Help required regarding choosing right machine

[Sangrati]

Hi,

I am very new to leather craft. I have been doing some research about the machines.  I want to buy a walking foot machine. Price is a factor.  I tried to check machines like Consew, Baracuda, though they are less in price, but then I read lot of negative reviews about them from those who had bought these machines.  I thought of Sailrite but then it is an expensive peace.  Now my eyes are on Janome HD 3000, which seems to be relatively cheap at around 500$ plus, but it does not have walking foot. 

 

Can some one advise me in choosing a right machine for right amount of money.

 

Regards

 

Edited August 6, 2019 by Sangrati

[brmax]

Welcome to the machinery page, its always good to hear theres an interest. With that the general price you mentioned in your post is a great figure to consider a good used industrial of 20-30 years. 

Honestly keep your eye on the possible sales in your area. Also if you have your location listed in your profile others can help now or in some future concern of yours. 

Lets consider machine brands, as they may have different models of a same type. For instance a walking foot style, so its doing some questions and homework to establish particulars, that best benefit your needs within price. 

 

Good day 

Floyd

[Wizcrafts]

You should keep a lookout for used but still functional triple (compound) feed walking foot machines that use Singer 111 feet. This includes the progenitor, the Singer 111w155 (and older w103 and w153). These machines are many decades old now, but were built to last. There are some decent clones from Juki (LU-562 and 563), Seiko and Consew (206RB-x), Mitsubishi, National and a myriad of Chinese and Japanese brands. These are upholstery grade machines and most upholstery shops have several. You may find one for sale in one of those shops.

Be prepared to spend from $500 to $800 for a used walking foot machine that is in good working condition. Less expensive machines may require rebuilding and timing.

Be forewarned that upholstery grade walking foot machines usually have an upper limit of 3/8 inch (or less) under the lowered feet and #138 bonded (nylon|polyester) thread. They are good for chaps. vests, jackets, signs, tarps, awnings, drapes, wallets, phone cases, dog collars, belts, seat covers, bags and

[kgg]

11 hours ago, Sangrati said:

Now my eyes are on Janome HD 3000, which seems to be relatively cheap at around 500$ plus, but it does not have walking foot. 

I think the Janome HD 3000 is really a nice garment weight machine and not going to be well suited. To help narrow down a machine it would be helpful in knowing what your price range is, what you planning on making and thread size. The more info the better the better the suggestions on a machine may be best for your needs.

kgg

[Wizcrafts]

3 hours ago, kgg said:

Now my eyes are on Janome HD 3000

I didn't mention the Janome because it is a bottom feed only, domestic sewing machine. We don't deal with domestic machines on this forum anyway, strictly industrial leather sewing machines. There are other forums where people can discuss domestic sewing machines.

[Sangrati]

Thanks all for their replies.  Actually I saw these following machines being sold on Amazon.  

https://www.amazon.com/Rex-607-Portable-Walking-foot-machine/dp/B01H2DG6YG/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1YVOXFV4WMB7Z&keywords=barracuda+sewing+machine&qid=1565124200&s=gateway&sprefix=baracuda+sewing%2Caps%2C306&sr=8-4

https://www.amazon.com/Consew-CP206R-Portable-Walking-Machine/dp/B003AJZZAS/ref=sr_1_8?crid=1YVOXFV4WMB7Z&keywords=barracuda+sewing+machine&qid=1565124309&s=gateway&sprefix=baracuda+sewing%2Caps%2C306&sr=8-8

I am not sure about these machines.  Perhaps from the discussion above, I have a feeling that I need to do more research, before I make a decision about buying one.   My location is Dubai, UAE

[Wizcrafts]

4 hours ago, Sangrati said:

Thanks all for their replies.  Actually I saw these following machines being sold on Amazon.

Those machines are not built to sew leather. They are for sail cloth, marine vinyl and upholstery leather. They will not hold up if you sew veg-tan thicker than about 8 ounces.

Sailrite makes a much better portable walking foot machine that has beefed up moving parts.

[kgg]

 

3 hours ago, Sangrati said:

My location is Dubai, UAE

Why not go to one of your local industrial sewing machine dealers. The shipping cost and delivery time frame are must be going to be expensive and long. The support maybe a bit difficult as well.

kgg

[Sangrati]

7 hours ago, Wizcrafts said:

Those machines are not built to sew leather. They are for sail cloth, marine vinyl and upholstery leather. They will not hold up if you sew veg-tan thicker than about 8 ounces.

