Wizcrafts

I've been using Family Sew FS-550s servo motors sine around 2013 or 14. Never had any trouble with them yet. The motors from this dealer have a 2" pulley as standard, which slows it down and adds torque.

From the description in their ad, you are responsible for what happens to the machine after you receive it. It is drop shipped untested in a factory sealed box. You will have to handle any adjustments and repairs at your own expense. There is likely no support offered by the reseller.

I have only good experiences in my dealings with Cobra Steve and his associates. They have always been quick to reply and have done me many undeserved favors.

Absolutely NOT! Those needles are waaaay too short and won't even reach the throat plate. You need needles that are about 60mm long.

Maybe the builders forgot the felt. Contact your nearest Cowboy dealer to see if they have pre-cut felt circles for the bottom roller.

The lower roller doesn't move very much, nor very fast on these machines. As long as it isn't actually binding, leave it alone. If you do add a felt washer, make sure it doesn't interfere with the check spring.

Your machine is basically the same class as a Cowboy CB4500. I own one and have adjusted the hook and needle timing several times. Zero the stitch length lever first. Remove the System 328 needle and install a 794 needle. Loosen the needle bar clamping screws. Adjust the position of the needle bar to place the 794 (7x4) eye in the same vertical position relative to the hook as the 328, that the same distance up from BDC. The typical lift would be about 3/16" from BDC and the hook would intersect about 1/8 inch above the top of the eye. Fine tune as necessary to get the best pickup of the loop. You can test with thread to see if a decent loop in formed and if the hook picks it off in its midst. Lock down the needle bar screws when you have the best pickup at zero stitch length. Hint: Keep the System 328 needles in case you have problems with needle deflection in some difficult project. In fact, get some in smaller numbers, like #19 and #20, for use with thinner thread, like #92. Shorter needles deflect less than longer ones of any given diameter. It should only take about 10 minutes to swap needle systems once you get the hang of it.

Yea Team!

On all of the 441 type machines, the bottom "disk" is really just a roller with raised edges. It is a carry over from the ancient 45k series that ran waxed linen thread. One winds the top thread around the roller disk between 1.5 and 2 turns. This gives some fine control over the upper tension. It gives the check spring a good back pressure to work off of. But, the bottom roller does not replace the top tension disks. It augments them.

If the check spring is not able to bottom out all the way to the stop bracket's lowest position, the coil spring that returns it must set be too light. There is a nut on the back of the housing where the check spring shaft is mounted. You'll have to wrangle a really narrow wrench behind there to loosen the nut, then turn the split screw until it pulls the check spring all the way down. Tighten up the locking nut and set the stop bracket as needed. Don't be afraid to try different angles to get more travel.

There is a trick you can try that uses larger thread on top and thinner thread on the bottom. In your sample, you seem to like #277 on top. Tyr this. Load #277 white or straw thread on top. Install a #24 needle. Load the bobbin with #92 or #138 black thread and tighten down the bobbin tension spring. Back off the top tension disks to let the bobbin thread pull the knots down low, but inside the flesh side. If you use black thread on the bottom, the visible, semi-buried black knots won't need a Sharpie to bring them out visually. Adjust the check spring as necessary to keep the top thread taut.

I was trying to answer the topic with only a few minutes left before I had to leave for work. Now, that is SEWING! Kudos!

The easiest way to set the stopper for the check spring is to tighten the top tensioners on the thread, then loosen the set screw on the stop bracket and lower it as you hand wheel the needle down. Once the needle hits the top layer, add a touch more travel and tighten the set screw. This may need to be fine tuned but will keep the top thread taut until the needles penetrates the top layer. As for thread tension, I run with just enough bobbin thread tension to require a noticeable pull. Then I balance the knots with the top tensioner and sometimes with the secondary tensioner. Thread size matters with thin leather. When sewing 5 ounces on my Cowboy, I use a #19 needle with #69 or #92 thread. Anything larger makes it difficult to bury the knots. Also, it is not recommended to sew under 6 ounces on a 441 clone.

