Singer 331K104

[bggin81]

Hi, I am new to the forum. Thanks for all the great advice so far! I can acquire a singer 331K104 for cheap, I want to use this to sew belts up to 9oz thick. Can this machine do this? I have read the other articles, and they were helpful but if I can save some money for now I would like to. Thanks, Andy

[machinehead]

Hi, I am new to the forum. Thanks for all the great advice so far! I can acquire a singer 331K104 for cheap, I want to use this to sew belts up to 9oz thick. Can this machine do this? I have read the other articles, and they were helpful but if I can save some money for now I would like to. Thanks, Andy

Andy,

Welcome to the forum. You have certainly come to the right place to learn about sewing machines. There are several very knowledgeable members who are very willing to help. As it happens, a member is currently working on a post which will address many of the questions that arise on the proper machine for a particular type of leather project.

Now then, about the 331k104. It was designed as a tailor's machine to stitch shirts, blouses, and suits. It stitches more than 2000 stitches per minute. When stitching leather, you need to go slow and easy; especially when you are just starting out. Plus, speed equals friction which isn't good either. That's why a lot of stitchers have a thread lube pot on them to help the thread pull through the leather easier and help it stay cooler.

Does the machine come with a clutch motor? If it does it will take off very fast when you hit the pedal, unless you are already experienced with such a set up. Leather machines often have a speed reducer or a servo motor or both to slow things down.

The 331k104 doesn't have a very high lift on the presser foot and unless someone has already replaced the feed dogs, needle plate, and presser foot with a roller foot kit it won't feed the top and bottom layers of leather evenly, so they won't match up at the end of the seam.

With the roller foot kit installed this machine could be useful to sew up vests and chaps. If you think you might get into that sort of project and the machine is in good shape and cheap enough, you might do well to consider it; but even then it isn't the very best machine for that purpose either.