Wizcrafts

This is unlikely due to the way the hook and shuttle is constructed. Also, the tension and take-up cranks may not be strong enough to pull up the knots of thick threads. Also, you will need to move up to a #24 or 25 needle to use thicker threads and this makes it harder to penetrate and then hold down the leather.

Any thread run through the 441 clones must have a left hand twist, or it will unravel or split. I have managed a short run of 5 cord Barbour's Irish Linen thread through my Cowboy CB4500, after running it through Puritan's Ceroxylon wax. This messed up the entire thread path, including the eye of the needle. I believe that is is best to limit the use of waxed thread to either hand stitching or a needle and awl machine, with a barbed needle.

Very few machines can beat a Campbell Randall Lockstitch machine for top and bottom stitch appearance. The only other brands I know of that can match it are the Union Lockstitch (which I have owned), some Landis needle and awl harness stitchers and Tony Luberto's Classic (#9 clone)..

Despite your living in the UK, aside from shipping, motor voltage conversion and any import duty, is there a reason why you couldn't import a Cowboy CB4500 from the USA or Australia, from the authorized dealers/representatives? Your Pound is worth more than the USD. You might come out ahead of the game and get a properly inspected and setup machine that can sew out of the box (after assembling the stand, etc).

This topic is similar to Bill Clinton saying "that depends on what your definition of 'is' is!" To my understanding, the OP wanted to know how to know what he needs to know, in order to determine what sewing machine he should look for, in the event he has a project come up that requires a particular type of machine. This "is" my understanding of what his "is" is.

I bought such a presser foot set (left toe presser and slotted inside foot: for standard walking foot machines) from Steve Tayrien, owner of Leather Machine Company (an advertiser here). I keep the inside slotted alternating foot installed all the time, only changing the outer presser foot as needed for various jobs. I don't recall how much they cost as it was a couple of years ago.

I use only Titanium System 135x16 needles on my Singer walking foot and 2 Singer patch machines. They penetrate Venture Tape without gumming up in the eye. Regular steel needles always gum up from Venture Tape. They are available in sizes 18 through 24. I use numbers 19 through 23 with the walking foot 139w109 and either 18 (#69 thread) or 19 (#92 thread) on the 29k patchers.

180 kph = ~ 112 mph

I think t I think that the Dingo ate your baby!

Floyd; If you call Steve at Leather Machine Company, I suspect that he will send you a replacement bobbin tension spring. It's definitely worth a try.

I'm outta here

My 2 cents is as follows... If you are new to sewing leather/canvas/vinyl/webbing and are looking for an explanation about why one machine is better suited to sewing your projects than another, look at it from a strength point of view. If the projects can be sewn with fairly thin thread, like say bonded 69 (T70), which only requires a #18 (aka 110) needle, and the thickness will not exceed about 1/4 inch and is basically one level on top, and the work is not very tough to penetrate, almost any industrial sewing machine will do. It could have a flat foot, or a roller foot and be bottom feed only. As long as the material can be held down as you sew, there won't be skipped stitches and ratted thread. You don't start running into trouble until the material becomes very hard to feed, or penetrate, or has big differences in height from layers or seams, or exceeds the safe vertical working range of the needle and foot/feet. That is where an upholstery grade walking foot machine becomes a necessity. These machines typically are built with beefier take-up parts, larger shafts and better bearings. This allows the machine to penetrate dense materials without bending the steel parts. The tensions and foot pressure springs are also stronger than the ones used in garment quality machines. A benefit of using a walking foot machine is that it is usually designed to handle #138 thread and #23 needles. Most of them can sew between 5/16 and 3/8 inch of material, with a chosen few able to make it to 7/16". Walking foot machines also use longer needles than garment machines. As was already mentioned, flat work is best sewn on a flat bed machine that sits in a cutout in a table you can sit in front of. The standard table is 20" x 48". An average industrial sewing machine is about 19" long x 7" wide at the bed. There is usually about 6 or 7 inches on the right end, leaving you about 22" - 23" of flat table to the left of the needle. If there are any shapes below the top surface, or vertical curves, or if the object being sewn is cylindrical, a cylinder arm machine is a must have. Arm holes are best sewn on such a machine. Shaped cases or items with snaps, belt loops or clips, or any hardware on the bottom need some free space under the left edge to clear the throat plate and sew inline as desired. Cylinder arm machines can have any type of feed mechanism. But, if you are sewing leather or vinyl, which tend to be harder to feed than cloth, get a walking foot machine. For our purposes as leather workers, the walking foot machines we prefer are triple, or compound feed, with smooth, interchangeable presser feet. The dual (top and bottom) feed machines used by sail makers are not the right machines for leather sewing as they will mark the top and bottom with their aggressive teeth. IHTH

I see that "Tote" has started another new topic about these same machines, so I am merging them together to avoid cross-posting answers.

