Wizcrafts

Would you please give us the make and model number of the machine? That's the only way you will get an honest answer. A photo would help too, especially if it shows the feet and needle bar. You will certainly need a walking foot machine. Some are more capable than others.

Welcome to Leatherworker.net, Bert!

Glen Miller, aka ShoePatcher on the forum, is the go to guy for Adler, Claes and Singer patchers. He has parts and fully rebuilt machines for sale. I got my ailing second hand Adler 30-7 working to specs again with parts I got from him.

Says he who injected his own brand of inline feet into a topic I started about Cowboy inline feet. Maybe you should become a moderator then. You seem to be qualified. Why don't you ask Johanna? Then you can tell me to shut up.

We all go through this struggle to find a sewing machine that does it all, especially sewing very thick seams with heavy thread. At first glance, one would think that a typical walking foot machine is able to do both. Then you find out that it just ain't so. Industrial sewing machines designed to do different kinds of sewing, and usually only one kind best. You've already found the limits in your Consew (and its equivalents). To sew thicker requires a much bigger machine. Here's why... Upholstery class machines are built with upholsterers in mind. They sew Naugahyde, clear vinyl, duck cloth, awnings, sail cloth, banners, leather seat covers and zippers that average about 1/16 to 1/4 inches thick at the seams. They usually sew thinner and lighter weight items with 11 pound test #69 bonded thread. Zippers tend to be sewn in with 15 pound #92 thread because of the stress closing the zipper. Heavier jobs, like motorcycle and ATV seats are usually sewn with 22 pound test #138 thread. It is this narrow range of thread sizes that the walking foot machines handle best. The maximum thickness that can be sewn on an upholstery class walking foot machine can be deceptive to the uninitiated. You see, most of these triple feed machines can lift the feet and needle 1/2 inch above the throat plate and feed dog. Until one learns how the feet operate, one may think that the machine can actually sew what is under the raised feet. Not so, dear plebe. Because the feet must alternate up and down to move the material along, about 1/8 inch of sewing clearance is lost from the get go. That is a modest guess. Some of us set the alternating lift much higher to clear new layers, or big drop offs coming off of thick side seams. The higher the alternating lift of the feet, the lower the maximum sewable thickness may be (depending on compressibility of the material). Since almost all upholstery jobs are under 3/8 inch (except for occasional big seams in blue jeans cuffs), that is what the major manufactures build into their machines. There are exceptions, such as the Juki LU-1508NS, which uses a longer System 190 needle, has more clearance inside the head and is able to actually sew at 1/2 inch, with the feet still alternating and feeding the work. The machine has a specially designed hook that is meant to use #207 bonded thread on top and in the bobbin. To fill the need for a truly heavy duty walking foot machine, people woodshedded and came up with some novel high lift designs in the late 1980s. Adler developed the model 205-370 (and the sub model 374 with a smooth feed dog) and Juki came out with their TSC-441. Ferdinand JeanBlanc cannibalized a 441 in 1991 and created the Ferdinand Bull that featured a jumping foot and needle feed. Someone else built a Number Nine machine with a high lift jump foot and needle feed. When that went under, Tony Luberto took over the development of the machine and released the Luberto Classic. All these machines were able to not just clear, but sew up to 3/4 inch of real leather, with just the needle and feed mechanism. All had price tags to match the workmanship ranging from $5500 to $8500 new. In those days, if you wanted to use a machine to sew very thick leather, you either bought one of the aforementioned machines, or you went full steam ahead with a Union Lockstitch, a Randall or Cyclone Lockstitch (now Campbell Randall), a Landis 3 or 16, or a curved needle Landis 12, or an American Straight Needle machine (or Champion equivalent to those). These machines ranged in price from $5000 to $15,000 new and weighed between 400 and 600 pounds on a table or 3 legged power stand. All had a needle and awl feed system. This brings us to the hear and now, where because of Chinese knockoffs, a budding holster maker can buy a brand new Cobra, Techsew, Cowboy, Nick-o-Sew, Thor, or Hoshimoto Ah-so clone of the Juki 441 for as little as $1700 to $2700, depending on the build and accessories. Or, you can buy a for realsies Juki TSC-441 for about $6000, or the newest super wazoomie Adler 969 for $12,000. All will easily clear 3/4 inch and more and sew with #415 bonded thread, which has a half million pounds breaking strength (not really).

