Topic: bought a pfaff industrial sewing machine.

[Shtonecb500]

1956 Pfaff 145 H4 walking foot industrial sewing machine.

After seeing the finished $500 chopper seat, and the $1,000 plus paint job I didn't like....I'm just about finished handing off work to someone else.
I've been practicing for a few days, dialing in the machine, ordering and picking up materials. Most of the leather goods I want to make are hand stitched so my first product is going to be a cb750 k1 seat cover in this ugly scrap red vinyl ive got. After that ill make a new cover for 1 of the 3 cafe seat pans in my possession, a leather insert for my give topbox, tool roll for the bike, tank bag. Tried out some diamond stitch didnt turn out too bad for first time. Eventually, I want to make myself a seat as nice as yamiya, acquire another machine and make myself some leather boots as well.


i have zero sewing experience so any advice is appreciated.

[seanbarney41]

Very cool.  Get good at that and you will have some rare and "in demand" skills.  I always have seat upholstery needs and little skills and no one in my area who I can trust o do a tasteful, qualiy job.

[Don R]

 A friend bought a machine and found out it didn't have a walking foot. Every stitch length depended on the speed and accuracy of the operator. He never got anything made, that said he was a garage door mechanic and was mostly good with perforated metal, a battery impact and lag bolts.

 You are off to a great start.

[Kelly E]

Last year my father in law gave me a Phaff sewing machine. I even have the original manuals for it. It's from the 50's and is supposed to be capable of sewing up to garment grade leather. I haven't touched it yet but it was in working order when I got it.

[jgger]

This could be a very deep rabbit hole. My wife is a quilter..................in EVERY room in the house. Soon to come, special scissors, rotorary cutters, tables for cutting, tables for mock up, spools and bobbins of a bazillion different threads, special work lighting, and on and on and on. But it does sound like fun, good luck!

[WideAWAKE]

Pfaff 145 H4 walking foot industrial sewing machine.

After seeing the finished $500 chopper seat, and the $1,000 plus paint job I didn't like....I'm just about finished handing off work to someone else.
I've been practicing for a few days, dialing in the machine, ordering and picking up materials. Most of the leather goods I want to make are hand stitched so my first product is going to be a cb750 k1 seat cover in this ugly scrap red vinyl ive got. After that ill make a new cover for 1 of the 3 cafe seat pans in my possession, a leather insert for my give topbox, tool roll for the bike, tank bag. Tried out some diamond stitch didnt turn out too bad for first time. Eventually, I want to make myself a seat as nice as yamiya, acquire another machine and make myself some leather boots as well.

Don’t need a machine to make boots.

My buddy made me these. All leather. All by hand.

[Flyin900]

Pfaff 145 H4 walking foot industrial sewing machine.

After seeing the finished $500 chopper seat, and the $1,000 plus paint job I didn't like....I'm just about finished handing off work to someone else.
I've been practicing for a few days, dialing in the machine, ordering and picking up materials. Most of the leather goods I want to make are hand stitched so my first product is going to be a cb750 k1 seat cover in this ugly scrap red vinyl ive got. After that ill make a new cover for 1 of the 3 cafe seat pans in my possession, a leather insert for my give topbox, tool roll for the bike, tank bag. Tried out some diamond stitch didnt turn out too bad for first time. Eventually, I want to make myself a seat as nice as yamiya, acquire another machine and make myself some leather boots as well.

Don’t need a machine to make boots.

My buddy made me these. All leather. All by hand.

And your buddy is very skilled as a cobbler. Not too many have that skill anymore.

[Alan F.]

Subscribed, I'd enjoy seeing how your work with this machine progresses.
Thanks for sharing too.

[Shtonecb500]

Last year my father in law gave me a Phaff sewing machine. I even have the original manuals for it. It's from the 50's and is supposed to be capable of sewing up to garment grade leather. I haven't touched it yet but it was in working order when I got it.

NICE RIG, looks braaaaand new lol

[Shtonecb500]

This could be a very deep rabbit hole. My wife is a quilter..................in EVERY room in the house. Soon to come, special scissors, rotorary cutters, tables for cutting, tables for mock up, spools and bobbins of a bazillion different threads, special work lighting, and on and on and on. But it does sound like fun, good luck!

