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Velocelt

Seeking information about using my Singer 31-15 for sewing light leather

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Title pretty much says it all. Also, new member here - this is my first post. I've been doing a LOT of reading about the Singer 31-15 machines just via the search results but I'm not finding exactly what I'm looking for, hence this post. I acquired a 1925 Singer 31-15 with K-leg table and clutch motor from a friend who is a professional cosplay fabricator. He'd originally gotten this machine for free himself when the prop department for the Lyric Opera of Chicago was upgrading a lot of their equipment. I guess they were giving away old machines like this so he took this, thinking he'd use it to sew leather. He wanted a machine with a walking foot though and one came up at a good price right after he got this old machine so the 31-15 has just sat in his living room and was never used. It was in fact serviced right before he acquired it, so other than requiring an oiling, it should be good to go. I do know from reading some of the posts that the earlier model 31-15 machines apparently won't take heavier-weight sewing threads nor will they sew thick leathers. I'm not intending to use this to sew thick veg-tan leather, but instead thinner chrome-tan leathers, or very thin stuff like deer skin, some chrome-tan elk and bison I have, and possibly some thinner veg-tan like some goat leather I have that is 3-4 ounce if I recall correctly. I see this machine being used more for stitching on things like trucker-type wallets and pocket books, as well as carrying bags and pouches that are more made from supple leathers. My thicker leather work I would still be hand-stitching since I think big stitches and thick thread look better on things like archery quivers and the like, especially when those are made with 5-7 or heavier leather. I know that's beyond the capability of this machine. I'm already planning on swapping out the clutch motor for a servo motor, but I'd also like to know what other parts I should look at changing if I want to use this primarily as a lightweight leather sewing machine as well as something for sewing heavier cloth fabrics along the weight range of stuff like denim, cotton duck, or lighter cordura fabrics. Obviously for leather I'll want to use synthetic thread so what is the largest I can run in this machine? Is there anything I should look at to determine if this machine has been modified to sew thicker thread or use larger needles? I can certainly take some photos and post them here if it helps anyone help me determine whether everything is stock on the machine or not. I have a printed copy of the original Singer manual that was tucked in the drawer of the table along with a couple extra bobbins, several needles and some other random parts. Is there a source for a more modern/contemporary manual for operation of these old machines? I understand a lot of information, especially about sewing leather seems to be predicated on later model year machines and that ones like this from the 1920s may be rather limited in what they can do along those lines. It still seems like it SHOULD be capable of at least sewing minor, thinner leathers like what I've described above. As I said in the beginning though, I did not pay ANYTHING for this machine so it's fine with me if I spend some money on upgrades like the motor and if there are other things I can install to make this a better machine for what I want to use it for. Any suggestions/additional information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

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One of my favorite machines.  Problems!  bottom feed only, you need a Teflon foot, or a wheel and matching feed

dog. The machine has conical bushings (bearings) witch can be adjusted for clearance. No reverse which can be

fixed by backtacking.  An alternate choice would be a servo motor with needle position, or simply lock with moving

stitch length to near zero. If you need a hook buy from a reputable dealer like Toledo.  Good Luck

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4 hours ago, Velocelt said:

I acquired a 1925 Singer 31-15

I do know from reading some of the posts that the earlier model 31-15 machines apparently won't take heavier-weight sewing threads nor will they sew thick leathers.

I understand a lot of information, especially about sewing leather seems to be predicated on later model year machines and that ones like this from the 1920s may be rather limited in what they can do along those lines. It still seems like it SHOULD be capable of at least sewing minor, thinner leathers like what I've described above. As I said in the beginning though, I did not pay ANYTHING for this machine so it's fine with me if I spend some money on upgrades like the motor and if there are other things I can install to make this a better machine for what I want to use it for. Any suggestions/additional information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I have a 1921 Singer 31-15. Here are my findings and suggestions for you.

  1. This is a tailors' machine meant for cotton thread and broadcloth.
  2. The shuttle is not adjustable. It is pinned to the driving shaft. If yours is also pinned, the hook timing is what it is.
  3. Because the hook timing is fixed, the only adjustment is the height of the needle bar. It should be timed so that the hook picks off the thread after the needle ascends about 3/32" from BDC and at about 1/16" above the eye.
  4. The needle system is 16x257, aka: DBx1, or 1738, or 16x231.
  5. The needle hole in the throat plate may limit the maximum needle size. Mine clears a #19 needle.
  6. The maximum thread size I can use is #69, top and bottom.
  7. The tension spring is very light duty; just enough to tension #69 bonded thread.
  8. It can sew no more than about 1/4 inch with the presser foot at its maximum sewing height.
  9. It sews pigskin wallet interiors okay, but not the backs.
  10. It is great for hemming trousers with standard 50 weight cotton or polycore thread and a #12 to 14 round point needle!

