Need Sewing Machine Advice

[Wizcrafts]

Does anybody know anything about the Tacsew T111-155? Is $850 a reasonable price?

Thanks.

You are talking about an upholstery walking foot machine, based on the decades old Singer 111w155 series, which is the grandfather of today's walking foot machines. It not built for sewing thick leather or thick thread. It is just a few hundred dollars cheaper that the real leather stitcher I suggested you ask about (Cowboy 2500). Our dealers specialize in machines that are actually capable of feeding and sewing thick leather with heavy thread. Ebay sewing machine vendors do not usually carry such machines.

Here is a scan I made from a product sheet for the Cowboy 2500, which should be perfect for making the holsters you described. There are optional pressor feet and a swing-down edge guide available at a reasonable price. They should have one setup to try out, at Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines.

I don't know if the prices in the scanned sheet are still in effect, or are lower or higher now. I got this flyer about a year ago.

Edited June 4, 2010 by Wizcrafts

[Deanimator]

If that machine will work for you it's about $100.00 more than they usually sell for,are you sure that's the machine you need?It won't use a thread larger than #138 & on Holsters like most leather sewing people want to use larger thread than that,not that it's needed for strength but larger thread really helps to sell your product beacuse it looks better.I'd say you need to use at least #207 or 277 to make them look right & there's no way this Tacsew can sew with it.

Bob

Thanks for the information.

I'm completely ignorant of these things, so that's why I'm asking.

[busted]

Does anybody know anything about the Tacsew T111-155? Is $850 a reasonable price?

Thanks.

I have one of those machines. I bought it 4 or 5 years ago. I paid 285.00 for the head, I had a table

and motor with a clutch. It will sew 3/8th inch material easily. I put a speed reducer on it turned it

down to 800 spm works great. I can't say that is a reasonable price. I have seen them for 350.00.

You might want do check Craigs list. I have found a #1 Landis in there for 350.00. Good luck in your

quest. I thought of another place you might check it is called Atlantic Sewing or something like that.

If you live in the midwest Bob Kovar would be a good place to start.

[Wizcrafts]

Both Bob Kovar and I have mentioned in our replies that the Tacsew 111 will not handle thread sizes larger than #T135/V138, without grief. We are both referring to bonded nylon thread. Number 135/138 bonded nylon thread has a breaking point of about 24 pounds of pull and can be sewn using a #22 needle. This is technically adequate for a pancake style holster with a gently drawn gun, but not for a competition or police holster, where a tightly secured weapon may be drawn quickly and without finesse, in a life or death situation. For these you should use at least #277 bonded nylon or bonded polyester. The bonded 277 thread has a tensile strength of about 45 pounds and is thick enough to give a solid appearance to the stitches. This thread size requires a #24 or #25 needle.

Most commercial holsters are sewn together with either #346 bonded thread, or 5 cord waxed linen thread (requires a needle and awl stitcher). This presents a solid, professional top appearance which will withstand years of use and abuse. The waxed linen thread has the advantage of being locked at every stitch, by the wax hardening in the knots. If one stitch breaks, the rest usually stay put, just like happens on leather soles of shoes (sewn with 6 cord bees-waxed linen thread).

The thread and needle sizes I am referring to are usually beyond the normal handling capability of upholstery machines. For instance, I have a souped up walking foot machine (Consew 206RB clone), paired to a special gear reduction servo motor. When I install a #25 needle and thread it with #277 thread, the needle can barely penetrate 2 layers of 9-10 oz belt leather, at slow speed. After a few stitches the needle tends to get caught in the leather and either skips stitches, melts the thread, or bunches it up underneath.

A heavy duty leather stitcher, like a 45 class, or 441 class machine, is built with stronger bearings, casings, moving/take-up parts, bigger pressor and needle bars, heavier top pressure and tension disk springs and a huge bobbin, which sits inside a large shuttle case that has sufficient clearance for #346 thread in the bobbin and for the top thread and big needles. These machines will penetrate thick, hard leather, with a big needle, threaded with thick thread, without binding or breaking parts. The extra heavy top pressure spring with hold the foot down on the leather, as the needle withdraws to form the stitch, preventing skipped stitches. These machine usually are equipped with a lube pot on top, which are meant to keep the top thread lubricated and to provide cooling of the needle, which gets seriously hot going through so much leather. Such machines are designed to sew maximum thicknesses of 7/16" (45 class) up to 3/4" (441 class), depending on the model and how the needle/pressor foot/feet is/are setup.

All of the new super heavy leather stitchers come with a 1/2 or 3/4 hp servo motor and a speed reducer, for serious punching power.

There is no way for an upholstery sewing machine to match the handling capability of a designated leather stitcher. Yes, they will sew 3/8" if adjusted to raise high. Yes, they can sew with #207 top thread and maybe even #277, with #138/207 in the bobbin, which hopefully is a large M size bobbin. But, they are more likely to have problems sewing into 3/8" with #207 thread than a bigger machine like the ones described above, which can sew with #346 thread, into well beyond 3/8" of belt or bridle leather.

[TwinOaks]

Wiz, doesn't that 2500 have only a lower feed dog mechanism for movement? I'm sure the design would be great for a lot of things where a needle feed isn't necessary but with anything that has grain side showing on both sides of a project, is it gonna leave tracks on the backside of any leather sewn?

[Wizcrafts]

Wiz, doesn't that 2500 have only a lower feed dog mechanism for movement? I'm sure the design would be great for a lot of things where a needle feed isn't necessary but with anything that has grain side showing on both sides of a project, is it gonna leave tracks on the backside of any leather sewn?

Yes, the bottom teeth will leave some marks. They can be rubbed out or smoothed with a plastic or bone slicking tool, or a modeling spoon. Another trick to get rid of tooth marks is to flip the holster upside down on a hard surface and tap along the stitch lines with a cobblers hammer. This sets the thread well into both surfaces and removes most tooth marks. This would be followed by edging and final finishes.

I suggested that the O.P. drive from Cleveland to Toledo, to try out various machines with his own leather. That way he will get the best machine for the job, appearance and available money.

Edited June 5, 2010 by Wizcrafts