Wizcrafts

The way this knee lifter works is the bent rod pushes on the pivoting crank. If the rod is set too high it can actually push against the body, lifting the head. If it is set too low, it can slide past the "beak" and flop around uselessly. The trick is to position the rod high enough so that it gives the full required amount of lift to the feet, yet does not also push the body itself up. You should have a discoverable range of height that accomplishes these two things.

@Constabulary

No, they are not standard. You'll need to measure the length and width of the bed of the machine and order a table with that size cutout and rubber shock mounts installed. You may have to drill a hole for the foot lifter chain, unless the machine has an internal push rod foot lift system. You'll also need to determine the length of the type 3L v-belt. Personally, I would hire an industrial sewing machine dealer to build your table, complete a small pulley servo motor, foot or knee lever to lift the foot, oil pan, thread stand, bobbin winder and flexible work light, all wired and ready to rumble. If you want to tilt the head to adjust or oil the bottom parts, you'll need 2 machine pivot blocks and mounting clamps installed that will mate to the holes in the back of the bed of the head, plus a tilt back stop peg that fits into a hole drilled into the table top. The exact position of the holes for the pivots is critical and machine specific.

If your sheathes and holsters are to be sewn flat, just get the standard throat plate that ships with the machine. The holster plate is cutoff on the left edge of the needle slot, allowing you to sew next to shapes that extend below the base height. Actually, if you make pancake holsters that are only raised above the base level, they can be sewn using the standard throat plate. The standard setup included an inside foot that moves with the needle and a double toe outside foot that moves up and down. You should definitely order the separate left toe and right toe feet! There will be jobs that call for just one toe or the other to sew the work properly. The double toe foot is fairly wide and will prevent you from sewing directly next to a raised area. A good accessory is either a swing away or a dropdown edge guide. The latter should be factory installed for your sanity. The swing away edge guide blocks the leather all the way down to the throat plate, while the drop down can be lifted over a lining/bottom layer and still follow the edges of the top layer. This is great for lined straps that have the lining trimmed after sewing.

That looks good. Set the height of the bent post so it moves the lifter crank far enough to fully lift the feet and open the top tension disks. Lock in the position of the bent rod, then set the motion stop block on the knee lever so you can't push too far.

You could pay a local sewing machine dealer to come out and assemble it and adjust it for you. This will save a lot of headaches if you have no previous experience with these machines. If the seller had it drop shipped to you, the machine may never have been timed, or adjusted, or oiled since it left China.

This machine is fascinating!

Here is the machine Ron was referring to that produces the close double row stitches on shoe uppers.

It is a known fact that the darker the color, the more twisty bonded thread usually is. Black bonded nylon is the worst because it is often double dyed (first dark blue, then black), then bonded. The thicker the thread, the more like a coil spring it can be. The same size thread in white and straw color may be soft and feed perfectly straight off the spool.

That NS8100, with automatic motor and positioning controls is upwards of $12,000, or more. There are no prices on the website because all their machines are built to order.

The original topic being referenced pertained to sewing shoe outsoles with two rows of stitching. While the Puritan machines can be built to sew close to the shoe upper, it is still a chainstitch machine, which is not suitable for sewing shoe soles. If the chain is on the bottom it is bound to get broken after walking on sidewalks and paved lots. Chainstitches that are broken can unravel. Even if the broken stitch is waxed to stay in place, the appearance is not commercially acceptable to the general public. That's why you see lockstitches on shoe soles. There is a use for chainstitch machines on shoe insoles and uppers. Redwing uses them to sew those components. The insole chainstitches are covered with the insole lining or pad to keep them from rubbing against the bottom of your foot. The side and upper stitches are done with thin thread that produces a very tight chainstitch on the inside that doesn't rub the side of your foot. BTW: $1200 is a very good price for that new style (NS) Puritan. New machines of that ilk cost thousands of dollars, with some exceeding $12,000.

What you want is the Robin SP168 Sidewall Stitcher.

I found this to be true on both of my Union Lockstitch machines. I adjusted the needle feed block as tight as possible without binding, in two axis. Even with this tight needle positioning, there were times and circumstances when the needle missed the hole and started pushing the leather up. Also, some leather and non-leather tends to close up on the bottom as the awl withdraws, making it harder for the needle to penetrate the hole. So, a full size larger awl helps the needle do its thing with difficult leather, or Biothane.

This is a wrong combination. Nylon thread is already lubricated. The tensioners on needle and awl machines need to get a good grip on the thread to pull up the knots. They were designed with linen thread in mind. The silicon makes the thread slippery, which throws off the tensioners' affect. The wax pot is for liquid wax, not silicon. Further, nylon is not recommended as a dry thread in these machines. If you must use bonded thread, use bonded polyester. It is already lubricated. Believe it or not, you can still buy linen thread for needle and awl machines. It is distributed by Campbell-Randall, in Texas, under two varieties: Hungarian Linen and Barbour's Irish Linen Thread. I strongly recommend Barbour's because it is cleaner. The Hungarian thread had all manner of loose fragments protruding from the twisted thread. While liquid beeswax would smooth them down, Campbell's Lax Wax did not. Barbour's Irish linen is the best I have ever used, albeit you will need to back way off on the tensions.

You might try getting in touch with Puritan Industries to see if they have some Ceroxylon wax left for sale. It is clear and water soluble, until it hardens. They shipped a sample quart to me in 2011 for use in my last Union Lockstitch machine. Otherwise, they sold it is gallons and larger.

Bobbins, needles and shuttles are available for all 29 series patchers. Prewound bobbins are also still available, but hard to find. The small ones are sold by the gross. You are missing a tapered pin that holds the needle bar to the take-up barrel. That pin is sold in the aftermarket.

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.