The 67-373 is indeed a walking foot machine, with a flat bed. It may use a longer needle than your model 69: System 134-35, if it was setup that way. This machine will handle #138 thread, top and bottom. However, it has a standard size bobbin. Here is a video I found of someone test sewing an Adler 67...

This machine uses a different needle system than its walking foot cousins. You need to buy system 135x7 (regular point) or 135x8 (leather point) needles. They are similar to system 134 in length and are noticeably shorter than walking foot needles used in the 111w153 and 155. Thus, they have a shorter stroke, limiting the thickness that can be sewn.

Leather Machines Company (Cobra) sells an inside foot with a slot that fits all 441 clones. Use one of their banner ads on top of our pages to go to their website and search for presser feet.

Um, are you aware that Weaver Leather currently has paid banner ads that appear in the rotation on top of every page on these forums? They are indeed a paying advertiser who supports us financially. Refresh the page and watch the banners reload and you will see Weaver's banners. On the other hand, Neel's is not a financial supporter of our site.

Yes we do take donations! There is a section on the home page labeled Support this forum (in the right sidebar). It offers three levels of donation amounts and defaults to PayPal. As for your clutch motor, you can back off the big bolt on the right/front side of the casing. It positions the brake pad vs the clutch. Giving it more slack makes it easier to learn to feather the clutch. There is also a spring adjustment on the control arm that can be played with. It can be set to just barely pull the lever up, or pull it up hard. Make sure you don't tighten it so much that the clutch won't fully engage. You might want to start a new topic that deals with controlling clutch motors, as this topic was about timing machines.

Bradford; The Cowboy CB4500, Cobra Class 4 and Techsew 5100 are all known as 441 Clones. The 441 refers to the progenitor, which is the Juki TSC-441. A new Juki 441 will set you back approximately $5500, base price, plus optional accessories. A 441 clone is half that amount, often with all the accessories. These three brands are sold, serviced and actively supported by advertisers who financially support this forum. You won't go wrong buying any or all of these brands (one each for different colors of thread)! The sewing machine advertisers who financially support this forum on an ongoing basis include (but aren't limited to) Bob Kovar (Cowboy), Steve Tayrien (Cobra) and Ronny from Techsew. Additionally, Weaver Leather is a major supplier, customizer and service provider of the high end Adler leather sewing machines.

The shuttle timing is way retarded. The hook should be picking off the loop much sooner. Perhaps the driving pinion gear came loose in transport, throwing off the timing. The hook should pickup the loop just after the needle moves all the way down, then slightly up and halts.

Claudia; I just approved your help wanted post. Sorry about the delay. I am at work in my shop and only check the forum occasionally.

There are some members who own Chinese patchers and would be in a better position to assist you if you start a new topic. There is nobody I know of who knows more about these Chinese patchers than Darren Brosowski.

DesirCustoms; This (old) topic is about a Singer 29k60 patch machine. Not all patchers are alike. The presser foot in your video is not a standard Singer foot. Please start a new topic for your other brand/model. Also, please take more photos showing the name plate, base, cylinder arm and top parts. Show a picture of how you have it threaded and measure the length of the needle. Make sure the needle is all the way up in the mounting bracket.

I use JavaScript obfuscation on web pages containing "mailto:" links. But, as email use falls to the wayside with the rise of Facebook Messenger, I find that contact forms are better for allowing people to get in touch without revealing my email address. The downside to replying to them is that some of these folks have mail harvesters (spyware) on their computers and don't know it.

Backing off the top tensions and pressures is the key here. What's missing is metal behind the inside foot (the harness outer feet are open behind the inner foot). That is as good as it gets for a two footed machine. Maybe somebody with a machine shop can come up with an outside 441 presser foot with solid steel inline with the needlebar and the same narrow profile as the ones shipping with the machines. The different feed in reverse is a penalty. But, none of the needle and awl machines have reverse.