Wizcrafts

My solution is to lower the steel loop thread guide that sits just before the top tension disks. There is a small amount of slack in the mounting bracket, which can be used to lower it for a sharper angle to the disks.

This appears to be a phishing expedition, as were previous topics started by the same O.P.

I hand wheel all of my machines around turns and belt tips. The thought of hand wheeling a possibly sharp edged washing machine pulley doesn't appeal to me.

The -374 has a smooth feed dog, like the Cowboy and Cobra 441 clone machines. The -370 has teeth on the feed dog, like the stock Juki 441.

It took me one minute to get some search results and many more to read through patents from 1908 to understand them. A "Turfing" machine is a rug hooking machine. It is also referred to as "Tufting." You may get more details by reading through the Rug Turfing Machine search results. How this applies to the model 31 machine in question will only become apparent after you see it or a close-up picture of its business end. If the machine was factory customized for sewing rugs, it may not be able to do normal sewing without a lot of modifications.

The Pfaff 138 is the smoothest running industrial sewing machine I ever owned. I let it go decades ago and would not have done so if I had better hindsight. The only thing I didn't like about it was the limited width of zig zag throw it had. Perhaps somebody else would have known how to tweak that range for more throw.

Just the Pfaff 145 head sells for almost $600 on fleabay, so that is a great price. It leaves you a couple hundred to invest in having it professionally adjusted. Oftentimes, failure to sew is caused by somebody inserting the wrong needle, or a misaligned needle. Or, the needlebar could have been moved up from an unfortunate impact. Other times, the hook may have rotated out of time from a thread jam, or a safety clutch may have popped from a jam, if said machine is so-equipped. Anything beyond these could mean bigger problems. You will need the complete model number and sub-class to determine what features it has and needle system it requires. The official manual is available in PDF format on the Pfaff.com website.

You can probably buy a decent brand new bell knife skiver from Techsew, in Montreal. They advertise via banners on top of every page here. It would save you converting Canadian money into USD. Ask for Ronny. Note, there are two types of feed on these machines. One is bottom feed and the other is top and bottom driven. The dual feed is stronger, but more expensive. Most of the machines made today are clones of the Fortuna. The bell knife is pretty much standard across all brands. If you buy one for veg-tan, or other dense leather, the metal wheel is best. If you need to skive chap, upholstery or other soft leather, get the stone wheel. I have both for my Fortuna. The 2" solid foot is the one I use most of the time. I do use a roller foot once in a while, but it isn't as wide and leaves marks on the sides. Learning to use a bell knife skiver is definitely a hands on experience. No amount of book learning or watching videos will help you master these machines. However, videos can get you in the ballpark. It is all done by experimentation and learning from previous mistakes, or being lucky enough to have an in-person teacher.

Do you realize that the topic to which you replied today is now 10 years old?

You might want to think about changing servos to a Family Sew 550. I have that motor on my CB4500 and on my long arm Singer 139 walking foot machine. It starts at zero rpm and slowly increases with pedal motion. There is a knob on the front face of the motor that limits the top speed, or not. There are no sudden changes in speed.

If you have any further technical/operational questions about this machine, please post them in the Leather Sewing Machines section of the LW.N. That is the best place to obtain assistance with leather sewing machines and does not require every post and reply to be approved by a moderator to have them appear.

I will do whatever is necessary to keep the top thread inside the business area of the top tension disks. Sometimes the thread (usually black) is extra twisty and tends to jump up in the disks, causing a total or partial loss of top tension.* This results in lockstitch knots laying on the bottom. I have a couple of ways I counteract this. One is feeding the top thread under the disk position pin. Doing this keeps the thread well centered, but increases the top tension, so I back off the tension nut until the knots are in the middle again. Alternately, I reposition the 3 hole thread guide on top to a vertical axis, with the holes facing down. By choosing different exit holes I am able to change the lay of the thread inside the top tension disks. The lower the exit hole, the stronger the downward pull. Many of the manuals for older (out of production) industrial sewing machines were written before the advent of modern bonded nylon thread. Threading and tensioning was usually detailed using left twist glazed cotton thread that was extant at the time. * The opposite problem with twisty thread is when it twists around thread guides, posts, disks, or the thread spool itself and causes sudden infinite top tension.

