HELP! I was sold the wrong machine and I'm stuck!

[JHBH2]

Hi all, 

I contacted a well known sewing machine supplier in the UK (Tysew) asking for their recommendation as I couldn't find any straight info online at the time, particularly for machines that are available in the UK. 

My main items are leather planners/binders and small leather goods (wallets, belts etc) - all the products are "top stitched", and need a nice thick thread that is strong and looks smart. 

I mostly use Tempesti Liscio leather (https://www.aacrack.co.uk/tanneries/tempesti/tempesti-maine-liscio.html) which is a 2mm thick, veg tanned leather, firm handle and marks like a b****.  At most I sew 3 layers. 

I'd tried some domestic Toyota machine and a Heavy Duty singer and neither could handle it. 

Tysew in their infinite wisdom recommended a Juki DU-1181n - an industrial, flat bed beast that takes up half my living room and cost me a small fortune. 

They were right in that it's powerful enough the go through several layers of my leather - but it just is not the correct machine for the job. It marks up the leather with the feed dog AND walking foot (see photos), the needle "bursts" the leather on the underside (can't think how else to describe it, the hole is all puckered up) and it doesn't produce a good finish at all. I fought with it for years, as Tysew insisted it was the right machine for making what I do, and only after attending a trade show did I realize that they sold me completely the wrong machine - of course, it's way too late to send it back, so I'll settle for silently hating them. 

So my question is - what machine do I need? It's a minefield out there and I don't want to spend £££ on another machine that just trashes my (very expensive) leather. Hand sewing is out of the question, and I feel so demotivated as I have literally spent years fighting what should be a very simple make. 

[Wizcrafts]

They sold you a top/bottom dual feed machine when you needed a compound feed walking foot machine, with totally smooth feet.

You can try to minimize the tooth marks and puckering by reducing the spring pressure screw or screws on top of the head. There will at least be one large screw over the outer foot that pushes against a heavy coil spring inside the head. There may also be an adjustable spring over the inside foot. That one should be backed off as much as possible to minimize the puckering.

Pucker marks are a fact of life with walking foot machines. That is because the inside foot presses directly around the edge of the needle. The only way around this is either a bottom feed only or a jump foot machine (rare).

[JHBH2]

Just now, Wizcrafts said:

They sold you a top/bottom dual feed machine when you needed a compound feed walking foot machine, with totally smooth feet.

You can try to minimize the tooth marks and puckering by reducing the spring pressure screw or screws on top of the head. There will at least be one large screw over the outer foot that pushes against a heavy coil spring inside the head. There may also be an adjustable spring over the inside foot. That one should be backed off as much as possible to minimize the puckering.

Pucker marks are a fact of life with walking too machines. That is because the inside foot presses directly around the edge of the needle. The only way around this is either a bottom feed only or a jump foot machine (rare).

Fabulous thank you. I've loosened the springs as best I can without the stitching just not taking - I've also wrapped the foot in tape to try and pad it out a bit! 

I've also installed a great contraption to slow the bugger down, but thats another story. 

So the pucker/burst marks on the holes are inevitable?

[Northmount]

4 minutes ago, JHBH2 said:

So the pucker/burst marks on the holes are inevitable?

You can reduce them somewhat by using leather needles that have sort of a chisel shape rather than a conical shape point if you aren't already using them.
Can also lightly hammer the bottom stitch line to hide it somewhat.

Tom

[JHBH2]

2 minutes ago, Northmount said:

You can reduce them somewhat by using leather needles that have sort of a chisel shape rather than a conical shape point if you aren't already using them.
Can also lightly hammer the bottom stitch line to hide it somewhat.

Tom

I'll look into those thank you! 

[Wizcrafts]

22 minutes ago, JHBH2 said:

So the pucker/burst marks on the holes are inevitable?

Yes. The only machines that don't cause puckering are jump foot harness stitchers that are few, far between, and cost through the nose. You might keep an eye open for an old Adler 105 jump foot machine. Singer did make a few jump foot machine decades ago.

Considering the money you already have invested, ask the seller if they have smooth or checkered feet for it. A totally smooth outside foot doesn't help feed on top, so you'll be down to a bottom feed machine. Ask the dealer if they will give you credit towards a Juki DNU-1541, which is a compound feed machine for which there are all kinds of smooth feet.

[JHBH2]

13 minutes ago, Wizcrafts said:

Yes. The only machines that don't cause puckering are jump foot harness stitchers that are few, far between, and cost through the nose. You might keep an eye open for an old Adler 105 jump foot machine. Singer did make a few jump foot machine decades ago.

Considering the money you already have invested, ask the seller if they have smooth or checkered feet for it. A totally smooth outside foot doesn't help feed on top, so you'll be down to a bottom feed machine. Ask the dealer if they will give you credit towards a Juki DNU-1541, which is a compound feed machine for which there are all kinds of smooth feet.

Unfortunately the dealer won't credit against a new machine - but I'm sure I can sell my old one easily enough. 

I'm looking at this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Juki-LU-563-COMPOUND-FEED-WALKING-FOOT-INDUSTRIAL-SEWING-MACHINE-For-Upholstery/264286812181?hash=item3d88b8b815:g:bvoAAOSwopFbURot which I've seen you discuss previously. It's in good condition. 

 

Would you recommend the Juki DNU-1541 over the Juki LU-563? The price difference isn't huge - a new Juki DNU is going to set me back about $1200/£950, whereas a used Juki LU-563 is about £800/$1050

[JHBH2]

Sorry the $1200/£950 was for a USED Juki-DNU1541

[sbrownn]

What is the definition of "jump foot"?

[Matt S]

Welcome, @JHBH2!

I'd suggest you try the steps mentioned above (leather-specific needles, smooth feet, hammering stitches etc.) but that your best bet is probably to look for a new machine.

If you're looking for a reputable sewing machine dealer who understands what you'd need for sewing leather I can personally recommend you Hartley Sewing Machines in Walsall, Castle Sewing near Leeds, and College Sewing in Bury. College certainly sells Juki 1541s but bear in mind that £950 for a used one is roughly half what they cost new. You've got a company called Rowlson in Nottingham who do industrial machines, but I've not heard of them before and it looks like they mostly do machinery for sewing curtains, carpets, mattresses etc. and may not have the experience to advise you reliably on machines for leather. It's possible that they may even offer you a trade-in on your Juki.

Ideally you'd visit a machine dealer and test drive any machines they propose using samples of your leather, but that's not possible right now. This would give you a feel for each one and you'd get the opportunity to learn how to make any common adjustments. Is getting a functioning machine very urgent or could you wait a while?

Since you make mostly smaller goods you might want to look at getting a cylinder-arm machine on a smaller table, which would take up less space in your living room and give you more options for sewing trickier items. The main disadvantage is that there is less area to rest your work on as you sew it but there are add-on tables available for some models, if you feel that you might want more support.
 

4 hours ago, sbrownn said:

What is the definition of "jump foot"?

A "jump-foot" is a passive, rather than active, walking foot. The foot is mounted so it can be dragged backwards by the work, then jump forwards again under spring pressure when the pressure on the foot reduces near the top of the stitch cycle. It's less likely to grab or drag than a fixed foot but not nearly so effective as a true walking foot. You used to get them on certain models of Singer 45K, but they pretty much went out with winklepicker shoes and 45RPM records.

Edited June 18, 2020 by Matt S