Need Advice Buying Sewing Machine for Shoes Upper

[EarleneAgripina]

Hello,

I am a new member here. I am a new shoemaker based in France and I need to buy a sewing machine to sew the shoes upper.

I have experience with post bed one needle sewing machine. I learned to used it in Shoemaking school and when I was in Indonesia.

Now I need a sewing machine to work here in France. I don't have a huge budget and I have been looking around for used post bed sewing machine but they are all too expensive for me.

I am thinking to buy something cheap first like vintage SINGER sewing machine 99k and when I got money I buy the post bed machine. But I'm afraid it won't work well.

I am thinking to get me vintage SINGER 29K but then it doesnt have roller foot, and I don't have experience in stitching upper with walking foot.

Now I found a flat bed sewing machine from SIECK that seems good, the price is still a bit high but I can cope with it, it is PFAFF Kl. 143-4 single needle flat bed sewing machine with motor 220v and roller foot. This PFAFF machine cost me 612,5 euros already included VAT and shipping. But it is still a flatbed, I have experience stitching upper on a flatbed is not really that easy but I can cope with it.  

I still need your advice about this.

The question is, should I buy vintage machine like SINGER 29k, or sewing machine like SINGER 99k (I saw this can sew leather too), or this PFAFF 143-4 sewing machine?

My work is mostly women shoes. Here I attached one of my work for example. I am using soft not thick leather.

Thank you so much for your time.

 

Earlene A. Agripina

www.earlenechen.wix.com/myleatherworld

[Uwe]

I wouldn't recommend starting with a Singer 29K unless you've used them before and know they will work for you. Save up (or borrow) enough money to buy the machine you really need. Otherwise you'll spend a great deal of effort, time, and money buying shipping and figuring out machines that will not work for you in the long run.

Sieck also has some cheaper post bed machines like this Pfaff 193 post bed on their shoe making machine page. It's seem like a MUCH better starting point than a Singer 29K for shoe production.

 

 

 

[brmax]

Your site shows great work and an already established professional, I suggest just a bit more if needed and select a modern post bed. This Earlene would just follow up your training investment. Thanks for sharing your site it has some nice products many of us here work our talents towards.

Good day

Floyd

[electrathon]

While I agree a post machine would be ideal, a flat bed would work.  A 29K is a bad choice, you would be fighting with it all the time.  Not really designed for construction.

[mikesc]

Bonjour, Earlene.. "nice shoe" :)..there is a coffee ad on French tv featuring Jean Dujardin and George Clooney.. the punch line is "nice shoes"..and "what else "

I agree with Uwe, I have a 29k, ( and some other machines, triple and double action flat beds and zig zags for embroidery ) it was the workhorse for many a french cordonnier, ( I bought my 29K to fix a zip on a pair of my wife's boots : ) but , given that the 29K's you can find on "le bon coin" etc here in France are usually sold for decoration, and they are frequently at €500.oo or above even in "not working" condition.. you may well spend money on one and be disappointed, the spare parts for a 29k in France are also very very high, UK and US prices for spares are much much better..

 

The 29k, even if you could find one in very good condition , and with a reasonable stitch length, are really nowadays a shoe repairers machine, ( you see them here in a lot of the "shoe bars", hidden away at the back for repairs to shoes and bags ) ..they are not a machine for production..

The Pfaff that Uwe found is a much better choice for your main machine, and that price €750.oo new, is the price that I have seen some very used Pfaff post beds go for here on "le bon coin" ( le bon coin is like craigslist, without the "adult" and "off the wall" areas )..

btw Earlene? I just had a look at your page on wix..( I had to authorize a whole bunch of wix scripts to get it to open ..) superb work

I'd suggest that you look at making a site in prestashop ( you can run it in multi-lingual version English and French ) it has some very attractive themes, and it is free, most of the French banks can integrate an online  payment system straight into it with a simple click, so you can take credit cards and paypal..

 

Send me a message ( click on my name on the left of this page ) if you want to know more about it..I also noticed that your French text has some errors ( it is a very complicated language, took me years to learn and become fluent, ) I can tidy the text up for you, at no charge, free.. good work ( and yours is very good ) should be encouraged..

Edited September 7, 2016 by mikesc

[Kohlrausch]

23 hours ago, EarleneAgripina said:

I have experience with post bed one needle sewing machine. I learned to used it in Shoemaking school and when I was in Indonesia.

Now I need a sewing machine to work here in France. I don't have a huge budget and I have been looking around for used post bed sewing machine but they are all too expensive for me.

Hi,

is an old postbed an option? They occasionally come up und ebay-kleinanzeigen (our version og gumtree, marktplaads.nl, craigslist etc.) This one is available in Germay for 190 Euros and seller offers shipping: https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-anzeige/singer-saeulen-naehmaschine-ledernaehmaschine-schusternaehmaschine/518836670-282-3290

Greets

Ralf C.

[Yetibelle]

the 29k is very easy to use.  small bobbin on some of them.  I was always told to go with Post machine and roller foot foir this, plus it works for almost anything else, bags wallets ect.  I think you would be happy with that in the long run.  

 

[TinkerTailor]

The 29 isn't known for being friendly with the leather. It likes to mark it. Most people I know who sew shoe uppers use a post with a roller foot. It is the nicest to the leather and easier to steer than a walking foot. Alberta boot company uses mostly post and some flatbed all with rollers for uppers. Look them up. They do nice custom cowboy boots.

[EarleneAgripina]

Thank you so much all for your advice. I finally bought the flatbed sewing machine on sieck. I am currently waiting for it to come. And in the future I will save up money and buy the postbed sewing machine.