Wizcrafts

There are some leather makers that buy pallets or boxes of things and sell off what they don't need. You could use the Marketplace section of the forum to sell the unneeded spools of thread. You might even find members willing to go in on the bulk purchase..

I buy bonded polyester thread (when I need it) from Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines, or from Campbell-Randall.

Of the three you listed, only the 1541 has compound feed. The others are dual feed. The 1541 also accepts up to #138 thread, with the others maxing out at B92.

That is an excellent video Jason.

I'm green with envy!

With that machine you can expand into sewing patches onto motorcycle vests, jackets and hats, repairing handbags and purses, replacing zippers in small items, installing zippers into boots, and darning tears and loose thread in shoes and boots.

If the needle is piercing the thread on top of the material it might be caused my looseness on the downstroke of the take-up lever. This is the reason sewing machines have a "check spring" between the top tension disks and the take-up arm. That spring should keep the thread taut as the take-up arm moves down and let go after the tip of the needle is in the material. If your check spring stops moving too soon, there will be slack top thread in the eye of the needle as it is meeting the top layer which could get pierced by the needle. To remove this slack, increase the travel of the check spring to keep the thread tight a little longer during the downstroke. After piercing the material, the spring should stop moving and let the thread form a loop for the hook..

The Cobra warehouse is located in Ontario, California (91761), which is about 350 miles from Frisco, so shipping will be cheaper. I own a Cowboy CB4500, which is pretty much the same as the Cobra Class 4 and Techsew 5100. I have a good friend who owns a Cobra Class 4, which he uses just about every day. These machines are built like tanks. Plus, not only do they have powerful servo motors with 2" pulleys, they also have 3:1 speed reducers/torque multipliers preinstalled. My Cowboy can plow though 3/4 inch of veg-tan or bridle leather at well under one stitch per second, if needed. Whichever brand you choose, I recommend buying it with a full accessory package and lots of thread in various sizes and colors, different sizes of needles and a quart each of oil and thread lubricant. You have a high enough budget to afford this up front. All of these dealers also sell speed reducers, motors and v-belts.

I keep my long body walking foot machine loaded with #92 bonded thread and a #19 needle. I only use a #20 in webbing, for the bigger hole it pokes. If you can get a pack of #19 needles the tighter hole will help balance the tensions better. According the this thread and needle chart, the diameter of #92 bonded thread should be .0133" (.337mm). Your thread looks bigger to my eye. Sometimes, if a machine's timing is too far advanced, there will be extra tension on the top thread as it gets pulled around the bobbin case. This is usually indicated by a snapping sound as it goes around and up. The same thing can happen if the machine is internally belt driven and the belt is off by one cog or link on the bottom. Another thing I've found that can interfere with the top tension is the tension and travel of the check spring. If the travel is too long, or the tension too high, it adds to the overall top tension. A hopping check spring on the take-up cycle can be an indicator that the hook timing is off.

Correct. This is the early Singer walking foot system that is actually only single feed. The outer foot has a leaf spring on the back of it that lets the foot move back with the material, then snaps forward as the feed dog drops below the top of the throat plate. The inside foot and needle only move vertically. I have the same feed on my Singer 42-5.

Until the last 5 or 6 years, all of the industrial sewing machines I owned had or came with clutch motors. Presently, only one of my shop machines has a clutch motor. I learned over the years to feather the clutch to sew slowly. The best thing you can do is to replace the motor pulley with a 2" or less diameter pulley. This slows down the speed and multiplies the torque. The clutch has a cork brake that can be adjusted to give more or less free play before it engages. Servo motors don't need to be feathered to sew slowly. Just treat it like a gas pedal. But, some types and brands of servo are touchier or jerkier than others. I prefer the servos that have a knob or rotary switch on the front to limit the top speed. I despise the types that have two push buttons to change functions, direction and speed.

I think you need to either back off the top tension a tish, or increase the bobbin tension a bit, or move down to the next smaller needle number. If none of these things reliably center the knots, move down one thread size, along with a smaller needle size.

Use an image editor to reduce the file sizes. The easiest way is to downsize the dimensions while maintaining the aspect ratio. 800 x 600 is all you'll ever need on this forum. Your computer or smart phone may even have a built-in image manipulation program (App for you smartphone users). If your images are JPGs, try finding an image editor that can reduce the quality as well as dimensions. I use this combo to reduce large JPGs to as little as 1/10th the original file size. I use Corel PaintShop Pro to edit photos. But, I find the free FastStone Photo Resizer to do a very good job with less to dink with.

Chandler is a clone brand and a child company of Consew USA. Unless that Chandler (Adler) 67 is actually a German built Adler, I would avoid it and go with the Japanese built Consew (unless it is worn out).

