Wizcrafts

Since you stated you need to sew up to 5/8", that leaves out anything less than the big harness stitchers. You will definitely need one equipped with a 3:1 speed reducer, to help punch through that much leather. Art already mentioned some brand names, so I won't duplicate. FWIIW, I use a Cowboy CB4500 to sew these kinds of items. A CB3500 will sew as thick, with just a 9" arm, saving you a couple hundred dollars. A Cobra Class 3 is similar, as is the Techsew 4100. If you have a strong arm and good machine shop, a Tippman Boss can sew heavy leather using a hand crank.

The OP tried sewing Biothane using the raised holster plate, which is slotted and eliminates the feed dog function. The material is too sticky on the bottom to feed properly on a walking foot machine lacking bottom feed. This would be better done on a jump foot Union Lockstitch or Campbell Lockstitch machine, using one size larger awl than normal.

One of the first things a new Union Lockstitch Machine owner gets is sticker shock when they look up the prices for bobbins, needles and awls. New bobbins will set you back around $20 each. Needles and awls are in the $35 range for a ten pack. Anybody buying one barebones will need these items. Plus, the needles and awls come in different sizes for different sizes of thread. Then there are the presser feet selling for over $100 each and a special required threading rod that costs about $10. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that all of the important adjustments require special 4 sided (internal) T-wrenches, specifically made for the machine. There are three sizes of those and they aren't cheap.

Here you go

Post machines are good for Cowboy and dress hats and hatbands, biker and ball caps, shoe uppers, mocs and oddball repairs that need to hand down both sides of the needle. They are rarely used by leather "crafters" and more widely by shoe and hat makers.

I have owned two Union Lockstitch machines in my career as a leather crafter. Both were finicky and often had to be readjusted in multiple places whenever the stitch length was changed. My most recent one was barebones and required $1500 in parts and accessories before it sewed right for me. By the time I got my first ULS, I already had about 4 years working with industrial sewing machines under my belt. Still, it took a week to learn how to thread it properly and several months to figure out all the interactive adjustments that went hand in hand. Would I buy another ULS? Yes, if it was a later model, in good repair, with tons of spare parts, bobbins, needles, awls, plates and feet. I would not buy a barebones ULS again.

You can buy a new v-belt one or two inches shorter and regain the normal adjustment range on the motor bolt.

Yes, unless you can find a feed dog with a wider hole, or file yours out, then reposition the hook or needle deflector.

Unfortunately, those SewPro 500GR motors are no longer made.I still have one in service on a straight stitch machine at home.

Here are some new patchers from our advertisers, at great prices. Most are available in short or long arm, at different prices. Some have the small bobbins, others are larger. Cowboy Cobra Techsew Other dealers who frequent and contribute to our forums sell both new house brands and used Singer and Adler patchers. You'll have to contact them and ask. Almost every industrial sewing machine dealer in the USA has at least one fully functional patcher for sale.

Use a leather point needle. Size it to just be large enough for the thread to move freely, but not with a lot of slack. There is a sticky topic near the top of this forum about choosing the right needle for your thread. For instance, if your thread is #92, use a #19 needle. If #69, use a #18.

M. Jones; Check out this Consew 206 page for more details about these machines. Most upholstery grade walking foot machines (like the 206RB) are just gentle enough to sew a couple layers of deer hide, pigskin, or plonge. You have to use a fairly thin needle and thread combination, like #69 thread and a #18 leather point needle and back off the tensions. None can sew 1/2 inch though. That requires a move up into the heavy stitcher realm. You give up some of the lighter end work as a consequence. It is not against the law to have various machines for different types of sewing. ;-)

The Consew 223R was discussed on LWN some time ago, in this topic. It is a fixed foot, needle feed machine, capable of sewing about 1/4 inch of medium to soft temper leather at very high speeds (3,000 spm). Due to the fixed foot, it won't climb up and down like a walking foot machine. But, it will handle #138 thread, top and bottom. It should be useful if you can get it for three hundred dollars, or so..

The Consew 226 has a reverse lever, which was lacking on its predecessor, the 225. It is a good average walking foot machine. It uses the same feet and needles as the newer Consew 206RB-5 and most typical walking foot machines. The bobbins may be smaller than the ones used in the 206, but they will be adequate for thread sizes up to #138 (wind 'em tightly). A Consew 227R, or a 227 equivalent, will be a nice addition. Most of our dealers stock both Consew and custom branded machines that will serve you well.

That machine is only dual feed, with teeth on both feet. You would be better off getting a Juki DNU-1541s, which has triple, compound feed and the standard feet are totally smooth.

Back in the day, I sewed for a gentleman who produced safety vests for Police and various road workers. The material was honeycombed vinyl and had to be covered along the exposed edges. The machine was a Juki LU-563. I tried using over the counter screw on binders with varied results, which didn't track properly around curves. Eventually, we had a custom right angle binder hand made through our industrial sewing machine dealer. It fed 1.25" tape from big spools and double folded it as I sewed. The right angle ensured correct placement on inside curves, like arm holes. That binder never failed us and was worth every dollar paid to have it custom built.

I encounter this when I hem jeans and the feet are on the tall seams. I use a small screw driver to hold down the denim in front of the needle until the inside foot can make contact with the material. If I remember, I also increase the ratio of alternation to the maximum to let the feet lift and lower more, via the curved slot on the back of the machine. Some of the new top end walking foot machines have the foot lift ratio adjuster on top, as a big knob.

