Wizcrafts

Back off, or remove the pressure screw over the inside foot. That may reduce the hard spot as the foot hits the feeder.

Some walking foot machines have a separate pressure screw above the inside foot. It sticks out the top of the head, on the left side. I have one machine that was limited in how high I could lift the feet because that spring loaded foot was set too tight. As I backed off the spring pressure, the feet began lifting higher. Now, I run it with the inside foot spring almost all the way up. I rely upon the outside foot pressure spring to hold the leather down.

That 'splains it! I assume you got no help from the seller. That's why we recommend buying new machines from known, respected dealers, most of whom are paying advertisers on this forum. Their reputations depend on good after-the-sale service. Amazonians have no such edict. You buy, you cry! Bye! May years ago there were kit cars sold through ads in magazines. I pitied the people who bought those things. Good luck putting your kit machine together., I'm sure you'll figure it all out.

Okay. If you must use the 29-4, buy #22 & #23 leather point needles, and some spools of #138 bonded nylon thread for sheathes. The thinner jobs can be sewn with #69 or #92 thread, using a #18 or #19 needle, respectively.

You should begin searching for an upholstery class compound feed walking foot machine. You can find them in good working condition from $500 up to $1200. This will get you started until you can afford a real leather stitcher. These machines are Singer 111w153 or 155, or clones, like a Juki LU-563, or a Consew 206RB-(number).

You might do better with a post machine, with walking feet. I have an old Singer post machine and it is great for sewing bags, hats, and arm holes on vests. It can sew on the bottom of a bag, which my cylinder arm machines can't do. PS: I have a Techsew 2700, which sews perfectly. I've never had any problems I couldn't solve with a twist here, or some oil there. I have a friend who is an industrial sewing machine dealer. If you contact him, he can recommend the best machine for your projects. He is also a Juki dealer. Mention a walking foot post bed machine.

Unless your 29-4 is in factory condition or rebuilt, the stitch length may have already decreased from the factory standard 5 to the inch, down to 7 or 8 to the inch. That length would be when sewing about 6 ounce leather, as is used in shoe uppers. At 16 ounces the maximum stitch length usually drops to almost half. I would recommend that you check how much slack exists in the foot driving mechanism. Do this as follows: raise the foot up all the way with the hand foot lift lever. Loosen the thumbscrew on the stitch regulator bracket and lower it until it stops against the top of the raised foot. Tighten the thumbscrew. Now, push and pull on the foot to see how much slack it in its driving components. In order to get 5 to the inch, at 6 ounces thickness, there shoul only be enough slack in the foot mechanism to allow it to rotate without binding. I found in my own experience with 29-4s, that even 1/32 inch of slack translates into a drop of one stitch per inch. This is not a scientific measurement, just my finding on my machine. There are at least 3 places that can wear down that contribute to the loss of stitch length: the feed motion cam; the roller bearing in the revolving head housing, and the roller bearing on the back of the take-up rack. The reason I pointed out the stitch length issues is bacause you are planning to sew knife sheathes together on that machine. Even if you limit them to 1/4 inch thickness, the best stitch length you would get out of a brand new patcher might be 7 or 8 to the inch. On an old worn out patcher from the early 20th Century, you might only get 9 to 12 stitches per inch, or worse. That would pretty much filigree the leather, especially if you use a #23 needle to sew with thre required size 138 bonded thread.. A 1/4 inch thick sheath should be sewn at 5 or 6 to the inch. As for the thread sizes, the #138 I recommended has about 22 pounds breaking strength. I consider that the absolute minimum size thread for holding something together that's 1/4 inch thick and will probably be under a lot of stress along the stitch line. When I sew sheathes that are 1/4 inch thick, I use #207 (w/#24 needle), or 277 (w/#25 needle) bonded thread. This is way beyond a Singer 29-4's capability. I have a box of prewound bobbins I use in my small bobbin patchers. The thread size is #69 bonded nylon. Each one only contains 9.2 yards of thread in the box. I usually wind my bobbins fairly tightly, and estimate that I can load up to 10 yeards of #69 thread onto a steel bobbin. When loading a bobbin with #138 thread, it will be lucky to hold 5 yards, and will probably only make it to 4.5.Each 1/4 inch thick sheath will require between 2 and 3 feet of bobbin thread. Adding the starting and fininshing tails, call it a yard per sheath. Each bobbin load will sew about 4 sheathes. It takes a lot of force to punch a #23 needle, with #138 thread, through a 1/4 of veg-tan leather. If the leather is very dense, the feed mechanism will take a pounding and over time, the stitch length will worsen even more. The leather will tend to lift with the ascending needle, which causes skipped stitches. To counter this lift, you'll need to crank down the foot pressre. This will cause the teeth on the foot to really dig deep marks on the top grain. It will also make it harder to pull the leather back for the next stitch. Thus, the stitch length weill drop even further. Are you sure you want to sew knife sheathes on a Singer 29-4 patcher?

For our info, where did you buy the machine that sent it out in this condition?

You definitely don't need a speed reducer if you buy the motor listed on this page and have it fitted with a 45 or 50 mm pulley. Your machine has a large enough pulley on the balance wheel that there will be significant speed reduction/torque amplification. But, you w2ill probably need to buy a new type 3L v-belt if the old one doesn't fit the new servo motor. You can buy it at your local Ace Hardware.

