Wizcrafts

You can buy a Family Sew FS-550s, equipped with a 2" (50mm) pulley and a new v-belt, at Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines. They are in Toledo, east of the airport by about 15 miles or so, off I-475. There are maps on their website, which is at: www.tolindsewmach.com

Use #92 on the bottom, instead of 138. The knots will be easier to hide and it won't bunch up as much. I do most of my wallets using #92 top and bottom. For this size thread I would recommend a #19 needle.

I set up a 111w153 for a friend of mine. It needed about $90 in replacement parts, which included a new timing belt and smooth bottom presser feet, bobbins, needles, etc. He still needs to buy a servo motor with a 2" pulley and a shorter v-belt before he can actually control it. That will cost another $125 or so. The one in the photos looks to have all the parts on it. But, as was noted earlier, the timing belt needs to be checked to see if it is cracked and going or gone. I have a long body version of the machine and it too has no reverse. I use the Poor Man's Reverse (spin the work 180º), or with the needle up, lift the feet with the knee lever, pull the work forward a half inch and sew over the last few stitches. The stitch length adjustment is alien to most people. It is changed by turning a big knob on the back of the hand wheel. Turning it inward shortens the stitches and outward lengthens them. The range of adjustment is set inside the top of the head, under the long rectangular cover plate. There are two threaded chambers on a block that moves as the adjuster is turned. One has a wide, flat screw that holds down a strong spring, which you don't want to unscrew unless an invasion is taking place! The other chamber has two set screws that take a narrow flat head screwdriver. The top screw is the set screw. The bottom one that actually makes contact with the turning adjuster moves up to lengthen and down to shorten the range of adjustment. The set screw keeps that range locked in.

On average, anywhere between $300 and $600 for a short arm, and between $400 and $800 for a long arm, big bobbin model. Patchers that are mounted on the correct cast iron base, with a double treadle pulley, usually sell for much more than a head only. There are always exceptions to prices. A pristine machine with very little prior wear and tear will fetch a higher price than a typically used and abused machine. A rebuilt patcher that sews 5 to the inch is worth more also. The condition of the moving parts and sewability is more important than its birth date. Those prices are for private sales, not necessarily from dealers.

In a nutshell, it is a shoe outsole stitcher. It can also sew straps, as well as some pouches and cases, as long as they don't get caught up in the moving needle feed mechanism on the front. They were made to sew with liquid waxed linen thread. Nowadays, folks usually put thread lube in the wax pot and run bonded polyester thread through them. The assembled weight is in the neighborhood of 750 pounds. The motor may be wired for 110v or 220v, depending on who owned it last. If you desire to get into boot making or shoe repair, this machine will be a good start, once it is cleaned, lubed and has the rust removed.

When buying and selling antiques, the original selling price often doesn't enter into it. The going market price is based on what average buyers are willing to pay at any given time. This changes,just like the price of Futures and Commodities. Chances are that you will pay a lot more now for a pristine 29-4 patcher than what it sold for new. You will also have to pay in full in cash, where the cobblers in the early 1900s may have bought them on time, direct from Singer salesmen.

I have a 15 class and it definitely has a horizontal axis hook, just like the 31 series I also own. You snap in bobbin cases on the left lower side, under the bobbin access slide plate. Vertical hook machines have bobbins that drop in from the top. Horizontal axis machines have bobbins that fit into bobbin cases that snap into openings in a frame, under the machine. 441 and 205 type machines have bobbin cases that are attached permanently with a pin. They open with a spring latch to allow the bobbin to be removed and replaced.

Your machine will pound more when the lift is higher. Lower lift makes for a smoother running machine. But, most leather sewers sew so slowly that they won't notice the change in vibration. I sometimes sew flat out, on long runs. When I know I will be doing that I lower the lift for less pounding. Then I forget and try to sew over thick seams and wonder why the feet won't climb as high as usual. Doh!

I haven't seen Allen posting replies here. But I do see quite a few from Gregg, including in this very topic. Doesn't he deserve to get a sale for his efforts?

Hmmm. Light weight, soft lambskin leather. I sew that on my Singer 139w101 walking foot machine every now and then. You are smart to want a Juki, as they are quality machines built in Japan. But, even better, some models of their walking foot machines have what they define as rectangular drive. This defines the motion performed by the feed dog, which I understand is user adjustable. By carefully balancing the motion and lift of the feeder, those Jukis can sew thinner and softer materials than typical upholstery class walking foot machines. Here is a quote from the Juki web page for their DNU-1541 class machines.

Those spacers are a nice idea, but only for people using a straight stitch fixed foot machine. The O.P. has a walking foot machine that exceeded its preset alternating foot lift height. The adjustment Gregg offered will increase the lift of the inside and outside feet, allowing him to walk and sew over thick seams in jeans.

Be careful if you buy one of those cylinder arm machines with a binder attachment. Some have a feed dog that only acts as a lower thread guide, but does not lift above, or even close to the top of the throat plate. Those machine will not feed leather properly. Make sure what you buy has compound feed, with a feed dog on the bottom moving in sync with the needle and inside foot, while the outer foot just lifts and lowers to hold down the material.

