Wizcrafts

You can loosen and tighten up the loop by readjusting the position of the check spring disks. Loosen the small screw near the top of the disks, which sits inside a curved slot. Use your fingers to turn the disks one way or the other until you get the amount of slack you are happy with. Then tighten down the set screw.

Look for a bolt-on Brodie knob for the flywheel. The knob should be adjusted so it has enough clearance to turn freely, letting you hand spin the flywheel. Many 29 models already have this handle installed. Auto parts stores and Walmart usually sell them, as do many sewing machine dealers.

Either the top tension is tightening or the bobbin tension is loosening as you zig-zag. I also see white knots beginning to show on the straight stitches, going towards the zig-zags. Check the following to see if any apply to your situation. Is the top thread overly bonded and coming off the spool with different tensions as it unwinds? If so, try a different spool. Is the thread feeding straight up to a thread guide on the thread stand? Does the thread twist over itself, or over posts/guides along the path to the tension disks? Twisty thread causes all manner of trouble. Remove the top tension disks and clean out any foreign material. If the tension disks have thread gouges, replace them. Make sure you are feeding the top thread around the check spring and it has a good range of motion up and down. If the top thread path is unrestricted, move on down to the bobbin thread and pull out a few feet of thread. Does the tension vary? If the bobbin thread tension varies, it could be because of a fragment under the bobbin tension spring. Check under the bobbin spring. If the bobbin spring isn't blocked, examine the bobbin to see if it is out of round as it turns. If so, replace it. Also check for protruding thread stubs coming out of the bobbin.

Without seeing the problem we have no idea what to recommend. I recommend you do these things in a reply. Post a video showing the problem develop Or, post photos showing the problem develop Show both the top and bottom results when they are good and when they go bad. Let us know the type, make and size of the thread and the needle size and point in use.

You have a tailoring machine with very old thread. Replace the old thread with fresh #69 bonded nylon. Replace the needle with a new #18 (110) leather point needle. Wind a fresh Class 15 bobbin with #69 thread. Pull the bobbin case out of the shuttle, remove the old bobbin and install the new bobbin, feeding backwards to the slot, so the thread forms a tight angle as it goes under the tension spring. Adjust the bobbin case tension spring for just a modicum of tension when you pull on the thread. Rethread the top with the same #69 bonded nylon thread. Adjust the top tension to balance the knots inside about 6 ounces of leather. The check spring may require more tension on the spring with bonded nylon thread.

Have you considered finding a sewing machine repair shop that deals with domestic machines? You should try to figure out how the needle bar is secured to the clamp that drives it and what it takes to loosen it, move the bar down, then secure it at the correct height.

If you don't find any protruding set screws and the shuttle isn't hitting the feed dog bracket, check for some thread fragments that might be jammed in or under the bobbin basket. Also check for mice under the machine.

That should not be a problem for your Pfaff 1245. Just use #160/23 leather point needles. If you use #140/22 needles the holes will be tighter and the tension required stronger. See if you can buy a pack of #150 Pfaff needles. That is a perfect fit for #138 thread.

Ideally, you'll want to use the least top and bottom tensions that lay down good looking stitches without puckering the material. There shouldn't be loose thread on the top or bottom, nor should any knots be visible. If the top or bottom thread either puckers the material or produces loose loops, shorten the stitch length until the stitches lay flat. You should select a thread and needle combination that best produces these results. A well equipped sewing room will have at least two spools (one for the top, one for the bobbin) of each color and size of thread that will be used, as well as packs of needles in every size needed to sew those thread sizes. It is usually a good idea to buy the same brand of thread in these sizes and colors. This leads to predictable results. We have dealers who advertise here that stock their brands of thread in matching shades across multiple thicknesses.

I bought a roller equipped flat foot for my Singer 31-15 and used it to sew Delica seed beads onto a leather strap and a belt. I had backed off the foot pressure screw to avoid breaking beads and this big foot had enough footprint to keep the leather from lifting and was gentle enough to not crush the glass beads.

Exactly what I was thinking at the end of my suggestions. This actually happens more often than we anticipate.

Can you remove the feed dog shaft and see if that frees the action? If so, the clearances have changed due to the weather and the shuttle is hitting the feed dog mounting bracket. It could be either the feed dog bracket and its mounting bar on the bottom, ot the shuttle drive gear or its shaft position under the arm. Those shafts are positioned and tensioned by tapered screws on the ends. These are not definitive statements. The binding could be internal. It might be weather related, or even due to a loose, backing out screw on a rotating part.

It still appears to me that even when it reaches BDC, the needle is too high. If this is the case, the needle bar is too high or the wrong, too short needle is installed.

