Wizcrafts

My Family Sew motors have multi-position rotary switches, with resistors coming off the terminals. The highest 4 speed settings are all the same speed, having no further effect on the top speed. The remaining positions (5th and under) each have an obvious effect on the top speed. When I set them at the 350 RPM position and floor the pedal, the walking foot machine turns over at about 2 stitches per second (without a reducer) and the CB4500 at about 1/2 stitch per second, with a 3:1 reducer.

There is a spare cork brake in the bag of accessories. There is always one pre-installed. If you remove the brake cork, the motor will not stop on its own until it runs out of inertia. You would have to use your hand on the flywheel to halt the machine if the speed was over 2 or 3 stitches per second. At 5 sps, the machine might run on for an extra 2 or 3 stitches on its own. You can sand the brake a little thinner to get more free motion before it engages. One of my FS550s has virtually no free motion while another has over 1/2 inch on the pedal. Both turn on very gradually, with no jumps in the speed. My FS-550s have rotary switches, while the newer models have pots. You might want to buy a new model with a pot.

I bought one for my former Singer 15-91 and it enabled the machine to sew a Naugahyde bag that I couldn't keep aligned or feed without dragging with the regular flat foot.

This is valuable information. Thanks for posting it. Perhaps other manufacturers will eventually upgrade their self-oilers to pump at slow speeds. I guess it would be a good idea if the oil flow adjuster is external and labeled (more/less, or slow/fast), rather than hidden on the bottom. Is yours under or on the outside of the machine?

From my experience, those so-called walking foot attachments cause you to lose about 1/8" under the feet. If the machine only has 5/16" lift (pretty standard for old straight stitch machines) you would end up with only 3/16" with that attachment. Since the feet must alternate to move the material, you have to take away another 16th or so. This leaves you with no more than 8 ounces (1/8") of sewable clearance. A better option is to find a complete roller foot conversion kit and install all three parts: the roller foot, the slim feed dog and matching throat plate. You will keep the machine's full sewing clearance under the foot and see exactly where the needle is hitting.

It should not jerk on. Something is wrong with it. These motors have a cork brake that locks the motor when the actuator lever is all the way up. The brake can be adjusted a little for more free play. It requires opening the end of the casing to access the lever and brake pad. You asked about how to know if you have a speed reducer. It is an external device with three pulleys fused together. They are 2", 6" and 9" in diameter. It would be bolted under the table, along side of the belt slot.

The oversized awl might be from a Union Lockstitch machine. I still have some needles and awls left over from my last ULS. I never should have let that machine go...

Do an experiment to see if the motor is defective. Loosen the motor adjuster nuts and speed reducer until you are able to remover the belt from the motor. Set the dial to the slowest speed. Start applying pedal until it starts running. Does it come on gradually, very slow at first? Or, does it jerk on at a running rpm? Move the speed pedal all the way toe down, then let go. Does the motor cut out as the pedal moves, when it is supposed to be spinning? If it jerks on at the running speed, it is misaligned at the factory. If it cuts out as you try to change speed, it is defective. If it starts gradually, but lacks enough power to run the machine slowly at the 350 setting, you will either need a smaller motor pulley or a 3:1 speed reducer, if you don't already have one installed. Contact the dealer you bought the machine from about exchanging the motor, or getting a smaller pulley or speed reducer kit.

Nothing beats a transverse feed machine for sewing long seams on an bag. I lament not having one every time I repair a rifle bag. My hillbilly solution is to remove the feed dog and presser feet from my Cowboy CB4500. I install the flat slotted throat plate and set the stitch lever to the zero position. I draw or scribe the stitch line on the top of the seam (and sometimes use an overstitch marker to id where the needle should hit) and move the bag to the left or right as I sew. It is tricky and sometimes requires a helper to guide the bag.

If you have questions about the Able line of patchers, ask our member Darren Brosowski. He is the importer and distributor. Note, he lives down under.

Ferdinand used Juki TSC-441 bodies and made his own innards. The early Bull presser feet were change to a single jumping foot, with needle feed. This resulted in a bottom stitch close to a jump-foot needle and awl machine (e.g. Union Lockstitch, Campbell-Randall).

A Landis 12-K is a curved hook-needle and awl machine that has little depth of field bast the needle. It is basically built to sew along the outer seam of leather shoes and boots. It may allow an inch or two of penetration inside the needle and awl.

A lot of long bag manufacturers use Puritan "Alligator" chainstitch machines to sew up the arm. Nobody sees the inside stitches in a rifle or golf bag. Plus, the top stitches are usually all perfect in a chain stitch. The thread is waxed linen that is waxed as you sew. The wax is Super Ceroxylon, made by Puritan.

