Wizcrafts

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.

I did a quick lookup of this model and sub-class. It looks like a light duty, straight stitch machine. It should be usable for upholstery and garment leather. The feed is entirely from the feed dog on the bottom. I suppose that the presser foot could be changed to a roller foot, if someone offers a compatible foot for sale.

The Cowboy CB3200, 3500, 4500 and 5500 are clones of the Juki TSC-441. The same goes for the comparable Cobra and Techsew machines. These machines have huge oscillating shuttles and cylindrical bobbins. The Juki TSC-441 was built to compete against the Adler 205-370. So, if you can find either of these machines cheaper than a Cowboy with the same arm length, buy it. Note that the aforementioned Juki sells for about $6,000 and the Adler for about $7,000. There used to be a machine called the Ferdinand Bull, which was based on the Juki 441, but modified into a needle feed, jump foot machine. They show up for sale in our MarketPlace every now and then. Beware though, the company is out of business.

I once sewed through a ruler on a Singer 15-91, after rebuilding it. It was sewn with #69 thread using a #18 needle. As long as the plywood is soft and the full package fits under the presser foot/feet, and the foot/feet have a strong enough pressure spring to keep the wood from lifting with the needle, and the motor has enough punching power, it will sew. A walking foot machine may be limited to #138 thread, with a #22 or 23 needle. Straight stitch machines to #69 thread with a #18 needle. I should mention that I preferred sewing wood on a Union Lockstitch machine!

You're welcome. If you save up and buy the right machine the first time, you'll have fewer regrets. BTW: If you do buy a Cowboy machine from Darren Brosowski or Singermania Steve, they warranty and service them in Australia. They will assist you with the learning curve and hiccups that happens to first time leather sewers.

They both also sell Singer and other brands that cost less. When it comes to sewing leather, you get what you pay for. Singermania sells the Cowboy CB3200, which is a mid-priced stitcher capable of sewing 1/2 inch of real leather, with #415 thread. You have little to lose by asking him, or Darren, what they can do for you that will fit your budget. Darren Brosowski also does business as Anne Bonnys Locker.

That didn't take me very long. Your official Cowboy Sewing Machines dealer/distributor in Australia, is a member here, named Singermania. He is one of the few people to ask about real industrial leather sewing machines down under. Darren Brosowski is another and is also a member here.

That Singer machine is just a plastic body household garment machine for sewing light material with thin thread. It may survive a dozen wallets, then break down. You have a Cowboy dealer, who also sells all manner of industrial leather capable sewing machines, in Australia. I'll search the posts in this forum and post who it is when I find him.

Possibly and possibly not. The looper timing should be related to the position of the eye of the needle. If you move the needle bar to accommodate a longer or shorter needle and place the eye in the same horizontal position when the looper arrives, the timing should still work.

There has to be a simple means of loosening the needle bar and repositioning it for the needles you are able to obtain.

I totally misunderstood your explanation. It now is obvious from the photos that the multiple thread loops in the shuttle is caused by the top thread losing tension, not the bobbin spring letting go. Do whatever you must to get the bobbin thread to feed smoothly under the spring, without jumping out of its slot in the bobbin case. Adjust for a modicum of tension. Re-thread the top so that if the thread has springy sections, they will be counteracted by an additional reverse wrap around the top post. You can see which way the thread is twisting by totally removing it from the top and starting over. Additionally, you might try increasing the downward travel of the check spring. Its job is to keep the top thread taut as the needle descends. The travel is limited by the movable block under the spring, which is on the lower tensioner post.

What color is the thread? If dark brown or black, it may be double dyed and extra springy and is uncoiling itself in the machine. Is the thread staying under the bobbin tension spring, or slipping out? If it slips out, flip the direction of the bobbin so it feeds the opposite way. This sometimes happens to me and reversing the flow off the spool cures it.

I was about to post the same thing. I always tilt the head back to replace belts, to oil the underside bearings, etc. All industrial sewing machines on standard tables have pivots on the back.

That rod is more than straight enough. The problem I had was caused by a huge angle of about 30 degrees off center exerting a side pull at the bottom of the travel. The machine was on a pedestal table that positions the motor rather far away from the speed pedal. I have not experienced the slowdowns on machines mounted on standard industrial sewing machine tables.

The missing part is the bobbin winder tension assembly. I just bought one on eBay for $10.00.

I always re-position the inside foot to match the tip of the needle on the top of the leather, when changing thicknesses more than 7 - 8 ounces. Not only does the leather feed better, but it also improves the fwd/rev stitch length matching.

The FS-550s has a plastic activator lever facing forward when the motor is mounted under a standard sewing machine table. The lever moves down to release the brake and increase the speed. Just make sure that the rods or chain you use to connect it to the floor pedal are routed as straight vertically as possible. This is usually not a problem on walking foot machines, as the floor pedal sits pretty much under the left edge of the motor and control lever.

I have bought 4 Family Sew 550s motors from Toledo Industrial and have had no problems at all. They usually arrive in one or two business days, depending on what time you order (re: UPS truck pickup time). Two are on 441 machines and two on walking foot machines, one of which I sold. The only caveat I discovered is that they work better if you pull the lever straight down, rather than on an angle. Pulling on an angle flexes the shaft and sensor and can cause a slowdown at the end of travel, just when you expect more speed.

Caba; You should get back to Darren and ask him for the specs on his Able patchers. It is a custom build he commissioned.

The 29k patchers used to require system 29x3 and 29x4 needles, which are no longer made. However, system 135x16 is the same length from the top of the shank to the eye. They are a good substitute. As for the maximum thickness, it is 1/4 inch of leather. Since the bobbins are teensie weensie, most folks only thread them with #69 bonded thread (and a #18 needle). Also, if the feed motion crank is worn down, as they usually are on such old machines, the stitch length will suffer tremendously. I once had that model and it only sewed 8 to the inch when I got it. As for sewing boot uppers, that is what they are made to sew. A local bootmaker came to my shop to sew uppers on my long arm, big bobbin, Singer 29k172. The only parts it couldn't sew were the pull tabs on the back (~3/8" thickness). For those, we used my Cowboy CB4500.