Our dealers have extra harness feet for sale. The eBay ad is not a harness foot set. It is the blanket foot set. I have purchased thread from that seller and he actually believes that a "cone" of thread is a "corn"

@rlg999 The usual needle system used in domestic sewing machines is system HAx1. If you have a package of needles the system should be printed on it. If you don't have a pack of needles, you can buy some at Joann Fabrics, Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Walmart and anywhere sewing machines and accessories are sold.

Are you using the correct needle system? A short needle would cause the timing to miss the mark. If the needle system is correct, the needle bar #128 needs to be lowered in clamp #131. The diagram doesn't show if there is a set screw in part 131.

Yes, the 105 can handle #277 thread. The smallest thread would be #138, depending on the shuttle spacer that's installed.

Watch for a Singer 45k, or a Juki TSC-441 or an Adler 205-374. These were the cream of the crop until the clones took over the market (Cowboy, Cobra, Techsew, etc). Artisan has made or sold some really heavy duty cylinder arm machines over the years. Other than the above, the Ferdinand Bull series machines could sew with #346 thread, as can the hard to find Number 9 and Luberto Classic cylinder arm machines. I tried out an Adler 105 and found it wanting for thread handling capacity. A 205 is the better way to go for #346 thread. When I went through the searching for a heavy duty machine period in my career, I ended up with a Union Lockstitch machine. It could handle any size thread I could buy and sewed a solid 3/4 inch of leather, or wood and leather combination. I kind of wish I'd kept it just to hear the racket and feel the floor shake as I ran it at full speed (wax or lube flying in every direction, smoke from the awl, etc; fun stuff).

A patcher is not a production sewing machine. It is for sewing on patches and mending things (shoe uppers, purses, tabs on bags, small zippers in pouches). Even the large bobbin model doesn't hold very much thread. Mind you, no leather repair shop can be without a patcher for very long. The need will arise sooner or later. Also, the patchers don't have any convenient means of installing an edge guide. The foot is held in place by a curved torsion spring on the top of the revolving bushing, with backup provided by a thumb screw on the front of the head that locks the revolving busing in place. Sometimes that screw isn't there, leaving the foot direction fairly easily turned as you sew. You pretty much have to gouge a sewing channel to keep the stitches inline. If you can only afford one machine to start, get a medium duty walking foot, cylinder arm machine. As money rolls in you can add a flatbed walking foot machine, then a post bed machine, then a patcher, then a 441 clone for the serious work. But, if you are making holsters, start with a long arm 441 clone and work your way down.

@Deryk My own experience is that once people find out that you have big sewing machines, work will come to you. My current leather business is about 50% sewing and repairs.

Yes! The Consew 206RB machines love #138 thread. Just use a #23 needle for the best results. You can also use a #22 needle, but the hole will be tighter and it will take more top tension to pull the knots up.

Here's what you need to know before buying such a machine. The specs claim it can sew from 3 ounces up to 7/8 inch. That is a huge range of thicknesses requiring a wide range of needles, thread and tension settings. The machine is a Juki 441 clone, using System 7x3 (round point for cloth and webbing), 7x4 and 794 (leather slicing or diamond point) needles. Sewing thin material and hiding/burying the lockstitch "knots" requires very thin thread and needles. Sewing 3 ounces would call for #69 bonded thread and a #18 (110) needle. The needles used by that machine are about 2 3/4" long. There are few or no leather point needles normally stocked by dealers in North America below #23 (160) in System 794. Number 18 (round point) needles in system 7x3 are very easily deflected and will break if deflected into metal. Ask me how I know this! When you reach 5-6 ounces you can use #92 thread and a #19 needle. This is the bare minimum I recommend sewing on a 441 clone. Both of the above thread sizes require low tension on the tension disks and the moving check spring and more tension on the bobbin spring. 441 clones, like the 3200, are normally adjusted to sew with very heavy thread, using huge needles, into thick stacks of leather under very high spring tensions and foot pressure. Such tension will distort thin material/leather or even pull it down into the feed dog or throat plate slot. It takes time (and sometimes tools) to dumb down the machine to effectively sew thin material with thin needles and thread. If you have to sew seams that are 16 ounces thick, you should use #207 or #277 thread, with a #24 or #25 leather point needle. The tensions need to be tightened up for this.

This has morphed beyond my wildest dreams. When I last read this topic it was about an Indonesian sewing machine dealer/reseller/lead getter. Now, it's discussing table top attachments. :-(

You can get a good used Campbell Randall in Texas, direct from the company!

I just realized that you used a tag in the subject for the company. I looked them up and they are indeed a real company, located in Indonesia. Are you also in Indonesia? Your profile says nothing about where you live (please update it)