Trox

Hello Darren, I do not know the machine type so I am speaking of leather sewing and upholstery machines in general. For thread cutting you can use a electrical Dc solenoid. On the foot-lift you need more power and the DC valves are getting very big. You must use it together with the machines foot-lifts exchange rods to make it stronger. Or the best solution is to use air pneumatic cylinders, they are much stronger compared to size. If I was to use a DC solenoid for my 441 foot lift, it had to be as big as a start motor for a Mack truck. Thats why most use air add ons on things like that, much cheaper too. Most already have a air compressor in their workshop too, then buy some waves, some hose, and air cylinders. Most compressors already have a reduction valve on it. You can use manual or electrical switches to activate them if you do not have a system motor. Good luck Tor

I paid about 800 dollars (the Norwegian krone; NOK is very high against the dollars) for my Efka DC 1550 (with DA (AB) 321 control and position head) motor included tax and shipping from Germany. In Norway it costs 1138,- $, I saved some money. However, I regret not buying it here, it would have saved me some trouble setting it up. Because the German dealer sent me the wrong motor control; an control box for a the Adler 205 machine instead of a universal model who can be set up for any machine. The Norwegian Efka dealer still gave me some support. Nevertheless, I had to call Efka in Germany to get help on setting up the Adler control for my 441. And when I did; I understood what customer supports meant. They called me back on Skype video phone and used about half a working day setting it up with me. They told me; "no matter where you bought your motor, as long as it reads EFKA on it, its our job to help you until your machine sews like you want it to". Try calling China to get any support there. I guess customer support is the only way western companies can compete against the Chinese, together with quality of course. The Chinese quality is improving all the time, on the support bit they still have a long way to go. I have three Efka motors, the oldest is from the 1980`ties and still works like a champ. The Efka company was the first who came with this kind of motors with needle position. It is a electronic controlled clutch motor, with electro brake and clutch; it has 12 steps of speed on the pedal. Then I have the DC 1600; who is a servo motor with needle position and all possibilities, a very good motor. I use it on my DA 267-373 machine (triple feed upholstery class machine). It is the system who now is replaced by the latest DC 1500 and 1550 mini servo motors. Never any problems, a dream to work on, I am very pleased with it. The latest DC 1500 and DC1550 mini servo motors (with control box of choice, I have the AB (DA) 321 and Dc 1550). It has up to 8 Nm torque and up to 1800 Watts of power. It is designed to be strong enough for any sewing machine, without the use of a reduction gear (speed reducer). I had a speed reducer on my 441 from before, Efka told me to remove it and told me about some parameters to increase the power if necessary. I use only half of its power on my 441 (with 16 1/2 inch arm), thats more than enough. Enough about technical specs and back to the economical sides. If you want a needle position motor for a harness stitcher you must pay about 500 $ for a Chinese made one. I addition you want a speed reducer to better control and add torque to it. Its from 90 to 200 $ depended of make/quality. Then you will be dangerously close to my 800 dollars and have much less power, performance, quality, support and so on. I think you understand what I am saying. Then calculate price against the years you are planning to use it, the Efka will work for the next 20 years. With the Chinese, nobody knows. Then you will cut in production time, out of service time, waiting for new parts time....etc. with the EFKA. If you ask me if I think it is expensive; NO Sir; I do not understand what you are talking about. Ha Ha, I think it is cheap, very cheap, in fact it makes money for me; that is the answer I will give you (No I do not work for Efka, I am just one of their happy customers) Thanks Tor

Hi Billymac, I had to do the same thing to my 441 clone, not because I wanted to switch side but moving the pedals further apart. The pedals was to close to each other, I was occasionally hitting the motor pedal when I was using the foot lift. Having a Efka needle position motor a small hit on the pedal starts a full revolution of the machine (a extra stitch). I used a brass roller in a similar way because the chain got a bad angle, the foot pedal is still pretty hard to press down. Now I am building a air foot-lift system on it. The foot lift will now be on full heel back of the motor pedal. ( I am using the inbuilt Efka switch for it) Two steps on heel back, first is needle up and full is presser foot up. I thought about a knee switch, however they are pretty expensive. If I do not like the heel-back option I can buy one later. I will post about it when I am done building it up. Tor