I checked out his latest sewing machine video and it is a THOR GC1541S Single Needle Walking Foot Sewing Machine. This is a clone of a Juki DNU-1541s. It has the same thread and thickness capabilities as your Consew 227r. It is identical to the well known Consew 206RB-5. The only difference is that this machine is a flat bed and yours is a cylinder arm. Despite any claims made in his video, the machine is rated for thread sizes 69 through 138, using needle system 135x16 and 17, with a maximum work thickness of 3/8 inch. IOW, a standard upholstery class walking foot machine. As Arthur mentioned early on, his machine cannot sew across the top with the material folded over. I can sew that and much more with my Cowboy CB4500. It takes thread sizes 69 and UP (#69 is iffy. I recommend nothing under #92 or #138). It is able to sew from about 6-7 ounces to over 3/4 inch! That machine would be an upgrade for you. If that is more machine than you'll need, look at the CB3200 instead. It is rated for the same thread sizes, but only sews up to 1/2 inch and comes with a full size table.

I mean that you could lengthen the distance down that the spring travels. The check spring assembly has a movable bottom stopper for the spring. It is locked down by a screw that is on the lower right side of the assembly. Loosen the screw then tap or pry down from the spring side and the stopper should rotate CCW, letting the spring bottom out farther down. Lock the screw down when you reach the point where the thread is still taut as the needle goes through the leather.

This could possibly be caused by an improperly adjusted check spring. Try lengthening the stroke of the spring. This will keep the top thread taut until the needle has fully passed through the leather and comes out the bottom layer. Too short of a stroke may allow the thread to be too loose as the needle makes contact. This is where the thread splitting begins.

The brake first appeared in the SewPro 500GR servos. After their demise, and a short stint of push button motors, CowboyBob began distributing Family Sew 550 Watt servo motors, all of which have a removable cork brake.

As Bob mentioned earlier in this topic, his current motors have a brake that engages with the unit at rest and the pedal up. The pedal needs to be depressed a little to release the brake. This is the same way a clutch motor works.

Mooshi; Here is a product page for a dual feed roller, post bed machine. It is one step up from a bottom feed only roller machine and is better able to pull difficult projects through than bottom feed only.

Welcome to the Cowboy Club, Colt!

Did this machine sell yet? I may be interested. What exactly is wrong with the tensioners? What have you tried to do to fix it? Aside from the tension problems, does it sew?

I buy Organ 135x16 leather point needles for my walking foot and Singer patcher machines. I have them in sizes up to #24.

I appears to me that the top thread is changing tension as you sew. This can be caused by any of the following causes. Twisty thread on the spool, feeding like a coil spring. This causes the thread to lift inside the tension disks, or wrap around posts and guides, or even the bottom of the spool itself. If this is the case, either wrap a nylon stocking, or thread sock around the spool, or replace it with better thread. Thread feeding into the top tension disks is fed to high up, allowing the thread to lift up out of the center pressure area. Wrap the thread around the leading thread guide (before top tensioner) and feed it out of the lowest hole. If the guide is sew inline with the top of the machine, loosen its set screw and turn it perpendicular to the tensioner. This will line up the holes vertically, with at least one near the bottom of the tensioner disks. You forgot to feed the thread through something important, like the check spring, or take-up lever. If there is nothing wrong with the top thread or its path, the issue must be in the bobbin, bobbin case, or shuttle, or in the timing. Check the tension on the bobbin thread. It should be easy to pull and come out smoothly. There are good and bad bobbins, as well as properly and improperly wound bobbins.

That's a more capable machine than the Adler 30-7 you wanted from me.

While I'm not interested is pursuing a name that clone / whack a mole games, I can save you and others watching this topic a lot of time by simply cutting to the chase. When one has decided to invest in a new sewing machine that meets their needs, one should buy a brand that is well supported by a known dealer (or network of dealers) that is in the same Country as the buyer. That dealer should be known for offering timely replies to technical and operational questions from their buyers. They should stock replacement parts for the machines they sell and have accessories that are commonly available for that machine. The dealer should be familiar with the capabilities of each model machine that they carry from any given manufacturer. After years of experimentation, our collective membership has helped to narrow down the number of brand names and dealers to the few who are proven to be reliable. Our combined experience has eliminated a plethora of strange brand names, including some house brands belonging to eBay dealers. We have learned which brands are made in top tier factories and which are from bottom of the barrel companies that are here today and gone tomorrow. The last thing a new inexperienced sewer needs is to become their own dealer by purchasing a sewing machine directly from China. The importer becomes the dealer and assumes all responsibility for parts, adjustments and repairs. Broken machines would have to be shipped back to the manufacturer in China, at the dealer's expense. No-name machines don't usually have any real support network. They are found on eBay and in small dealerships that slap their own badge on a Chinese machine. As for trusted brands, look at the ads on the top of our pages. Also, note the names of the dealers who reply to questions in our forums. A few of them are also on eBay, but are well known for offering valuable information here.