You can replace all of the parts that are responsible for moving the material for about $100 to $200. The shuttle drive parts would cost about the same for everything under the throat plate, inside the gearbox (racks and gears). However, as I have learned, aftermarket parts don't usually fit like the originals did. You will have to file this, polish that, and fine-fit the parts. In the end you should have 5 stitches per inch and no skipped stitches. If the seller is firm on the price, buy the one with the longer stitches, and/or least slop in the shuttle. If they both have slack in the presser bar and the shuttle driver, expect to pay out close to $200 or more and invest many hours learning to disassemble and rebuild the head. If you do leather shoe and boot uppers and purse repairs, and/or want to sew embroidered patches onto vests and jackets, a patcher is a must have machine. Try to get a machine that has the least slack in both the foot driving and lower shuttle systems. If the prospect of investing this much more money and many hours of dis-assembly and custom fitting new parts isn't for you, pass on these machines and look for something in better condition. PS: The 29k71 is best limited to #69 or maybe #92 bonded thread.

Can you verify that oil flows all the way to the ends of the wicks? Are the crankshafts inside the head getting oil from the pump system? What speed range do you usually sew at (stitches per second or per minute)?

It would be a good idea for you to find that bolt and get a machine shop to make replacement parts. Ferdco is long out of business.

Buy a gallon of silicon lube from an industrial sewing machine dealer and pour it into a jar large enough to hold 1 pound spools of thread. Place the spools into the solution for several hours each. Let them drip dry on a baking rack in a cookie pan. If this doesn't solve the fraying problem, cut your losses and buy fresh thread. Buy lubricated thread. The best ones I've bought are Cowboy and Weaver brands of bonded thread. Campbell-Randall bonded polyester is right up there as well. Others may be as good, but I can't say for certain. Note: some bonded black thread may be double dyed and can come off the spool like a coil spring (twisty). This type of thread will give you fits as you sew.

My Cowboy CB4500 has an optional lube pot on the top of the machine. It is easy to fill it with liquid silicon lube and pass the thread through it. There are accessory magnetic mount lube jars that might have enough grip to stay on top of your machine. Just fill it with liquid silicon, or another solution of your choice and run the thread through it. Loaded bobbins of dried out thread can be submerged in lube, then removed and left to hang dry. Silicon lube is not the same as the coating that has dried off the spools. That was not just lube, but also contained a bonding agent/glue that held the twisted strands together. Weaver Leather sells a bonded thread that is actually wet to the touch and drips lube as it moves through guides and tensioners. I get the same effect by running well-bonded Cowboy thread through my lube pot with silicon in it. I only do this on rare occasions when I am sewing very dry, thick leather..

They are driven by gears inside the machine. no pulley change can override the oil pump gears. They pump most efficiently within their specified speed ranges. The machine in this topic says 2800 spm in the specs. It was made to sew rather fast. The target buyers are auto upholstery and heavy garment makers. They are often sewed flat out, pedal to the metal, on clutch motor driven machines, geared high. Torque doesn't even enter into it when all you have to penetrate is garment or upholstery leather or denim.

Yes, I use sewing machines from Narnia. I just finished refurbishing a 1926 Singer 42-5 (with a gold tag and Singer decals and chipping 1/16" thick J-pan paint). It joins a slew of other machines in my shop.

You can buy 1 pound spools of unwaxed linen thread from Campbell-Randall Co, in Yoakum, Texas. They sell two brands. One is European and the other is Barbour's Irish linen thread, now made by Coats-Clark, in the USA. I tried the less expensive brand and found it to be fuzzy, until/unless it was waxed. Barbour's was always smoother in my past experiences. Natural linen can be dyed before or after sewing. If you plan to run it through a wax pot (on top of the machine), dye it first. Either use Lax Wax from Campbell-Randall, or Ceroxylon, from Puritan. Buy only left or Z twist linen thread for leather sewing machines. Right twist is for certain shoe sole stitchers or hand sewing only.

If, and only if, your machine uses feet that resembles these type 111w smooth bottom walking feet, any industrial sewing machine dealer has them.

The motor has the brake, if one exists at all. The machine is always freewheeling.

Everything depends on whether or not the oil pump can get the oil to the extremities of the wicks. If for some reason the wicks get dried up, the bearings and cranks at the end of the wicks may run dry. Also, even if the oil system is still fully functional, the moving parts will certainly have a lot of slack after running in a factory setting. I would ask to see the machine in operation before buying it. According to the spec sheet, to fully distribute the oil, the machine must be routinely run at 2800 stitches per minute. Some home sewers with self-oilers will do this before sewing and while winding bobbins. Once the oil flows through the wicks, you can slow down to about 10 to 15 stitches per second (600 - 800 rpm) and the oil will persist until you let the machine sit idle for the night.

It is usually based on the total diameter of the covered cord. The foot or feet are radiused to the exact size indicated on them. A 1/4" piping foot fits over a quarter inch diameter of material and cord.