Hi Cris, I too use a lot of Blanchard tools and a French clamp like in the video. I do sew the saddle stitch like in the video. However, I use a very sharp diamond (high polished) awl. I use a pricking wheel to mark my stitches and gouge a stitching line with a grooving tool (grooving compass or other tool). I use # 0 and #1 harness needles with blunt points and both Barbour linen or braided nylon thread. I advice you to buy Al Stohlmans " the art of hand sewing leather". This is the best book for learning to sew a proper saddle stitch. Very good instructions and drawings by the Grand old master of leather work. No other way to learn this the right way from a book. The book is a paperback and can be bought on Amazon or Tandy/local leather craft supplier. You need this book, it will take care of the sewing problems you have now. The uniform stitch, where the awl is placed and where it has to come out on the back side etc. How to hold the awl, needles and so on. Buy the book, you wont regret it. Good luck. Tor

Kwokhing.com have reasonable priced feet's for the DA 867 machine, it uses the same feet's as the 367 and several others http://www.kwokhing.com/da/ Get a drop-down roller guide (suspending guide) when you at it. You will not find them to a better price anywhere else. Send them an email and pay with Paypal. good luck. Tor

Hi, The best motor for this machine is the Efka 1550, with the right Dürkopp Adler control DA 321 I think it is. This motor is more than strong enough for this machine. I use it on my 441 machine (without speed reducer) and I only use half of its power. The motor itself is very small, it is best mounted inside the machine head on direct drive. Dürkopp Adler or Efka will help you with the setup. If you buy it the Efka will help you on Skype video support to set up the motor. This motor has it all, needle position, great low speed control and all sewing programs. You can attach all the extras you want to on it; like air pneumatic or electro solenoid valves for back tacking, foot lift etc. Also step motors, anything you like. The option is a Chinese low priced servo, with a needle position and this is not that low priced anymore. And in addition if you want a speed reducer, then the price goes further up. There are crappy light sensor speed controls on several of these motors, and no options for extras. The Efka is a pro motor, the one Dürkopp Adler uses on their machines. When you have free support, the best technique and German super quality its worth the extra dollars. The machine becomes a dream to use, your machine is to fine for a cheap motor. You do not install a 1,2 liter Hyundai motor in your Mercedes Benz 500 either. I have Efka motors on three of my machines and I love them. I think your machine will handle those collars just fine, it will sew with tex 270 thread too. Of course you need a good motor to sew this thick, the Efka has up to 1800 Watt and 8 Nm torque , you will never use that much. However it ensures a smooth operation. Tor

Hi, The book are available on amazon. I did not know H Brindley still was in business, I think I saw the stuff from J Adams somewhere. I would love to see it again, Brindley too. Do they have a web page or some place they can be seen? You are lucky to live in a place with so rich saddlery history, it is not much to be found here no more. I saw a Danish saddler who has a lot of old harness ornaments, Heraldic crowns and such. He has done a lot for the Danish royal family apparently. http://www.sadelmager-dahlman.dk/side35.html There is a lot of nice historic stuff from the French saddelry there too. The language is Danish and French, google translate will take care of it. http://www.sadelmager-dahlman.dk/side32.html

Sometimes the use of Fibings liquid glycerin saddle soap will take care of the troubling thread, apply it on the spool and it soak in. However, it may also help to double the times you lead the thread true the thread pin. Use more than two holes and go around the pin between each hole. Use the lube pot and every guide holes available to get the twink out of the thread. This can also happen if thread is not pulled of the center of the spool. When you accidental push the thread rack guide out of position, or forget to lead the thread true at least two holes in the thread pin. I have heard it happens mostly to black colors because of something related to the coloring process. Double dying or redying of other colors can make it stick to the spool. like the trouble of a unevently voven bobbin.

Yes, I was 99 % sure of that too. However, when you accusing someone of cheating you got to be 100 % certain.

