Wizcrafts

Grommit; The machine you linked to will not sew much more than 2.5 mm of leather without difficulty. It is what's known as a domestic sewing machine. The reason is that it is built to sew cloth, using soft, thin cotton or polyester garment thread. The feed is bottom only, meaning that the layers will go out of alignment as you sew (unless they are glued or taped together first). The foot pressure spring will probably not hold down veg-tan leather that is 4mm thick. Have you read my topic about the type of sewing machine you need to sew leather? It is a sticky article among the others at the top of this forum's landing page. It will clear up any confusion you may have about the types of feed needed to properly move and hold down leather as you sew it. PS: If you happen to have or obtain a domestic sewing machine and need to sew garment or chap chrome tanned leather, buy either a roller equipped or Teflon, presser foot. These will help the top layer move with less drag.

Uwe; I don't think that CC stands for cracked case! More likely its for Consew Commercial.

I think Bob is referring to the screw sticking out of the barrel adjuster on the backside of the take-up lever. It wasn't there on any 29-4 I have owned. It came along in later generations and adds forced lift to the take-up.

Part of the problem is that the needle is one size too big for #207 thread. The recommended best size is #24/180, which pokes a smaller hole that provides the correct resistance for the knots. The take-up and tensioning systems in the 441 machines is not foolproof or totally perfect. The position of the knots can vary with changes in the bobbin tension, or in how the thread unwinds from the spool. Even fluctuations in the check spring tension can change the height of the knots. Troubleshoot this by checking the entire thread path. Then make sure the bobbin gives up its thread smoothly, without too little or too much tension. Change to a #24 needle, then balance the knots on the straightaways with the upper tensioner. Watch the check spring as the take-up lever moves up and down. It should keep the top thread taut until the needle just penetrates the top layer of leather. Finally, give the machine a full stroke on the hand lever. Partial stroking is a known cause of sewing problems in the Boss sewing machine.

Ken, call Bob Kovar, or a reputable industrial sewing machines dealer nearby, and get a price for a new Hirose 441 hook made to fit your brand of chassis that the Bull was built upon. It may or may not be the same part number as a Juki TSC-441 hook. The hook includes the bobbin case and spring.

I'll second that! The Family Sew motors are the best I've used, since switching from clutch motors. The front facing speed limiter dial is one of the most useful features, next to the removable cork brake.

Bob has been installing Family Sew motors on the 441 machines for about three years now. The last one I had with push buttons was in 2012. I had modified it with the light baffle tricks and it worked well. Then one day it quit. I've used the Family Sew motors ever since.

Pull out the shuttle and the spacer between it and the frame. Check for debris, clean the parts and reassemble them. Leave the race plate movable under spring pressure from the two screws. It should be possible to get more thread clearance doing this. If not, you may be right about the parts being added later on. I bought an expensive Juki hook for my CB4500 and it is too tight on the upstroke and causes the top thread to hang and snap violently. Maybe you can find an original shuttle and hook for your Consew Bull.

Ken; I don't know if your Bull is a clone of a Juki 441 or something else. If it is like a 441, the shuttle race cover has two spring loaded screws attaching it to the end of the arm. Loosen the screws between 1/2 and 1 full turn from finger tight. This lets the bobbin case and shuttle clear thicker thread.

Colt. I edited your links as best as I could with the options currently available under this new format.

Here is a needle and thread size chart from Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines. It shows the best needles to use with thread size 33 through 554. It includes the diameter of the bonded thread, tensile strength, plies, Govt equivalent sizes and Tex size equivalents.

Gosh! Does the servo on your Class 4 have a numeric LED display with up and down push buttons? If so, there is a setting (S something) that controls the direction it rotates in. I don't have any paperwork handy right now for these button options, but somebody else probably does. Leave the machine alone until we get these instructions for you.

Take a job as an apprentice sewer where Eric (Gottaknow) works. You will learn what you need to know to use the machine..That is that.

Bob, unless I misunderstood the problem, the slot feeding from the opening to the spring is too narrow. I assumed that Steve had him try to loosen the tension spring. I guess I should have asked that first. Maybe the tight spring is crimping the entry slot.

