sewing machines

[donrwalker]

All

I buy Nymo from Silver State Suppliers in Salt Lake City Utah. They are suppliers mostly of upolstry products. I suspect that if you have an upolstry supplier in your area they should have it.

Don

[pegeen]

At what temperature would it be too cold to use my sewing machines. I have a singer 76 with a walking foot and a Landis F. My shop is in the the top of my unheated barn. My electrical is an extension cord strung through a water pipe across my horse yard (they'd run off with it otherwise, the stinkers). I live in central Minnesota and today is not fit for man nor beast so I'm hand sewing in the dinning room. It was -9 degrees F. at 7am and a wind chill of -30 degrees F. I think it is up to -4 now at 11:30. Do you think the oil works at that temperature? The car runs.

[relferink]

Pegeen,

Welcome to the Crispin Colloquy. Wow, that sounds way cold, glad I'm not there.
Technically the answer will in part depend on what type of oil you use but my unofficial rule of thumb for what it's worth: if I shiver so much that I can't sew a straight line; it's way too cold!
Not having been in a situation where I had to work in such conditions all I can offer are some thoughts: I would get more careful listening to the machines for drag and not freely running parts when temperatures hovering around freezing, suspicious of causing damage when it gets into the 20's. That's just me, not an official guideline to go by.

Rob

[dw]

Hey Pegeen,

Welcome to the Crispin Colloquy.

I don't know what to tell you about using a sewing machine in such weather all I can tell you is that I'm glad I moved!


Tight Stitches
DWFII--HCC Member

[pegeen]

Thank you Mr. Elferink. But Minnesota has only 2 seasons: winter and road construction - each 8 months long. I go camping in weather much less than freezing. Shivering is NOT an option. Living and working in Minnesota is only for bragging rights! In my Singer I use sewing machine oil or 3in1 oil. I wish that moving it to the house were an option but it took 2 men and a large tractor with a bucket to get it in the barn in the first place. It is my intention to insulate and heat my barn but I have to make lots of footwear first. It is suppose to get to 18 degrees F. on Friday. I'll try to get a lot done then. I'll let you know if I need to replace parts.

[pegeen]

DW, as I recall, you thought me odd walking through the snow in mocs from the hotel to the shop. The snow is deeper here but I don't wear much more than that all winter. I do not remember what you recommended for oil in machines. Please refresh my memory - it's short like me. I am finding that the wax pot has solidified on the Landis. I am definately not using that.

[jesselee]

Pegeen,
Try 10% Neetsfoot oil with a bit of kerosene. Them old Landis machines with that wax pot in them conditions don't melt too well. The liquid wax works fine. That's what I will be using on my 1907 Progressive sole stitcher, err, made in Minnesota.. Guess the makers knew the climate..

JesseLee

[relferink]

Pegeen,

None of that Mister stuff for me, makes me think you are talking to my dad. Rob will do just fine.
Hmm, if all you'd get out of it are bragging rights I'd find a better place to live. Somewhere tropical near a beach has a pleasant ring to it. I know it's not for everyone but I wouldn't hesitate long if given the option. (if anyone near such a place is hiring, call me!)
On the plus side, at least the roads are worked on, that's more than they do around here.

The concern would be the machine not moving freely or even locking up. If this happens you can do some expensive damage quickly. Never tried JesseLee's recipe but that makes sense to me. I may also put a bottle of oil out in the cold and see at what temperature it doesn't flow easily anymore. That's when it may start causing damage.

Just my

Rob

(Message edited by relferink on December 17, 2008)

[large_shoemaker_at_large]

Pegeen
I have an old Landis and It driving me nuts!! in a heated shop. At another place I work at same machine as mine and we turned it to liquid wax and it didn't work worth a darn, so we heated it with internal heat before for about 15 min. and it worked fine. I think it is so worn, that the heat helps expand the metal to a closer tolerance.
Does anyone still do a home visit and repair old sole stitchers?
Not to break the rules of the Forum. but are machinery men more scarace as shoemakers? I would pay some one to get my machine running. Or take them fishing in north Saskatchewan any takers???
As for your Cold Last week and still - 30 c with windchill -40C
not much snow, but 1 dead WV at shop, 1 dead chev truck at same shop, just dumped 1500 into wife's truck. My dear friend has lent me her truck. Not enough shoe work to pay for dead metal. Getting the drywall tools out! Rob when you find a nice warm spot let me know.
Well no mosquitoes and crawley things.
Have a good Holiday all, stay warm!
Regards
Brendan

[guy_shannon]

Hello Brendan.

I will be down in Regina about the 4,5&6th of January if your interested I could slide over to Fort Quapelle and take a boo at the machine.

Pegeen

I am in a unheated garage right now but I have been using a cataletic heater to warm the area and that has been working so far. I'm up in Prince Albert Sask right now enjoying -40c but tomorrow I'm off to Calgary to see my daughters for Christmas.

