Sanstar Report post Posted January 12, 2019 Just wanted to introduce myself. I'v been lurking for a while and i really would like to get a machine to sew leather, but i am totally lost as to what to get. I have looked at 3 different machines, Feitsew 1156, Pfaff 145-h3-6A1C, and a Consew 225. I want to be able to sew leather wallets, but I would mainly use it to make covers for car and boat wheels and upholstry work on car seats. Any advice from the professionals out there? Thanks Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Primosand Report post Posted January 14, 2019 I'm NOT a pro ..... But I can offer a few tips. I sew big heavy bags and backpacks for fun and I make and sew up Sunbrella canvas boat covers, biminis and boat upholstery for the well heeled. My go to machine is a Consew 226R with a 550 watt Consew servo motor and a speed reducer pulley. You can spot these machines a mile away. They all look the same regardless of who made them. They are still around because they are excellent, reliable, old school machines. But the older models have smaller bobbins. My Consew 226R still has the older smaller bobbin. Do a little research and figure out when the various brands started going to a bigger bobbin. Seiko, Juki, Consew. And it must be a compound feed machine. I paid $730 for my 226r had to fix a broken upper thread tension lever and added the servo and speed reducer pulley. Watch all of Uwe Groose's fix it videos you learn a lot about fixing things yourself. Good luck finding a new machine. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sanstar Report post Posted January 15, 2019 10 hours ago, Primosand said: I'm NOT a pro ..... But I can offer a few tips. I sew big heavy bags and backpacks for fun and I make and sew up Sunbrella canvas boat covers, biminis and boat upholstery for the well heeled. My go to machine is a Consew 226R with a 550 watt Consew servo motor and a speed reducer pulley. You can spot these machines a mile away. They all look the same regardless of who made them. They are still around because they are excellent, reliable, old school machines. But the older models have smaller bobbins. My Consew 226R still has the older smaller bobbin. Do a little research and figure out when the various brands started going to a bigger bobbin. Seiko, Juki, Consew. And it must be a compound feed machine. I paid $730 for my 226r had to fix a broken upper thread tension lever and added the servo and speed reducer pulley. Watch all of Uwe Groose's fix it videos you learn a lot about fixing things yourself. Good luck finding a new machine. Thanks for the info Primosand.There is a guy in Encino, that has several machines for sale, I am going to try to go look at them Sunday. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bikermutt07 Report post Posted January 15, 2019 For what you want to see a consew 206rb should fit the bill. They may have another number behind that name such as a 1 up thru 5. Any would fit the bill. Mine is a 206rb-1. It has no oil pump. But Sewing leather I don't really speed it up enough to have a pump lubricate it. So, the wicking system is a good fit. It also runs the m style larger bobbin mentioned above. Also, I am no expert. I'm just a few years ahead of you on research. I just got mine a few months ago and I still need the speed reducer. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sanstar Report post Posted January 16, 2019 bikermutt07, The Consew RB-1 is the first machine I went and looked at. Unfortunately, it had been dropped of the back of the guys truck, It had a few broken parts, was stored in a filthy dirt shed, and they couldn't get it to sew. So for $900, I said Id pass. Didn't know if it had internal parts broken. If you know where I can find one inSouthern California,Las Vegas area , or Phoenix area. Let me know, I'd like to check it out. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bikermutt07 Report post Posted January 16, 2019 (edited) Check some of the sewing machines in the for sale area on this site. There is a guy who sells many machines out of southern California usually for around 750 (head only) shipping included. Can't remember his user name, but he pops up with 2 or 3 every other month or so. If you can actually go see him I bet you could get even a better deal. I'll see if I can find him real quick. Edited January 16, 2019 by bikermutt07 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bikermutt07 Report post Posted January 16, 2019 Here is the guy. His contact information is in this post. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sanstar Report post Posted January 18, 2019 bikermutt07 Thanks for all the leads, I'll be checking them out this weekend. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
