Sewing machine

[irish47]

I am looking at a New Tech  GC-8B VS sewing machine found it on youtube, it looks like a pretty nice machine for $999.00 and free S/H has anyone had any experience with this machine and if so Please tell me what you think about it !  thanks Irish

[Matt S]

Looks like a Chinese clone of the Seiko CW8. Uses 135x16 and x17 needles and 111 style presser feet. These are readily and cheaply available. Expect it to be able to use up to v207 thread in the needle and perhaps 5/16 maximum thickness. These are at the upper ends of its abilities and it's good practice to not run your machine(s) near full capacity for all sorts of reasons. It will be much better behaved with v138 thread and if you keep the work at or under 1/4" thickness. What I would call an upholstery weight machine.

$999 sounds like a great price. Who sets it up, sews it off and guarantees its function?

[irish47]

Hi Matt, the company is goldstartools.com  Irish

[chrisash]

My impression is that sewing machines, are not something a small company will produce, as they need to sell in large numbers to be able to make a profit

Many people question Chinese made sewing machines, but at the same time, many makes of sewing machines are made in chin,a and just rebadged to the local company

It's more likely that the machines are all made by a few very large companies, all to the same standard and using the same parts, some sold as xxx and others as clones to smaller  companies to sell to different markets

There are many hundreds of thousands of singer machines, that are over a hundred years old, that still operate some well outside the specified use of the maker, and made with tolerances and quality control far lower than items made today in third world countries

I know for a fact that on some machines, the parts are exactly the same, so in many cases spares will not be a great problem, but its not in the Big  Local companies interests to tell you this

[Matt S]

6 hours ago, irish47 said:

Hi Matt, the company is goldstartools.com  Irish

Goldstar Tools appears to be a drop-shipper, so the machine's state when it lands on your doorstep will be a roll of the dice. It could be perfect, it could be a boat anchor. It will probably need a setup at the least. Either way you will have no recourse to the supplier if something goes wrong.

I'm not convinced that this type of machine is suitable for your needs anyway. TKT20/V138 thread is lighter than most holster makers like to use. Further, you mentioned the thickness you wanted to sew (in a previous thread) and it will be right at the maximum that this machine can do. Problems can occur when you sew at your machine's maximum. We also don't know what the servo motor is like. Many of the cheaper ones have annoying design features -- I have one that will only start at 500RPM and another that has no ramp -- it will only do the speed you set it at, no variation at all.

BTW I just noticed that it's an automatic oiler, which usually need you to run your machine at high speed in order the oil reaches all the required bearings and wear points. When sewing leather items, especially the small quantities that most of us on this forum sew, you will be sewing at a relatively slow speed, so the oil pump won't function. Ideally you will want manual lubrication where you put a drop of oil on each of about a dozen oil points dotted around the machine. This may sound tedious but it's only required once each day the machine is used and takes under a minute.

I know that it's not everyone's cup of tea but I previously mentioned another type of machine, available from a reputable US-based dealer, that will be able to do the sort of work you want all day every day. It comes with a good quality servo motor, a speed-reducer pulley and a guarantee all for the same price that you would gamble on this less suitable machine. The trade-off that you get is that it's more likely to leave dog-marks on the back than a more complicated compound-feed machine like the 205 or 441 types. Ye pays yer money and takes yer choice.

[irish47]

Thank you Matt, I am very impressed with your explanation, and I will take your advise and Pass on that machine, what brand machine do you recommend ?

                                                                                            Thanks Jeff

 

 

 

 

[Matt S]

2 hours ago, irish47 said:

Thank you Matt, I am very impressed with your explanation, and I will take your advise and Pass on that machine, what brand machine do you recommend ?

                                                                                            Thanks Jeff

No worries Jeff.

I don't have any particular brands to recommend. As @chrisash alludes most machines these days are manufactured by a limited number of Chinese factories. Premium brands like Durkopp-Adler still manufacture some of their machines in the West but most don't. Any dealer can import a shipping container of machines and have their name put on them. What makes the difference is how the machines are specced, inspected on arrival, setup and supported. Plus it helps if they sell "honestly" -- if they listen and understand your needs rather than doing the Honest John Car Dealership act.

The machine I recommended in the previous thread was a Chinese clone of the venerable Singer 45K. These were used by industry for decades for all sorts of leathergoods -- wallets, briefcases, riding tack... They are simple, inexpensive (as heavy industrial sewing machines go) and nearly bomb-proof. However they only feed is via the feed-dog (the serrated bit of metal underneath the work. This can cause two problems. The first is that layers can slip out of alignment unless glued or tacked together. As a holster-maker I assume that you glue your layers together before sewing so this shouldn't be a problem. The second is that this feed-dog has to be quite sharp in order to grip the work. This can leave marks underneath the leather (see here) depending on lots of factors but mainly on the leather hardness and how tight you set the foot tension. These marks will be on the back of your holsters so you may not care, or if you do you can rub with a  bone folder or tap with a hammer to reduce them (as here). @CowboyBob sells this machine, properly setup for leather, on a table with a good servo motor and speed reducer, for $995. If you need or want a reverse (backtacking) feature it'll cost you another $300. You can read the specs on his page here. He has a good reputation, contributes a lot of valuable information FoC on these boards, and has supplied many members here. Similar machines are sold by many dealers around the world, so please don't think that I'm giving him any undue prominence.

Compound-feed machines, which feed the work using a combination of a "walking" foot and a needle that moves backwards as well as the feed-dog, tend to leave fewer marks on the work than a drop-feed-only machine but this depends on the leather and machine settings. (They also tend to suffer from less layer slippage but that's not an issue if you glue your layers together.) They are, however, far more complex and expensive than a drop-feed-only machine. Popular machines of this type for work in heavy leather are Chinese clones of the Adler 205 and Juki 441. Such machines, setup for leather, on a table with a good servo motor and speed reducer, start at around $2000.

Best thing would probably be to find an industrial machine dealer you can visit with samples of the work you want to sew. If they won't demo the machine they recommend for your purposes -- or better yet show you how and let you do it -- don't give them your business. Failing that contact some of the dealers we have advertising on here. Testimonials are all over this forum, and they all tend to post on here. You're lucky in a lot of ways -- the US seems to have the widest range of dealers and excellent machines at bloody good prices accessible to the "little guy".

[irish47]

Thanks Matt,  again for the help....