Wizcrafts

You ain't the Lone Ranger! Today, I was hurrying to sew a wallet for a customer on his way to pick it up. I had to re thread from #277 to #207 thread. I changed the bobbin and needle, then ran a test in a piece of bridle leather. Strangely, the knots were all on the bottom, where they were perfectly balanced earlier with one size larger thread and needle. I decided to add some top tension and looked at the tension disks as I went to turn the nut. That's when I noticed that the top thread was NOT inside the disks! Doh! It even happens to seasoned sewers.

@boarlord, you didn't state what make and model your patcher is? Parts and accessories vary with the make and model. The Boss hand operated stitchers normally use thicker thread than any patcher can handle. The largest thread I've used in my Adler 30-7 is #138, The small bobbin Singer patchers are best limited to #69 and 92 bonded thread. Parts are available in the aftermarket supply chain (e.g., Amazon, eBay, Etsy), and from established industrial sewing machine dealers, like this one. We also have a member who goes by @shoepatcherwho has parts for Singer, Adler, and Claes patchers.

Yeah; get a 2:1 or 3:1 speed reducer.

My thinking was that you might get the benefit of the wax from the bottom thread. All of the knots would be waxed by the bobbin thread when they get pulled into the leather. They sell spools of 5 and 6 cord left twist glazed Irish Linen thread at Campbell-Randall, in Texas. I also found one spool of 3 cord still for sale on Etsy.

I have a 111w153. I mostly use #69 or #92 thread in it. But, I occasionally thread it with #138, which is the maximum it can practically handle. This calls for a #23 needle, which requires a hell of a lot of torque to punch it through 1/4 inch of veg-tan leather.

Do this at your own risk. Wax on the top thread will clog up the top tension disks, then the paddle spring, then the eye of the needle. I imagine you can use it if you clean those items after each use. This means ramming the threading rod down the thread channel in the needle bar to push out the wax. You should be able to simply wind waxed linen thread onto your bobbins. It might be worth trying waxed thread in the bobbin and dry glazed linen on top. You'll have to clean the wax that gets caught under the bobbin tension spring and the thread feed slot and the little output hole in the case.

The harness stitchers are cylinder arm machines, best suited for use with heavier thread and thicker work. For a smaller machine, consider a flat bed upholstery class walking foot machine. They are comfortable to operate as you are sitting down in a regular height chair. These machines keep the material flat so the seams stay aligned as you sew. You can keep smaller size thread spools on the walking foot machine, in sizes 69 and 92. System 135x16 and 17 needles are not as likely to get deflected and break as the longer System 7x3 when using thin needle sizes 18 and 19.

Have you checked their website to see if they have a lease to own program? I know that our Cowboy dealer has one.

It's new to me too. Since there is no reverse on this machine, you'll have to use the old fashioned methods to lock in the starting and ending stitches. Those are sew all around and cross over 5 to 7 stitches; or sew a few stitches, then with the needle up, pull back and resew into those stitches; or sew backwards then spin the work 180 degrees (I call this Poor Man's Reverse).

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I use my small bobbin Singer patchers for sewing patches onto bikers' vest pockets, or varsity jacket sleeves, or for sewing loose threads on shoe and boot uppers, or for installing zippers in boots, or on jacket sleeves. I alternate between #69 and #92 bonded nylon thread. Period; full stop. I have a long arm large bobbin Adler patcher that I sometimes use with #138 thread, if no other machine can sew that job. The Adler is a much heavier duty patcher all around. Still, I usually have either #69 or 92 thread in the bobbins.

A plain 20 gauge guitar string is too flexible to push past the paddle spring, especially if there is debris under it.

A hobby shop, or well stocked hardware store should have thin steel rods. Since patchers weren't expected to use thread larger than 3 cord, buy a rod no larger than .020 inches, if not a little thinner. I personally don't exceed #138 thread in my patchers. That is equal to .0163 inches diameter. I suspect that once you receive your proper threading wire, it will push out any thread stubs that were under the paddle spring. If not, try some solvent down the snout of the needle bar. If that doesn't clear out the crap, you'll have to remove the needle bar assembly.

@DieselTech, The narrow feed dog and matching narrow throat plate are aftermarket items that are manufactured by two of our members. I linked to their profiles earlier in this thread. One is in Australia and the other is in the USA. I have the Australian narrow set installed in my cb4500 and haven't had to remove it to sew with #277 thread. I haven't tried using #346 and the larger #26 needle yet. That might be a bit too wide for this feed dog. I'll try it when I go to my shop later today (unless I forget!). The other set is best suited to smaller needles and thread. I have switched over to his set once to hem a pair of jeans. It worked perfectly! However, I also have a Techsew 2700 cylinder arm machine that already does that work, natively. With a Cowboy cb4500, or Cobra Class 4, or Techsew 5100, and one or two narrow feeder/throat plate sets, one can sew anything from a pair of denim pants, or a wallet interior, up to a 7/8 inch thick holster. Just change the feeder, needle and thread, balance the knots, and sew the project at hand. The flatbed table attachment makes it easier to sew some flat items. I have one but rarely use it.

