Landis 16 stitcher

[silverkrown]

So I've been doing leatherwork for a while now but have always wanted a sewing machine to sew leather but the prices for the machines were too much. I stumbled on a local auction and found this Landis 16 stitcher. Ended up getting it for $80. Pretty excited about that. It's in good shape and came with the owners manual. Does anyone have anymore pics of this kind of machine? I'm trying to tell what all I'm missing. I've looked online and can't find very much info about them. It is missing the longer belt that goes up to the machine. Does anyone know where I can purchase a new one or what size to look for? Thanks for any help. 

[MADMAX22]

Wow you lucky person you. Now ofcourse you may spend a grand in parts but then again maybe not. 

I cant help with the pics, yours looks pretty nice though. I am sure there will be a few guys along to help out. To aid them I would take some good photos of the machine as I am sure you will be asked to. 

Also cambell bosworth are gonna be your friends I imagine. They are pretty helpful even with answering questions. Pretty sure they are the only ones that "may" make a few parts for that machine. Not 100% on that though. 

[Uwe]

Congratulations on a great auction find! Don't expect such bargains to be found when you buy parts and supplies. 

Glenn (Shoepatcher) shared this info in a previous post:

"Landis Sales & Service in Arthur, IL. Ask fro Eli Schlabach. He rebuilds Landis 16 machines and has parts and needles. He should have the manual and parts list. Their telephone number is 217-543-3464. Hope that helps."

I spoke to Eli earlier this year before I bought my own Landis 16 (for MUCH  more than yours). Eli has apparently spent years accumulating all things Landis 16 and buying parts stock from other vendors. He is the expert on this machine and a key resource for making yours work. He probably sells the belts, too. Just make sure you sit down when you call him for parts pricing. 

There are a few other sources for consumables like awls, etc. Weaver Leather Supply sells awls for the Landis 16 at around $10 each.

Run a custom Google search like "site:leatherworker.net landis 16" to see what has already been covered in previous discussions about the Landis 16 on LW.

I also have some used and reproduction Landis 16 parts (bobbins, hooks, etc.)

[Constabulary]

What a beast! Congratulations! I guess big oil holes means it needs lots of oil 

[silverkrown]

Thanks for the tips so far guys. A few things I've figured out are missing so far is the presser foot bar spring. The cover for the electric box. My machine doesn't have the bobbin winder and maybe that was an add on option. The machine is setup as 110 right now. It seems like there should be wires coming up to the wax pot? Could you use a liquid wax if the wax pot doesn't heat up? There is also some kind of bracket missing that holds the light. Does anyone have a picture of this? Thanks again.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 6, 2016 by silverkrown

[oltoot]

Don't ever complain about being unlucky but be prepared to spend several more 80 bucks to get it going. If you go the whole route you will end up with something worth 2-3 thousand dollars. Yes there are any number of silicone based thread lubes available from places like Weaver Leather that will work in hot wax pots with the right strippers installed and run without heat. 110 motors are more than adequate for this stitcher.

[silverkrown]

Thanks for the help everyone. I just spoke with Eli Schlabach and he is going to be sending out a few parts. Hopefully once I get the parts I can get it up and running. I'll keep everyone posted on how it goes.

[TinkerTailor]

I gotta say, with those pulleys at the bottom, one would want to be aware of where you are resting your feet. No barefoot stitching allowed.

Also never a bad idea to replace all the wires for a machine this old. Vibration can chafe old wires inside those metal conduits creating shorts. Its not that hard, and it sure beats lighting yerself up. Wire it with a grounded cord and attach the ground to the machine. Ungrounded old powertools are not a good idea. Remember that when this machine was made, they still thought electrocution was good for you and used it for medicine........

There are wax based liquid lubes still available for these old machines. I can't remember what the brands are but I know Wiz knows. Wizcraft, any input??

[CowboyBob]

Great buy,we have the needles & awls in stock for in packs of (10) f/$20.00.

[silverkrown]

I know these old machines require a lot of oiling. Does anyone recommend a certain kind of oil that should be used on these old machines? Thanks.

[Wizcrafts]

3 hours ago, TinkerTailor said:

There are wax based liquid lubes still available for these old machines. I can't remember what the brands are but I know Wiz knows. Wizcraft, any input??

I know of at least four liquid waxes/lubes. They are:

• Sellari's Stitching Wax (real wax); needs Sellari's Wax Thinner
• Sellari's Thread Lube (white slick liquid)
• Campbell-Randall's Lax Wax (white liquid lube/wax)
• Puritan's Ceroxylon clear liquid wax.

[silverkrown]

I finally got most of the parts together to get the Landis 16 up and running. Still needs some tweaking but makes a tight stitch. Thanks everyone for their help with the info. Hopefully I'll get some projects posted soon that I've used the Landis on.