On what machine are you going to install the edge binders? What type of binders do you intend to use (single fold, double fold, straight on, or right angle)? What type of material and thickness will the edging be? Do you have a proper feed dog and matching throat plate that holds each binder, or do they just screw onto the bed of the machine and use the standard feed dog and plate?

Prior to getting a Cowboy CB4500 (16.5" arm), I used a Union Lockstitch machine to sew holsters. They can sew 3/4 inch out of the box and have a jump foot and needle feed. Related, are the Campbell-Randall lockstitch machines, which have jump feet and awl feed. But, I would not recommend these machines to anybody without lots of experience with setting up, adjusting and rebuilding sewing machines. A 441 clone is so much easier to run and maintain. It will have triple (compound) feed, a smooth feed dog and is able to sew over 3/4 inch with very heavy thread. It is a holster maker's machine, no doubt. See the ads on the top of the page for our supporting dealers who sell and service these big leather stitchers.

The older the machine, the less likely it is to have reverse. And no, you cannot reverse wheel the machine to sew backwards. If you want a cylinder arm machine with reverse, buy something more recent (last five years or so). A Consew 227R, or clone, is exactly what you are looking for.

Yes. They are basically the same type of mechanism and design. The 3200 just sews less thickness (1/2") than the 3500 and larger. They all share the enormous throat plate cutout and feed dog. You would probably be better off with a CB341 that Toledo Industrial is just starting to sell. I haven't seen one yet, but he says they are clones of a Juki LS-1341, but less than half the cost of a Juki.

Lol; you just responded to a topic that has been dormant since 2009; six plus years ago. Still, the question is valid. You want to know if a "441 clone" can be used to sew wallets, as well as holsters. As the owner of a Cowboy CB4500 I can tell you that they can, if you make several important adjustments first. These are huge, heavy duty sewing machines that are built from the ground up to sew harness, holsters, sheaths, saddles and heavy straps, bags and cases. The current crop are able to clear and sew up to 7/8 inch of leather, using a needle the size of a roofing nail. They are normally adjusted to properly tension thread that is a half millimeter in diameter (#277), which usually requires at least 1/4 inch of leather to conceal the knots. The tension, pressure and check springs are extremely heavy duty, which this thickness of thread calls for. In order to convince a 441 type machine to sew nicely into 4 to 6 ounces of wallet leather takes all of the following changes: Replace the usual #25 system 794 leather point needle with a #19 system 7x3 round point needle, which is the smallest size normally stocked and sold in the US and Canada for 441 machines. Re-thread the top and bobbin with #69 or possibly #92 bonded thread. The 441 machines are normally sold with #277 thread, which is 4 times thicker. Tighten the bobbin tension spring to get some back pressure on the bobbin thread (but not so much that it puckers the bottom leather). A bobbin set for #277 will just let #69 thread flow with zero tension. Back off the top tension to balance the knots inside the leather. If you find it impossible to get the knots to sink below the top, it may be due to how the top thread is fed from the spool to the top tension disks. A direct path through the top post is usually called for with tiny thread, as opposed to the once around with heavier thread. If you still cannot lower the knots into the leather, the check spring tension will need to be backed off. It is normally set to stiff action to maintain tension of heavy thread. After all these adjustments, if the leather on the bottom is fairly soft and gets pushed into the huge hole in the feed dog, or the equally huge cutout in the throat plate, you will need to remove them and replace the throat plate with an optional narrow slotted plate (and no feed dog). The top pressure will need to be backed way off. The amount of alternating height of the feet may need to be reduced The point of impact of the inside foot will have to be reset to equal the tip of the needle at the surface of the thin material. Otherwise, the reverse stitches probably won't match the forward stitches. Those are the typical changes needed to get a 441 clone to properly sew thin leather. They will need to be reversed to sew thicker leather, with thicker (normal) thread.

Thread bunching up under the material could be caused by any of the following problems: The top thread is not going around the center of the upper tensioners, thus, there is no top thread tension. The top thread is going around the center of the tensioners, but they are being kept separated by the presser foot lifter mechanism. Same result; no top tension. Is your presser foot lifted up as you sew? It should be all the way down against the material. Check for binding of the presser bar. The bobbin thread is jammed in the bobbin case, or under the bobbin tension spring. The needle is much too small for the combination of top and bottom threads. The needle must make a hole wide enough to allow the lockstitch "knot" to be pulled up into the material. The shuttle has been moved slightly out of time with the needle. The hook must arrive at the center of the scarf, above the eye of the needle, as it is ascending and has formed a loop. The needle is in backwards, or is incorrectly aligned. The feed dog (in your case) is not able to advance the material properly (against the force of the presser foot), resulting in lots of thread going into the same hole or holes. The stitch length regulator is set at zero. Same result as above.

As a last resort, you could import bonded nylon thread made in Canada, duty free I imagine. The company is Cansew and they produce every type of thread you could want. I used to buy their bonded nylon thread, in matching colors, in sizes 46 through 346 (fewer colors in 346).

The only leather items that are sewn with such tiny stitches (12/inch and smaller) are cowboy boots, where the fancy stitching designs are sewn onto the uppers before assembly. These are sewn with very slim thread, like #33, which is half the size used in upholstery. You may want to reconsider if these machines are specifically set up for tiny stitches and can't be easily changed to the more common 5 to the inch.