albertacountrygirl Report post Posted March 10, 2018 I have a chance to buy both of these Singer machines for $50 each. Are either of them any good for sewing on leather? I would only need to sew purses and handles with them. One is a 15J and the other is a 99K. Both are in almost mint condition except that the 99K is missing the bobbin holder. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wizcrafts Report post Posted March 10, 2018 Both are domestic (home) sewing machines and of no use whatsoever for sewing leather. The 99k is a 3/4 size bed machine that followed the Model 128 and preceded the featherweight models. It isn't a bad machine if you stick to sewing cloth only. The model 15 (class 15) is the predecessor of the model 31-15 industrial sewing machine, which is a favorite with European tailors. My Dad used a 31-15 in his tailor shop for over 50 years. Ironically, I own that model too. The machine you should be looking for is mounted on top of a 20" x 48" table, which is bolted onto steel legs, and has a big clutch motor under the table that probably dims the lights when you throw the power switch. Modern machines have an electronic DC servo motor that is much easier to operate and draws much less current. You can retrofit a servo motor onto the table and take the clutch motor to the junk yard. Depending on the type of leather you want to sew, you should either buy a walking foot or roller foot machine. Read my pinned article about the type of sewing machine you need to sew leather. Save up your money because $50 won't even be a deposit on an industrial sewing machine for leather. I've been there and done that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
albertacountrygirl Report post Posted March 10, 2018 Thank you Wizcrafts for the great advice. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
