Pfaff 145 for leatherwork

[hadrianost0ne]

Hi all, I just got an old Pfaff 145 for $180 at a local sale. It's my first time using a sewing machine for leather, and I'm trying to sew two layers of 6oz veg-tan with a liner.The machine works well, but it skips stitches when I sew thicker parts. I'm using 138 thread and a #23 needle. I'm thinking about trying a walking foot or changing the timing. Has anyone used this machine for thick leather? Any tips would help!

 

[plaxed]

138 thread with a #23 needle sounds right, but for two layers of 6oz you might really benefit from a walking foot to feed evenly and look the timing could be off too, but try the foot first, it should make a big difference on thicker leather

 

[liz_gets_crafty]

Hi all, I just got an old Pfaff 145 for $180 at a local sale. It's my first time using a sewing machine for leather, and I'm trying to sew two layers of 6oz veg-tan with a liner.The machine works well, but it skips stitches when I sew thicker parts. I'm using 138 thread and a #23 needle. I'm thinking about trying a walking foot or changing the timing. Has anyone used this machine for thick leather? Any tips would help!

Those are workhorses so that's a steal for that price! The Pfaff 145 is already a walking foot machine so I doubt that swapping the foot would help. I'm almost certain that the issue here is timing. When you hit a thick spot, the needle isn't picking up the bobbin thread correctly. Try adjusting that first. You might also benefit from a larger needle, like a #24 or #25, which can sometimes help the thread loop form better for the hook to grab.