Hi Steve, how are you. Have you ever seen a genuine nine inch Juki 441 "S"? I guess that "S" suppose to stand for short, thats not Juki language. No I believe the "S" is from the clone`s sign, as on the similar Econosew clone in Piddlers post #8. Piddler, you asked for help; now you have all the dealers present. Non of our other members (certainly not me, anyway) has something to gain from advising you to use this dealers. We knows the importance of support on Chinese sewing machines. And the fact that what might look like the super deal on Internet, often turns out to be the most expensive one. If you going to buy a Cobra, Cowboy or Techsew, buy it from their respective dealers. Not from somebody on EBay who sells machines that looks phony. You can call them on free phone lines, they might have something used too. Good luck Tor

Nice job, This is a project I will do too when I have some spare time for it. I would have used a 45 degree angle on the joint before gluing and sewing it together. Its best done with an French edger. Nice work. Tor

If you read/look in the book "Dictionary of leather-working tools, c. 1700-1950 and the tools of allied trades" by RA.A. Salaman. Impressing title and a very fine hand illustrated tool dictionary on about 400 pages. There is at least twenty pages from Geo. Barnsleys tool cataloque, dated Sheffield 1898. He are represented in boot and shoe making tools, tools for tanners and Currier's, he also had some tools for harness and saddler's. He has a huge selection of different tools. Other Sheffield makers mention in the book is: Oxley, James and Wing, Thos. In Ward & Payne`s Cataloque, Sheffield, there is a lot of Saddler/harness tools too. The tools look very similar to both Dixon and Barnsley. There are two Dixon companies registered: Dixon, Thomas& son Walsall and Dixon, Joseph Tool co Walsall (who is the son of Thomas and still in business. He is a member of this forum and more than 90 years old, as you know) Their cataloque is not in the book. However, they look exactly as the tools who was sold by Hamton & Scott`s Equine Album Walsall, c 1900. There is a lot of other English tool makers listed in the book, in the old times there was a tool maker in every backyard. The tools patterns was often the same used by many companies, this was also case with French and American tools. So who made the first tool of it kind can be hard to find out if it was not patented, then when the patent expired other makers reproduced it if it was a popular tool or machine. We see a lot of examples on this both in leather tools and sewing-machines. This book is very helpful to me when I buy old leather tools. I have old tools from both J,Dixon, T Dixon and Geo Barnsley. Old steel is like wine, if you keep it the right way its getting better by the years. I like both European and American tools and I have not found any new stuff that can match the good old hand made tools. Then I have not payed 6 -700 dollars for a custom made round knife yet, so I do not know if they are better. However I am planning to buy a custom made Knipshield blade for my Dixon plough, they look awesome and I am told they preform very well too. I cannot wait to get a update from the Barnsleys. Make sure to ask them if their tools can be bought directly from them, and if they will make new saddlers tools from the old pattern inthe good old quality. Tell them they have too., Ha Ha In advance thanks. Good luck Leather Tool freak. Tor

Thanks, I make sure I do not hit anything first, and you can use a stop or a tape on your drill bit to make sure you do not drill to deep. It is "soft" metal and easy to drill in (with the right drill bit). I am about to do the same job on my 441 too. As long as you know what you are doing it is no big deal. If you have not threaded a screw hole before, practice on some scrap metal and do it in the same angle as you have to on the machine. Try to make it as straight as possible (in a 90 degree angle) It is not difficult. Cheers Tor

If you have not read all the post about mr Hale and co, you can check this out http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=41396 http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=42100&hl=%2Bhale+%2Band http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=38837&hl=%2Bhale+%2Band I am sure they would be interested in whats has been going on with their and their fathers name. Kayak45 sure would be interested in getting more info since he still have not got his money back from Hale, and it was some dollars too. besides all this. I am mostly interested in what they are doing regards their leather tools, if they are going to go for low priced tools or move up to their fathers company standard of tools again. I hope they will see you and give you a update. Good luck with that. Thanks Tor

And stay away from Hale and Co, if he is still around. Some of our members are still waiting on their Barnsley tools from him, purchased for almost a year ago. Les, being a neighbor of their office, why not pay them a visit and get a update on their business. Its been a lot of different stories/ rumors about them. I do not think they know about the tool scam done with their fathers name either.

Listen to what Ken says, at least wait until Bob get answer from Juki. Then you will know how trustworthy this seller is. The Cowboy and Cobra dealers has used machines too, and different way of financing them.

