quite popular with shoe repairers for light leather work (at least here in the UK anyway!) and were often found along side the ubiquitous Singer 29K 'patcher'. Back in the 1960s my father only used three different machines, a Singer 45K56 for very heavy work, a 29K for most other things and the 31K15 for light (lite?) leather repair work. As I said previously, my mother used this same 31 for making leather coats and jackets (arguabley, I suppose, this could be classed as tailoring!), as well as the flat work on ladies bags before closing them with the 29K.

Also, as you say, they are pretty useless at passing over 'lumps', but could manage, just about, if you lifted the presser foot slightly just as the 'lump' in the seam was reached. When we started making larger bags, we switched over to using the Singer 31K47, which, as I'm sure you know, is also a drop feed machine, but has the added advantage of 'alternating' presser feet, which helped a lot with 'lumps' and smooth surfaces, although they weren't as good as a true 'walking foot' machine.

Steve