Do I Need A Different Sewing Machine?

[Thespirit]

Hello Everybody!

My husband and I are starting up a custom sandal business and for months we have been struggling with the stitching on our sandal straps. We use about a 3 to 4 oz leather, fold it in half and do the stitching which we have, most times, no issues with it.

The part that we are just having issues with is we take the folded-in-half strap and put another 3oz or so leather on top of that to do the box and the "X" on it for the thong part of the sandal -- so we essentially connect the two straps, which are folded in half and sewn, and bond them by another 3 oz or so leather piece and sew the two straps together.

We have an INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH HEAVY DUTY SINGER 206K SEWING MACHINE *SEW LEATHER*** that we were hoping could do the job but I am at my wits end with it and frustrated of trying to adjust the tension on it or getting new sewing needles which we are using Schmetz Leather Needles Size 16/100 . We have to hand turn the machine while doing the box part and the "X" because it won't go on its own and it either skips stitching or it won't stitch at all! It ends up that I have to hand sew that part of the sandal which is really time consuming.

I am sorry if this is a silly post but I have never sewed before and I am so lost at this. Is there a good possibility that I need a different sewing machine for leather?

Thank you so much for your time in this matter and I would appreciate any feedback you could give me. If you think I need a new sewing machine, is there any recommended ones that you could suggest to me without breaking the bank
? All we really need the sewing machine to do is handle different material from leathers to hemp to do the straps of our sandals. Thank you, Thank you for your help. I am just so lost of where to go.

*** I included an attachment which is the picture of our sandal with the box and the "X" that I am having issues with.


LJR

[Samgt8]

Well essentially you're trying to sew another 3 oz onto 6 - 8 oz leather. the 206 is not an industrial sewing machine (yes they lie about it.) You may be better off with something like a Consew, or something similar. Check this thread out:
http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=25239
that explains everything in more detail.

Good Luck

Sam

[Wizcrafts]

I recommend getting a real industrial walking foot sewing machine, in this case with a cylinder arm. The linked-to machine is a medium duty waling foot machine, rated at up to 3/8 inch thickness, with #138 bonded thread. It looks like you are using #69 (T70) bonded thread, which is best sewn using a #18 needle.

I'm sorry that you got duped into buying that domestic sewing machine that was advertised as being a leather sewing machine. Not even close! Ebay sellers who advertise domestic sewing machines as "Industrial Strength" (often misspelling Strength) are lying.

This is the place to learn about real leather sewing machines. I wrote an article about the type of sewing machine you need to sew leather, that is stickied on the index page of this forum, Read it and learn.

Prepare to pay between $1,200 to $2,500 for a real leather sewing machine that is for medium duty work like your sandals. It will have a compound feed walking foot system, plus it will use industrial system 135x16 (leather point) or 135x17 (fabric) needles, available in sizes all the way up to #25. The bobbin and shuttle will allow it to sew with #138 thread, which is twice the capacity of any domestic machine. Finally, most of them are rated at 3/8 inch thickness. I refer to these machines as "upholstery grade machines."

[DrmCa]

What you really need to ask yourself is how are your sandals better than much cheaper made in China sandals at Walmart.

Sorry if I am putting that very bluntly, and you may get frustrated with my question, but in the long run it will serve you good to try to answer that to yourself.

[Cascabel]

A shame you got tricked into spending good money on a old domestic machine. Always bear in mind that there is no such thing as an "Industrial Strength" machine, and just because it is made of cast iron, and painted black does not make it a real industrial machine. Many of them are Grandma's old sewing machine that showed up at a yard sale. EBAY and Craigslist sellers lie !! The old domestic machines are excellent within their limitations, but none of them are real "Leather" or "Industrial" machines. A simple way to tell is that if the motor is the size of a man's fist, and attached to the back of the machine, it is a domestic machine. Real industrial machines have a motor the about the size of your head mounted underneath the table. And real industrial machines are NEVER designed to fold down into the cabinet like a domestic. They are much too heavy for that, however they can be tilted back to expose the underside for lubrication and maintenance.

Another consideration is that the thickness a machine can handle is dictated by the fact that MOST, but NOT ALL machines release the thread tension as the foot rises either by the thickness of the material being sewn, or when climbing over a thick section like a seam. This can cause skipped stitches and a host of other problems, such as tangles on the back side. This applies to both domestic and industrial models. This is a feature of the design of most machines, allowing easy removal of the work from under the foot when raising the foot manually when done sewing. Some machines, like my Singer 42-5 can sew as much thickness as you can jam under the foot, as it does not have this tension release feature.

Give Wizcrafts excellent postings about the kind of machines you need to sew leather a read......