I totally agree with everything you say Bluesman, However, I prefer a Strat. I sold mine years ago when times was Though, and I have never been able to buy an other one. Now I only play for my own amusement, I will do with my acoustics and a cheap strat copy some one gave to me.

Yes Sylvia I guess so. The worst instrument to hear somebody practice on must be a violin. I remember my mother practiced on her accordion, never played a hole piece, I hated that too. And the wooden flute we had play in children school sound terrible. The Ukulele scores high on my list too. It lacks body, has only high notes. In addition to other instruments it can be used as a soprano, however I do not like it as a solo instrument. It has become very popular lately because its easy to play on, It think its some kind of hype that will pass soon. I do love a lot of instruments too, the guitar is one of them. Now you know why I thinks it is a good idea to wrap it in leather. However, lead will do a better job. LOL

Hi Les, this office? https://www.google.com/maps?q=&layer=c&z=17&iwloc=A&sll=53.390455,-1.471538&cid=12489703257558336934&cbp=13,191.2,-8.7,0,0&panoid=Qq1JE7WI7zDr-sBDyGr1bA&q=woodware+repetitions+sheffield&sa=X&ei=ig_qUIr-D8SH4gSZ-4CgBQ&ved=0CJABEKcf The sons of George Barnsley`s have been operating under this name for some years. Maybe they now have got their old name back. Abbey sells many of their tools as economical priced leather tools. I have bought some of their reasonably priced tools, and they are worth their money. Some have tried to sell them as George Barnsley tools of the old stock, without the companies knowledge. Maybe now when they got their name back they intend to get their tools back to the old standard. I wish I knew what plans they had, it is no future in competing with the third world on cheap stuff. If they want to survive in the leather tool business quality, quality, quality and high prices is the only way to do it. George Barnsleys old tool catalog sure was impressive and the tools was very fine. Look at the plough gauge Le Prevo sells, its a woodware rep. I sure is a joke. However, the round knife looks like its a good buy for the money. Tor

Yes, give him a guitar; those uku`s make an annoying sound. I am sorry Sylvia, he is a good player. However, imagine when you have to listen to somebody who cannot play practice on that thing all day long. Then you will accidental step on it and run out and buy him/her a guitar instead. Tor

Good idea Sylvia, they will sound much better in leather and with out strings too, ha ha

It is basic physics, the different frequency in the wood and leather will kill it. The sound will travel true the wood with one frequency meet the new material and die.Pretty but silent. Tor

You are lucky to have these member dealer nearby that stands behind their products. These dealers will always pick up the phone and help their customers, answer their email. A dealer on the Internet or far away in an other country can ignore you when you need their support. Our member dealers cannot, you can all be sure about that. Unless you are an experienced operator or mechanic, you will need this support. When your new machine will not sew or you find out there are some parts broken or missing, and the seller will not answer your calls. Then what seemed like a good deal can turn into a nightmare. The Juki TSC 441 comes standard with blanket feet's, plate and feed-dog,and so does their clones. I had to buy leather attachment and set up my 441 clone myself. If I lived in the USA I would have saved me the trouble and bought a Cobra 4 or Cowboy 4500 leather machine. Tor

Much appreciated, I will put my dollar on the clone theory. Maybe some original parts on it, that made someone tempted to put the Juki brand on it. Anybody who will bet against? The CowboyBob name change was a smart move Bob, Thank you. Tor

I asked "Is this a original Juki machine? or a re-badged Chinese machine?" The seller claims this is a Chinese made Juki machine. " This model machine is made in China, not in Japan. Juki has several models both made in Japan and China" I know they make machines in China, everybody does. However, the answer should be yes or no. It looks to me like this is a answer where its easier to fill in the missing words after-wards; that word will either be "clone or copy" However I can be totally wrong about this? strange, if Juki have started to make nine inch models we would have heard about it in this forum. They would have used their own subclass labels also, this do not look like a new machine. It is sold as used. A bit of a mystery to me. Thread take-up spring stop and thread guides on the faceplate is off, one of the parts is taped on top of the head. It might be for transports reasons? Bob"Sewmun" at Toledo or some of our other dealers should have heard about this, if you know anything about this please let us know. Thanks Tor