If you go the Teflon foot route, buy a dozen at a time. I kept forgetting to not drop the plastic foot down on the feed dog after pulling out the work and the teeth gouge up the foot, ruining it.

If you must sew leather with this machine, invest in a 3 piece roller foot conversion kit. You may be limited to a 3/4 inch roller because the low hanging head section will not allow you to raise the presser bar high enough to use a 1 inch roller foot. Even a 3/4 inch roller foot may not fully lock in the up position. This means while you can pull it open on the left, it won't stay open. This isn't a big deal though. I never worried about clamping it up to remove the work, or clear a big seam it couldn't negotiate.

Roller foot conversions include the flip up foot, an inline feed dog and a matching slotted throat plate. The feed dogs are available in different tooth pitches, from light to heavy duty.

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I’m a newbie. With that said, I recently set up my 1910 Singer 31-17 (same as your 31-15 for the most part) to sew leather. I installed a servo from Toledo Sewing, a must for me and controlling the speed. I have no problems with bonded polyester, 138 on top and 92 bottom, the max I can get nice consistent stitches from, also from Toledo. I also have no issues sewing two pieces of oil tan or chrome tan up to 6 ounce with the above mentioned thread sizes (size 22 leather DBx1 needle). I can sew veg tan as well up to 2 pieces of 4 ounce. For me I just find the correct tension on scraps of the material I’m using, and off we go. These machines have limits though, it likes flat work… meaning going over sewn seams can cause missed stitches. I use a roller foot. In my opinion, firmer leather doesn’t get along with my machine, but it likes medium temper leather quite a lot. When I make something like a backpack, I do all the relatively ‘flat’ sections with my Singer, and hand stitch any small area that the machine has trouble with. Just my 2 cents. 

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3 hours ago, Wizcrafts said:

 

  1. The shuttle is not adjustable. It is pinned to the driving shaft. If yours is also pinned, the hook timing is what it is.

It looks like on my my machine the shuttle is a separate removeable part and it also came with an extra. Does that mean it's NOT pinned, and if so what does that gain me? Are there other things that could be done to modify a 31-15 to make it sew leather? User Yogeri mentions the 31-17, but on a list I was looking at, that machine is actually listed as being for leather so I'm not surprised that his machine can sew with the thicker thread and needles. Is it possible to enlarge the hole in the throat plate or perhaps change the spring to one with more tension capable of holding heavier thread?

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47 minutes ago, Velocelt said:

It looks like on my my machine the shuttle is a separate removeable part and it also came with an extra. Does that mean it's NOT pinned, and if so what does that gain me? Are there other things that could be done to modify a 31-15 to make it sew leather?

Since your shuttle is removable it can be moved in and out to clear a bigger needle and thread. The timing can also be retarded and advanced. You would have to buy a throat plate with a bigger needle hole to take advantage. There are combination s with a needle plate and feed dog all over Fleabay. Or, contact you favorite industrial sewing machines dealer and ask for a package and other accessories. You can probably get a heavy duty beehive spring and a new bobbin case at the same time. That's what I do rather than nickle and dimeing on Fleabay.

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Update: I called Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines, Ltd. to ask their advice and see what upgrades would be available for my machine. I was told that it would sew light leather, but that a thread as big as 138 would NOT sew well. The upper limit is apparently 69 or 92 thread for my machine. So, I placed an order for a servo motor, a couple sets of needles for leather and fabric in both 69 and 92 sizes, extra bobbins, and I believe the throat plate and feed dogs were mentioned, and since light leather was the object for this machine, the roller feet. Two sizes of roller feet were added to the order as well - I believe 3/4" and 1" both which should allow for flat sewing as well as sewing over any seams if I have stacked layers of material. I still need to place an order for some different colors of thread so I'm just considering what sorts of leather I might typically be working with and what colors. I'd like to do some veg tan leather so I can do embossing or tooling on some pieces, but also would like to work with thin, supple chrome tan as well. Anyway, I look forward to getting this machine converted over and put into use. It's also nice that it was recently serviced so I should hopefully have a pretty trouble-free conversion to the servo motor and getting it set up for sewing leather. It's pretty cool that this 96 year old machine still works and also neat that it has a history - having been used to make costumes for the Lyric Opera of Chicago. I look forward to giving it many more years of use. 

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