Sailrite makes a much better portable walking foot machine that has beefed up moving parts.

Ohk. Thanks goodness. I just stopped short of buying one of them only due to bad reviews.

 

[Sangrati]

6 hours ago, kgg said:

 

Why not go to one of your local industrial sewing machine dealers. The shipping cost and delivery time frame are must be going to be expensive and long. The support maybe a bit difficult as well.

kgg

Yea, am also thinking about this, but here in UAE I don't came across some leather related workers.  Although there are quite a lot of people working in fabric and Singer does have a facility here.  I will visit them and see what can they do for me.

[chrisash]

Unless things have changed a lot since i was last in the UEA, I have doubts you will be able to find any machines suitable there and may have to import them from either the far east or europe

Wiz has a good guide to what is required on the industrial sewing machine pages of the forum

I would suggest the first thing is to select what items you hope to make as a start so that you can then decide on the leather type, thickness and thread requirements to make those items, using this forum for assistance

Alibaba.com may be a good place to start for sewing machines from the far east

Best of luck and welcome to the forum

[Handstitched]

@Sangrati You may also find that many of us, myself included, have more than one machine  for different applications, assembly processes and  leather thicknesses . Perhaps find a machine thats suits your needs in the immediate sense, what it is you want to sew now?  , and  maybe later, if another machine comes up in the future ,  you may wish to get another one. 

BTW, hate to scare ya, but  it literally  took me months to finally settle on a machine,but this forum may help to speed things up, .......I now have 4 machines...choices choices   

Good luck in  your search , 'all good things come to those who wait' . I think thats how it goes  

HS 

[Sangrati]

6 hours ago, chrisash said:

Unless things have changed a lot since i was last in the UEA, I have doubts you will be able to find any machines suitable there and may have to import them from either the far east or europe

Wiz has a good guide to what is required on the industrial sewing machine pages of the forum

I would suggest the first thing is to select what items you hope to make as a start so that you can then decide on the leather type, thickness and thread requirements to make those items, using this forum for assistance

Alibaba.com may be a good place to start for sewing machines from the far east

Best of luck and welcome to the forum

You are right. I spoke with couple of people here but they have no clue.  One suggested me to bring leather and test on the machine. I am planning to start making wallets, Specially designed mobile covers and small bags.  I am still wondering about the process of making wallets having very thin thread sewing and very thin leather inner to accommodate lot of pockets.  I feel, I need to learn a lot before I can do something worthy.

Regards

[Sangrati]

1 hour ago, Handstitched said:

@Sangrati You may also find that many of us, myself included, have more than one machine  for different applications, assembly processes and  leather thicknesses . Perhaps find a machine thats suits your needs in the immediate sense, what it is you want to sew now?  , and  maybe later, if another machine comes up in the future ,  you may wish to get another one. 

BTW, hate to scare ya, but  it literally  took me months to finally settle on a machine,but this forum may help to speed things up, .......I now have 4 machines...choices choices   

Good luck in  your search , 'all good things come to those who wait' . I think thats how it goes  

HS 

Yes I am searching on Ali baba. I think I can buy one from there but again, I am not sure if the Walking foot machine can sew with very thin thread.  Wish there was some one here where I could go and check my self and then decide. 

Regards

[Handstitched]

1 hour ago, Sangrati said:

I am not sure if the Walking foot machine can sew with very thin thread

Yes they can . I have an old,  but albeit strong Seiko STW 28B  walking foot machine   that I repair horse rugs with (  as well as sew medium leathers, wallets,  upholstery etc.) , and the threads I use are a #40 bonded poly UV .  Its an industrial thread, very strong,   it can also go through a domestic machine .  Serafil threads are really good too , another thread I use. 

HS 

[chrisash]

Have you considered hand stitching,its very rewarding and fine for the smaller items like wallets and even belts, youtube would be a great place to learn the skills and also get design templates along with etsy.com

The thread you need for leather sewing by machine starts at 69 thread in bonded nylon or polyester and goes up in size to normally 138 for heavier items, the very heavy duty machines like the 441 go much thicker thread but over kill for many items like wallets and bags etc see here

https://www.tolindsewmach.com/thread-chart.html

Edited August 7, 2019 by chrisash

[Wizcrafts]

2 hours ago, Sangrati said:

You are right. I spoke with couple of people here but they have no clue.  One suggested me to bring leather and test on the machine. I am planning to start making wallets, Specially designed mobile covers and small bags.  I am still wondering about the process of making wallets having very thin thread sewing and very thin leather inner to accommodate lot of pockets.  I feel, I need to learn a lot before I can do something worthy.

I don't usually direct members away from here, but in your case, I recommend visiting our Sewing Leather forum first. Ask questions and read topics and replies to get a better understanding of the thicknesses of wallets and the best sizes of thread and which needles to use to sew them together. Hand sewing is also discussed in that forum. Once you understand the techniques and thread/needle sizes vs thicknesses to be sewn, come back here for a machine recommendation.

You may have to import a suitable machine if none are to be found locally. Importing is tricky business because you may end up having to do all the work of de-greasing,  assembling, timing and adjusting the machine before it actually sews. In essence, you may become the "dealer" for legal purposes. That leaves you on your own if things go wrong, or parts are damaged, or you can't get it to sew.

If possible, try to find a company, in your country, that produces leather goods. Such a company might be willing to share sources for machines with you. They may even sell you one of their used - but still functioning - machines that has already been replaced with a new one. But, beware of bottom feed, high speed garment sewing machines. They will be of no use to you as a leathercrafter.

If it does come down to importing a brand new machine, complete with a table and proper (servo) motor for your electricity, stick to known brands, like Juki, Cowboy/Hightex, Seiko/Consew, Adler and Pfaff. Some of these companies may offer an option of paying a little more to have the machine setup with your desired thread and sewn off in a certain thickness of leather (within its capacity) before it is shipped.

[Sangrati]

22 hours ago, Wizcrafts said:

I don't usually direct members away from here, but in your case, I recommend visiting our Sewing Leather forum first. Ask questions and read topics and replies to get a better understanding of the thicknesses of wallets and the best sizes of thread and which needles to use to sew them together. Hand sewing is also discussed in that forum. Once you understand the techniques and thread/needle sizes vs thicknesses to be sewn, come back here for a machine recommendation.

You may have to import a suitable machine if none are to be found locally. Importing is tricky business because you may end up having to do all the work of de-greasing,  assembling, timing and adjusting the machine before it actually sews. In essence, you may become the "dealer" for legal purposes. That leaves you on your own if things go wrong, or parts are damaged, or you can't get it to sew.

If possible, try to find a company, in your country, that produces leather goods. Such a company might be willing to share sources for machines with you. They may even sell you one of their used - but still functioning - machines that has already been replaced with a new one. But, beware of bottom feed, high speed garment sewing machines. They will be of no use to you as a leathercrafter.

If it does come down to importing a brand new machine, complete with a table and proper (servo) motor for your electricity, stick to known brands, like Juki, Cowboy/Hightex, Seiko/Consew, Adler and Pfaff. Some of these companies may offer an option of paying a little more to have the machine setup with your desired thread and sewn off in a certain thickness of leather (within its capacity) before it is shipped.

Thank you sir for valuable advice.  Now I will follow your advice.

 

Regards

On 8/7/2019 at 7:25 PM, chrisash said:

Have you considered hand stitching,its very rewarding and fine for the smaller items like wallets and even belts, youtube would be a great place to learn the skills and also get design templates along with etsy.com

The thread you need for leather sewing by machine starts at 69 thread in bonded nylon or polyester and goes up in size to normally 138 for heavier items, the very heavy duty machines like the 441 go much thicker thread but over kill for many items like wallets and bags etc see here

https://www.tolindsewmach.com/thread-chart.html

Thank you sir.

Regards

[Sangrati]

On 8/7/2019 at 7:18 PM, Handstitched said:

Yes they can . I have an old,  but albeit strong Seiko STW 28B  walking foot machine   that I repair horse rugs with (  as well as sew medium leathers, wallets,  upholstery etc.) , and the threads I use are a #40 bonded poly UV .  Its an industrial thread, very strong,   it can also go through a domestic machine .  Serafil threads are really good too , another thread I use. 

HS 

Thanks sir.

Regards