Getting a Landis #1 going

[magneticanomaly]

I rescued what appears to be a Landis #1 sewing machine from a barn, and would like to use it as an improvement over my trusty sewing awl for making knife sheaths, tool holsters, belts, straps, and slings.

 

Can anyone direct me to a source for operating and/or parts literature?  Needles?

 

This looks lie a fantastic forum.  Thanks in advance.

[Constabulary]

WOW - what a nice massive machine. I don´t know the Landis but you can contact LW member SINGERMANIA, He lives in Australia and has A LOT of nice heavy machinery. or check with Campbell-Randall.

[Geneva]

The best place to find parts is at Landis Sales phone 217 five four three 3464. This gentleman bought out Landis when they went under. I think that is an Illinois phone number. Good luck.

PS: The correct name for this monstrosity is The Landis Regular Lock Stitch Wax Thread Sewing Machine

they never made a #1.

Edited October 20, 2016 by Geneva

[MADMAX22]

That is a nice find. Looks intact from the pics. 

Welcome to the forum. 

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

They are a super good old machine, not a lot to go wrong, and everything is out in the open so you can easily find a problem if one exists. I've seen some that were nearly totally worn out and still sewing.  I used one exclusively for at least 15 years, and turned out work that nobody believed could have been sewn on one of these.  For awhile, needles got hard to find, but I think they are available again now.  Something that is often neglected with these machines is the needle guide bushing. It MUST fit snug on the needle to do a good job.  And keep everything well oiled. I cringe when I see one of these at an auction or somewhere and it's been dry for years and someone will be turning it over or sewing on it with no oil. Oil everything that moves.  Shop Talk has manuals I think, or Landis Sales and Service as mentioned above, is likely to have them also. Very nice find!  Enjoy!

[magneticanomaly]

Thank you all for the helpful replies and the welcome!

I actually am in contact with someone who works at Campbell-Randall, and they are ceasing to support the Landis #3, so can't help at all on the "#1"

Have placed a call to the Landis number...

Big Sioux, where is the "Shop Talk" place you mentioned as likely to have a manual?  I did not see a sub-forum here by that name, but maybe I missed it. And thanks for the heads-up about the needle bushing

[shoepatcher]

Proleptic is the publisher of  Shop Talk.  They are in Ashville, NC.  Ask for Dan Preston who owns it.

glenn 

[magneticanomaly]

Thanks again for all the help and kind words. I found the manual at two places, one as a PDF from the Smithsonian Institution Library,second ordereda print copy for $14 from www.Proleptic.net. Very helpful folks at both places!

[Singermania]

I also have the Lanid no 1 manual if you need it..... The machine is good, will sew maybe a half inch, no reverse, transverse shuttle and walking foot.  If the machine is complete you really don't need a lot of technical dealer backup to get it going..  check with the guys here.

[TinkerTailor]

6 hours ago, Singermania said:

I also have the Lanid no 1 manual if you need it..... The machine is good, will sew maybe a half inch, no reverse, transverse shuttle and walking foot.  If the machine is complete you really don't need a lot of technical dealer backup to get it going..  check with the guys here.

In this they talk about different presser feet for different spi allowing the user to do flat, raised and waved work.....What is waved work??/

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

39 minutes ago, TinkerTailor said:

In this they talk about different presser feet for different spi allowing the user to do flat, raised and waved work.....What is waved work??/

On better grades of carriage and coach harness, instead of being cut straight, straps were often given a "waved" pattern, especially where there was a transition in width, from narrow to wide, or wide to narrow, the most common place being the crupper turnback, (or back strap).  The skirt of a team harness saddle was another popular place for waved work, as it is very visible.  Breeching layers are another spot, and found even on the more common grades  I looked for a picture, but came up empty. I have some old harness made this way that I can get a picture from if I can find it!

 

Actually I found a picture of one I made last summer. The breeching end would be an example of what they are referring to as waved work. Incidentally, it is also raised. 

[TinkerTailor]

So basically they are saying the machine sews curves. Incidentally, that is some very nice work.

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

7 minutes ago, TinkerTailor said:

So basically they are saying the machine sews curves. Incidentally, that is some very nice work.

Yes I guess that's what they're saying.  Although the curves in my picture are pretty "relaxed" curves compared to some I've seen on old work.  And honestly, any tighter than what is shown I'm my picture, gets tough to do on a "One". You can see at the very tip of my breeching layer where the foot marks wander outside the stich line. On a tight curve, it is almost unavoidable. But you also have to remember that this machine is a pretty early machine and may have been a vast improvement over anything that was previously available.  I've heard that the Pearson #6 was by far a better machine than the Landis, even though they are very similar in looks and operation (although I've never run one, so this is hearsay and speculation). 

 

And thank you very much for the compliment. I'm going to say it took 35 years and tens of thousands of dollars to get to that point.

[TinkerTailor]

Is that a machine with the prickers under the foot to pre-prick stitch holes? Is that why there are different feet for different spi? Or do they have "overstitch" pressers that push the stitches down after?? Perhaps they are referring to shorter feet that have less rows of prickers/pressers to prevent the tracking problem on curves.