IMG_6020.MOV

 

 

Edited November 13, 2016 by silverkrown

[Uwe]

I'm glad you got your Landis 16 going - sounds very nice, actually. I'm hoping mine will function just as well when I get done with it.

Now you have to figure out how to make your camera/phone take video that's in focus and then upload it to Youtube in HD. The machine and all your work deserve a high quality show & tell.

[silverkrown]

On November 17, 2016 at 7:43 PM, Uwe said:

I'm glad you got your Landis 16 going - sounds very nice, actually. I'm hoping mine will function just as well when I get done with it.

Now you have to figure out how to make your camera/phone take video that's in focus and then upload it to Youtube in HD. The machine and all your work deserve a high quality show & tell.

I agree. I'll have to have my wife hold the camera next time instead of me holding it while stitching.

[silverkrown]

I'm hoping someone can help me out with my machine. I'm working on stitching up a seat and the top stitch looks fine but the bottom is super loose. It's like it isn't pulling the bottom tight. When I try it on a straight practice piece it is stitching fine it's only when I try to stitch the seat. Sorry for the crappy picture. It was the only one I took before cutting the stitching back out. Thanks for any help anyone can provide. I'm hoping I can get this figured out. The section that did stitch correctly looks great. 

[TinkerTailor]

Are you using a landis 16 machine? If not, a new topic with the name and model of the machine would get more responses. This topic is specifically about the landis 16. That being said, it looks like the thread is hanging up somewhere, or jumping in and out of the top tensioner. When you get loops on the bottom, the top is too loose. If it is intermittent like yours is, my first guesses would be an incorrectly threaded machine, dirty machine,  thread not spooling off the spool evenly and hanging up, or damage/wear to the upper and/or bobbin tensioners/ in that order.

Do you have a manual?

[silverkrown]

I am using the landis 16 machine which is why I figured I should just continue this post. I do want to make a piece for the back to help guide the thread off the spool. There is suppose to be a guide but my machine is missing it. It really could be any of the things you mentioned being that I got this machine used with an unknown history. I do have the manual and will double check a few things.

[Muleskiner]

Check thread arm and looper make sure there adjusted right

[Silverd]

Well, I'm scheduled to visit a police belt, holster, amo, handcuff, etc leather making shop in the LA area next week. Apparently the owner has 15or so  landis 16s for sale.and a #1& #3.   Shop closed in January 2018 and is selling off 80 years of collected equipment.  I'm making horse halters...any advice?  

Silverd 

[Matt S]

10 hours ago, Silverd said:

Well, I'm scheduled to visit a police belt, holster, amo, handcuff, etc leather making shop in the LA area next week. Apparently the owner has 15or so  landis 16s for sale.and a #1& #3.   Shop closed in January 2018 and is selling off 80 years of collected equipment.  I'm making horse halters...any advice?  

Silverd 

Not advice but I'd be very pleased if you took some photos and shared them with us here -- so long as the owner is happy for you to do so of course. I love old machinery and workshops and, while it's a shame that the company is closed, maybe those machines can be put to new work if they get new owners. Bit too long a drive from London to LA otherwise I'd be there like a rat up a drainpipe. Pictures and a quick write-up (subject to Mod approval) will help the equipment sale reach a wider audience and hopefully enough buyers who appreciate the vintage gear. Far too many good old machines get weighed-in.

[Wizcrafts]

21 minutes ago, Matt S said:

Not advice but I'd be very pleased if you took some photos and shared them with us here -- so long as the owner is happy for you to do so of course. I love old machinery and workshops and, while it's a shame that the company is closed, maybe those machines can be put to new work if they get new owners. Bit too long a drive from London to LA otherwise I'd be there like a rat up a drainpipe. Pictures and a quick write-up (subject to Mod approval) will help the equipment sale reach a wider audience and hopefully enough buyers who appreciate the vintage gear. Far too many good old machines get weighed-in.

Pictures and descriptions absolutely make the difference in online sales. But, in our case, all sewing machines for sale need to be in a new topic placed in our Marketplace forum. The appropriate sub-forum is: Marketplace > Items For Sale > Machinery > Sewing and Stitching > Used

[Silverd]

Excellent idea!  I'll definitely contribute.  

Silverd 

[chrisash]

Go on Matt, you know you need a weekend break, Fly Ryanair and get lots of compensation for the delays

[Matt S]

2 hours ago, chrisash said:

Go on Matt, you know you need a weekend break, Fly Ryanair and get lots of compensation for the delays

Well there's an idea. Wonder how many Landis 16s they'll let me take as handluggage?

[Silverd]

That is really funny!  

Silverd