Wizcrafts

Answer 1: Loosen the bobbin tension spring, or up the needle one size. Answer 2: When I had a Singer 96k40, the thickest thread it reliably used was #69, using a #18 leather point needle. I found I could put #92 on top, but had to stick with #69 in the bobbin. This required a #19 or #20 needle, which was the largest I could find back then. Answer 3: You can raise the presser bar a bit in the static working position for more clearance. But, once the bottom of the needle bar makes contact with the top of the foot, it's game over. Also, the knee or foot lifter should raise the presser foot to its maximum lift, disengaging the top tension disks and releasing the hand lift lever, if it was used before the knee/foot lever. It is normal for the knee or foot lift to exceed the hand lifter height. You need to realize that your 96k51 is a tailoring machine. It's intended work in gaberdine pants, ladies dresses, suit jackets and Army uniforms. It was never built to sew leather. Any leather sewing on it should be done using the wheel foot and feeder set.

It's remotely possible, but highly unlikely you will find a dealer or private person who has a smooth feed dog for your machine. So, take it off the machine and braze across the teeth, then grind/sand it down flat. Make sure you smooth out the needle slot and round the edges with round Emory cord. If you can't braze, try using liquid steel from two squeeze tubes.

Missing from my list of sewing machines are two Union Lockstitch Machines I have owned and sold off. I started in this business as a greenhorn to sewing leather. I did have garment experience because my Father was a Tailor. But, finding a true heavy leather stitcher was more of an adventure than I ever imagined when I set out on the unexpected Journey to Middle Earth! Several times I thought I had found a big enough machine to sew holsters with #346 thread. But, I was sadly mistaken. Even a Singer 132k6 couldn't do a proper job sewing a half inch along the side seams. When I literally fell upon a ULS, everything changed for me. A half inch? No problem! 3/4 inch? No problem! I sold my second ULS in 2011 and used the money to buy a long body Singer 109 walking foot machine and a Fortuna skiver. It was a good deal, considering that I already had a Cowboy CB4500 for heavy work and thick thread.

No kidding Gary! I have had to do some work on every machine in my shop. They all go out of adjustment from time to time, or need to be tweaked for a special thread, or complicated job. The older machines need the most work. Some are more reliable than others. But, I know with certainty that when I turn on my Cowboy CB4500 that it is going to sew. I may need to tweak the tensions, but it isn't going to sit there and spin without picking up the thread at all. Yes, I occasionally need to slightly reposition the hook, or move the needle bar, or lower the presser bar, but it's all part of the game. If I wanted a machine that is set it and forget it, I'd drive to Weaver Leather and buy an Adler 969 ECO for about 13 grand!

There are YouTube videos showing how to adjust, tuneup and operate most of the leather sewing machines we are using today and yesterday. These machine are based on proven designs that have persisted for decades and in some cases, over a century. Most are built to perform one task and do it well, unlike modern domestic machines that try to be everything to everybody. In order to maintain and adjust an industrial sewing machine you need screw drivers, hex head wrenches and open end wrenches, in SAE and Metric. Most adjustments can be done by hand-eye coordination while moving a part. The dealers who setup the new Chinese and European sewing machines are capable of talking a buyer through an adjustment. Email and private messages allow the sending of pictures, manuals and links to videos. In the rare instances where a repair cannot be described to or done by the customer, the head needs to be shipped back to the dealer. If parts are needed, the dealer will put them in, reset and sew off the machine before returning it to the customer. This is better than going too far and making matters worse on one's own. But those cases are few and far between. Serious repairs tens to occur more with used machines than new ones. Lack of oil on critical moving parts, or using the wrong oil are contributors to seizing problems. Most leather sewing is done at very slow speeds, generating small amounts of friction and heat, far below the rating of most shafts and bearings. This is why most of our commonly deployed sewing machines have manual oil ports. Regarding your option of buying directly from China, that would make YOU the dealer and repair depot. Nobody else would be obligated to assist you, unless they do it out of the goodness of their heart. Importers and dealers of Chinese machines take care of their customers or else get bad reputations. They make a markup to cover their time and shop charges. I was told that when a new major brand 441 clone arrives in a wooden shipping box, after being picked up at the dock, that it takes anywhere from 4 to 6 hours on average for the dealer or his hired hand to uncart and degrease it, mount it to a table (that had to be assembled first), tighten loose screws and nuts and bolts, adjust the needle to hook timing and balance the alternating feet, then oil it and sew it off, making further adjustments as that machine dictates. Or, you could learn to read and write in Chinese and ask the manufacturer for assistance!