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

The prickers set the stitch after it's made. It is like running over a line of hand stitching with an overstitch wheel to even out the stitches. The prickers also help feed the work as it is not a needle feed machine and on an incline or decline, or other tough sewing conditions, the stitch can shorten or lengthen without them. There are only two prickers on any pricker foot that I've ever seen for this machine. I have what I believe is a full set of feet, ranging from 5 to 12spi plus a textured double toed foot and two different feet for rounds with knives in them.  But is certainly possible there was another type of foot made that would follow tight curves better.

[TinkerTailor]

Textured feet? I once had the idea to cut one foot off my double toe and braze on a replacement using the head of a very small basket/border stamp, then adjust the stitch length till it matches up. If it is going to mark, why not make it pretty....I may still do this with the blanket set that came with my 5100 machine. Not ever gonna use those, and if i need them for something later, some other user on here will have a new set they will never use too.

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

I'm not sure what the textured foot was intended for. It is a pretty big, bulky foot, compared to the others, and it's the only one I've ever seen like it. There is a very fine crosshatch pattern on the underside of the foot and about twice as wide as any of the common pricker feet.  When I got it, I thought that it must be for a different machine, but the top part is made identical to the regular feet so it almost has to be for the "One".  I have feet that have had the prickers ground off smooth, which work fine on flat, straight work, and some that are worn dull by poor handling which don't work well on anything unless what's left of the feet are ground off to make a smooth surface, and I have an excellent #7 (kind of a less than common size to find) with the toe broken off that I've actually used for particular jobs that I can't even remember now, but it worked splendidly.

[magneticanomaly]

I have received my manual from Proleptic, It is much more complete than the one from the Smithsonian,which was mostly testimonials.  I had hoped for something bound for $14, rather than a stack of Xeroxes, but the information is there.

 

The manual talks a lot about the devices for waxing the thread, heated pots of molten wax through which the thread is drawn.  Will it sew with dry thread?  Can one use pre-waxed thread?  The only leather-sewing thread I am familiar with is the pre-waxed stuff sold for use with sewing awl.

Anyone have a source for needles?

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

Most people nowadays use the synthetic threads, if fact, I'm told it is difficult to find a good quality linen. You do not need to run the thread through a wax pot, although some choose to. Hard wax is normally not used anymore; a liquid or cream consistency thread lube is typically used if anything.  Machine thread is available from any number of sources. I t comes put up on one or two lb. spools. For that machine you will want a size 277 or 346.  I buy mine from Weaver Leather and it works well for me. I've had trouble in some of my machines with thread from other suppliers, although a Landis One seems to tolerate about anything you put in it. The pre-waxed hand sewing thread however will likely be too heavy and gunk up your machine. You will probably want two spools of thread, one for the bobbin and one for the top.  Oftentimes, this machine likes the bobbin thread a size lighter, although that is not always necessarily true. Depends on what you're sewing and your needle size.

[TinkerTailor]

Ever seen an old pair of boots that has stitching so worn that instead of a line, there are just dots at each hole and they are still holding together?? Like worn until the outside loops are gone? Hard wax on the thread is part of what is holding it together, along with wax applied during use. It has glued the loops together in the hole and tightened it up as it cooled, locking it in permanently. I think the benefits of hot wax are overlooked these days. They had oils and things they could use as thread lube back then too. I have pdf textbooks and journals of 1800s leather treatment and lubricant recipes to prove it. They new quite well how to mix waxes oils and solvents to formulate products in different consistencies for almost any use. Especially after the 1880s, recipes and research get to be a lot more chemistry and a lot less alchemy. If they wanted liquid thread lube they would have used it. These old machines commonly came with heated wax pots for a reason, and I don't believe for a minute it was because the factories and shops could be cold. Had a talk about this with the old guys at Dayton Boots here in Vancouver. They have been making what have been regarded as the best logger and biker boots around since 1946. They have several puritan machines to do the work, as well as many other classics.

Also, I know they are in Canada, but these guys have several types of linen, poly, and nylon stitcher thread in both twists, wax, needles and other things for stitchers. I have been there buying other things and when I asked if they sold thread, he immediately said only for stitchers.....Had to explain that my 441 will sew up to 6 cord before he would talk to me about it. Prices are pretty good, they are wholesale and have qualifications and minimums for an account,  but i get the idea that he will support anybody with one of these old machines out of sympathy cause he knows he is one of the last suppliers left in North America.

http://www.labellesupply.com/

[Hansons Carriage]

I've got a handful of feet with mine too. A couple are single toed...haven't messed with them much.  I'm going to second the word that Big Sioux said about the needle guide. They never seem to be with these machines anymore. It'll sew without it, but not as nice.  They're a great machine and very tolerant of differing conditions. I'm using mine on harness a bunch and even down to some patent leather on show harness and it just clicks along!  I'm running 346 synthetic thread top and bottom and it seems to be happy with it. I spent a couple days last spring, taking it apart and cleaning and lubing everything that moved...that made a huge difference in how well it performs!

Glad to see another Landis #1 up and running, doing what it was made to do!

John