Wow. That's a serious looking machine. Probably has more horsepower than my car!

Long ago, like 25+ years, my wife asked me to take an afternoon off work and drive her down to Louisville, KY for a sewing machine show. She really doesn't ask for much, so I agreed. It turned out to be an embroidery machine show. I drove home, about $1500 poorer but she was happy. So time passed and she came home one day hedging around and finally she wanted me to pay for a new one. This one was $3500 but the generous salesperson tossed in a serger (I had no idea what that was). So again I paid up and all was well if impoverished. More time passed and she wanted me to go with her to a local sewing machine dealer. I kind of knew where it was going, but agreed. This cycle it was for a machine that could stand on its head and sing. Sort of. And that was $7500. Just for the machine. Well, it did include the software.

Then one day she showed me an ad in the local newspaper. It was an embroidery company going out of business. We'd gone to one earlier, but all we bought was some hats and shirts. I think those are still boxed up. Anyway, the new auction had all kinds of stuff. She'd just gotten a new VW Passat wagon. I drove from work and met her. Soon I was the proud owner of table #6 and all that was under it. She drove my jeep back to the hospital where she worked. I filled the wagon, top to bottom and even the front seat with thread. Consumer thread is in tiny rolls, this was commercial rolls. The same size outside but on small centers. Think 5K meters, and maybe a dozen of each color.

I did some quick calculations and figured out if I got started, I could tie the thread end to end and make it to Kali and about half way back. Anyway, when I got back to work, my boss pulled in after me. He knew where I was going and laughed. Then he looked at the back of the car and there was thread on the parking lot. Over to the drive, then out the drive. We walked out to the road, just to see. It went up the hill and we lost interest. When I told my wife, she was a little upset. She said she might need that thread. I think she was kidding.

Moral of the story, look to places going out of business for your supplies.

My close friend, Karen, runs a self-employed saddle shop here in Wickenburg. She has a Juki and another heavy duty brand I forget the brand at the moment. She has rigged up a separate thread feed stand with four spools to feed the two machines. I visit occasionally just to chat, and it is amazing to watch her setup. The walking foot (feet) are neat. She and I met through a search and rescue group, and we remain small town friends. I have an inexpensive sewing machine that can do mild nylon and poly material, but nothing like these machines can do.
  
Here is Karen's shop.
 

Wow! She's sewing tack!
My older brother wants to do tack and holsters.
Right now he has to awl them and hand sew the stitches.

quote:

Originally posted by ScreamingCockatoo:
Wow! She's sewing tack!

She sews tack like it is cloth. When the winter snowbirds come and the ropers invade town, she is very busy keeping their gear in order.
 

I have to admit that the machine description was Greek to me. After reading the balance of the thread I have a better understanding of what you are doing and somewhat how, great find and really neat what it can do. Please post some images of some of the finished products.

Nice find! I've been looking for a used machine as there are a few leather bag designs I want to try out and the hand stitching takes so long especially if the design doesn't work out. I also need to re upholster a boat interior and a few other projects.