emsnut Report post Posted June 26, 2011 Just finished reading all the information that "Wizcrafts" posted on sewing machines. Very informative THANK YOU. But I am still new to this sewing things. All my leather has been hand sewn. Now I am looking to start making more things and don't want to hand sew anymore. But after reading all that information, there is still so many machines out there that I am not sure what I really need. I will be making alot of different things out of mostly 8/9 oz leather doubled over for added thickness. But I also want to make some leather and fabric corsets and I would like a machine that can do all of that. Any suggetions would be great. Not looking to mass produce this will all be custom order only. And thanks again wizcrafts for the wonderful write up. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wizcrafts Report post Posted June 26, 2011 You "can" sew all types of leather with a 441 clone machine. But, some jobs are more suitable for these big mechanism machines than others. I have been able to sew everything from coat sleeves and zippers, into leather coats and jackets, to gun holsters, on a 441 clone. Last week, at work, a friend of the business came in with a big chiunk of Naugahyde that needed sewing. I installed the table attachments onto the owner's Cobra, changed to a #20 needle and #138 thread, held onto the Naugahyde to guide it, and sewed the pieces together. The thickness of two layers of Naugahyde is about 1/16". I had to reduce the bobbin tension a lot, then reduce the top tension as well. Also, I backed off the pressor foot pressure. If you are willing to dink around and change needles and tensions, you can sew from 4 ounces to 22 ounces of material on a new 441 clone, or, 20 ounces on an actual Juki 441. With that established, the only two questions remaining are what length of arm do you want and how much can you spend? If the idea of dinking with the machine to sew different thicknesses and thread sizes doesn't appeal to you, you have to decide which end of the sewing spectrum is more important to you: thin leather with thin thread, or thick leather with heavy thread. Try to decide what the maximum thickness of leather will be and the largest thread size you intend to use. If the numbers come in at or under 3/8" thickness and #138 thread, a 227 type machine will suffice. This machine, selling for about $1500, sews up to 3/8", with #138 thread and has a triple feed walking foot mechanism. It uses a very common system 135x needle, available from sizes #10 or 12, up to #25. Most crafters use a #22 or #23 needle with #138 thread, in such machines. If you prefer a flatbed machine, look no farther than a Consew 206RB-5 - which is about $1300, or so. This machine can be fitted with either system 135 or 190 (longer) needles. It has a large, M style bobbin and a reverse lever. It is an excellent machine for upholstery, leather garments, vinyl, denim, medium temper leather and sails/boat covers. Accessories are boundless for such machines. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KAYAK45 Report post Posted June 26, 2011 Read the post just before yours, in total, and THEN ask again! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
