Wizcrafts

I used to own a Juki LU-563, with reverse. It was never able to match the holes in reverse, so I did Poor Man's Reverse to lock the stitches. That means rotate the work 180 degrees and sew over the last three or four stitches. The 563 uses a double capacity Juki LU bobbin. Mine was able to sew at least 1/4 inch of veg-tan and was also used to sew vinyl reflective safety vests with edge binding, all day long at times. It uses up to #138 thread, which is adequate for a 3/16 inch thick leather belt. Anything thicker would call for #207 thread, which may be beyond the 563's ability to properly tension and clear the hook (maybe it can be tweaked to pass that diameter thread).

I'll see if I can get our member, @gottaknow to read this topic. He is a machine mechanic in a major West coast sewing factory and works with all types of industrial sewing machines.

Okay, I remember how I finished sewing with no extra holes. When edge stitching I would turn the belt, strap, whatever, sideways so that the awl came down outside the leather as the take-up mechanism peaked at the top, locking in the last stitch inside the last hole.

I had a trick I learned to finish sewing in the last hole. I'll try to remember it and get back to you. It's been 8 years since I sold my second ULS.

What total thickness will these gun belts be? Are you using veg-tan leather, bridle leather, or Latigo?

You may need to buy a parts machine to get those shafts.

That's awesome. Congratulations! The needle and awl machines produce some of the best stitches that can be made.

A #140 needle is WAY too big for T70 thread. I recommend using a #110 needle with that thread size.

No problem. I don't know where else one would go to discuss those machines.

The 29k machines are for patching shoes, boots, vests and other small items that need short runs of stitching with thin thread. They are good for a little over 1/4 to 5/16 inch of leather, but the stitches get shorter at this height than at 1/8 inch and less. 45k models have various drive systems. Most can sew at least 3/8 inch and use much heavier thread and needles than the 29 series. Triple feed walking foot machines are for upholstery, zippers, aprons, vests, pouches and cases. They usually max out at 3/8 inch with #138 thread.

I think that this topic has come to a natural conclusion. I am locking it up to avoid any further deterioration.

Alexander knows his stuff. He not only sells machines, but also sews on them professionally. His advice about the CB3200 is spot on. You are going to need one machine for light, thin work - with small needles and thread, and another for heavy, thick work with big needles and thread. That is my experience.

The Cobra Class 20 is listed as capable of tensioning #207 thread. That is doable by spacing the hook far enough away from the needle to let that size thread pass around the hook and bobbin case. I have a post bed machine that was adjusted to sew with #207 thread, so I know it is doable. But, sewing 1/2 inch of veg-tan leather with #207 thread is something that's not as simple as it seems. Each layer of 8 ounce leather adds to the density of the package that needs to be penetrated and then held down as the threaded needle ascends, carrying the overlocked bobbin thread with it. This is where problems manifest themselves when you try to sew thicker than the machine is setup to handle efficiently. The holding down part is done by a coil pressure spring. That spring would have to be as strong as the ones used in the Cobra Class 3 and 4 to keep the leather stack from lifting with the needle. Lifting leather, due to insufficient spring pressure, causes skipped stitches, bent and broken needles, needles stuck inside the leather and varying stitch lengths. These problems can occur with 3/8 inch of veg-tan too. I would ask for a demonstration of the machine sewing 24 ounces, or more, of veg-tan leather, with a #24 needle and #207 thread, top and bottom. Those are the minimum needle/thread requirements for such a stack of leather. Personally, I use at least #277, or #346 thread when I sew over 3/8 inch of veg-tan leather, or Latigo. This requires a #25 or #26 needle! And, I have to crank down the pressure screw to keep the thick stack of leather with thick knots from lifting on my CB4500 or my buddy's Class 4. Just my .02

You only have a short time to edit a post as a standard user. Moderators can act at any time.

Yep; anti-backlash bobbin basket spring.

I found a Reliable 4000SW walking foot machine listed on Amazon, complete with specs, motor and table, price, questions and answers. It looks to be a pretty standard walking foot machine, meaning it uses thread sizes 69 through 138 and needles from #16 through #23 or perhaps #24. It is definitely not a holster sewing machine, but will sew belts, guitar straps, rifle slings, garments, wallets, backpacks, phone pouches and the like. Other than that, I have no experience with the machine. It is priced similarly to the Consew 206RB-5.

Honestly, these little motors don't have enough startup torque to overcome the weight of the large flywheel on my patcher. I had to spin the wheel with my hand to get it moving. Once in motion the motor could keep it sewing until I stopped the wheel.

I have one of those tiny motors on a Singer 29k71 patcher. It has a tiny pulley that feeds the larger pulley on the flywheel on the patcher. The speed reduction is probably 15 or 20 to 1. That's what it takes to drive a heavy mechanism. Your machine probably has a smaller pulley than my patcher. Thus, it may require an idler wheel with 3:1 gear reduction to get enough torque to turn the machine over from a dead stop and pierce veg-tan leather. You can find these reducers on the cheapo portable walking foot machines sold on eBay.

If you don't want to use linen thread and wax, use the lubricated bonded polyester thread that is sold by Campbell Randall. You will have to use a slightly bigger awl than if you used linen thread, which bends easier and forms tighter 'knots.'

Campbell Randall Lockstitch machines were designed before there was any synthetic thread. The standard thread for these machines is left twist glazed linen thread. The best is Barbour's Irish Linen Thread, which is sold by Campbell Randall. It works very well when run through Campbell's Lax-Wax in the lube pot. It can also be run through Sellari's liquid stitching wax.

Sometimes it is better to use a flat foot straight stitch machine, or a roller foot machine to sew floppy leather. A Singer 31-15 does a good job sewing thin, soft leather with #69 bonded thread and takes all manner of feet and attachments.

Use feet that are close together when sewing soft leather or cloth. Add more foot pressure to hold down the leather under the alternating inside foot. If it has its own top mounted pressure spring, screw it all the way down. Use glue or leather tape to hold the pieces in alignment for sewing and buy titanium needles to resist clogging from the glue or tape.

You are going to have to lower the presser foot bar. First, check the chain that lifts the foot to ensure that there is a little slack with the foot down. If not, move the chain down one link. If the chain isn't holding the foot up, you must remove the faceplate by loosening the top right and bottom left bolts holding it onto the head. Unthread the top thread first. With the faceplate off, locate two screws that secure the presser bar to the block that moves it up and down. Loosen the screw and pull the foot all the way down to the throat plate, then line it up and tighten the two screws. Reinstall the faceplate, making sure you place the slotted bracket over the pin under the top tension assembly, which lifts the blade that separates the tension disks. Someone may have a video of this. I am at work in my shop right now.

I moved this request from the Help Wanted forum because any replies there must be approved before they appear. As a registered member you will get better results in the Leather Sewing Machines forum.

Perhaps, if you knew where these motors are designed and manufactured, your expectations would become less theoretical and more along the lines of: "Thank God when I pull the lever down - the motor turns faster the farther I pull it and it doesn't explode." As for any thought you have about bugging the builders of the popular servo motors, we don't need another Sew Pro 500GR incident. Buyers and dealers complained about case warping problems that came from a redesign of their motor. They chose to close the company rather than fix the problem.