What sewing machine for kinky stictching?

Ideas and instructions how you can make your own bondage toys.
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smelt
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Re: What sewing machine for kinky stictching?

Post by smelt »

I do plan to get at least two machines. The serger will be for the lighter jobs, for sure. As for leather, I would love to eventually get into being able to make heavy cuffs, harnesses, etc. I have been making heavy rubber restraints for a while now, and find that I don't use leather like I used to. But that may be because we have been limited to off-the-shelf leather toys... I'm going to go look at a few different machines today, I didn't plan on being up this early, but I think my cat got into a fight with a fisher, and that doesn't usually end well. There was quite a commotion, didn't sound like a regular cat fight. So, I've been walking around the yard for the last 3 hours with a flashlight, a pistol, and a bit of a hangover from last night's campfire "celebrations"... It's light out now, so I'll go check it out...
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Re: What sewing machine for kinky stictching?

Post by OrgasmAlley »

Plenty of used sergers on eBay, but I also agree with Gregovic... a standard machine is far more versatile than an overlocker, and the latter is almost always used to augment a standard machine. Unless you're sewing all hems and edges, start with a solid standard unit.
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Re: What sewing machine for kinky stictching?

Post by Gregovic »

Forgot to add, I mentioned getting a standard machine. By that I really mean a standard "beginners" model. Nowadays even the computer controlled 10.000 stitch pattern, walking foot, stepper motor driven machines are starting to get into more affordable ranges, but I'd steer clear of those when beginning as there is such a thing as too much choice. They're great if you need that one exact weird stitch pattern for a French dart in a special haute couture dress, but for most of us 99% of the stitching we'll do is the good old fashioned straight chain stitch. Maybe with a zigzag thrown in for good measure.

As for leather, wait until you get some basics under your belt, try out sewing cotton and polyester webbing for bondage items (There's some great examples out there on the web). Leather machines are POWERFUL. And I do mean "rip the leather and your hand right under the needle, then stitch straight through your fingers" powerful. I've had the pleasure of using an industrial machine once to do some repair on a glider winch drogue chute and the power of those machines compared to light duty home use machines is staggering. I also aspire to at some point do leather working and I intend to start by hand stitching things. Takes a long time but I think it's a good way to get the basics. If I still like and want it after that I might buy a heavy industrial machine.
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Sir Cumference
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Re: What sewing machine for kinky stictching?

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Leather should be hand sewn IMHO.

This book and a few, simple tools will get you started.
https://www.amazon.com/Art-Hand-Sewing- ... 1892214911
~ Leatherworking, blacksmithing , woodworking and programming are the most pervertable skills you can learn! ~
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smelt
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Re: What sewing machine for kinky stictching?

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We actually have THREE leatherworking supply houses, all within 25 mins of me. I think I might take a trip to all of them later today, and just look around. The actual number of items I plan to make from heavier leather will be small enough, that I will probably hand stitch them. The machine will be more for lighter garment leathers. I found a heavy Singer machine, like the one my sister uses for boat upholstery, fairly reasonable, it was a backup machine that barely got used. I'm seriously considering picking it up tonight. I've been watching a lot of videos, and picking my mother's brain, so I feel fairly confident in getting started with a regular machine. I found a stash of strange fabrics that we have collected, I think my first project will be a rubbery-coated spandex hood, and maybe shorts or pants of the same material.
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Re: What sewing machine for kinky stictching?

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I have made sails. For the ordinary seams we used an ordinary electric machine and zig zag stitching. For the thick bits we used an old fashioned hand cranked machine and some hand stitching on the really thick bits. I've still got the old machine and use it for webbing etc.

I believe a technique for hand stitching leather is to put a needle on both ends of the thread. The needles go through the same hole from opposite sides of the material. I think that you may be supposed to make the hole with a separate tool. Maybe worth looking it up if you are not sure.
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Re: What sewing machine for kinky stictching?

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Sir Cumference wrote:Leather should be hand sewn IMHO.

This book and a few, simple tools will get you started.
https://www.amazon.com/Art-Hand-Sewing- ... 1892214911

Thanks for the link, we will probably order that tonight, the Wife does the Amazon part for me... Now that I'm home all the time, I would be in the poor house if I was buying things online all day...

It looks like Ill be getting the Singer machine. It's a heavier, but pretty basic one. Should do denim and darlex with ease. I might have to give up a wall in my wood shop, for a sewing bench. Then put up a curtain of some sort, to keep the sawdust out. Still thinking seriously about one of the cheaper sergers, my mother uses hers a lot.

I know from my last visit to one of the leather supply places, that the owner pretty much knows what I'm up to. I was looking mainly for hardware, and he told me they can "special order" a lot of interesting "stuff". Made me wonder just how many people around here are into this kind of thing.... I'll probably find out a lot more, I'll take a spin over there in a couple hours...
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Re: What sewing machine for kinky stictching?

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Keyless wrote:I have made sails. For the ordinary seams we used an ordinary electric machine and zig zag stitching. For the thick bits we used an old fashioned hand cranked machine and some hand stitching on the really thick bits. I've still got the old machine and use it for webbing etc.

I believe a technique for hand stitching leather is to put a needle on both ends of the thread. The needles go through the same hole from opposite sides of the material. I think that you may be supposed to make the hole with a separate tool. Maybe worth looking it up if you are not sure.
I've found this channel with really clear, calmly (britishly) narrated videos on basics and more advanced techniques: for example the basic saddle stitch or this one without talking, just stitching a lined belt. He really clearly shows the double needle technique together with the traditional English saddle stitch here.

Addendum: I'm listening to this 1,5 hour long one in the background that I got linked to from the Armitage videos linked above
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Re: What sewing machine for kinky stictching?

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Thanks for the video links. More things to watch tomorrow. The leather place is closed Sundays, and Mondays. So that was a waste. Didn't have the address for the other one in the area, and my old flip phone doesn't tell me much. Like i said, leather isn't my main "thing" but it is a lot of fun, and my leather cuffs have out-lasted a lot of other ones. Kind of cool, how they get better with age, but the rubber, and synthetics just get older, and more brittle.... kind of like me. I wish I had a sewing machine right now, I made a set of spreading pants, like the bestfixsystems ones, but need to do some "upholstery" work on them, to cover the steel, and padding. Plus they need the shoulder straps. I may just do some spray fabric glue, and webbing straps with rivets for now..
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Sir Cumference
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Re: What sewing machine for kinky stictching?

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Nice vids, G!
That was exactly what I meant.

Leather and silver are like that. With a bit of maintenance, age and use just makes it look better.
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Re: What sewing machine for kinky stictching?

Post by OrgasmAlley »

For "interesting" hardware, you might check out http://www.wwlhardware.com It's a site I started back when I was actively maintaining Working With Leather instructional stuff, and sold to a supplier. It's skinnied down some since then, but some good stuff there.
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Re: What sewing machine for kinky stictching?

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OrgasmAlley wrote:For "interesting" hardware, you might check out http://www.wwlhardware.com It's a site I started back when I was actively maintaining Working With Leather instructional stuff, and sold to a supplier. It's skinnied down some since then, but some good stuff there.

Oh, yes. I have spent some time on that site. A lot of good stuff over there. Bought a few things from them, mainly plate staples... I just went to their site, looks like they have a bit more than last time I was on... time to go look around...
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smelt
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Re: What sewing machine for kinky stictching?

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Gregovic wrote:
Keyless wrote:I have made sails. For the ordinary seams we used an ordinary electric machine and zig zag stitching. For the thick bits we used an old fashioned hand cranked machine and some hand stitching on the really thick bits. I've still got the old machine and use it for webbing etc.

I believe a technique for hand stitching leather is to put a needle on both ends of the thread. The needles go through the same hole from opposite sides of the material. I think that you may be supposed to make the hole with a separate tool. Maybe worth looking it up if you are not sure.
I've found this channel with really clear, calmly (britishly) narrated videos on basics and more advanced techniques: for example the basic saddle stitch or this one without talking, just stitching a lined belt. He really clearly shows the double needle technique together with the traditional English saddle stitch here.

Addendum: I'm listening to this 1,5 hour long one in the background that I got linked to from the Armitage videos linked above

OK, Ive watched all I can watch for today. The 1.5 hour one was one of the most informative videos I've seen in a while. I had to look at a posture collar we have, and some cuffs... wheels are turning.... I have a LOT of free time during the day. I think some tools will be here in the next few days. Here we go again...
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Re: What sewing machine for kinky stictching?

Post by Audrey_CD »

If you really want to sew leather for bondage restraints, you need one of these:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/232413748028?c ... 469&crdt=0
Sorry this one is the wrong side of the pond for you.

I own one of the 'tanks' referred to up thread. It will do a lot (accidentally through six layers of canvas!), but only through very thin 'decorative' leather.
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smelt
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Re: What sewing machine for kinky stictching?

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So after a lot of video watching, reading, and talking to a few "experts", I decided to order a set of hand stitching tools for leather. Got a couple different prickers (great name for a tool!), a rotary cutter, few different pairs of needles, a pretty good selection of different recommended threads. Plus a couple punches I didn't have. I have a pile of razor knives, and lots of other things that will cut most anything. So once this all comes in, I'm going to make something simple, thinking posture collar right now.

As for the machine(s), I managed to find the heavy-duty Singer, We should be picking it up this weekend. It was between sewing, and buying a mini lathe/ milling setup. Sewing won for now.... but the toys I could make with a full size mill.... If only I had 3 phase power in my shop....
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