Wizcrafts

The intermittent "tiny balloons" on the bottom would be thread knots or even top thread loops on the bottom. There would be two things that would account for this. The top thread is twisting up in the upper tension disks, out of the primary pressure zone, causing it to lose tension The bobbin was wound incorrectly, or is warped and is binding intermittently Check the spool of thread to see if it comes off the spool like a coil spring. If so, place a funnel on top of the spool and feed the thread through the spout, up to the thread guise on the stand. Then, when it gets to the three hole thread guide near the top tensioner, go through all three using a wrap around technique. This may counteract the twisty thread. The opposite can happen if the bonding on the thread is sticky in some areas and loose in others. Examine the cone and see if the thread sticks too much intermittently. Wind a fresh bobbin load, using a fairly strong amount of tension on the disks on the far end of the winder assembly. You want the bobbins to be loaded tightly and evenly all the way across. As the bobbin is loading, check it for out of roundness. If the sides are bent the booin may bind inside the bobbin case. Check the bobbin case tension spring and slot for thread pollution. A ratted piece of thread can cause intermittent tension changes. You don't need a lot of bobbin tension. Use just enough to get a decent lay on the bottom, with the knots buried between the layers. Then you won't need as much top tension either. Finally, make sure that the top thread is feeding through the check spring and adjust its travel to see if it makes any improvement, or worsens the issue. The adjustment should be set bey a little screw in a curved slot on the disk facing forward, over the check spring. One direction lengthens the travel and vice-versa.

Colt; The check spring is on a second split shaft under the top tension disks. It is the small coil spring with a turnback on the end, which you pull the top thread through, before it feeds up to the take-up lever. Its purpose is to maintain tension on the top thread during the take-up and downstrokes. It must keep the thread taut until the needle penetrates the top layer and must let go before bottom dead center is reached. Everything in between is optional and can make a difference. The amount of movement of this check spring is determined by a bracket under it. The bracket is movable in an arc on the housing that holds the spring. Loosen the screw going through the bracket and move it one way or the other to change the distance the spring travels, from a resting position. Instead of a bottom stop bracket, rour check spring may have a sliding block facing outward and behind a knurled nut on the lower shaft. It is secured by a little screw inside a curved slot on the forward facing round plate. These allow a certain amount of fine adjustment of the travel. Here is a link to one on eBay, with a good photo of the spring and mounting assembly. http://www.ebay.com/itm/CONSEW-206RB-WALKING-FOOT-INDUSTRIAL-SEWING-MACHINE-THREAD-TENSION-ASSEMBLY-/270962678983

Stop using leather point needles on webbing. It frays the strands and makes a slit, rather than a round hole. This change alone may improve the bottom appearance. #23 round point needle with #138 thread, top and bottom. Lengthen the check spring travel some.

This proves the age old adage that less is more! Or something like that.

Kelsey; Try backstitching three stitches and hold both threads taut as you do so, until you pass the starting stitch. Make sure that the knots are as centered inside the material as is possible. Finally, use a smaller needle if all your stitches are loose (experiment). The travel of the check spring has an influence on the stitch tightness. Longer travel makes for tighter stitches all around. But, too much travel can dissolve the loops before the hook picks them off.

If a #20 needle breaks and she isn't pulling hard on the material, then needle deflection caused by thread tension is a possible cause. Reducing both top and bobbin tensions, rebalancing the position of the knots, should help alleviate this deflection. Also, check the feed dog and make sure it is not moving at a different rate than the needle. The Juki may be equipped with an adjustable rate feed dog control, used to ruffle curtains. This would be a bad setting for flat work. If she is trying to force the work around the turns, the needle may be deflected into the feed dog surface. If she has to move up to a bigger needle,she may have do the same with the thread. Otherwise there will be huge holes with tiny thread. The normal needle-thread combinations for upholstery grade walking foot machines are as follows. #69 thread: #18/110 needle #92 thread: #20/125 needle #138 thread: #23/160 needle

Apparently, you already have a large enough needle. The 125/20 is the "size" designation or width indicator. The 125 is the European size and the 20 is the American/Singer equivalent size. The 135x17 or DPx17 are the needle "system," with the x16 being leather point and the x17 round point. I get most of my thread from Bob Kovar (Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines), including #92. I only buy elsewhere if he doesn't have a color I am looking for in a particular size. Most of his bonded thread is the Cowboy brand and it matches colors across multiple sizes. So, if you buy an 8 ounce spool of a certain color code in #92 and 16 ounce spool of the same code in size 277, the colors will match. You can see the colors and codes of the Cowboy thread here The color codes are listed in the right sidebar on the Thread page.

You will have a hell of a time installing a drop down edge guide on a Singer 111 machine. Go with the bed mounted swing away guide. I used to have one that clamped over the front facing edge of the machine, with one or two large screws. It worked fine.

Yes, bottom tension == bobbin tension spring What size needle was she using when it broke on the corner? If it was under #20, tell her to try using #20 on the remainder of the project. Moving up to #92 thread is recommended as well (with the #20 needle). Heavy thread tension usually bends the bottom of the needle to the left. Couple this with turning around a corner in chipboard and a #18 needle doesn't stand a chance

If she finds that the thread is too tight and is warping the vinyl, back off both top and bottom tensions, balancing the position of the knots. The goal is to set the best laying stitch, at any given stitch length. If it is difficult to get a totally flat stitch into certain thin materials, shorten the stitch length.

