Shorts Report post Posted June 30, 2009 My husband's boss has a leather bag he'd like me to take a look at. The zipper needs to be resewn (and or replaced. I won't know until I see it) I've got my Cobra Class 3 here and I'm completely new to zippers + leather. Soooo...what do I need to do? My first thoughts are getting the proper needle and thread. I figure I'll match the thread with what's on there as far as color goes. Can I find a needle at a local fabric store that will work properly? Steve, might need a needle! What size needle and thread are generally used on leather bags with zippers? (again, I'll get leather weight once I get the bag in hand). Are there any tricks or a how-to on stitching zippers? And I guess last of all, what do folks generally charge to reattach a zipper? $10? 6 pack? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SteveBrambley Report post Posted June 30, 2009 The awkward thing here, is that the zipper would have been stitched into the bag before it was closed, so it's always tricky to replace one without taking the whole bag apart! However, this can be done fairly easily with a cylinder bed machine, like your Class 3. We once replaced zips in bags quite often, years ago, and always used a 29K patcher, which made things a lot easier with its 360 degree, rotating presser foot, but you should be able to manage with your Cobra. Without seeing the bag it's difficult to say, for certain, but I suspect that it may be a relatively light leather, so you'll need something like a 130 or 140 size needle, although you could, probably, get away with a 150 or 160. I would guess that 92 or 138 thread size would be OK. The most difficult part will be taking out the old zip without damaging the bag, or your fingers! Once you have successfully removed the old zip, you will have to fix the new one into place, before stitching it in. Double sided tape is a good idea for holding zips into place, as it's difficult to avoid getting glue where you don't want it! Normally, when the bag is in it's unclosed state, you can stitch the zip in 'zipped up', but when it's a closed bag, you'll have to open the zip up and sew one side at a time. Make sure that you leave enough of a gap between the zipper teeth and the leather of the bag for the slider to move easily. Steve Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
King's X Report post Posted June 30, 2009 By hand Shorts, by hand! Just kidding, good luck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
neelsaddlery Report post Posted July 1, 2009 I would not use anything much smaller than a size 92 or 138 with the machine and a size a size 23 needle. You can get a size 22 needle in fabric point for this machine, but 23 is the smallest you can get in leather point. Kindest Regards, Ryan O. Neel Ciwboy Sewing Machines Neel's Saddlery and Harness Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shorts Report post Posted July 1, 2009 Steve, glad you brought that up. I hadn't even considered the open/closed situation. I'll certainly have to work very carefully. I think the zipper open stiching might be what I do so I'll be pretty careful about the spacing. Sam, you're crazy Ryan, thanks for the thread and needle size. Which needle would be the way to go, fabric or leather? How do I determine which is the best to go with? Thanks guys! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
neelsaddlery Report post Posted July 1, 2009 Steve, glad you brought that up. I hadn't even considered the open/closed situation. I'll certainly have to work very carefully. I think the zipper open stiching might be what I do so I'll be pretty careful about the spacing.Sam, you're crazy Ryan, thanks for the thread and needle size. Which needle would be the way to go, fabric or leather? How do I determine which is the best to go with? Thanks guys! If you are dealing with a soft and thin leather, then I would say you would be OK going with a fabric point needle if you need to use the size 22. Remember that the smallest needle you can get in leather point for the machine is a size 23. If you are running a size 92 thread, then I would say go with the smallest needle you can get, which would be the 22. If you are using a size 138, then you can use the 23 in leather point. I would also tighten up the bobbin tension a good bit, and really loosen up the top thread tension. These 441 machines have a very powerful thread tension mechansim on them, and so you really need to back it off when sewing thin/light leather. If not, then the machine will pull the knots to the top side of the leather. Hope this is of some help to you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shorts Report post Posted July 1, 2009 Helps immensely! Thank you Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
