Singer 29K2

[SoMo]

Hi, I am starting a business making moccasins and mukluks. I would like to use a sewing machine to do some of the stitching. I found a second hand Singer 29K2. It runs by treadle and hand crank. I have used a treadle in the past for sewing fabric and I liked it. Does anyone know if this machine would be suitable for moccs and muks?

Thanks, SoMo

[Wizcrafts]

Hi, I am starting a business making moccasins and mukluks. I would like to use a sewing machine to do some of the stitching. I found a second hand Singer 29K2. It runs by treadle and hand crank. I have used a treadle in the past for sewing fabric and I liked it. Does anyone know if this machine would be suitable for moccs and muks?

Thanks, SoMo

The 29k2 should be fine for small runs of mocs. You will be limited to smaller thread sizes (#92 top and & #69/92 bobbin), which should not be a problem for mocs. I don't know about mucs. The machine you asked about is almost a century old shoe patcher. It has a tiny bobbin and produces very short stitches once you exceed 1/8" of leather. If the foot drive mechanism is worn out you may not get better than 7 or 8 stitches per inch. Its thickness limit is 1/4" under the foot.

If you can try the machine before you buy it, do so. If the drive puck is worn out (very short stitches at max setting) and the moving parts are rusty, pass on it. If the seller wants more than $100 - $200, pass on it.

[SoMo]

Thank you for your response.

The seller is asking $350. I have to travel out of province to see the machine, which I was planning to do in about a week.

I will probably go have a look at it and give it a test run, but I'm feeling less hopeful that it will be what I want. I think I would need something that could handle more than 1/8" of leather and one that could make longer stitches.

Much appreciated.

[Art]

I don't know that you should pay $350 for it. You can pay a little more and get a 29K62 or 70 which might do a better job for you. There seems to be a good supply of parts as these things are hanging around a lot of shoe shops. At some time or another, most leatherworkers wish they had one. especially for repairs. They can be a bit cantankerous until you get them adjusted, and even switching colors of thread can cause the adjustment blues.

Art

Thank you for your response.

The seller is asking $350. I have to travel out of province to see the machine, which I was planning to do in about a week.

I will probably go have a look at it and give it a test run, but I'm feeling less hopeful that it will be what I want. I think I would need something that could handle more than 1/8" of leather and one that could make longer stitches.

Much appreciated.

[Daggrim]

Okay, just to throw some balance into the mix, my advice is to run away from any 29K. I have limited experience, but I do have a beginners experience on A 29K58. I spent countless frustrating hours making piles of thread on the floor, and getting very little real work done. I used it to make medieval turnshoes. I finally sold it for less than I paid for it. I had some professional help wth it from a shoe repair guy who owned one, but he cold never quite get tit to run as well as his. Just my 2 cents worth.

If you need a manual, look on the Smithsonian Museum website...no kidding. I found an entire manual, photographed from an original manual, and it was free to print out. Best of luck...you might make a million bucks with it. $350 seems a little high, but not outrageously so.

Doug

[amuckart]

Okay, just to throw some balance into the mix, my advice is to run away from any 29K. I have limited experience, but I do have a beginners experience on A 29K58. I spent countless frustrating hours making piles of thread on the floor, and getting very little real work done. I used it to make medieval turnshoes. I finally sold it for less than I paid for it. I had some professional help wth it from a shoe repair guy who owned one, but he cold never quite get tit to run as well as his. Just my 2 cents worth.

I don't think it's fair to judge the entire population of 29ks on one experience. Remember that these machines are getting on a bit now, it's been decades since they were made and many of them have had hard working lives and can be very worn. How well any individual one works today depends entirely on what sort of work it's seen in the past and it's a bit of a lottery when you buy one.

I think if you buy any machine this age, but particularly a machine as fiddly and sensitive as a patcher, you have to be prepared to strip it, examine all the parts for wear, go after it with a pair of calipers if necsessary and replace or shim the worn parts before it can be expected to work again. This means you have to be, or be willing to become, a sewing machine mechanic to at least some degree.

These machines did good work when they were new, and unless they're terminally worn in irreplaceable parts there's no reason they can't be made to do good work again. It's all a question of whether or not it's worth it to you. Given what good patchers cost new these days, I think it probably is for hobbyists or very small-time producers, but professionals should go buy a new Claes and have the luxury of not having to worry about it again.

[SoMo]

The 29k2 should be fine for small runs of mocs. You will be limited to smaller thread sizes (#92 top and & #69/92 bobbin), which should not be a problem for mocs. I don't know about mucs. The machine you asked about is almost a century old shoe patcher. It has a tiny bobbin and produces very short stitches once you exceed 1/8" of leather. If the foot drive mechanism is worn out you may not get better than 7 or 8 stitches per inch. Its thickness limit is 1/4" under the foot.

If you can try the machine before you buy it, do so. If the drive puck is worn out (very short stitches at max setting) and the moving parts are rusty, pass on it. If the seller wants more than $100 - $200, pass on it.

I am considering buying a new machine. Do you have an opinion of a Singer MSK 8400B for leatherwork?

Thanks

[Art]

The Reliable MSK-8400B can be made to do the job reliably, however, you will have to modify some (source and install parts) and primarily get a slower motor system. You can buy a Cobra 18 for a better price and get a machine set up for leather with speed reducer and servo motor for less. And you have Steve on the other end of the phone if you need him.

Get a good machine, have it for life, and give it to your kids when you are gone.

Art

I am considering buying a new machine. Do you have an opinion of a Singer MSK 8400B for leatherwork?

Thanks

[SoMo]

The Reliable MSK-8400B can be made to do the job reliably, however, you will have to modify some (source and install parts) and primarily get a slower motor system. You can buy a Cobra 18 for a better price and get a machine set up for leather with speed reducer and servo motor for less. And you have Steve on the other end of the phone if you need him.

Get a good machine, have it for life, and give it to your kids when you are gone.

Art

Do you know if there is a Canadian distributor for the Cobra 18? I am rather out of my element when talking about sewing machines, but hopefully someday I will be up to speed.

Thanks, Heather (SoMo)

[SoMo]

I don't think it's fair to judge the entire population of 29ks on one experience. Remember that these machines are getting on a bit now, it's been decades since they were made and many of them have had hard working lives and can be very worn. How well any individual one works today depends entirely on what sort of work it's seen in the past and it's a bit of a lottery when you buy one.

I think if you buy any machine this age, but particularly a machine as fiddly and sensitive as a patcher, you have to be prepared to strip it, examine all the parts for wear, go after it with a pair of calipers if necsessary and replace or shim the worn parts before it can be expected to work again. This means you have to be, or be willing to become, a sewing machine mechanic to at least some degree.

These machines did good work when they were new, and unless they're terminally worn in irreplaceable parts there's no reason they can't be made to do good work again. It's all a question of whether or not it's worth it to you. Given what good patchers cost new these days, I think it probably is for hobbyists or very small-time producers, but professionals should go buy a new Claes and have the luxury of not having to worry about it again.

Thanks for your response. Since I am far from being any kind of sewing machine repair person, I am not going to buy the old Singer patcher. I am looking for a new machine, or a good second hand one, which will serve my purposes. I am mainly going to make moccasins and mukluks. I don't know anyone who does leatherwork, so I feel fortunate to have found this forum!

Heather (SoMo)