Find a leathercrafter who does this work and hire him or her to make the collar. You can advertise what you want made in this section of the forum. Please start a new topic for your job request. Note, that all guest posts must wait to be approved before becoming visible. Also, unless you become a member of Leatherworker.net, you cannot use our email or private message system. You will have to post your contact info in a publicly viewable manner.

The wax pot causes the thread to make a shape turn down and then up. Wetting linen thread weakens it when it is under stress. Linen thread can't handle that sharp angle when it is wet. The Cobra was not designed to use linen thread. The best sewing machines that are designed to use linen thread are needle and awl harness stitchers, like the Union Lockstitch and the Campbell-Randall Lockstitch, as well as the Puritan Chainstitch, and the Landis 12 series curved needle and awl shoe sole stitchers. All of these machines have gentle turns for the thread and use rollers in the wax pots, which typically contain bees wax, not silicone lube. Should you attempt to run liquid wax in your wax pot, it will gum up the tensioners and the eye of the needle. The 441 machines are meant to use bonded synthetic thread.

@DieselTech You are getting way ahead of your requirements when you say you want the EPS system on a Cowboy cb4500. or equivalent. That is a needle position sensor that either stops with the needle up otr down all the way. This system was developed for the garment needle trade where they frequently sew at 90 stitches per SECOND, or faster! My Cowboy cb4500 is equipped with an analog servo motor which has a speed limiter dial and knob. It has a 2 inch pulley that feeds a 3:1 speed reducer, which drives the huge balance wheel. The overall reduction is between 9:1 and 10:1 from the motor to the machine. When I set the motor to the slowest setting where it still turns over and powers this reduction stack, the maximum machine sewing speed is about 1/2 to 3/4 stitch per second. I can easily feather the motor down to 1 stitch in 10 seconds. You don't need no stinking EPS on a cb4500! @DieselTech You can order your cb4500 and accessories that make sense, HERE

Yup

That is NOT a proper threading wire! The real wires are totally round and are slotted on the bottom to catch the thread between the slotted legs. Some new replacement rods a just v gouged on the very end. They barely hold onto the thread. The rod should be no more than 1/32 inch in diameter.

@Nametaken, Something may be plugging the paddle spring. It could be a balled up or ripped off piece of thread. Or, the spring may have gotten twisted out of position so it is blocking the threading wire. If you can't ram the wire through, you should remove the needle bar and see what's going on under the paddle spring. If you remove the spring, keep the tiny screws apart and in the order you removed them. They are shaped after assembly to fit one side OR the other, not either side. Both the paddle spring and its screws are replaceable. I recommend that you take a clear close-up photo of the screws so you can reshape them after replacing the assembly.

@DieselTech I have a Cowboy CB4500, along with every accessory they offer. I also have the narrow feeder and throat plate from @RockyAussie (link) and one from @Patrick1 (video link). With these narrow sets installed, my Cowboy is able to sew even soft leather and blue jeans cuffs with thin needles and thread that suit these projects. The bonus is that at least with RockyAussie's set, I don't need to change them to sew a holster of sheath with #277 thread. Before getting these sets, I had to remove the feed dog and install my narrow slotted flat throat plate when sewing thin or soft materials. That's what I did when I wrote about dumbing down a Cowboy, Cobra or other 441 machine. Now, all I have to do to dumb it down is increase the bobbin tension and decrease the top tension, plus change to a smaller needle.

Man, I would love to have a foot lifter link that on my 30-7!

Whenever you have top thread not pulling up on the bottom, despite increasing the top tension and reducing the bobbin tension, move up one or two needle sizes. The bigger hole may reduce the friction enough to pull up the knots. Since you are sewing synthetics, you should use round point needles. Both Schmetz and Gross Beckert make special needles to make it easier to sew difficult materials and threads. The Schmetz Serv 7 needles have a bigger eye space. GB makes a higher end needle type they call Gebedur which are coated with titanium. See if you local dealers in Australia carry these needles in the system used in your machine.

Try using a different shuttle. Maybe a smaller diameter will let the thread pass around it more freely.. Or, use smaller thread.

Most of the industrial sewing machine dealers in California are in and near Los Angeles, which is where the movie studios are located, as well as fashion shops. Leather Machine Company is located in Ontario, California, which is near San Bernadino. You mentioned Viking machines. While they build some decent sewing equipment, it is 100% geared towards the cloth and embroidery fields. Most of the dealers for these machines don't cross over into industrial sewing machines field, much less leather sewing machines. Really, I would recommend that you contact Leather Machine Company and chat with them about what you want to sew. They are a reputable dealer of real leather sewing machines, as well as other leather working machinery.