There are garment factories and upholsterers in Indonesia. Try to find a few and contact them about possibly getting a machine they have retired or plan to retire. Ask for a "walking foot machine." These would have triple feed, two feet (inside and outside) that alternate up and down, while the inside foot, needle and feed dog move the material. Most brands are now made somewhere in China, Korea, or Indo-China. I believe that we have a member here who lives in Indonesia and has inherited a warehouse full of all manner of industrial sewing machines.

You won't regret this decision. I make a lot of money sewing things and my CB4500 is the only machine in the shop that sews holsters, sheathes and other thick items with heavy bonded thread. The cylinder arm proves to be very useful, or mandatory, about half the time. Since you will probably sew a wide range of thicknesses and materials, get packs of needles in all available sizes, from #19 up, and thread sizes to match (#92 through 346 or 415). Bob Kovar (Cowboy Bob) might know a company that finances the (Cowboy and other) machines he sells. Ask him!

I have owned many 29 series "patchers" including the pesky -4 models. I currently use two Singer patchers. One is a 29k71 and the other is a 29k172. I am only going to address your question as to whether they can sew 16 to 18 ounces together and how well they can do it. On both of my current 29 series machines and all the others I have had, including a couple of 29-4, the absolute maximum uncompressed thickness I have been able to get the machines to feed/sew is a tish over a quarter inch; let's call it 18 ounces. This assumes a machine that can sew at factory specs. Since the 29-4 machines are all over a hundred years old, you will be asking a lot out of the foot lifting mechanism and adjusters. If the presser foot lift parts cannot go any higher than 18 or 19 ounces, the teeth on the foot will claw up the top grain as the are pushed forward for the next stitch. Let's assume the machine you are looking at can actually lift the foot high enough to sew 18 ounces together and move it along for the next stitches without clawing up the grain. The length of those stitches may not be what you were hoping for ;-( The patcher type machines have a rotating foot mechanism that turns 360° inside a hollowed out ring inside the head. There is a metal appendage on one end of the feed mechanism that slides inside the hollow ring. As that "puck" wears down, slack sets into the feed motion crank and the stitches get shorter and shorter. You can actually feel this slack by pushing and pulling on the raised presser foot. Due to the way the feed is designed, the stitches already tend to get shorter as you approach 1/4 inch thickness. A pristine or rebuilt Singer patcher can sew as long as 5 stitches per inch. A worn out feed motion crank and lifting parts can lower this to 8, 10 or 12 stitches per inch, maximum. I would take some leather with when you go to see the machine. Glue two pieces together on some to see how it does with 16 to 18 ounces combined. If it can clear the two pieces without gouging the top and can sew at least 6 or 7 stitches per inch into the stack, it is a good deal. But, if it has trouble feeding the two pieces, or can only sew tiny stitches, you're looking a a complicated repair job to bring it back to usable specs. Another matter of concern is the timing mechanism. It the machine skips stitches, those parts are probably well worn as well.

Your hypothesis is correct Willbury. The hole is healing on the bottom as the needle ascends. Try a diamond point needle and see if you get a better outcome. Titanium needles may help too.

I sent you a PM about your Adler 30-7. I am in mid-Michigan.

