Is A Singer 153 K 102 Equal To A 31-15

[Suemi]

Hey all, curious if the singer 153 k 102 compaires to a 31-15 beside its obvious differences. Looking for a cylinder that can handle some things that my 31-15 does.

Or would it be smarter to save up and get a consew 277?

Thanks,

Rich

[Trox]

Yes, it looks like the 153K-102 is a bottom feed machine same as your 31-15. You better save up for a triple feed cylinderarm machine, the 153K-102 is no good for leatherwork.

[Suemi]

Thanks Trox, I knew that was the right answer. Im just excited.

I was looking at a 277 or 287 consew...any recommendations?

[Trox]

Not many Consew machines in Europe so I do not know them. I know they are popular in the USA. Read the pinned topics about choosing a leather sewing machine, it will help you.

I read a bit about them in the Consew website, I find the machine descriptions a bit incomplete . You should look for a compound triple feed machine ( bottom, top and needle combined feed) The term " walking foot" is often mistaken for such macines, nevertheless, it can be applied to any machine that has a feeding foot.

I saw a other topic here a couple of days ago what the letters behind the Consew class numbers meant, (use the forum search option it is a lot of topics about Consews here).

It looks like the 277 is not a triple feed, however the 227 R-2 and 287 RB-2 seems to be triple feed machines. I think the letter "R" stands for reverse and "B" for big bobbin. Site says nothing about thread and needle sizes, you need to find the data sheet about them.

Our member dealers (top site banners) sells fine machines too, Cobra, Cowboy and Tecksew. They stay behind their product, call them and tell them about your needs. There are a lot of people here that have Consew machines and can tell you much more about them than me. I am located in Norway and have mostly German machines (and one Chinese 441 clone that works well) Any of those Consews will be an upgrade for you. If you rephrase your topic and ask about the Consews, you will get a much bigger response. Do not forget to search the forum, it is tons of information related to your questions here already.

good luck

Trox

[Bugg]

Hi. I just purchased a used 153 k 102 for my husband’s birthday. Admittedly I know minimal about sewing but I was under the impression it was for leather. Did I just mess up big time?

[Constabulary]

12 hours ago, Bugg said:

Hi. I just purchased a used 153 k 102 for my husband’s birthday. Admittedly I know minimal about sewing but I was under the impression it was for leather. Did I just mess up big time?

@Bugg how can we know if you messed up? We don´t know the condition of your machine and we don´t know what you want to sew with this machine.

Please post pictures and let us know what you want to sew and how thick the material will be (all layers together).

[kgg]

@Bugg like @Constabulary has suggested we need a little more info.

kgg

Edited November 16, 2024 by kgg

[Constabulary]

@kgg - the 1st post from Suemi is 12 years old   Bugg just replied recently.

[kgg]

29 minutes ago, Constabulary said:

@kgg - the 1st post from Suemi is 12 years old   Bugg just replied recently.

When I realized the date of the original post I edited my post.

kgg

[Bugg]

I apologize, I thought it was clear that I purchased it with leather in mind. My husband makes Armour for LARP events. The machine I bought is in great condition, I just noticed above someone said it wasn’t good for leather.

[Wizcrafts]

@Bugg, the only reason that this machine would not be great for leather flat presser foot. A flat foot machine like this one only has bottom feed. That's the same feed as virtually every domestic sewing machine. While a flat foot works fine with cloth, it drags leather and vinyl, or any bulky material. To overcome this limitation, Singer invented a so-called compound feed walking foot system. Their walking foot has triple feed, with the needle, inside foot and feed dog moving in sync as the presser foot lifts and lowers, pivoting off of the inside (alternating/vibrating) foot. Some versions of the Singer 153 have compound feed, like the 153w103 and 153k104. Unfortunately, yours isn't one of them.

So, what can you do to make this a leather sewing machine? About the only thing that may be doable is to search for a roller foot and presser bar set that will fit into your machine. I don't know the specifics of that conversion. The bar would have to be the same exact diameter as the original. But, it would have to be shorter to accomodate the longer roller foot. This was just mentioned in a toopic in the leather sewing machines forum. 

If you are even able to obtain a roller foot and preser bar, you'll probably need to also find a single row feed dog and matching throat plate. This can get real tricky since Singer's industrial sewing machines has been out of business for many decades.

[MackProvisions]

Has anyone ever converted this model to a rolling foot? I have a Singer 44-30 which is a shorter bed version of a 31. I have a 153k in my area for sale and I'm wondering if I could drop the rolling foot out of the 44-30 and simply install it into the 153k. 

@Wizcrafts you might be the best person who could answer this? 

[Constabulary]

depends on if your local 153 is a walking foot / triple feed machine or a needle feed machine.

If it is a walking foot / triple feed then it is not possible but if it is a needle feed machine then there is a workaround then it would work but again its a workaround: