Seiko Sk-6 And Sole Leather?

[Nessmuk1]

Will my Seiko SK-6 sew three layers of 10oz sole leather?

[Geneva]

The machine is rated at 13mm under the presser foot 14mm with knee lift. You will be at MAX. Try it and see what happens.

[Wizcrafts]

Your machine is a newer version of a Singer 132k6, which I once owned. The foot could "lift" 1/2 inch, but hard leather like sole bends will probably grab the needle and lift with it. You will have bent or broken needles and marked up leather The needle clamp may not even be able to hold the needle in and it may have to be fished out with pliers.

When I owned a Union Lockstitch machine the manual referred to fair stitching on shoes (soles). It was recommended to oil or wet the leather before sewing. I believe it said to not even try stitching them dry. Also, I ran my (linen) thread through liquid wax/lube (Ceroxylon) that helped it go through tough multiple layers of leather. And that was a needle and awl machine.

[Singermania]

The boys are correct, the sk-6 is a Singer 132K6 copy, a K6 will only sew 8mm and the Sk-6 maybe a bit more, but I wouldn't push 3 layers of 10 oz at it, I'm assuming 3 layers of 10oz is going to be around 13 - 14mm. You're going to need a heavier machine. Regards Steve

[Nessmuk1]

It's no big deal. I just wondered how heavy i could go. Will it punch two layers, or is it best to stay away from the sole leather?

[Wizcrafts]

Test the machine with some scrap sole leather and #277 thread, using a #25 (200) chisel or diamond point needle. If it can hold your leather down while forming the lockstitches and places the knots well up into the leather, you are probably good to go.

But, if the pressure spring can't hold the leather down, you'll get skipped stitches and bent needles. Also, if there are presser foot options, use the widest outside foot you can get. This spreads out the force over a wider swath and tends to hold down tough leather much better than narrow feet can do.