Make sure that the top thread is not lifting up from the center of the top tension disks. Twisty thread tends to do that. Compensate by threading through holes in a guide ahead of the top tension disks. Also, ensure that you are passing the top thread around the check spring. Failure to thread it will cause thread problems. The travel of the check spring must be long enough to keep the thread taut until the needle pierces the top of the material. Then, it must stop before BDC to allow the needle to form a thread loop at the ascending eye of the needle.

The stitch regulators, whether on a Singer or Adler patcher, are for fine tuning the position of the knots. The German machines have the wafer hanging down that is plainly labeled Dick and Dorf: Thick and Thin. If the machine is sewing perfect knots in 4 ounces and a project comes along that is at the machine's limit of about 1/4 inch, one would change the position to Dorf, or Thick. This causes the take-up lever to be raised mechanically, pulling up more on the combined threads, raising the knots. When I am sewing thin leather, I back off the thread regulator on my Singer patchers. They only need to engage enough to ensure that the top thread has enough tension to avoid being pierced by the needle and to form knots inside the leather. Operating with very little, or no extra take-up assist seems to lay down a much tighter top stitch. It doesn't hurt to experiment with your thread regulators to get a feel of how they respond to different sewing jobs.

Rotate the needle so that the left to right thread faces slightly to the rear, on the right side. This aims the knot toward the oncoming hook. Change the travel on the check spring until the problem goes away. Increase the pressure on the presser foot. Back off the two spring loaded screws holding on the shuttle race, by about 1/2 turn each.

Congratulations to Uwe for making this vidoe! Excellent work, mein Heir.

In addition to Campbell Randall, there is Bogel-Greenwell Sewing Machinery, in Grand Prairie,Texas

The Cowboy CB3200 is a compound feed walking foot machine, with higher lift and much higher thread handling capacities than standard walking foot machines. It is basically a clone of a Juki TSC-441. It uses the same needles, bobbins and presser feet as the larger CB4500. But, unlike the 4500, the 3200 can only sew 1/2 inch thickness. Also, it is normally sold with a U shaped table (sit down), rather than the pedestal type that the 4500 is mounted on (stand up). If all your work will be no thicker than 1/2 inch and will require bonded thread sizes 138 and up, that would be a good machine for your purposes. Note, it can use #92 thread, which requires a #19 or 20 needle. But, there aren't any leather point needles for it under #23 (best for for #138 thread). The link in the first paragraph takes you to the official dealer's product page.

It is pure chance that the system 135x16 and 135x17 walking foot needles fit perfectly in old patchers. It is really good fortune because most manufacturers no longer produce the actual 29x3 or 29x4 needles. They did not have a scarf above the eye, like the walking foot needles have. Timing is a bit trickier on well worn machines.

I can personally vouch for both Cowboy and Cobra branded heavy leather stitchers, owning one and having spent dozens of hours on the hour, sewing. Both are built in China, but are shipped directly to the two dealers who assemble them, adjust them, go over any loose screws and sew them off. All this is done by our dealers before any machine is shipped to the customers. Additionally, our dealers, including Techsew, all provide limitless technical support to their customers. You will not be left out in the dark. They will take phone calls and answer email, or private messages sent through the forum. It may not be instant (these are often small companies with lots of machines going out), but the support will come. I know from personal experience. Price wise, all three offer similarly priced package deals. One may toss in something different than the others. Another may have cheaper shipping to your location. The big leather stitchers are well built. Stuff does eventually need to be adjusted. The machines need to be oiled manually and often. There is no excuse for letting a sewing machine seize do to lack of oil.

These multi-needle machines are used to make cloth garments in factories. They are of absolutely no use to a leathercrafter. Do not entertain any ideas to the contrary. I hope you didn't invest money in them, unless you are going into the cloth garment industry..

Great idea Eric! And low tech. Now, try to imagine one that wheel feeds the sheepskin into a bevel angle mounted reciprocating fabric trimmer blade and vacuums the cutoff on the way out.

You could have bought those feet for the Union Lockstitch machine you traded to me a few years ago. My previous ULS had these "stepper" feet in spi ranging from 9 through 5. Aside from the ULS and Campbell LS, there are no other machines in production that I know of that have these feet readily available. Ditto for the slanted French Edge throat plates. If you find a machine shop that is willing to make these stepper feet and slanted throat plates, post contact info here. I would definitely buy some.

Dikman; I believe you are trying to run the old post machine beyond its design parameters. I would keep the thread size at or under #92, which happily runs through a #19 or 20 needle. Just my .02

Try some #22 leather point needles for your #138 bonded thread. That is the recommended small size. Also, see if titanium coated needles are available for it, in sizes up to 22. They sew hard, or glued, or taped leather better.

We have at least two members in Oz who sell and service industrial sewing machines. Darren Brosowski is one. His store is or was called Ann Bonny's Locker. Then, there are members Jim Saddler and SingerMania down under.

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