leatherator Report post Posted November 29, 2016 Trying to figure out if a Singer 51W is OK for making bags, belts, and stitching shoe uppers. Worst case for belts would be veg tanned 2 layers of 5-8 oz leather. Can't find much about that series but it looks like they were post-bed machines used in the shoe industry. Production was cancelled in 1938. Some were equipped with trimming so that you could cut the lining and stitch at the same time. How thick that would be.... trying to estimate how thick of leather it could handle. Please reply if you have used one of these machines. Also looking for a manual. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ferg Report post Posted November 29, 2016 MANUAL AVAILABLE AT: http://www.supsew.com/blog/wpfb-file/singer-51w30-w31-pdf/ Ferg Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wizcrafts Report post Posted November 29, 2016 According to the manual, the recommended needles are system 128x3 (round point) and 128x4 (leather point) in sizes 11, 12 and 13. Those sizes are best suited to #33 or #44 bonded nylon thread. The shanks are only 34mm long, which is similar to the needles used in 31-15 tailoring machines. I suspect that the maximum thickness the roller wheel can hold down without puckering would be about 3/16 to possibly 1/4 inch of medium temper chrome tanned shoe leather. I didn't see any mention of stitch length in that manual. Again, post machines built for the shoe trade in those days typically sewed at anywhere from 16 to 32 stitches per inch. Cowboy boots are a good example of this type of short stitch with very thin thread. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
leatherator Report post Posted November 29, 2016 1 hour ago, Wizcrafts said: According to the manual, the recommended needles are system 128x3 (round point) and 128x4 (leather point) in sizes 11, 12 and 13. Those sizes are best suited to #33 or #44 bonded nylon thread. The shanks are only 34mm long, which is similar to the needles used in 31-15 tailoring machines. I suspect that the maximum thickness the roller wheel can hold down without puckering would be about 3/16 to possibly 1/4 inch of medium temper chrome tanned shoe leather. I didn't see any mention of stitch length in that manual. Again, post machines built for the shoe trade in those days typically sewed at anywhere from 16 to 32 stitches per inch. Cowboy boots are a good example of this type of short stitch with very thin thread. Dang. 1/4" is only 2 pieces of 8-oz leather. I am leaning toward veg tanned leather for shoes and belts, so I think I'll have to find something else. Thanks for taking the time to look into it. Looking up the needles is a good trick. I didn't see any of that information in the first manual linked (thanks Ferg!) but here's another manual that had it (for archival purposes) http://www.bootmaker.com/51W44.pdf Well, from the other threads, it looks like I need to save up for a 441 clone, Cobra Class 4, or Techsew 3500. So much money! I'm sure it's worth it but it's a cash-flow issue. When I first started looking, 400 $ looked expensive. After looking for a year, 400 $ means the machine isn't capable or it's broken. So maybe I'll acclimatize to 2500 $ eventually... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Constabulary Report post Posted November 29, 2016 Maybe the CB3200 from Toledo Sewing is an option - it´s also a walking foot machine and cost way less http://www.tolindsewmach.com/cb3200.html Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
