Defining Light, Medium, Heavy And Very Heavy

[Anne Bonnys Locker]

A question that is often asked is how heavy a leather a machine will sew and while this is not definitive and there are exceptions the following might help.

DBX1, DPX5, Domestic Needle: Light only - Garment leather with #69

DPX16, DPX16: Light to medium, generally to 7-8mm depending on the design of the machine with 138-207 thread

DDX1, 328: Medium Heavy. Depending on the machine 10-12mm. Anything up to #415

794, 7X3 Very Heavy. 18-22mm Any thread commercially available.

This is not meant to be definitive. There are all sorts of exceptions and I would appreciate feedback from our more knowledgeable members and dealers.

[amuckart]

Not that I'm in any way significantly knowledgeable, but having machines that take each of the systems below, I'd back your last two off a notch and add one on the end:

DDX1, 328: Medium. Up to 13mm depending on machine. Thread up to 415/6 cord

794, 7x3: Heavy. 5-21mm depending on needle and machine. Thread up to 514/8 cord

331: Very Heavy 5-25mm depending on needle and machine setup. Thread up to 514/8 cord

I'm fairly sure 1000 system needles fit in somewhere between 794 and 331 but I've never actually encountered any.

That's only for threaded needle machines. Needle & awl machines are another story entirely.

Edited July 1, 2012 by amuckart

[mogwild]

Funny you posted, I was just exploring needles the other day

Here's a picture I took.

On the left, a regular household machine needle (110/18) and on the right, the needle I took out of the Landis No1 we acquired to see what size it was, it...big.

[mogwild]

Funny you posted, I was just exploring needles the other day

Here's a picture I took.

On the left, a regular household machine needle (110/18) and on the right, the needle I took out of the Landis No1 we acquired to see what size it was, it's...big.

[Anne Bonnys Locker]

Thanks for that!

A lot depends on the machine. I brought in a Chinese machine that uses a DDX1 and was claimed to sew 18mm - the foot was cut away and the needle bar all but hit the leather - but I was able to sew 18mm!

Not that I'm in any way significantly knowledgeable, but having machines that take each of the systems below, I'd back your last two off a notch and add one on the end:

DDX1, 328: Medium. Up to 13mm depending on machine. Thread up to 415/6 cord

794, 7x3: Heavy. 5-21mm depending on needle and machine. Thread up to 514/8 cord

331: Very Heavy 5-25mm depending on needle and machine setup. Thread up to 514/8 cord

I'm fairly sure 1000 system needles fit in somewhere between 794 and 331 but I've never actually encountered any.

That's only for threaded needle machines. Needle & awl machines are another story entirely.

[amuckart]

.

On the left, a regular household machine needle (110/18) and on the right, the needle I took out of the Landis No1 we acquired to see what size it was, it...big.

Yup, that's a 331 system needle, same as is used in the Pearson No.6. They're scary big. There's enough groove for them to go through 25mm of leather and still throw a loop - and they used to come in sizes down to 160 which is awful thin for something that long!

[Art]

Note that the shank of the DB1 will fit in the thread groove of the 331.

Art

[Wizcrafts]

I used to have a hand operated sole stitcher, with a vertical up/down lever on the needlebar, that used a huge needle like the one pictured in this topic. It sewed with 6 cord pre-waxed linen thread, just along the edge, one stitch for each pull up/down on the lever. I wish I didn't give it away back then. It clamped onto the edge of a sewing machine table and stood upright, about 10 or so inches. I'm guessing that the needle was about 2.5 inches long and about 3/32 inch wide at the top.

[mogwild]

Yup, that's a 331 system needle, same as is used in the Pearson No.6. They're scary big. There's enough groove for them to go through 25mm of leather and still throw a loop - and they used to come in sizes down to 160 which is awful thin for something that long!

Still learning. None of the needles I got with mine have 3 digit numbers, they all say:

Landis 8

Landis 3

Landis 6

Landis 5

etc.

Some of them are pretty thin!

Edited July 2, 2012 by mogwild

[CowboyBob]

I used to have a hand operated sole stitcher, with a vertical up/down lever on the needlebar, that used a huge needle like the one pictured in this topic. It sewed with 6 cord pre-waxed linen thread, just along the edge, one stitch for each pull up/down on the lever. I wish I didn't give it away back then. It clamped onto the edge of a sewing machine table and stood upright, about 10 or so inches. I'm guessing that the needle was about 2.5 inches long and about 3/32 inch wide at the top.

Wiz,

Did it look like this?

Bob