The inline foot set will cause you to lose about 5/16 inch, or so, of sewing thickness, which the 4500 can deal with. But, as a plus, when I first install my holster plate (From Toledo Industrial), due to the extra elevation, I don't need to lower the presser bar to equalize the lift of the feet. It becomes a fairly simple adjustment of a crankshaft that comes from the back to move the feet vertically. I shot a couple of amateur videos on me installing the inline feet and would be willing to share them offline if you send me a PM (I'm dissatisfied with my videography).

With the 3500 and 4500 (and 5500) you have the capacity to sew at least 3/4 inch, if not a little more. With the 3200, you have 1/2 inch capacity, with possibly a tish more if you dink with the presser feet. Both of these measurements are done using the standard curved throat plate that is only about 1/16" thick. What happens if you need to sew stirrups, or holsters that have tabs on the back, or something that is shaped on the bottom and the stitch line must be elevated? When you install a holster throat plate you instantly lose between 3/8 to 7/16 inch of usable sewing capacity. If the machine is a 3200, that will leave you with about 8 ounces of sewable thickness on the throat plate, before the feet max out. With a 4500, you'll have at least 16, if not 18 ounces thickness left. Also, thicker thread requires bigger needles which add to the stress on the presser feet that are trying to hold down the stack of leather. There are many times when I have to tighten down the pressure spring all the way. And, I have an extra heavy, not standard spring on my presser bar. I don't believe that the 3200 can hold down that load.

My Singer 42-5 can handle #277 thread, but it fills the bobbins rather quickly. The bobbins are half the size of the 441 clone bobbins. I don't know of any old sewing machine with reverse that handles #277 thread properly. In fact, the only machine in my leather shop that has reverse at all is a Cowboy CB4500. It has a very large bobbin and handles up to #415 thread and #27 needles. Even my Union Lockstitch machines lacked reverse. The barbed needles would tend to rat out the previous stitches anyway. Neither did the Singer 132k6 I once had. Come to think of it, the Juki TSC-441 is now considered an old machine, since they first came out in the late 1980s. It has reverse, as does the Adler 205-370, which came out in about 1988 or 89.

Tighten down the pressure spring and run that sewing test again. If the pressure spring isn't tight enough to hold the feet firmly on the leather, the leather can lift with the needle and you'll have skipped stitches.

From the photos of the underside it seems that either there is too little top tension, or too much bobbin tension, or the needle is too small for the thickness of the thread. First, make sure you are following the full thread path and that the bobbin tension is not too high. If the knots can't be pulled up inside the leather, try a larger needle. There is a needle and thread chart on the Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines website. Find the size of thread you are trying to use and it will show the best needle size or sizes to use. For instance, if the thread is #138 (the maximum your machine is rated for), and the needle in it is a #22, move up one number to a #23 needle (leather point). The largest needle your machine may take is a #24. It gets harder to punch through as the needles get bigger. Thicker thread forms much bigger knots than thinner thread and is harder to pull up. If your thread is larger than #138, stop ruining your machine and buy some #138 thread, along with #22 and #23 leather point needles.

We'll need photos of the stitching on top and bottom of a representative piece of leather. Remove the bobbin temporarily and reinsert it so the thread feeds counterclockwise, against the slot in the case.This is the most reliable direction of feed in most instances. Make sure that the windings aren't overflowing the edges of the bobbin. Make sure you line up the tab on the case with the indent on the housing and make sure the bobbin case snaps in all the way.

I'm hoping that this thumb nut, which I am getting from Uwe (thank you), will help to fully hold down leather that is somehow not flat against the throat plate. If this doesn't stop the skipped stitches, I mad need to get a custom made presser foot with very narrow clearance between the toes. The needle, although titanium coated, is fighting against Venture Leather Tape in many instances. Only my patchers have problems sewing through this tape. All of my walkers have no problems with skipped stitches through tape. I have even pondered replacing the paddle shaped check spring with a heavier duty spring. The loops dissolve much too soon if the surface isn't flat, or there is tape between the layers.

