ThreeRivers

This post has been up for awhile. Is the machine still available?

NO LONGER AVAILABLE. SHOP HAS BEEN SOLD.. THAKS TO ALL WHO INQUIRED.

At this time I have accepted a deposit for the equipment. The buyer is scheduled to pick up November 16th. If anything changes I will update this post. Thank you all for your interest.

Leaving the business due to health reasons so my entire shop is for sale. I specialized in western gun rigs primarily for the Cowboy Action Shooting folks. This offering is for the entire shop, all machines, tools, tool boxes, benches, hand tools, dyes, remaining stock of leather and hardware, and miscellaneous items. Cobra 4 purchased new about 5 years ago, the Class 14 about a year later. Shop is located in Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. Price for entire shop is $4500, buyer responsible for pick up and shipping, these costs are not included in purchase price. I am not interested in selling the individual items, this is a package deal. I can use PayPal to invoice for payment. Included in price: · Cobra 4 Sewing Machine & stand · Cobra Class 14 Splitter & stand · Bench top drill press · Spindle sander · Hardwood top bench · Cutting table · Bench/desk with shelf and overhead light · 6 drawer tool box on 2 drawer roll around stand · 12 ton hydraulic press · ½ ton arbor press · Craftool manual splitter · Assorted end and hole punches · Tooling punches · Pistol molds · Assorted hardware: rivets, Chicago screws, buckles, snaps, conchos etc.. · Fiebings Pro dyes, and edge coatings varied quantities and colors · Leather stock remaining at time of sale · Belt and holster patterns.

Leaving the business due to health reasons so my entire shop is for sale. I specialized in western gun rigs primarily for the Cowboy Action Shooting folks. This offering is for the entire shop, all machines, tools, tool boxes, benches, hand tools, dyes, remaining stock of leather and hardware, and miscellaneous items. Cobra 4 purchased new about 5 years ago, the Class 14 about a year later. Shop is located in Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. Price for entire shop is $4500, buyer responsible for pick up and shipping, these costs are not included in purchase price. I am not interested in selling the individual items, this is a package deal. I can use PayPal to invoice for payment. Included in price: · Cobra 4 Sewing Machine & stand · Cobra Class 14 Splitter & stand · Bench top drill press · Spindle sander · Hardwood top bench · Cutting table · Bench/desk with shelf and overhead light · 6 drawer tool box on 2 drawer roll around stand · 12 ton hydraulic press · ½ ton arbor press · Craftool manual splitter · Assorted end and hole punches · Tooling punches · Pistol molds · Assorted hardware: rivets, Chicago screws, buckles, snaps, conchos etc.. · Fiebings Pro dyes, and edge coatings varied quantities and colors · Leather stock remaining at time of sale · Belt and holster patterns.

Thanks Bob, for the feedback..

First off, THANKS for all the help over the last few days, much appreciated. When it was all said and done the problem may have been as simple as changing the position of the Thread stand/guide. I went back and viewed the Al Bane Cobra 4 video again. I noticed that the position of the stand was directly behind the machine head with the thread guide directly above the spools. Mine wasn't even close to that. I repositioned both to match the video. I went back to working on the cross draw Cowboy rig and completed it, including the belt, with no dropped stitches. It finally seems that the light is very bright at the end of the tunnel, I am keeping my fingers crossed. Below is a picture of the finished rig. Once again. Thanks ! ! !

Needle Quandary In my brief and exciting venture in the world of leather machine stitching I have encountered challenges and some small victories, and spent considerable time learning and being confused, not necessarily in that order. One on the remaining mysteries is the issue of machine needles. There seems to be numerous codes used to describe the size, shape, length, intended use, etc. for the various needles. One would think that he same machine would use the same needle for the same use. Specifically I am referring to the 441 Type machines offered by Tech Sew, Leather Machine Co. and Toledo Industrial. I looked up the needles on the web sites for the following machines and found that each appears to use a different needle: Cobra 4 7X4 NW Tech Sew 5100 7X1 Cowboy 4500 7X3 (DYX3) 7X appears to be the common denominator but after that things change. Are these needles interchangeable between machines or are the machines different enough to require different needles? Is there some sort of cross reference available to decipher the various codes and aid in selecting needles? Thanks !!!!

Thanks Michelle, I will give it a try, that is a really clever troubleshooting tip. I finished stitching a cowboy holster today with out any machine hic ups maybe just luck but I will take it

Thanks for the feedback. I have checked the timing about three times following the instructions in Steve's' manual and it looks OK each time. That is why I am reluctant to change it. I will look at what you are describing. Given that I am still a relative novice I have been very conservative about the tensions based on Steve's advice. I guess the weight test might be my first stop. Thanks Michelle, for starting this thread, I am with you, I look forward to sewing on the brown "beast".

Sounds like we share some common experiences with the the Cobra 4. I have been using mine for a couple months now and getting some pretty nice projects through it. I have been making holster, belts and some small gun leather accessories. It is a great machine. It does has a minor quirk that I think might be timing but I am hesitant to mess with it. It will occasionally drop a stitch or two at seems at random. I am using 207 and 277 thread and #24 and #25 needles, it will do it with either combination.. ... My guess is that the timing is just slightly off and I am considering moving the tip of the hook slightly forward past the needle. Right now it lines up right at the needle. Any suggestions here.

Thanks for the reply, after using the machine since Tuesday, I finally got through a small project today. Still on the learning curve, I expect I will be for awhile yet, but at least I finished something. Some of he stitches are pretty ugly, but the vast majority are excellent. The more I learn the more I like the machine.....

I got my new machine on Monday last. After un packing and assembly,( had to enlist some help to get the head onto the stand), I set about to test drive it. Test drive went well and I put many, many stitch lines into some leather scraps. Then I decided to change thread and needle size. This definitely became a learning experience. The results are shown below. I say learning experience since the problem was operator error and nothing to do with the machine. After some trial and error and multiple reviews od Steve's instructional video I finally figured it out. All indications are that the love affair will continue for many years.

Thanks for the replies.

Been doing mostly various kinds of gun leather for awhile now, but all by hand sewing. I am in the process of buying a machine to get to the next level, which has led me to the subject of thread. There are a multitude of choices out there especially for a new guy to machine sewing. I managed to narrow it down to thread in sizes 207 and 277 based on some recommendations here on Leatherworker. At his point the choices get confusing: Nylon? Polyester? Bonded ? What recommendations do you guys have. I found this on eBay, one of many, any information/recommendations of this variation? In case the graphic it too small the label reads : American & Efird, Inc.,Mt Holly, N.C., Anefil Nylon, Bonded, White, 30001, ST277.