Guy

[jesselee]

Rob,
I mistyped, that's 100% Neetsfot oil. The bit of Kerosene works, it's like 1/10th by volume and it is oily and does not freeze well and stops the Neetsfoot from thickening. Your idea of putting the mixture in the bottle in the location is old school. You must be a thinking boot maker.

Cheers,
JesseLee

[jesselee]

Brendan,
Them old Landis machines was meant to last forever with every day oiling and such. My Progressive is along the same lines and is so sloppy in the shuttle that we are talking fractions of an inch. Still makes a stitch, but I have to cut down and remake Landis needles. Not sure if the warming pot would give enough heat to expand the metal for better tolerances. I disconected mine. It was used up til 20 years ago and the wireing was bad then. Funny how these old beauties hang on. Your personal Landis may just need a needle tweak. They are as tricky as a Puritan to get right..
I wonder as you, if any of the old machine guys are left... This stuff many of us use is only worth its weight in cast iron now as mass produced boots and shoes with no leather are the way of the near past, present and future. So probably not many repairmen left.

Cheers,
JesseLee

[das]

Best bet for in-shop on-site service might just be the charity of a fellow HCC Forumite passing by! The last professionals I knew of doing on-site shoe machine service/repair operated out of PA, and they charged an obscene daily rate, plus travel mileage, insisted on hotels nights and fine meals on the road too. Obviously they shot their business in the foot--those rates and perks are for Wall Street banksters these days

When just doing everything by-hand, the old way, I decried shoemaking as a "bad" hobby to tale up because the essentials were so hard to find. Mechanized shoemaking is even worse, unless you become something of a shade-tree mechanic yourself. One possibility would be to ask your local shoe repair shop, or even shoe repair supply (finders) if they know of anyone in your region who still works on old machines, or retired guys who used to. I did, and ran into a nice old guy, nearly blind and lame, who'd been trained by Landis and rebuilt all their machines. He had a basement full of spare parts and rebuild kits (the most commonly worn-out parts), so I dumped some bucks and brought home a "lifetime" supply. You gotta go a-huntin', ask around, keep dogging them and you'll find what you need eventually--persevere, persevere.

[large_shoemaker_at_large]

Da and all
seems you have some weird Karma a fellow Formanite might drop by, I did not know there was another HCC lurker here in Sask.
Guy check my profile and shoot me an e mail I would be glad to have you out. But now I have to clean up my shop!!
DA there are so few repair shoes now and the local finder is no longer local.
Were I live a lot of western boots are still worn and they are about the only thing made now worth repairing, so I still do some repair work. Mostly for friends!
I often wonder how many old tools and parts have hit the trash as no one knew what they were for, or worth! I bought a box of old wood working tools from a garage sale and I found an old Stanley shoulder plane a couple old block planes and some real old wood bodied planes. Not bad for 10 bucks. a quick check on the net the Stanley shoulder plane is worth about 200, but the cost to replace it with a new one is about 400. So I sharpened it and it sits happy with my other non mechanical wood tools, which I reach for first if I can!

[das]

Brendon,

I wasn't meaning to sound snarky, or naive. But in general, we might have to rely on one another's largess was all. "Karma"? Dunno, but your provincial circumstances do pose a problem, that's for sure. Offer somebody some moose-meat and whiskey, and maybe they'll make the drive up? Now I'm being snarky, sorry

[large_shoemaker_at_large]

D.A.
Not being snarky look back a couple posts on this thread and you will see a post from Guy Shannon, From Prince Albert, Sask. he said he would be near here early next month.
I don't know if you saw the post so in the respect of this forum I take no umberage . I saw the post and thought what the #### I can't believe I had a formaite respond so fast! that was the Karma thing.
Not many moose near here but tons of deer, mild winters has increased the number like crazy, and we have hit 3 in the last 2 years. wrote off one Mazda. No injuries! So if any one has a want for a deer hunt/ goose, I can re activate my outfitters lisence rumor has it the are going to start a seperate cross bow season this fall and I will buy the whiskey and or single malt or what ever ( my patient wife works for booze store).
Then I would like to do a brain tan and make some shoes from that. I have a friend who lives on a local reserve he knows people that will show us how.
D.A. thanks for calling us a province nice to know some 'merican people understand the Canadian lingo ( tiny snarkey).
Regards
Brendan

[thomd]

I have three sewing machine questions in order of obscurity:

I have a sailmaking machine that is a walking foot with a bottom feed also. Very nice machine, but all the usual walking foot problems. I was wondering what use a single side presser foot might be? These are made for installing zippers in this case, but I was thinking it might be helpful for getting closer to edges. They come in left and right sides, which would be more useful from the operator perspective, one mounted on the left or right side, or neither worth the effort? In this case the left side is outside the machine.

