TensawLeather Report post Posted February 24, 2021 (edited) Hello. I recently inherited an old 1953 Singer 66K. The machine is in wonderful working order. I am in the market for a machine to see my tooled wallets, belts, book covers, sheaths and consealed pancake style holsters. I am wondering if the Singer that I have would sew the lighter stuff like the wallet interiors? Mostly 2 layers of 2-3 oz veg tan for the interiors. Will the Singer 66 handle this and if so, what size needles and thread? Next question is, what machine would be best to sew the rest of my products on? I mostly use veg tan and I would love to be able to sew from say 6oz or so up to about 3/8 of an inch of firm veg tan. I have been looking at the Cowboy 341 to accomplish this. Any input is appreciated! Thanks Edited February 24, 2021 by TensawLeather Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chrisash Report post Posted February 24, 2021 Bonded Nylon size 69 is the largest you can use on the 66 and needle size 16 to 18 leather point If its soft veg tan at 2-3 oz then you might just manage nothing thicker the 66 is a domestic machine for home sewing fabric Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wizcrafts Report post Posted February 24, 2021 7 hours ago, TensawLeather said: Next question is, what machine would be best to sew the rest of my products on? I mostly use veg tan and I would love to be able to sew from say 6oz or so up to about 3/8 of an inch of firm veg tan. I have been looking at the Cowboy 341 to accomplish this. Yes, the cb341 will sew up to 3/8 inch with #138 thread. But, that is not strong enough to hold a 3/8 inch holster together if there is a tug of war getting the gun out. To securely sew holsters you will need a machine capable of tensioning #277 thread. That is double the size and strength of #138 and calls for a #25 needle. For this I recommend a cb3200 which can actually sew 1/2 inch with #346 thread. If you go this route you will need a second machine for thinner work. It could be a flat bed or cylinder arm, or even a patcher. There is one other cylinder arm machine I know about that is sort of in the gap between the 341 and 3200 in capabilities. That is the cb1341. There is nothing online about it at this time, but the primary Cowboy dealer told me it can sew with #207 thread, up to 3/8 inch or more. You will have to call the dealer about this, or contact him via his website's contact form. The info is at www.tolindsewmach.com It appears that the Cobra Model 26 and Techsew 4800 have similar specs. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chrisash Report post Posted February 24, 2021 According to the advert the CB341 can be made to sew 277 CB341 Cylinder bed walking foot leather sewing machine (cowboysew.com) Specifications: Max. Sewing Speed: 2500 rpm Hook Type: 2 times large Vertical-axis Hook Presser Foot Lift: 15mm Needle bar stroke: 33.2mm Needle System: DP*17 18#-24# Max. Thread size #10 (=T-270, V277, 840dx3) Stitch Length: 0-8mm Bobbin size: Outside Dia. 25.5mm, Height 10mm Max. top feed stroke: 7 mm Balance wheel Dia.: 72mm Working space: 225mm (length) x110mm( High) Recommended motor: Minimum 0.55 kW Packing size: 605x285x625MM, 46KGS Tariff code (HS code): 8452290000 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TensawLeather Report post Posted February 24, 2021 Thanks for the info! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites