Singer 4423 just sewed through 8oz 1/8 thick leather!

[myjtp]

Snagged the Singer 4423 sewing machine brand new from amazon for $99.00 black Friday deal. I wanted it just to do some curtains but then wondered if it would sew through 8oz 1/8 thick leather.  Tried it and it worked!  Now the needle got a little sticky in the beginning but then it just went through after the first few stitches.  I am sure I need to adjust the tension and other things.  This is my VERY first time every sewing anything at all and the stitch is indeed not straight but I just wanted to test out the machine and to me it works pretty decent.  I just wanted to add thin leather to the backs of the belt to get rid of the nappy leather part and this should do just fine.  I would not recommend it AT all for any heavy leather work but for small jobs on thin leather it should be ok

[Constabulary]

Does not surprise me - with a thin needle and thin thread almost every sewing machine can do that with 3mm leather - thats physics. Guess why the doctors are using thin needles on syringes 

[Darren Brosowski]

Will probably keep doing it for days, possibly even weeks

[myjtp]

12 hours ago, Constabulary said:

Does not surprise me - with a thin needle and thin thread almost every sewing machine can do that with 3mm leather - thats physics. Guess why the doctors are using thin needles on syringes 

Needle was 18/110 and thread was #69 T70 bonded nylon so not too thin

Edited December 6, 2016 by myjtp
Didn't finish :/

[TinkerTailor]

43 minutes ago, myjtp said:

Needle was 18/110 and thread was #69 T70 bonded nylon so not too thin

#69 is thin around here. Most do not sew with less than 138 unless they do garment/uphostery work. I and many others use 207 for everything but small pocket items. Holsters are done with 277/346 a lot. As to your machine, the problem you will run into is material feeding. Non-walking foot machines can have issues with the material shifting. especially if one of the layers is slippery and one is sticky. Also, on grabby or stiffer materials and glue sandwiches, the material will pull up with the needle unless you have enough foot pressure. This pressure can prevent the top layer from sliding under the foot and cause the teeth on the dog to bite and chew up the backside. If it lifts, you get skipped stitches.

While that machine may work for now, as others have mentioned, it won't for long and you will soon find its limitations. Use it, sell a few items and then buy a real walking foot industrial. Do your research, read up on here what models are good for your use, and get looking. Stay away from ebay unless you know what you are shopping for. Many horror stories and bad sellers. Talk to actual used machine dealers, like some of the advertisers on the site, and/or scour craigslist and the like and then ask on here for opinions on the machine you found. With time and luck, a used good machine can be had for cheap. Just like everything, if you need it right now, you are going to pay.

[myjtp]

4 hours ago, TinkerTailor said:

#69 is thin around here. Most do not sew with less than 138 unless they do garment/uphostery work. I and many others use 207 for everything but small pocket items. Holsters are done with 277/346 a lot. As to your machine, the problem you will run into is material feeding. Non-walking foot machines can have issues with the material shifting. especially if one of the layers is slippery and one is sticky. Also, on grabby or stiffer materials and glue sandwiches, the material will pull up with the needle unless you have enough foot pressure. This pressure can prevent the top layer from sliding under the foot and cause the teeth on the dog to bite and chew up the backside. If it lifts, you get skipped stitches.

While that machine may work for now, as others have mentioned, it won't for long and you will soon find its limitations. Use it, sell a few items and then buy a real walking foot industrial. Do your research, read up on here what models are good for your use, and get looking. Stay away from ebay unless you know what you are shopping for. Many horror stories and bad sellers. Talk to actual used machine dealers, like some of the advertisers on the site, and/or scour craigslist and the like and then ask on here for opinions on the machine you found. With time and luck, a used good machine can be had for cheap. Just like everything, if you need it right now, you are going to pay.

 

Excellent reply thank you!  I originally just got this to sew come curtain then thought hmm can it stitch through some leather and it does.  I make no illusions that it will make a holster or any thick two pieces of 8oz slapped together but putting thin skin on top of leather for a few of my hobby projects it should suit me.  I shall keep an eye out though for a bigger machine thanks for the tips!

[Yetibelle]

Well for a little over $100 machine it's making that Sailrite look really pathetic...

(I wont post the video again)  haha

[Matt S]

16 hours ago, Yetibelle said:

Well for a little over $100 machine it's making that Sailrite look really pathetic...

(I wont post the video again)  haha

How many belts will it sew before an arm bends or a gear strips or a bearing surface wears out because the machine wasn't designed for this heavy a use, permanently affecting the timing?

[myjtp]

16 hours ago, Yetibelle said:

Well for a little over $100 machine it's making that Sailrite look really pathetic...

(I wont post the video again)  haha

 

 

I 

 

2 minutes ago, Matt S said:

How many belts will it sew before an arm bends or a gear strips or a bearing surface wears out because the machine wasn't designed for this heavy a use, permanently affecting the timing?

 

I will keep you posted.  I'm not mass producing anything I just wanted to make a few for myself and friends so I'm not sure I will even reach the point of bending anything.

[Darren Brosowski]

A 1960's Japanese domestic straight sewer for $20 will sew the same thing and probably last another 30 years