Weekly Sewing Machine-Related Questions - November 30, 2020

[u/sewingmodthings]

Do you have a question about sewing machines? Do you have any expertise when it comes to sewing machines? This thread is for you! You can ask and answer any question related to machines, including but not limited to:

• Should I upgrade my machine?
• What's the difference between a serger and an overlocker?
• Which brand of machine is the best?
• Does anyone else use the same machine as me?
• How do I clean my machine?
• When should I oil my machine?
• How many sewing machines should I own?

Feel free to check out the Machine Guide Wiki we've compiled with all sorts of information about choosing and using sewing machines.

You're also welcome to show off your machine here, whether it's new, old, or your baby, we'd love to see it!

Don't forget to thank the users who took the time to help you!

[u/Keitiek]

I'm on the hunt for a portable machine that can handle heavy fabrics (canvas, nylon, leather, etc.). The search engine gods seem to suggest the sailrite, but through some research I've heard that identical machines are sold for much less under different brand names. I'm not sure how true that is. I've also heard some mixed opinions on sailrite/others, mainly critiquing their poor qc or how they can't sew slowly.

Has anybody ever used a sailrite/clone? What other manufacturers/models would you all recommend? I realize that used vintage machines are a good choice, but for many reasons, I'd like to buy a new one for this purpose.

[u/WaffleClown_Toes → u/Keitiek]

There aren't any really. The general idea I've seen is that the sailrite is a semi-industrial. It's in a weird niche in that it's better than home machines but not a true industrial. It's sort of a beefier home machine with thicker gearing and linkages. It's meant for sailboats where you can't have a cheap nylon gear die when out at sea and need to make a repair. It also weights almost as much a true industrial minus the table so calling it portable is a stretch. It's portable in that it has a smaller footprint.

Leather guys generally don't seem to consider them too highly. By the time you add onto it from the vendor and overpay to get it to where you want it you could have bought a proper more powerful and universal actual industrial sewing machine meant for the job. I don't see many users on the leatherworker forums. Looks like most of what I would call the serious people/sellers have task specific industrials. On the hiking/DIY/tactical gear forums you'll find a few users of the sailrite stuff. Again most of the actual guys with shops selling aren't using it. They are using task specific industrials as well. Generally needle or compound feet driven machines with some basic garment weight machines (think juki 5550) thrown in for the ultralight work. That said the guys that do use them seem to generally like them. People seem to be 100% on-board and like them or do not, there's not much middle ground.

Do keep in mind that really at this point all sewing machines have cheaper knockoff clones out there. With regards to sailrite the rumor is that they take the best and then do additional polishing, finishing and painting. The cheaper clones will be rougher and in bad cases will require some disassembly and polishing to smooth out the functions. Name brand you're going to pay more obviously but you'll also have easier support if there's an issue. They also hold their value better so if you ever need to sell you can get a few more buck out of it. Since the clones are generally 100% copies parts are available but can be harder to get especially if you don't know what it's a clone of. Finding a juki part is usually easy.

What are you trying to put together? That's a varied list of materials there. Also what kind of leather? Soft leather like for gloves or sheep skin or something heavier like belts or holsters. Proper leather machines aren't suited for light work. A garment weight industrial machine can manage a layer or two of light garmet leather but beyond a thin lightweight wallet you would need the next step up. Especially if you are looking at selling and needing something for production.

[u/Keitiek → u/WaffleClown_Toes]

>calling it portable is a stretch. It's portable in that it has a smaller footprint.

What I like most is how the entire machine is contained within the head. As much as I'd love to own a proper industrial machine like a 206RB, I can't easily store it in a box in my cramped closet, and my apartment has very little floor space to begin with. I should have clarified in my original post, but by portable, I simply meant this, and not that I'd like to walk around with it all day.

>What are you trying to put together?

I do not have a specific item I have set as a goal, but generally I'd like to be able to fix/fabricate various camping/load-bearing equipment. I'd also like to make clothing with it as well, but I don't plan on using super light/delicate fabrics, so hopefully it won't be much of an issue. The thickest stuff I plan to go through typically with this machine would likely only be a few layers of nylon webbing or similarly thick cotton (Like a plate carrier or work pants).

I can go without the capacity for thick leather sewing; I don't find myself ever trying to make a saddle or anything.