You should be able to glean a lot of information about using and adjusting your machine by watching the videos posted by Sailrite. They make portable stitchers based on the Thompson mini walker. It's also possible that their upgrades and accessories will fit your machine. Use the contact form and ask them.

Once you get your new bobbin spring, make sure you insert the bobbin so it feeds against the direction of the slot. Pull it tight and it should come out beteen the fingers on the end of that spring. That will allow you to properly set the bobbin thread tension. Do not attempt sewing with zero bobbin tension!

I usually adjust my feed dog so it is coming up as the inside foot is coming down. I have them meet at the level of the throat plate. Then as the needle and inside foot begin to move, the feed dog rises above the throat plate to help move the work. I try to keep the height to 1mm maximum. If the work has trouble feeding at that height, I lower the feed dog a little bit. The only rule is that is must be slightly above the height of the top of the throat plate and never below it. This would squish the bottom of the material into the slot.

I own a 211g156. I installed a servo motor with a small pulley. At the lowest usable motor speed, it runs at about 2 stitches per second. Because the machine pulley is so small it lacks the punching power of my Singer 111. So, I turn up the motor speed knob to punch through the work. This leads to the machine taking off when my foot isn't completely steady on the pedal. I only bought the machine for its reverse lever and due to the shutdowns of 2020, where our main machines were locked inside the commercial building hosting our business. If I had it do do over, I would not buy another 211 machine. It is designed for high speed upholstery, or banners, or tarps, not veg-tan leather. It really needs a reducer to get slow speed with punching power. And, it only has a G size (1x) bobbin. I also find the harp space limiting when sewing leather jackets.

You didn't mention the needle size you are using. Perhaps moving down one number will stop the skipped starting stitches. If you are using a #14 needle, try a #12. Watch the material as you begin the tacking cycle to see if it is lifting under the foot/clamp. If it is lifting that explains why there are skipped stitches. As the material lifts up with the needle, the loop under the throat plate gets dissolved before the hook picks it off. You can try countering this by placing a solid object against the starting side of the material and holding it down. Maybe even a toothpick with the end blunted. It's also possible that there is a gap on the bottom of the foot on the starting edge. Or, try increasing the foot pressure so it holds down the material more firmly. If none of these things keep the material from lifting, place basting tape under the material to stiffen the area to be tacked. I guess another possibility could be that the foot slot is too wide to hold down the starting stitches. Last, try adding some slack to the top thread with the check spring. Edit: I just read a manual for the Juki LK-1850 and it mentions different throat plates, with varying needle holes, to match the needle you will be using. If your machine was originally setup for #69 or #92 thread, the hole will be quite large when you use a #14 or smaller needle. This reduces the bottom support.

Aside from have a new shaft machined, your only recourse for replacing a top shaft with threads for the stitch length is buying another similar model machine that has the threads intact.

That's an indication that the hook timing may be retarded. Try advancing the hook a little and see if it reduces the spring flutter.

Maybe your paddle spring has a burr, or is deformed, or there is a thread gouge behind it in the needle bar. The only way to know for sure is to remove the needle bar from the revolving bushing and head. The simplest method for just inspecting it is to remove the needle clamping bracket, the foot, and the stitch length regulator assembly. Unscrew the 4 bolts that secure the head to the body and pull the head down and to the left. The needle bar will just slide through it. I have been able to slide Emory cloth under the paddle spring and pull it back and forth to smooth out gouges on the spring, and/or the needle bar.

Have you considered leasing a brand new Cowboy stitcher? They make several models that are based on the Juki TSC-441, but at half the price. I have their CB4500, which has a useful 16.5 inch long arm.

Campbell-Randall sells Union Lockstitch machines, needles, awls and accessories. @CowboyBob might have the leather point needles you need that are meant for your machine. You would need to angle the tapered points to get the buckstitch appearance.

It might do if it is twisted so the chisel is at about 45 degrees. It would probably have to be a #26 needle.

I wonder if a Union Lockstitch chisel awl can be fitted into the needle bar of a 441 clone? Mine are at the shop. I'll compare the length and shank diameter on Tuesday and report back. The needle bar can be adjusted up and down as needed. It just needs to take the awl shaft and lock it in. Then the awl can be angled for punching buckstitch holes.

Ah, so! If you must use a closed eye machine, get one with a lube pot on top. Fill it with liquid silicon (from Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines and other dealers). Run the top thread through the silicon to lubricate it. This may keep the wax on the thread from clogging the eye of the needle. Also, use a larger needle than is called for (see thread and needle chart). The larger eye will have a better chance of clearing the wax that strips off the thread. But, keep a dauber and a jar of Goof Off handy in case everything clogs up with wax.

Sewing thick leather with waxed thread calls for a needle and awl machine. You will find two of the best needle and awl machines here. I used to have a Union Lockstitch machine and ran Barbour's Irish Linen thread through it, using Lax Wax from Campbell-Randall, or Ceroxylon from Puritan Industries. Sellari's liquid stitching wax is also available for needle and awl machines and is often used in sole stitchers.

Perhaps Campbell-Randall Company, in Conroe, Texas can help you with the adjustments. They a the dealer for Campbell-Randall and Union Lockstitch machines and would probably know as much as anybody out there about sole stitchers. Address: 405 FM 3083 Rd, Conroe, TX 77301 Phone: 1-800-327-9420

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