It's likely a bad part. Keep it for future use with #138 and smaller thread. In an emergency you can use Emory cloth or a file or thin grinding wheel to widen the slot. But, that will probably do more damage than good.

Maybe you guys should each start your own topic about these custom stamps. They can all go into the same section of the market place. It will make replies more understandable.

Are you rotating the handwheel towards you from the top-right? It needs to rotate counterclockwise to pick up the bobbin thread. Other causes include a needle bar than met resistance and moved up, throwing off the hook to eye of the needle timing. I don't know if your machine is equipped with a safety clutch that pops if there is a thread jam in the bobbin case, but if it is, the clutch may have disengaged the bobbin drive to protect the gears and hook. Finally, make sure that the needle is the correct system and that it is up all the way, and that the ribbed side faces left, while the cutout scarf faces due right.

When I sew garment leather on my walking foot machine, I back off the bobbin spring tension first. I set it to have a modicum of pull and make sure it is smooth, not jerky. Next, using the best size needle for the thread, I balance the position of the knots using a combination of the top tensioner and the check spring. I have a rule of thumb for thread sizes. If the total thickness is 3 to 4 ounces, I use #69 bonded thread and a #18 leather point needle. For 5 to 8 ounces, I use #92 thread with a #19 needle. If you want to have a larger top thread, try #138 on top, with #92 in the bobbin, using a #22 leather needle. Back way off the top tension. The minimum thickness for this combination would be about 7 to 8 ounces. The lowered bobbin and upper tension lets the stitches lay flatter, without puckering the soft leather. You may need to lengthen the travel of the check spring to work with thin thread and light tensions. The tension on that spring may also need to be backed off to the least needed to have a full amount of spring travel.

If you're gonna wait for the clutch motor to burn up before buying a servo, you better be prepared to live a long, long time. I have a clutch motor from the 1930s or 40s that still works.

I sold mine for $200.00, no questions asked.

I sold my reconditioned Singer 15-91 last year. It struggled to sew through an 8 ounce belt. The built in pod motor groaned and started to smell bad. Avoid at all costs if your plan is to sew leather.

My 31-15 is from 1921 and threw fits when I tried sewing with #92 thread. It was all I could do to keep the bobbin cases from popping out of their housing. There are still some newer bobbin cases that want to rotate out of the fingers that hold them in position at the top tab on the case. I prefer the one inch roller on my straight stitch machines.

Look for a straight stitch Singer tailoring machine, like a 31-15, or 96k40. These go back to Noah's Ark. His wyfe was a seamstress and a singer, if legend serves me well. You can convert them into a roller foot machine for under $40.00. With this conversion you can sew garment leather, chap leather and suede. They max out with #69 bonded thread, which is all you need for thin leather projects. I used to have a Singer 96k40, from 1984 through 2004. It was my first industrial sewing machine. I used it to make leather vests for one year, until I eventually got a real walking foot machine. I currently keep a 31-15 at home for tailoring jobs.

I forgot to mention that these machines are meant for shoe and boot uppers sewing. Nowadays, most of us use them to repair ladies' purses and sew patches onto bikers' vests, mainly over pockets. There are no edge guides to ensure a straight stitch line. The feed is via teeth on the single presser foot. The 29-4 is the polar opposite of a production machine. It is a patcher and repairs machine only.

The 29-4 is century old now. If it was used normally in a shoe repair shop, it will probably have an awful lot of worn out parts. You won't know until you try it or buy it. The worse case is that it will only give 8 to 10 stitches per inch. That's horrible in leather sewing. Even worse than that would be so much slop in the driving pinion that it won't even pick off the thread loop and sew. Parts for the driving system are dear and not necessarily compatible with modern aftermarket parts. As for the 1/4 inch capacity, most patchers can manage that. There is a sliding block on the leaf spring on the back that controls the foot lift during operation. You will be limited to #92 bonded nylon thread. Even if the machine is pristine and sews its rated 5 to the inch, the dime size bobbins don't hold very much thread. You can probably sew up to 10 mens' belts per load, if you stick to #69 bonded thread in the bobbin.