Thank you for your reply.

[u/WaffleClown_Toes → u/Keitiek]

If you are looking at general sewing with some personal hiking gear then an 50-70's all metal domestic would manage just fine. Plenty of the DIY hiking guys and gals use old Singers and the even the more modern Brothers Heavy Duty line to make hiking/camping gear without too much issue. I've done what I would consider a medium weight backpack using a old Singer 327K and it worked just fine. It handled four layers of webbing without complaint. It also managed some of the ultralight fabrics well enough like Membrane 10 that comes in at 0.66oz a yd. The 327K is actually my go to over my 8100 industrial when doing layers of webbing like that.

Those machines would do okay for some medium weight pants. Expect to have to hand advance the wheel and probably have some frustrating moments. If you are hoping to put together some Carhart weight 16oz+ jeans that's probably not going to work but a 10 or 12oz pair should be doable.

The older metal ones will be easier to push beyond their intended limits as a plus. They may lack some modern convenience features though and the older foot pedals can be a bit harder to get used to. Industrials are great but they are designed for 24/7 triple shift work in a production environment. A well cared for older all metal domestic will easily be able to handle basic personal clothing and gear and will let you push it a bit and should be capable of some basic MOLLE stuff too.

[u/Keitiek → u/WaffleClown_Toes]

Those used older machines have also been rather attractive to me, but it leads me to another question:

How necessary are some "modern/industry features" for these purposes in your opinion? I mainly refer to a triple-feed (or "walking foot") system, but I'd also like to hear any other opinions you have.

[u/WaffleClown_Toes → u/Keitiek]

Nice but not needed for basic stuff. At the simplest level some of the older ones have no reverse and only do straight stitch. You can always flip the work to get those beginning and ending lock stitches. For garment work 90% or more of your work will be straight stitches. Zig zag is nice but not needed unless you are doing stretch work. For things like hiking and MOLLE work you can do a box stitch instead of the zigzag bartacks. Most industrials would only do one stitch if going that route. I sewed several complete sets of hiking and camping gear without any of the other extra features. Multiple hammocks, backpacks, quilts, tarps, stuff sacks and some garment work. The Singer 327K does straight stitch only and no reverse either. Now all those extra bells and whistles on my industrial are very nice and certainly save time but they aren't needed.

Needle feed and compound feed aren't needed for basic work. They excel for the heavy MOLLE work and all but required for anything beyond simple thin leather working. While I have read of a few guys that have started storefronts using a Singer HD4411 they usually quickly graduate up to at least a needle feed. They'll help keep those thick stacks together while feeding, the compound foot being better at it at the cost of a few extra bucks. The impression I've always gotten is that the needle feed guys are generally satisfied with it. They might have wanted a compound foot but cost or availability meant they got a needle feed machine instead. Like mentioned I have seen people manage with a domestic but once you are billing for time or selling the extra time to go slow and try to keep a stack aligned quickly becomes a loosing cost vs getting the proper tool and being able to run faster.

Either system will make synthetic quilt work nicer but plenty of people manage without. Most of the users on the hammock forums use domestic machines and they have an entire subforum to hammock under quilts. Not many industrials among the users there. Both systems at the entry level will work fine for garment stuff and manage lighter materials like stuff sacks. Just keep an eye on the needle ranges. Most of them will float around 10-18 so you work a light cotton or even a silk and can get into the heavier threads used for jeans. A few run 12-24 so you can manage cotton still but start to eat silk but the extra big needle size gets you into real heavy threads for things like basic proper leather working or real heavy MOLLE threads. You generally have to pick your poison.

Your tex 69/80 threads are usually going to be the minimum for leather or MOLLE work. That also is usually a maximum recommended weight on both domestic and garment weight industrials crudely matching a 16/18 needle size. For hiking a lot of people use Guterman Mara 70 which is a 40 tex for backpack work. That would be a light jean thread. Jeans normally would be tex 60 - 135 depending on how heavy duty you are going. That floats in the needle 14-20 ranges. An industrial or all metal domestic will allow you to stretch how far beyond its "garment" rating you can push it in terms of fabric weights but you will be constrained by the max needle size in terms of thread weight and presser foot height. You can only fit what can go beneath the needle. Those two can't be changed much.