Basically everything you just mentioned came up in conversation today lol

[Shtonecb500]

Very cool.  Get good at that and you will have some rare and "in demand" skills.  I always have seat upholstery needs and little skills and no one in my area who I can trust o do a tasteful, qualiy job.

I’m hoping I get the hang of it but I’m going to be very patient with this

[Shtonecb500]

Pfaff 145 H4 walking foot industrial sewing machine.

After seeing the finished $500 chopper seat, and the $1,000 plus paint job I didn't like....I'm just about finished handing off work to someone else.
I've been practicing for a few days, dialing in the machine, ordering and picking up materials. Most of the leather goods I want to make are hand stitched so my first product is going to be a cb750 k1 seat cover in this ugly scrap red vinyl ive got. After that ill make a new cover for 1 of the 3 cafe seat pans in my possession, a leather insert for my give topbox, tool roll for the bike, tank bag. Tried out some diamond stitch didnt turn out too bad for first time. Eventually, I want to make myself a seat as nice as yamiya, acquire another machine and make myself some leather boots as well.

yep, i noticed even the boots are mostly hand stitch, a bed post machine would come in handy, a cheap 100 buck chinese one would even do the trick.
Don’t need a machine to make boots.

My buddy made me these. All leather. All by hand.

[dave500]

you will unleash an unknow talent!

[chiefum]

Sweet! Nice find!

[grcamna2]

subscribed 
The red diamond-pattern seat looks great 

[CB750R]

Congrats. We found a great deal on an industrial machine for my wife. She sews a lot, has made the seat cover on my bike, a nice heavy workshop apron, as well as made me several pair of custom jeans, and begrudgingly drafted and sewed new seat covers for her dads boat. Careful though these things looks like they have enough HP to go right through your finger!

[MauiK3]

There are not many products made these days that last like an old school sewing machine, industrial or not. Old Singers are still going as well as Pfaff.
Amazing stuff.
You will have fun.

[Stev-o]

My Mom was a seemstress, she made clothes for my sisters on her Singer.

I learned how to sew from my Dad, a hand stich repair on my '68 Firebird convertible top! [not with the Singer]

[HondaMan]

I can offer this, as something that has happened to me that I never intended for it to...
If you get decent at making things with that machine, you will NEVER run out of customers. They tell the next guys, and each tells another one, and pretty soon you have a garage full of engines seats...and you never advertised, nor even tried to...then you'll have a website, and will need a bigger room to hold all that stuff...

Here in Denver, the machine shop that makes the swingarm collars for me is an industrial sewing machine repair/rebuild shop. They NEVER run out of work, are ALWAYS busy to the point of backlog, and do fine work (Ralph's Precision Machine, known just as "RPM"), craftsmen all.

[Alan F.]

Whatever you do, be sure to ad a Made in USA label.

[70CB750]

Following.  Good luck. 

I did a lot of hand stitching while back - backpacks and moccassines and knife sheats, you name it. 

With an old Singer with my friends we made a tipi.   

[MauiK3]

Here on Maui it works like that. If you are good at almost anything people need you don't need to advertise. If you turn out to be unscrupulous, word gets around very quickly.

[Mark K]

Very cool looking seat in red! Good luck with your new machine, keep your fingers clear of the moving needle (or whatever it's called), one of the three things I remember from 7th grade home economics class (mandatory of course back in the 70s). How to hand stitch with a needle and thread, make a cinnamon crumble coffee cake and to keep your parts away from the sewing machine needle!! 😂

[Don R]

 Somewhere, probably instagram I saw a guy sewing leather add a penny and sewed it right into the seam. I have no idea what kind of needle or machine can do that, but it didn't appear to phase the machine at all.

[HondaMan]

If I can make a pattern, would you consider making me some new Vetter Fairing pocket covers? I have a Vetter I fiberglass 'Jammer, and Craig doesn't make the covers for this early model, only the later standardized ones. It uses heavy Naugahyde (I can shoot the Naugha here and send it's hide to you).