Singer 201k with walking foot attachement

[chrisash]

I have a 201k for light chrome use with a roller foot which seems ok using size 40S bonded nylon.

Have been looking for a seam guide on eBay, and seen the small walking feet attachments for the singer that clip on rather than the rolling foot

Before I buy and try one i thought someone on here must have experience of them and knows if they are worth while or a wast of money. £7-10nukpounds

[Wizcrafts]

You will be wasting your money. If you need a walking foot, buy a walking foot machine with compound feed. The even feed attachments for little household machines are basically nothing burgers. They are meant for quilters.

[chrisash]

Wiz your knowledge of sewing machines seem endless and great knowledge, but harping on that you should spend a thousand or two on a proper machine is rather pointless for people starting in leather-work as a small hobby who cannot justify that size expenditure

I understand you are just passing on hard earned experience, but life is often make do with whats available

I am a pensioner on a limited pension, and spending £60 on a 201k with a brand new motor and foot control seems good value and does basic sewing on chrome leather and maybe very light veg tan, if it ruin's the machine after 12 or 24 months so be it , but still good value to me, but absolutely useless to many people like yourself

Very sorry if this post upsets you, but not meant to as your contributions have helped a hell of a lot people on this forum

[Wizcrafts]

9 hours ago, chrisash said:

Wiz your knowledge of sewing machines seem endless and great knowledge, but harping on that you should spend a thousand or two on a proper machine is rather pointless for people starting in leather-work as a small hobby who cannot justify that size expenditure

I understand you are just passing on hard earned experience, but life is often make do with whats available

SNIP

Very sorry if this post upsets you, but not meant to as your contributions have helped a hell of a lot people on this forum

You haven't upset me. I was steering you away from a non-solution that I tried and found wanting. That's all.

[chrisash]

Hi

You-tube comes up with many experts on what to do, and I found one that pointed out the walking foot attachment was the Rolls Royce of attachments for leather work , but nobody else ever mentioned them, which is why I asked the question, but it seems his video was wrong

One question you may be able to answer, with the 201 it states using the singer grease for the bevels, yet its discontinued and the other grease marked Singer is not available in the UK, would a Silicon or Teflon based light grease be a good replacement

[alexitbe]

If you can get a treadle machine, I would get that instead of one with a domestic sewing machine motor.  These motors are too fast for the careful work required for leather.  Remember you cannot remove sewing errors on leather, best to be slow but sure...  Treadling is remarkably easy and strangely therapeutic

I was told to stay away from silicon oil for anything that endures alot of contact... So maybe silicon grease is the same...  I'd go for Teflon grease.

Cheers

Alex 

[Matt S]

@chrisash The problem with the internet is that anyone can present themselves as an expert. I've seen excellent advice, terrible advice, some dangerous, some illegal, on various topics. Youtube is full of people who either have confidence that outstrips their competence or are trying to make a few quick £ through ad revenue and Amazon affiliate links. Wiz has established his credentials as someone who actually knows what he's talking about, has been there and bought the T-shirt, and dispenses his advice for free. I've found the value of his advice to far outweigh what it costs me.

If a £10 attachment for a 50 year old domestic sewing machine is going to make their machine do the work of a machine that will cost £2000 new then industry would be buying all the Singer 201s they could get their hands on. And if you believe that I have some property in King's Lynn to sell you with beautiful views of Ben Nevis ;-) :-D

I understand about being on a limited budget. You're trying to wring the most utility for the smallest possible outlay. "Using up" a 201 until you have decided either that leatherwork isn't for you or you can make the commitment to a more capable machine is a good strategy, especially if you are doing it as a hobby. It's also a fun thing to do in its own right if you like to tinker -- I did something similar with a Singer 99 before I lucked into my first "real" leather machine. Just remember that there are hard limits with what that machine can do, and you're pretty much at them already.

On the topic of grease I doubt that there's anything special about Singer brand grease apart from the fact that Singer made a profit margin on it. I use lithium bearing grease from the motor factors on bevel gears. £3.50 for a tub. If it's good enough for a £20,000 ton of metal doing 70MPH down the motorway with 5 squishy humans inside I figure it's good enough for a £300 50lb sewing machine doing 1,000 RPM ;-) It's not like you have to worry about voiding the Singer guarantee!

[dikman]

Most any car grease should work fine, or white Lithium grease is often used on gears on lathes etc. As Matt said, it's not as if the gears are going to be under heavy/high pressure stress.

I have an old model 201K (hand cranked, although I've fitted a spare motor that I had) and it's surprising what it can punch through, within reason. I only use the standard feet, but I don't see how you could turn one into an effective walking foot machine. I reckon if the foot you have fitted is working then I'd leave it at that (and save some money).

[chrisash]

Thanks folk

That's was my own position i thought such a flimsy items was not fit for purpose but thought I would ask

Matt your very unlucky  i can see the Shetlands from Great Yarmouth, on a good clear night if i climb high enough (maybe 60,000 ft)

Mine can easily handle about 2mm chrome in three layers but only one layer of 1,5mm veg tan using 40S bonded Nylon, which i expect it what most people manage, may experiment with size 20 bonded to see if it makes any difference, as the jump from 69 non bonded to 40S bonded nylon made a very big difference

 

[Wizcrafts]

Chrisash;

There is something I can pass on to you that worked fairly well for me, with a domestic sewing machine. I used to rebuild and sell old domestic Singer sewing machines in my leather shop (I am inside an antiques mall). There was one class of machine that surpassed all the others I've had for transporting and sewing leather. I am referring to the ancient model 127 and 128 bullet shuttle machines. They had very aggressive teeth on the feed dog, which also had fairly high protrusion. I was able to thread these machines with #92 bonded nylon thread and sew 12 ounces of bridle leather at 5 to the inch. This was using the standard steel foot and cranking down the pressure screw. The feed dog dug in far enough that the leather didn't stall.

I don't know if there is a "heavy duty" feed dog available for your 201, but I'd search for one. You will need to replace the throat plate with the feed dog (the slots are wider). They are often sold in kits with new screws. Do that, then try a roller foot.

[chrisash]

Thanks Wiz, I will have a look