Which Machine, Including "no Marks" And "close To Edge" Criteria

[soccerdad]

Please advise this hand-stitcher who is contemplating his first machine for sewing roughly from 4 oz up to 3/8" (give or take) while making wallets, crossbody bags, briefcases, etc.

I've talked to Cowboy, Cobra, Techsew and Artisan, and I gather from my reading on this site that those makers (and others) likely offer machines of similar quality and capacities. I'm looking for a compound-feed, walking-foot, cylinder-arm machine with servo motor, reverse, and speed reducer. FYI, Artisan says their current servo does not require a reducer.

Beyond all that, a couple of issues are important to me: I don't want the machine to leave marks. Only one maker promised their product would not mark dyed and finished vegetable tanned leather. That was Jerry at Artisan, who mentioned smooth feet and feed dog, plus another thing he was coy about. All the manufacturers seemed to think the problem would be much reduced using many chromed-tanned leathers. Does this ring true for everyone? What machines mark least or not at all? What characteristics do I need to look for? Adjustments?

Also, I need a machine that, possibly using a stirrup plate, can sew 1/8" from the edge on squared gussets of the sort you might find on old-school veg tan briefcases and the like. I'm talking about firm leather that could bend some without leaving "stretch marks" but could not bend a lot.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

[Art]

I think you need to dial back your requirements a bit, or continue hand sewing. There isn't a machine that at some time or the other will not mark the leather. You can minimize that a lot, but you have to work not only on the machine, but your technique. If you are doing bags, a cylinder arm will be helpful, but a bag or stirrup plate might be a bit much to find for a medium weight machine. I guess you can start looking with the Cowboy CB=227R or an Adler 669. Adler is a little pricey. I think the most important thing is to get a leather sewing machine dealer to adjust it so that it works the way you want.

Art

[pcox]

I have a consew 28 that all most never leaves a mark but, it is not a cyl. arm and it is not a walking foot like most think of it has NO feed dog on the bottom, needle and inside foot only it feeds well and is as close to no marks as I can get with a machine. You are asking a lot from one machine.

[Techsew Ron]

As mentioned above, a light/medium weight cylinder walking foot machine would be best for your needs. A narrow diameter cylinder arm and large bobbin is helpful when sewing into hard to reach areas and if you want to use larger thread sizes. Most sellers can set up the machine to prevent marking on your leather. Depending on the seller some servo motors are powerful enough to use without a speed reducer but most of us can include a reducer if you need.

cheers!

Ron

[Darren Brosowski]

When we talk about marking of leather there are two different meanings.

- A bottom feed only will always leave marks on the bottom and some of those will be scores in the leather that cannot be removed.

- Compound machines will usually leave "pressure" marks that are not usually considered a problem and can often be worked out bu hand. My personal opinion is that they highlight the stitching.

From experience I usually see that most customers run way too much presser foot tension.

When it comes to servo motors I think a lot comes down to marketing as most motors are very similar.We run 750W motors on our Cowboy machines with a 35mm root diameter pulley. Speed and starting torque is not a problem.

Recently I sold a motor to a customer for her GC0618 flat bed. This motor is worth about $US1500 and is a work of art. You can delicately touch the pedal and the needle mooves up and down at a rate of millimeters per second. You gets what you pays for.

[Singermania]

I agree with the above repliers, machines when the foot pressure is minimized will either leave no mark or a very slight mark, it will depend on a few factors.

On the occasion of a really particular purchaser it is possible to even take a coil off the foot pressure spring, a compound feed machine really doesn't need a great deal of foot pressure, the needle feed on its own will suffice. You would of course need a smooth feed dog, again not ramped up too high and smooth feet.

I would not recommend a light to medium machine for you if you are going to sew up to 3/8", this places you more in line with medium to heavy.

In the Cowboy range the CB3200 tops out at about 3/8", up from there would be the CB4500 which will go closer to 3/4"

Regards Steve of Cowboy Leather Machines, Australia

[soccerdad]

Thanks to everyone who contributed an response to my query here. There's a good chance I'll get a machine this winter. Will let you know how it goes sewing finished veg tan now and then.

[steveleather]

I'm in the same predicament and I think ice decided I the artisan 335b. Check it out

[soccerdad]

Steve, thanks for the heads-up on the Artisan 335b. I've look at Artisan, and as far as I can tell I'd like their machines. Since December when I posted this topic, I've shopped a lot and talked to an experienced leather pro I know locally. Because I make a lot of full-sized cross body bags, I think I'm going to go with a 16" arm in order to have plenty of room to move material without bunching it up, etc., and I also want to be able to use heavier thread than the 335 types typically handle. However, if I only made small items, I might very well go for the machine you mention.

Please let us know how it goes with your new machine, when you pull the trigger.

Thanks