Wizcrafts

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.

It looks like the OP requested info about thread for sewing machines, not hand sewing. In my experience, lockstitch machines, other than hook and awl types, break unwaxed linen thread way too easily. Waxed linen thread fowls the moving and tensioning parts and clogs the eye of the needle in standard closed eye needle machines. I think most who have tried it will agree that it is best to stick to bonded nylon or bonded polyester thread in leather and canvas sewing machines. If you must use Barbour's Irish Linen thread in a lockstitch machine, back off the top and bottom tensions to the minimum that will lock the stitched inside the material. Keep a threading device handy to remove the wax from the eye of the needle.

I once owned a Juki LU-563. It is a very good compound feed walking foot machine, if properly cared for and set up. If you tweak the bobbin case opener you might be able to use #207 on top and #138 in the bobbin. It should sew up to 3/8 inch of material, with up to a #24 (leather point) needle. The machine is manually oiled and should be kept lubricated. $500 with a servo and in good working condition? Buy it, but see it sew first.

I don't normally recommend dual feed machines for leather work, if any of it involves veg tan that will hold the tooth marks. It is best to stick with triple feed walking foot machines. Smooth feet for the Rex 188 are as rare as hen's teeth. If you do find a set they may cost a fair amount. It would be cheaper to fill in the metal between the teeth, with liquid steel, or some other permanent compound, or braze bronze into the valleys and grind it smooth. This will effectively render the machine as single, bottom feed, with what amounts to a follow foot.

That is a Singer 29 class patcher. I can't see the brass ID tag on the body, but it will tell the actual sub-model. My guess is that it is a one hundred year old 29-4. This machine is known as a shoe patcher. It's job was sewing uppers on boots and shoes and sewing patches onto leather vests and onto jacket sleeves and over pockets. It can only really handle #69 bonded thread. They are top feed machines that feed the work in any direction. This is done by clawing the work with teeth on the foot. The bobbins are the diameter of a US nickel and don't hold very much thread. The stitch length on a factory quality patcher was only 5 to the inch and that occurred at about 1/8 inch. The stitches get shorter as the thickness increases. The maximum they can sew is about 1/4 inch or a tish over. Unfortunately, the moving parts that determine stitch length wear out over time and extended use. A worn out patcher may only be able to sew 8 stitches per inch. If the machine is being sold as the head only, minus the fitted cast iron base, it is only worth about $200, if it sews and isn't missing any parts. If the shuttle is rusted out, or missing, expect to spend about $40 to replace it..Bobbins are about .75 each and a threading rod may cost you up to $10. Some of the driving gears under the arm are no longer made. If the bobbin winder assembly is missing, a used replacement could cost almost $50. If you know anybody who has a Singer patcher, try to take them with you to look over the machine. It could be a diamond, or a stone.

Domestic sewing machines lack the clearance, motor power and compound feed system to move leather along equally on the top and bottom, over over changes in thickness that easily exceed 3.2mm (1/8 inch or 8 ounces). They do not accept industrial needles that are available in much larger sizes, like 200 (US/Singer #25). Further, they cannot properly tension and control thread that is stronger than what we know as upholstery size 69, or Tex 70. Many domestic machines cannot even tension that size thread. Lastly, many domestic sewing machines can only sew very short stitch lengths, which can weaken the leather if too close together. Of course, this depends on the size of the needle and thread. People who sew fancy stitching onto shoe and boot uppers use tiny stitches and tiny needles and thread. This is a whole other field than typical leather sewing done by most here. Therefore, I categorize domestic sewing machines as NOT being leather sewing machines at all. This doesn't mean that they cannot be used to physically sew some type of leather, with some type of thread, at often tiny stitch lengths. As for your second question, about needle sizes, this may or may not be the case. Sometimes, different machines use the same needle "system." They would share needles in any size. But, if you have three sewing machines, all capable of accepting a #200 (US 25) needle, they might use different lengths and systems of needle. You could easily end up with your Singer 29 patcher that requires system 29x3, 29x4, 135x16, or 135x17 needles, a Pfaff walking foot machine that requires system 190 needles, a Singer 45K that uses system 328 needles and a 441 clone that uses system 794 needles. Your question involved a #200 needle. This refers to the diameter of the shank that penetrates the material. The length top to bottom and diameter of the top of the shank varies with needle system. The system describes a needle profile. The "number" defines the diameter of the business end. As for those #200 needles, your shoe patcher will probably not sew with that size. It is just too wide and may be damaged by the hook on the shuttle. Patchers, like your hundred year old 29-4, should not be fitted with such a large needle. It is simply not built to use large thread and needles. There will be problems if you try. Most upholstery machines will accept up to a size 180 (#24), and may even accept a #200 needle (depending on the type of hook and shuttle system and clearances), without breaking something, but not the thread it is matched to. A #200 needle is best used with US #277 (Tex 270) bonded nylon or polyester thread, top and bottom. This thread has a diameter of almost 0.5mm. Most sewing machines cannot pass it around the shuttle and bobbin. In contrast, machines that are built to handle large thread, like sizes 277 and up, and needles over size 180 (US #24), don't do so well with thinner thread and needles. Just my observation.

My first industrial sewing machine was a 96k40. It was one sub-model before this and lacked reverse. If I didn't already have a 31-15 I would buy your 96k41, just to have one.

I classify the 29-4 as a light to medium duty leather sewing machine, meant for sewing shoe and boot uppers and patches on leather vests. It uses needles up to size 130 or 140, but usually we equip them with no more than a #110 needle. The 45k25 is a heavy leather sewing machine, meant for harness, saddle parts, holsters and other hard leather items. It is usually equipped with a large roller foot. It uses large and long needles (sizes 160 through 230) and can handle thread sizes T135 through T350. This is way beyond the capacity of the 29-4, which is limited to about T70 thread. The Singer 45k is sort of the forerunner of the Adler 105. It is a bottom feed machine. The Singer 29 series are top feed machines.