Any sewing machine that is tensioned, and/or threaded incorrectly (top and/or bottom) will not sew proper stitches. Ditto for incorrect needle system, size and orientation. Your first step should be to search for somebody in or near your home town who has experience with industrial sewing machines. A good place to start is anybody doing boat or furniture upholstery work. Did you buy the machine new from an authorized industrial sewing machines dealer who is licensed to sell that brand name and service it? Most dealers will try to assist customers who buy machines from them. However, manufacturers and middleman importers/drop-shippers don't usually offer any end customer support. If you want help with that Jack branded from this forum, post some close-up small resolution photos showing the mechanism on top and in the bobbin area. You are about equidistant from Techsew in Montreal and Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines, in Toledo, Ohio. Both are professional industrial sewing machine companies that participate in discussions in this forum.

First: you should not run waxed thread through this type of machine because it will clog the eye of the needle. The only wet agent that won't clog the needle and throw off the tensions is liquid silicon in a wax pot on top (which your machine probably doesn't have). Your machine can be used with bonded nylon, bonded polyester, cotton or polycore sewing thread. Avoid braided thread. Use standard left twist sewing machine thread. Do not use hand sewing thread. The maximum thread size is #138 (Tkt 20) for bonded nylon or polyester threads, using a #23 leather point needle for leather, or round point needle for webbing, vinyl, or cloth. You can compare thread sizes on this thread and needle size chart. If you want to sew with cloth thread, the biggest size would be heavy jeans thread, which comes in size 105, or heavy button thread. Just make sure your thread does not exceed .0163 inches (.414mm). FYI: Size 138 bonded nylon thread has 22 pounds breaking strength. If you decide to sew a holster with #138 thread make sure you sew parallel lines of stitches an eighth of an inch apart. I sew most holsters with #277 bonded nylon thread, which is way beyond what your machine can handle.

Okay already; youse guys have had your laughs at me for sharing that video, trying to show the OP the correct thread path. If I get time tomorrow, I will film my own damn video on my Singer 111w103 and show the approved thread path.

Thanks Bill. Since I began buying or trading sewing machines around 1984, I've had a couple that stood out from the rest. I would have say that the machines that have made the most money for me are the first Union Lockstitch and my current Cowboy CB4500. That's because the type of projects those machines sew are higher end items than the patchers are used on. A couple of saddle repairs can just about pay for a machine. The machines with the most "use" are my patchers and the long arm Singer walking foot machine. These machines are primarily used to sew on biker patches, or to make wallet interiors and phone cases. Patchers are the only machines that can sew new tabs onto the sides of assembled ladies' purses when the old ones are ripping. Sewing on patches is not usually a big money maker compared to making holsters, sheathes and gunbelts, but every job helps pay the bills. There are many days when sewing and repairing garments and purses makes more money than building new projects. This is especially true during riding season. Our shop is in a huge antiques mall and we get a lot of walk-in repairs. I setup my small bobbin patcher with #69 thread. The long arm big bobbin patchers are using #92 thread. If I need to sew with #138 thread using a patcher, I use the Adler 30-7 because it is stronger than the Singer 29s. I also hem pants and chaps and replace zippers. The walking foot machines are the go to machines for hemming and installing zippers. One is setup with #69 thread and the other with #92. If anybody was to ask me what types of machines they should buy for their leather shop, I would say a long arm Adler 205-374, or Juki TSC-441, or a clone (Cowboy, Cobra, Techsew, Weaver, etc) for holsters and sheathes, then a compound feed walking foot machine for medium duty flat work sewing, followed at least one patcher. Not mentioned, but assumed, would be a garment sewing machine for sewing thin satin linings and cloth pockets. This could be a domestic or industrial machine, depending on your available space.

Both are domestic (home) sewing machines and of no use whatsoever for sewing leather. The 99k is a 3/4 size bed machine that followed the Model 128 and preceded the featherweight models. It isn't a bad machine if you stick to sewing cloth only. The model 15 (class 15) is the predecessor of the model 31-15 industrial sewing machine, which is a favorite with European tailors. My Dad used a 31-15 in his tailor shop for over 50 years. Ironically, I own that model too. The machine you should be looking for is mounted on top of a 20" x 48" table, which is bolted onto steel legs, and has a big clutch motor under the table that probably dims the lights when you throw the power switch. Modern machines have an electronic DC servo motor that is much easier to operate and draws much less current. You can retrofit a servo motor onto the table and take the clutch motor to the junk yard. Depending on the type of leather you want to sew, you should either buy a walking foot or roller foot machine. Read my pinned article about the type of sewing machine you need to sew leather. Save up your money because $50 won't even be a deposit on an industrial sewing machine for leather. I've been there and done that.

