RileyRaffy Report post Posted January 25, 2015 Hi y'all! I could really use a hand deciphering all your expert language on leather sewing machines. I have tried my hardest to understand, which machine I need but I am still lost, as I have a limited budget. Looking to spend as little as possible on a second hand sewing machine, however I make tooled bridles, at least 4mm thick. I gather I need a walking foot. Why? Where are we walking to? And will these second hand singers I see on eBay do the job? Do they actually sing? ;-) I don't mind hand cranking or manual labour, but I would really appreciate a nod in the right direction, to save my hands from cramping due to hours of sewing. Thank you all so much in advance. Riley x Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tree Reaper Report post Posted January 25, 2015 http://www.tolindsewmach.com/walking-foot.html If I were you I would contact a dealer on this site and ask if they have a used machine that will suit your needs. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lightingale Report post Posted January 26, 2015 As a brand-spanking new owner of an Artisan Toro 3200 as of this weekend (an unexpected new owner at that, because my husband is awesome and loves to surprise me), I can understand why a lot of these terms seem confusing at first. An our or two of research will answer these questions at the basic level. My advice, read this sticky from the leather sewing machine subforum. If you're like me, you need a visual, so watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYo2ST0m7f8 Yes, you need a walking foot. Read/watch the above links and you'll see why. You're "walking" to your next stitch (the machine kinds of grips the leather where it needs to go), and you have much more control with a much lower chance of things catching or skidding where they shouldn't. For bridles, you probably need it to sew through two layers of 8-9oz. leather, at the thickest. You want a machine that's rated to handle MORE than this, so that you can get it to do what you want with ease and without stressing the motor. Disclaimer: I haven't had the opportunity to play with my shiny toy yet, so I can't speak for how leather sewing machines work in practice at this point. My machine is supposedly the "jack of all trades", though a few parts need to be interchanged to make it more suited for different weights of leather or fabric. More experienced folks: feel free to correct me if I got something wrong. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dwight Report post Posted January 26, 2015 Riley, . . . First, . . . where are you located, . . . we may be able to point you to someone close. Second, . . . you mentioned at least 4mm thick, . . . the most important thickness is the other end, . . . the thickest. I have three machines, . . . one will barely sew 2mm, . . . another will do about 8mm, . . . and the big boy will do about 18 mm. The middle one is a Singer 111W155, . . . and is an old war horse of a machine, . . . but it works. May God bless, Dwight Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RileyRaffy Report post Posted January 26, 2015 Thank you ever so much for your replies. As for your questions here goes. I am in the UK, in Cambridge. And I will be sewing two lots of 3mm together, plus lining (0.5) at most. I shall have a look at a singer 111. Thank you for the links and the sticky. I shall throw some chocolate at my children and have a better sit down and read. I just found most of the other posts, were a bit technical for me. Riley x Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dwight Report post Posted January 27, 2015 (edited) Riley, . . . thanks, girl, . . . you made me go out and get my machine cranked up, . . . I'd been putting it off. My Singer 111W155 had to have a new motor, . . . and some "tender loving care", . . . and if you hadn't asked the question, . . . it still would be sitting out there rusting. But what I did was go out and scrounge up some scrap leather strips, . . . contact cemented them all together, . . . then sewed them together. I started out with size 108 thread, . . . and it did not work too well. Both of the outside tracks of sewing are the 108. The center track is the 138 pre-lubed I just bought a couple days ago, . . . and it looks a whole lot nicer. Now the overall thickness of the three pieces was .312 inches which rolls out just over 7.9 mm thick, . . . which is plenty for what you were talking about doing. If you get a machine, . . . make sure you get one with a servo motor on it, . . . or some type of gear reduction that makes it go slow enough for you to sew 15 stitches per minute. You will never really need it that slow, . . . but it gives you the slow speed needed to negotiate corners, etc. My original motor would slow down to about 150 stitches per minute, . . . and no more, . . . so I had to come up with a servo motor, . . . which thankfully I could get just 200 KM away, . . . drove up and back the same day. There are many other machines that are actually clones of the 111W155 from what I'm told, . . . and here in the states, . . . machine / motor / table and all can be had for a few hundred bucks. AND, . . . yes, . . . you really should get a walking foot machine. Do a youtube search on it, . . . somebody will have an example for you to view, . . . it is THE leather worker's tool. Good luck in your search, . . . may God bless, Dwight Edited January 27, 2015 by Dwight Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RileyRaffy Report post Posted January 28, 2015 Dwight, you are wonderful! Thnx again ! X Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
frinjski Report post Posted March 31, 2016 Hi. I'm looking at an Artisan 3200 how have you liked it so far ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