I have a long body Singer walking foot machine that has been retro-fitted with a Juki LU hook. Despite being as timed as it can be, top to bottom shafts, the top thread still tends to snap on the way around the bobbin and shuttle. I am able to alleviate this by rotating disk #24 to the right, after loosening screw #25. The far right position feeds more slack thread into the shuttle and compensates for the much larger diameter hook that was over-stressing the thread. Unmodified machines rarely need to have the disk moved from dead center in the slot. But, one can use this adjustment to fine tune how much slack thread is fed to the shuttle on the downstroke.

Not yet mentioned is the purpose of the screw in the little curved slot on the front of the check spring assembly, over the shaft and nut. This lets you fine tune how much slack thread is sent to the bobbin and shuttle; aka: the throw. Turning it all the way clockwise feeds more thread on the downstroke and around the bobbin case. Turning it counterclockwise feeds less thread to the shuttle. If your threads is snapping a bit as the thread goes around the shuttle, try adjusting the throw using the set screw.

To my knowledge, the feet and plates on the Consew machines are regular steel. You would have to locate a custom set of feet to get stainless to fit that machine. The Cowboy stainless feet are custom made for the big harness stitchers only. They will fit other 441 clones. The stainless throat plates may or may not fit other brands of 441 clones.

I rarely sew wet leather. But, when I do, I sew it on my Cowboy CB4500, which has stainless steel feet and throat plates. The feet and feed dog will dig into the leather, so you should back off the foot pressure to the minimum needed to hold the leather down as the needle ascends. Because the thread will be pulled deeply into the surfaces of the wet leather, increase your stitch length to at least 5 to the inch, if not longer.It might even be a good idea to reduce both the top and bottom tensions for a lighter thread lay in the wet leather.

Take off your presser foot, take it to Joann Fabrics or a sewing store and compare its length and mounting bracket to those that they sell. I'm reasonably certain you will have a standard domestic machine foot. They are called low shank. Kenmore machines use a high shank foot. These are harder to find anymore.

A walking foot machine has three bars coming down out of the head. One is the needle bar. The next one inline is the vibrating or alternating foot bar. The third bar is the presser foot bar. The way they work is that the material is pulled back by a combination of a moving needle, a moving alternating foot and a lifting/lowering presser foot, in coordination with the moving feed dog. Your Brother 280 is not an industrial sewing machine. It only has a needle bar and presser bar. All of the feed is on the bottom via the teeth on the feed dog. The attachment that you think is a walking foot is really only an even feed foot for quilts. I had one for a while on a domestic sewing machine and all it did on leather was reduce the thickness I could sew. It didn't help move the leather. It did however stop the two layers from separating as much as would happen with a standard flat foot pressing down on the top layer. Bottom line is yes, you can buy a mislabeled even feed foot attachment. It will not convert or upgrade your machine into a walking foot machine. It does the same work as a Teflon or roller equipped foot does.

I don't. But, if you post a sharper photo of it somebody may recognize what it is cloning. Sometimes a dealer will rebrand a no-name Chinese or Japanese sewing machine with their house brand name. Knowing this will help you find the missing parts and learn its probable specs. To me, it looks like a high speed tailoring machine. If you look at the bottom and see a sump pump oil pickup, this will be confirmed. A forced oil machine needs to sit on a special oil pan and gasket. The pan needs to be filled to a certain mark to have the oil pumped to all the moving parts. Failure to do this results in the machine seizing. FWIIW: Your 241 is also a high speed, oil pump machine. It must sit on top of a properly filled oil pan. Machines like this are expected to be operated at around 4000 rpm on a regular basis. They are usually setup on a table that has a clutch motor equipped with a pulley that is larger than the machine's pulley.

That's an industrial sewing machine! Funny, that the Google results for New Home 764 all showed a domestic zig zag machine from the mid 20th Century. It is probably a rebranded tailoring machine. I see a rotary stitch length dial and a push down reverse lever. It is meant to be mounted on top of an industrial sewing machine table and powered by either a clutch or servo motor. The machine pulley is quite small, indicating that this is a high speed machine. The top photo is not sharp enough to see what parts are there and what is missing.