Edited October 1, 2015 by Cascabel

[Colt W Knight]

I had the same thing happen to me, I bought an old Singer. I never could get consistent stitches with it. Ended up buying a real walking foot machine.

[Art]

LJR,

Knowing where you are located would be a help. Unless you know sewing machines, and have been working with them for a while, do not buy off of eBay. I've seen a lot of machines off of eBay and Craigs List, and not one was set-up for leather. All I can recommend is that you buy from a dealer. For the class of machine you require, a cylinder arm is recommended, like the CB277R from Toledo Industrial or the Highlead GC22618-8B From Keystone Industrial. Make sure that either brand has a speed reducer, servo motor (brush type preferred), and set-up for sewing leather with a leather point needle (TRI point). Both of the above dealers know how to set these machines up and will stand behind their product. If you are in Canada, Ron at Raphael Sewing also has machines to fill the bill.

Art

[Northmount]

For western Canada look at Leighton's http://www.leightons.ca/sitemap.html

Tom

[Thespirit]

What you really need to ask yourself is how are your sandals better than much cheaper made in China sandals at Walmart.

Sorry if I am putting that very bluntly, and you may get frustrated with my question, but in the long run it will serve you good to try to answer that to yourself.

Hey DrmCa.

This is Paul. LJR's husband here! Our company model revolves around my experience growing up in Internationally acclaimed orthotic lab in the U.S. We start with a negative cast of our clients feet and pour a positive plaster mold. Then through a proprietary method of thermal bonding, we create a custom foot bed that accommodates all three arches in the foot and creates superior weight distribution along the entire plantar surface of the foot. We also invented an industry first strap sizer. which measures the dorsal aspect of our clients feet. So essentially every aspect of our sandals are custom fabricated to fit like a glove! We also take pride in using only the best American made leathers and materials available. To the best of our knowledge there isn't another sandal maker that provides that level of fit and comfort. (We're getting very tired of hand stitching our junction points!) Thanks for your question and have a fantastic day!

[Thespirit]

Hello Everyone,

This is Paul. LJR's husband. We just want to thank you all for taking time out of your day to answer our questions! We are relatively new to sewing and are very appreciative of all the professional knowledge and guidance we've received! We are currently researching the brands listed and are going to be purchasing a suitable machine in the near future. We reside in the state of North Dakota and are currently seeking the closest outlets to such products. Being that we are just beginning this new venture, we are on a fairly slim budget. If anybody is aware of a close resource for seeking out a suitable machine, we would greatly appreciate the heads up! We'll post some photos sometime! Any feedback would be humbly accepted! Have a great evening!

Paul and LIza Jo

Artisan Footworks

[Wizcrafts]

LJR and Paul;

I have friends in my town who make custom shoes and boots. They even come over to my shop and sew on my machines now and then. The main equipment they use (between theirs and mine) are an old Singer post bed roller foot machine (@15 spi), a curved needle Landis 12F outsole stitcher, small and large bobbin Singer 29k patchers (~ 6 spi) and my big Cowboy CB4500 straight needle, cylinder arm harness stitcher.

Missing is a medium duty cylinder arm walking foot machine, or a heavier duty modern walking foot post bed machine. Either would make it easier to complete the shoe projects.

I think you should look into a modern post bed machine

Edited October 2, 2015 by Wizcrafts

[Art]

The 8810 is made in only one factory in China. Everyone gets them from them. I have one and it is a dead on replica of the Pfaff 491 or 591. It is so much like the Pfaff inside, it is uncanny. I love it although I think V-138 thread is pushing it a little. I run V-69 all the time, but have used 138/92 and it worked very well. The post machine can fit in very easily in the shop. It can do a lot of repair work and any closing operations on uppers. For handbag repair, nothing beats it, and unlike patchers, the bobbin holds a lot of thread. Like most Pfaff machines, it uses the vertical shaft on the bobbin (bobbin lays flat). I've actually seen folks build flat beds (usually out of plexiglas) for them, really just a box that goes over the post. Be careful, the 8810 will sew pretty high stitch counts and actually weaken the stitch line or if you go too far, cut the leather. Great machine.

Art

[Wizcrafts]

I'm hoping that my next major machine purchase is something like the 8810. I have a lot of repairs and hat related jobs that would be so much easier to sew on a post bed machine. I used to have two ancient Singer post machines with roller feet. I used them to make biker and cowboy hats.

[DrmCa]

That makes a big difference, of course my question arose from not knowing that your sandals were so unique.

Hey DrmCa.

This is Paul. LJR's husband here! Our company model revolves around my experience growing up in Internationally acclaimed orthotic lab in the U.S.