Sounds good Uwe. How do you want to proceed?

FWIIW: I have a box of prewound small patcher bobbins that I am slowly using up. I bought them two summers ago for sewing patches at a bike show. The problem with them is that the thread is heavily bonded in some areas and lightly bonded in others. The bobbin thread tension is all over the place, from loose to binding. And, they flip over as the thread is used, changing the tension. I don't recommend investing in these pieces of shit. Wind your own bobbins in advance of the job.

Wrong answer! Those are blank bobbins. The OP asked about prewound bobbins.

I have a Singer 29k71 that would benefit from a thumb nut presser foot spring adjuster. The part number is 113088 or NN88w, which is pictured here. I'm hoping somebody in the USA has one they don't need, or NOS they can sell.

Good find, Chayse! These machines are usually shoe sole stitchers. But, the American Straight Stitch Machines can be used for holsters, harness and other thick leather jobs. They were designed before the advent of bonded nylon thread, so are best used with linen thread run through liquid wax. Some folks have been able to use bonded polyester thread in their American SS machines. Further, they have limited throat depth behind the needle. A Campbell-Randall or Union Lockstitch is more useful for saddlery. The seller lists them at over 500 pounds each.

The Juki TSC-441 came out around 1988, or so. It could sew up to 3/4 inch of whatever, using #346 thread. It is still in production and lists in the USA for about $5500, plus or minus This machine gave birth to an entire genre of similar, but improved machines known as "441 clones." Many of the modern day 441 clones can sew 3/4 inch and more, with #346 thread, top and bottom. They are sold by dealers who have ad banners on top of our pages. The top brands are Cobra, Cowboy and Techsew. The clones cost 1/2 of a real Juki and do the same work. Both Cowboy and Techsew now offer a 441 type machine that is limited to sewing 1/2 inch, but still handles #346 thread. They cost about $500 less than their bigger, thicker sewing brothers. There was a major player in the modern day heavy leather sewing business that has sadly gone out of production. It is the Adler 205-374. This machine sews 3/4 inch with up to #415 thread. Weaver Leather used to sell them new for about $6,000 or more. If you can find someone selling a used one for $3,000, grab it! Older heavy duty needle and awl harness stitchers were built from the late 1800s through the mid 1900s. I have owned Union Lockstitch machines that sewed 3/4 inch with #415 thread. The last one was from around 1910 and it sewed like it was brand new. They are favorites of the Amish and can be found in working condition for $2,000 and up. Their big brother is the Campbell Lockstitch Machine. Look it up on YouTube. There is no finer stitcher, if you can find one you can afford. Campbell Randall Company sells totally rebuilt Campbell Lockstitch machines that are like new, but you'll need a business loan. Other older harness stitchers of note are the Number 9 Machine, the Luberto Classic and the Ferdinand Bull, all of which are single needle, jump foot machines that can sew up to 3/4 inch with #415 thread. All are out of production and hard to find. These machines originally sold in the 6K range. Used ones tend to go for between $2500 and $3500. There were nice harness stitchers made by Landis (models 3 and 16) and Champion, as well as BUSM and Pearson.

The cons are that you have to have enough free space behind the first stitch for the trailing presser foot to grab onto it, and that you will lose some vertical space (~ 1/4") due to the tall upper section of the inside foot.

The marks are entirely inline with the stitch path and could be hammered or rubbed down if necessary. If one doesn't want any serious foot marks, one should use either a Union Lockstitch or Campbell Lockstitch machine with a right toe stepping foot, or a curved needle sole stitcher that has the bottom channel knife removed (e.g. a Junker and Ruh, or Frobana, or a Landis 12 that uses a curved hook and awl). Our modern compound feed harness machines place a huge amount of spring pressure on the tiny feet in order to hold down tough and thick leather from huge needles and thread. This comes at a price of foot marks.