They are a good company to deal with and buy parts from. However, when they think about sewing leather, it is upholstery, or chap, or garment leather, not dense veg-tan. They are used to supplying machines that sew very fast, because in the garment and upholstery businesses, time is money. This is not the case with holster and knife sheath sewing, where fast = burning/split thread and ruined hand work. Anybody contemplating buying a leather sewing machine from them, or any similar dealer not specializing in leather stitchers, should stipulate that the motor needs a tiny pulley that feeds a speed reducer and that the minimum speed should be under 1 stitch per second, with a maximum speed of about 5 to 9 per second. Anything faster will burn the thread and burnish the holes.

Henry Veenhoven would be the person to ask about this. He lives in or near Toronto and sold Frobana and Junker shoe sole stitchers. He is still a member here, although he last visited us in May, 2017.

If you intend for your next machine to handle #277 thread, stop wasting your time looking at upholstery class machines. You need to focus your attention on the Juki TSC-441 or clones, Adler 205 or clones, or the Singer 45k clones, or needle and awl harness stitchers, or even the Boss hand operated heavy thread sewer..

The problem was caused by his computer's email program view settings that have now been corrected. It had nothing to do with the contact form on the website. Fortunately for LW.N's registered users, we have the use of a private message system. It can be used to send messages to any other member, which can be handy in cases where emails or phone calls go unanswered. To use the Message system, make sure you are logged in, then hover your mouse/trackball pointer over a member's name in the top left of any post (Do Not Click!). A card appears with some user details. On the bottom left is a link labeled: "Message" - which when clicked/tapped opens a "Compose New" private message page with that member's user name filled in to the recipient field. Type a Subject in the Subject field, then type your note in the large Message input field. Attach files as you normally would, from your computer or device, then press the Send button on the bottom right of the form. Smartphone, tablet or other touch screen device users can press-click on the member's user name or icon to open their public profile page. in the middle of the profile page there is a group of three icons, with the center icon being a standard postal envelope, with a tiny pointer on the right of the envelope. Press-click on that center button/icon to open the Compose New (message) page. When done, the Send button is on the bottom left of the form. When a new message arrives in a member's account, an icon on the top of the LW.N page changes color and displays the number of messages awaiting their attention. A notification also gets displayed on the lower section of the web browser. Once they notice the new message alert and read the message, they can reply to you via the same private message system. Please realize that there can be a sizeable delay between the time a message is sent and the recipient is at their computer/device where they normally log into our forum. I hope this helps some of you who may not understand how the forum's message system works. If any of you need help configuring your email clients, send me a private message through our LW.N system.

Most industrial sewing machine and thread dealers sell thread socks. These are flexible nylon socks with open tops and bottoms that you slip over the spool. They are supposed to help keep overly loose thread from falling off the spool and jamming under it. These thread socks are usually sold in a bunch of 6 or more and are not expensive. If the thread was double dyed (usually black), it can become a virtual coil spring. I call this twisty thread and it tends to fold and twist over posts and guides, or even itself. This randomly causes a sudden increase in the top tension. In the worst cases, the results can be fatal to the work, the thread and the needle (I know this from experience). The only way to fix this is to replace that spool of thread and maybe only use that one for winding bobbins. Another thread problem is where the bonding operation is overly aggressive and the thread doesn't want to unwind unless you really pull hard on it off the side. Since the thread stand guides are over the spools, these too tight windings can almost lift the spool up as they unwind. This thread drag really throws off the top tension and can be unpredictable across the length and width of that spool. Sometimes you can overcome this by unwinding and rewinding enough thread to get through the job. A similar lifting problem occurs if the windings are cross threaded and are starting to lock up as they are fed out under the other windings. This sometimes, but not always, happens due to user error. If you discover windings that are under other windings (for whatever reason), try to free up as much thread as you have the patience to dink with. Rewind it carefully to avoid crossing under previous windings. You may get past the cross threaded section and save that spool. Anybody can get faulty spools of thread at any time. I usually contact the seller and ask if I can get a replacement. Photos or videos of the problem may be needed as proof.

Please post a good closeup photo, or two, of your round knife. Nothing much sells here without clear photos. Also let folks know your location and what currency you accept and methods of payment. Items shipped to the US from Asia may be subject to import duty.

I use a #24 needle when I sew with #207 (210) thread. But, if you only have the 207 on top, a #23 will do. Using the bigger needle makes it easier for the take-up lever to do its thing. This means you can reduce the tensions and still balance the knots. Less top tension usually means less breaking of the thread. Frankly, I would use #138 thread when sewing 8 ounces of leather. It is strong enough for that thickness and can be sewn with a #22 needle. As for the appearance of the holes, try using S point needles. Bob Kovar just got some in stock in system 135x16. The typical leather points used in the walking foot system are diamond/triangle point which poke a bigger hole.