I also cannot imagine sewing tarps on a cylinder arm machine. I use a long body walking foot machine for that. I own a CB4500, which is a 441 clone. It is too slow for tarps and awnings and very inconvienient for flat work. It also needs to be dumbed down to sue sew thin thread and needles and harness feet aren't ideal for canvas.

I would agree that the likely culprit is your check spring. The spring must hold the top thread taut until the needle pierces the material. If it lets go before that the tip of the needle will pierce the thread.

Canvas sewing machines are different than leather sewing machines. Ignore my mention of needle and awl machines. Bullet proof machinery is hard to find. but I would say that the closest I know of are the Adler ECO and Classic series machines sold by authorized Adler USA dealers (like Weaver Leather). They make flatbed, long body and cylinder arm machines with single or double needles, some with automatic trimmers and backtacking. These are regarded as the creme of the crop in some circles. Enter here and look around!

I buy double sided Venture "Leather" Tape from Wawak.com. It is aggressive and available in 1/4", 1/2", 3/4" and 1" widths x 60 yards length. I strongly recommend it.

Have you looked into the Made in the USA Campbell Randal Lockstitch, or Union Lockstitch machines? They are under the auspices of the Campbell-Randall Company, in Texas. Both use a needle and awl with a jump foot. These are leather sewing machines only.

A piping foot set would accomplish a similar result. It would be a matter of trying different radiuses to find the best set.

A good many sole stitchers are made for right twist linen thread and will unravel left twist. Maybe your Champion is a right twist machine. The poly probably resisted unraveling due to the bonding agent..

Some replacement parts and some needles are available direct from Adler USA. Others from Europe and the UK from private sellers and major dealers. Prepare your heart meds if you need important parts. If you can buy it for under $1,500 and it is guaranteed to be in working order, grab it. Ask if there are needles included. The 30-7 and -70 use an extra long needle that is sold as 332LL LG, which are 55mm long (about 2 3/16"). Do not confuse this with system 332LG, which are much shorter.

Try to watch for a Singer 29k71, 72, or 73. These are among the finest and have the most compatible parts available. The last Singer patchers made were 29 K or U 171, 172 and 173. I had a 29k172 and had non-stop problems until I decided to get rid off it. That's when it began behaving as expected!

The check spring travel limiter and position may help tune the snap out of the thread coming around the bobbin. The spring has to keep the top thread taut until the needle pierces the top of the material. How much longer it stays taut is up for experimentation. If your check spring mechanism has a little screw inside a curved slot, try moving the discs one way then the other. There will be a position that gives a little more slack in the top thread that should ease the tension going around the hook.

I was referring to the pinion gears under the nose of the arm. Those have changed dimensions and how many were used over the years. People trying to restore ancient model 29-4 machines are discovering that there aren't any readily available replacement pinions in the aftermarket. There are other moving parts that fit the early models but not later ones. It is a crap shoot to buy an ancient patcher. However, they make excellent weights and anchors!

I should have qualified my previous statement from 2016 where I claimed that Singer patchers are the polar opposite of production machines. This would apply where it is the only sewing machine a user has and will have to perform all of the sewing operations. They can be applied to production situations, as described by Mike, where other machines struggle and they excel. But, the patcher should be finely tuned and high quality if you depend on it to help produce goods for sale. Most discussions about Singer patchers are from people considering buying a 29-4 as their first or second sewing machine. They want to know if the machine can sew belts, straps, holsters, saddles, etc. They ask how thick can it sew and what is the thickest thread it can use. This is because the machines are so well built that they appear to be strong enough to handle all those jobs. The answers tend to disappoint the posters. To the point of the original discussion, Singer 29-4 patchers are from the early 1900s and are usually shot by this time. Their stitch length is the first thing to go, then the timing gears wear out. Some of those gears are no longer available, except from salvage machines. I personally would not trust such a machine in a production environment unless it was rebuilt to factory specs (including possibly making some new pinion gears)..