Buying A Leather Sewing Machine

[blackrosedie]

Hi everyone!

I have been teaching myself leather craft and I hand make my own bags under my brand Black.Rose.Die. Up until now I have been stitching, binding and lacing them all myself and while I love making bags using this traditional methods, it is sadly not economically viable. I need to make my production faster and lower my costs and that means getting a sewing machine. The problem I have is I have noooo idea what type of machine I need to get. I want a good all rounder that will sew a variety of weights of leather but maybe on with a cylinder arm so I can get into all those awkward places and do top stitching etc. I am wondering if you have any suggestions for the type of machine I should look for. I was told an Singer K 29 would meet my needs but someone else told me that is used for patching shoes and what I need is a flat bed or cylinder arm machine. Arghhh so stressful as I need to find something second hand and I need it fast as I am losing out on potential clients etc with such slow production. I am also located in New Zealand which puts some limits on sourcing a machine. You can see the type of things I have been making on my blog here but I really want a machine that will allow me to work with a range of weights.

Any help would be really really really appreciated as I am tearing my hair out right now!

Thanks,

Kimberley

P.S I am sorry I have put this in the wrong thread. I see there is a specific thread for sewing machines...I can't seem to figure out how to delete or move this to the appropriate place. Sorry!

Edited August 31, 2010 by blackrosedie

[dirtclod]

If i was you i would look for a cylinder arm machine. But a flat bed machine might work all right till you can what you really want. The K29 i would leave alone unless you want to patch shoes. That's about the only thing their really good for.

Nice looking bags.

[blackrosedie]

Thanks DirtClod, that is really good to know. I am so glad I decided to double check on getting the singer.

[blackrosedie]

Do you know what the difference is between the Adler 105 and a cylinder arm walking foot? Also how much is reasonable to pay for a suitable machine second hand do you think?

[dirtclod]

I don't know what the difference is in the Adler machine. Their are some movies on you tube. Here's one of them

. I would take samples of what you want to sew with you and try out the machine before you buy if you can. If that's not something you can do i would ask if you can send some samples and have them sew it for you. I'm not real sure what a used machine would sell for. The Adlers are pretty pricey machines new and i'm guessing they will hold their value. Oh be sure and check on extra feet and bobbins that you might need or want.

I have a couple of the patch machines and they are nice for what they are made for but that's about it.

[Cobra Steve]

Hello Kimberley, I suggest that you call as many Sewing Machine Dealers as possible. After talking to them, (including myself), you will have as much information needed to make a confident decision. We are all willing to help you. Do your own research on this forum, there is valuable info here. Thanks, Steve

[jimsaddler]

Hi Kimberly

The Adler 105 and the Singer 45K 25 are Cylinder Arm Machines with a Bottom Feed with similar features. Used for generations in the Hand Bag and Saddlery Trades. Now there are a number of Machines that have superceded them by having Compound Feeds or Walking Foot systems, that make control of the work easier. A Cylinder Arm is a great advantage for making Handbags, as you can get around corners easier.

You can pick up a 45K for arround A$1.000. with the 105 being a bit dearer. Funny thing is that the Clones are available new for just above that price New. A Compound Feed Cylinder Arm will be arround the A$ 1.800 to 3.000. New. In NZ you should still have a few Shoe trade Machines kicking around SH also. If you find any, ask for opinions here and there are plenty who will advise you.

Kindest Regards.

Jim Saddler.

Do you know what the difference is between the Adler 105 and a cylinder arm walking foot? Also how much is reasonable to pay for a suitable machine second hand do you think?

[Skald]

It's hard to tell how the situation is there "down under", but here in Sweden you can find old leather sewing machines quite cheap. And by old I mean "antique looking", and in my opinion, that's the only ones worth buying if you ain't going to produce really large scale, and thus can buy a real heavy duty industrial machine of a more recent date.

My father have had an old Singer machine (that he fitted with an electrical engine) since the 80'ies, and have been swearing and cursing it now and then when it's been malfunctioning. He eventually bought some quite expensive brand new machine, but never got pleased with it. He also bought some quite old industrial machine, but threw it out almost right away - and he keeps sticking to this old Singer, even though they are not always best friends.

I too have been using it quite a bit, but I prefer to sew by hand, using the good old awl, two nails and "pony clamp" (or whatever it's called in English). It's really superior for the more heavy duty tasks, even though I understand it's not possible if you are going to mass produce, more or less.

So my two cents are: If anything, avoid cheap Asian machines (etc.), they are no solution. A good ol' Singer or similar (recently gone through by a professional), or making a quite expensive investment and buying an industrial machine is the way to go I guess. I have hear nothing but evil things about the new/cheap machines.

[blackrosedie]

Hi all,

Thanks so much for taking the time to advise me. My dad has a friend who did upholstery leather work and he is keen to sell me his machine. It is a long arm unicorn. I can't find a whole heap about them online, it is a Korean brand. He has given me the name of the rep in NZ who does servicing and stuff so I can talk to him. Il go check out the machine early next week and have a go. He also said alternatively if I want I can just out source my sewing needs to his wife who used the machine to sew bags. I don't think that is the way to go though. Skald I love trusty saddle stitch and stuff and still plan to do some hand finishing on the bags but I just can't meet demand for stores wanting multiples etc.

[Jimbob]

Hi all,

Thanks so much for taking the time to advise me. My dad has a friend who did upholstery leather work and he is keen to sell me his machine. It is a long arm unicorn. I can't find a whole heap about them online, it is a Korean brand. He has given me the name of the rep in NZ who does servicing and stuff so I can talk to him. Il go check out the machine early next week and have a go. He also said alternatively if I want I can just out source my sewing needs to his wife who used the machine to sew bags. I don't think that is the way to go though. Skald I love trusty saddle stitch and stuff and still plan to do some hand finishing on the bags but I just can't meet demand for stores wanting multiples etc.

Hi there

I have an ADLER 105 and make a lot of bags and 3-dimensional items as such.....works great and these ADLER's are very reliable!!!

Some cheaper clone parts even fit these babies!!

It has a small enough cylinder arm and works like a charm, very simple to operate and easy to tune, oil and clean......no wonder they have been around for so long!!!

For bags, pouches and belts that is the one to have!!

Not a saddle machine and no walking foot but affordable good 'ol German iron work!!

Greetings

Jimbob