Second is I have the chance to buy a Junker & Ruh SD 28. I would have to figure something out about needles. But assuming that can be done, are these useful machines to have? I also have a chance at a Landis 12 for about half the price. The main question is which is more useful and no prices need to be mentioned but is a JR worth 2x as much as a Landis on the usual old machine market? I would prefer the smaller funkier JR for the space I have, but not if it isn't a good idea.(Forget about whether I need one of these machines, I buy machines totally on the basis of whether I like the machine and can turn them around for the same I paid for them or near that. Of course they have to be useful to me, but I will buy a second hand machine at a good price just for fun. I would probably get better results hand sewing, and don't need the productivity, but I like machines so those kinds of issues don't come up.)

Last question is about my patcher. I want to make shoes, of the best quality for myself, for an office setting. Sooner or later a proper machine will show up, but for now I have a Singer 27K2. What needle and thread combo is appropriate. As suggested elsewhere here, I want to set this machine up to do my shoe work. I gather it can be done, and is easiest if I focus on one set-up only. So what is the best set-up for shoes? I need to buy some 29-4 needles and some thread.

Amusingly I just bought a leather belt on ebay for the 27k2, been hand cranking it. No sooner did I dispatch the dough than I came across Tim Skyrme's instruction on how to make belts. Doh! That book does have a lot of stuff!!

[thomd]

Ok, I will try a less windy question:

What needle and thread size, and thread type, is the best starting point for sewing shoes with my 29K2? I know the needles that came with it are pretty destrutive, they are 55 thou midway, and seem to leave that size hole in the leather also. Something finer for the uppers would seem in order. I know it's not the perfect machine, but it is what I have for now.

[chuck_deats]

Thom, I was able to get needles for my 29-4 at a local sewing machine repair shop. He had size 20 in stock but was able to order size 14, 16, and 18. I use size 14 for most work, 16 if it is a little heavier. The numbers on the packages are:
135x17
2167
SY3355
DPx17
The size is separate. Assume these are different numbering systems.

Won't answer thread size as I generally use heavy polyester from the local fabric store. Different brands, different sizes. Find one that works and the right color. There is a separate topic on thread on this forum. It is very helpful.

A large single foot is a reasonable walking foot subsitute for a roller foot to see what you are doing. Foot too small will mark the leather. Lock the head or you will sew round and round in circles. These suggestions are from an amateur.

[artzend]

Thom

For a size 16 needle use something around a 36 thread. You can use that for a 14 as well probably.

For a beginner use a size 16 needle as you will be putting more strain on it and anything smaller is more likely to break.

Make sure that you are using a leather point needle for leather (it's a chisel point with a bit of a twist). Any other sort will leave large holes that can't be closed up.

Tim

[thomd]

Thanks both, that is the info I need. The needles are medium expensive, and reducing the sizes is a big advantage. The needles I have at the moment, though the machine came direct from a shoemaker, are not allowing the leather to close, so probably they are not leather needles.

On the foot. I intend to try what I have for now. I could conceivably make something on the mill. One thought I had was to either tape over the foot, or possibly fill the grooves with epoxy. That way I can get a feel for how much bite I need in the foot to move the material without harming the leather or altering the foot permanently.

Does anyone know the Singer 95K machine? Seems like a powerful unit, though it too has obsolete needles. Would it be good for uppers?

[chuck_deats]

Thom, Just take a stone and knock the sharp edges and corners off the teeth on the foot. Get it too slick and you have to add more pressure. If the foot cuts through the finish, it is probably not a leather you would want to use for shoes or boots anyway. The tracks should just bone out.

[big_larry]

ThomD,

You ask if anyone used a Singer 95K machine? I use one for fancy stitching and to sew the piping to the back panel. I have been able to do inlays and toe madalions in it also. There is not much difference in the Singers but this one came with a roller on top and a noral feed dog underneath. I have not had one seconds trouble with it and it has performed way beyond my expectations.

I have not been able to feed thread from the one pound spool however. The tension has to be just right and the small spool just works better. I wind thread on a large Tippman bobbin and use it as my top spool.

Another thing that made this machine so nice to work with is a variable speed motor. I am perfectly satisfied with his machine and I have no desire or plans to ever replace it as long as it keeps giving the service is is now giving.

Good luck and best wishes on your journey.

Larry Peterson HCC-Member

[luckyduck]

Post machine advice question.

I am about to give up on my old Singer 52w22 post machine and get something newer with reverse. What do you all think of the new Artisan machines? The one of interest to me is the 5110 like in this brochure (http://www.newknoxville.net/ArtisanSew/files/manuals/5110_brochure_09-2006.pdf). Not sure if I want the LTHR one or not. The reverse feature is really tempting, as is the thought of a machine that might actually work.

By the way, I am using it for making some hiking boots, sandals, Ugg boots and just starting down the path of western boots.


Thanks

Paul

[sorrell]

Paul,
I have one of those machines and I've been incredibly happy with it. I wish I'd just bought a brand new post machine years ago and saved myself lots of frustration. Artisan's prices are reasonable and I've been pleased with the quality of the machine. Someday I'm going to break down and replace my Singer 110W with a new Artisan flatbed too.

Lisa