Use clear Lily Oil that is made for sewing machines. It has a low viscosity and will not gum up or cause rust on the bearings and crankshafts, nor will it stain most cloth if it drips onto it as you sew. The only time I use 3 in 1 oil on a sewing machine is to free it up if it is binding, during a repair job. Once the machine turns freely, I flush out the 3 in 1 with Liliy Oil

:-)

You should lower the presser feet before running that test. That will allow the top tension disks to tighten against the top thread. Other things that can cause the thread to be picked up but not pulled all the way around include failure to thread through the take-up lever and failure to thread through the check spring. or timing that is slightly out due to the needle bar moving up from striking something hard and ungiving.

You won't go wrong with any of the compound feed Cowboy machines. Alexander is a very knowledgeable dealer and will assist you when you are cornfused about some facit of the machine. He has videos for the viewing about most of the machines he sells and services. As I added after my first reply, a new Cowboy machine will arrive threaded and with leather sewn off under the foot. Photograph the thread path and direction the winding on the bobbin face in the bobbin case.

These machines are easy to learn to use and adjust. There is little that is not obvious about them. You will get a basic instruction sheet with your machine, plus there are numerous videos on YouTube that demonstrate the setup and use of these big harness stitchers. When you buy one of these machines new it will arrive threaded correctly with a thick stack of leather sewn off, sitting under the presser foot/feet. Most people who are torn between a bottom feed CB2500 and CB3200/3500/4500 will buy the compound feed model with a smooth feed dog.

The Singer 331 is a newer version of the ancient 31-15 (which I own). These are tailoring machines. The needles are fairly short, in the scheme of things and not readily available in sizes over #18 or 20. Based on my experience with the 31-15, the machine should be able to sew 6 ounces with #69 bonded thread, using a #18/110 leather point needle. You can get all manner of accessory presser feet, including a complete roller foot conversion kit. A roller foot is the best foot to use on a straight stitch machine for sewing leatheror Naugahyde. Most tailors and seamstresses who own these old machines sew garments and sew them very fast. I used to live across the street from a Romanian lady who donned a babushka when she sewed at about 30 stitches per second on her 31-15, which was powered by a clutch motor geared 1:1 with the machine pulley. The 331 you found will probably have a clutch motor with a similarly large pulley. It will be a nightmare to use to sew leather, which you'll probably want to sew at 5 to 10 stitches per second and under. I can foresee a Family Sew servo motor with a small pulley in your future.

Domestic sewing machines are not leather sewing machines. They are cloth sewing machines that may or may not be physically able to sew limited thicknesses and densities of leather with thin thread and short needles. They have tiny motors that are not strong enough to penetrate 8 ounces of medium or hard density veg-tan on their own. The take-up cranks and levers are thin, as are the tension springs, as they are meant to only tension cotton or polyester thread, not the heavy bonded nylon leather stitchers use. Getting a domestic machine to sew thin leather (up to 1/8") is not a big challenge; I've done it. But, try sewing a double 8-9 oz holster on one and you'll see what I am talking about. This is the domain of real, heavy duty leather and harness stitching machines. We deal with thread sizes #92 and UP. Domestic machines use #69 and DOWN. Most of us sew with #207, 277 and 346 bonded nylon thread for the added strength to keep a holster from ripping apart from the internal pressure of the gun. A typical holster will often have thicknesses exceeding 1/4 inch, with some over 3/4 inch. These should not be sewn on domestic sewing machines sold at antique shops and yard sales.

It sure looks like a broken off paddle spring to me. That means there is nothing holding the thread loop in place. It must be replaced. Once the new spring and screws are ordered, begin dismantling the needle bar at the top. Everything in its way must be removed to allow it to come out the top. Also remove the needle mounting clamp! There are two tiny screws holding the paddle shaped check spring in place. In most cases, at least one will have been filed down on one edge to clear the barrel it rides in. If you reuse these screws, make sure you replace them into the same holes. If you install new screws, if you feel tightness when turning or lifting the needle bar, you may need to file the side or sides of the screws to clear the barrel.

Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines sells pedestal style tables for some of their cylinder arm machines. I have one and so does Ferg. In fact, I was there when Ferg bought his Seiko cylinder arm walking foot machine and I tested it for him on a pedestal table. There was a speed reducer under the long slot and the servo motor towards the back. The bottom has locking metal wheels, making it easy to move the machine around. The pedestal table is shown in the main photo on this page.

You should contact Campbell Randall in Texas to see if they or somebody they know can work on your machine. Other than them, the only other places I've heard about that rebuild Landis machines are: Landis Sales & Service 115 E Cr 500 N Arthur, IL 61911 Phone: 217-543-3464 Or Gateway Shoe Machine in Lebanon, Illinois; TF#: 800 752-7897 Or possibly, Pilgrim Shoe and Sewing Machine company in Massachusetts : 800-343-2202 If these can't help, contact Weaver Leather in Amish country in Ohio. They may be able to find somebody who works on these machines.

I think if about 10 of us go in with a grand each on a Cyclone, we might could get of to share. Of course poor Mike would have to fly in from France to use it. ;-(