Avoid all of the straight stitch tailoring machines if you want to sew holsters. This is the entirely wrong "class" of machine. The "entry level" for sewing pancake, or concealed holsters not much thicker than 5/16 to 3/8 inch, is an upholstery class walking foot machine, with compound feed. Preferably, you would want one with a large M style, or better yet, a Juki LU style bobbin and hook. All of this class can sew with #138 bonded thread. Some can even handle #207 thread. Note, there are new machines of this type that far exceed the capacities of the older walking foot, upholstery class machines. These machines are made by Juki and Adler. But, be prepared to take out a bank loan to buy one. If you really intend to go into the business of holster making, forget about the medium grade and move directly up into the super-heavy duty, type 441 leather stitchers. The primary dealers for these machines run paid banner ads on top of every page of Leatherworker.net. Our supporting them by purchasing machines, parts and accessories from them, keeps this wonderful forum alive.

Tor; Are you suggesting that this (as yet non-existent) lower needle guide would move like a normal feed dog, but would stay under the plane of the throat plate at all times? If so, an accessory smooth or toothed feeder could be modified so its vertical position slot allows it to drop down out of the way. This would require grinding down the curved bottom of the feeder and slightly increasing the upper length of the height slot, to let it drop farther down. It will probably still have enough usable vertical range to raise it up for normal use. The clamping screw might need a lockwasher between the screw head and the feeder shank, to lock it down against the pressure of the inside foot and leather. I suppose that someone willing to experiment on an extra feed dog might come up with your solution. I don't know about 441 clones in .EU, but most of them sold in the US and Canada have the smooth harness feet and feeder installed and the Juki presser feet and feeder with teeth in the accessory bag. Somebody who isn't using, or planning on using these so-called blanket feet might try modifying that feeder to drop down out of the way of the slotted and stirrup plates. Interestingly, my smooth feeder does not make contact with the bottom of my holster plate, so I can leave it in place without lowering it for that plate. But, it will not drop down far enough to clear the slotted or stirrup plates. Final note: my "blanket" feed dog (with teeth) has a more or less round needle hole that is nowhere near as wide as the smooth dog with a long slot in it.

The motor only turns when you apply pedal to it. The combined sound of the servo motor and speed reducer is nowhere near the level of sound of a typical clutch motor that spins all the time. I don't even notice the reducer, aside from the power boost it gives.

You don't know the Amish. It is what it is.

The machine should have a stitch length adjuster. If it does, set it to as close to zero as possible at the beginning and end of the stitching. Sew about 3 or 4 in place chain stitches, then turn it up to your preferred stitch length and sew to the end. Zero it again at the end, sew a few in place, and you should be locked in. Or else, use a dab of hardening glue at the start and end of the chain. Another way to lock the starting stitches is to sew one in, then pull the top thread end across the top of the skins and sew the loop over it. Locking the other end could be done by sewing past the end, pulling it out close to the feed wheels, flipping it over 180º and sewing back over the last inch of chain stitches.

I have one machine that is powered directly by a FS-550 and another with a FS-550 going to a 3:1 speed reducer, then up to the machine. Both motors are fitted with 50mm pulleys and are unmodified. The direct powered machine has a maintainable slowest running speed of about 1.5 stitches per second. But, it is trivial for us to do single stitches and stop needle up or down. The other machine, with the reducer, can actually be kept at the blazing pace of one stitch in 10 to 12 seconds (it has a bigger flywheel pulley). The only practical use for such a slow speed is to watch exactly where the needle is going to hit, which is useful when doing repairs to previously sewn work. More useful is simply turning the speed limiter switch to the slowest setting and flooring it. This gives us a steady speed of one stitch per second. This is useful when I sew fishtails or other patterns onto belts and straps. In hindsight, I should have had a speed reducer installed on the other machine when I ordered it. Adding it on now will require repositioning the bobbin winder and possibly enlarging the belt slot in the custom cut table. Do I recommend speed reducers for leather sewers? You betcha! The ones now for sale from our member-dealers should all have ball bearings, rather than the old style sleeve bearings. If you are buying a new sewing machine and the dealer offers a speed reducer installation option, take it. You'll save yourself a lot of trouble later on.

The Family Sew FS-550, fitted with a 50mm (2") pulley will do that easily. You can get even more punching power by adding a speed reducer between the motor and machine. They are sold by industrial sewing machine dealers whose ad banners appear on top of the pages on LW.N.

Type 3L belts are 3/8 across the top, hence 3L designation. They are sold by industrial sewing machine dealers. You are unlikely to find them at auto parts stores that usually stock 4L (1/2 inch) belts for car pulleys. But, I just remembered that you made your own motor pulley. Measure the motor shaft and order a 2" replacement with the correct inside diameter from an industrial sewing machine dealer, along with the new, shorter (3L) belt.

Replacement servo and clutch motors all normally ship with type 3L pulleys. The Family Sew motors I got from Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines were fitted with 50mm (2") 3L pulleys. The shaft ID is about 1/2 inch, I think. Clutch motors usually have 3/4" shafts. But the pulleys I have are all for 3L v-belts.

I don't know your setup, but the standard pulley and belt combination for industrial sewing machines and motors is 3/8 inch; Type 3L. 3L belts are available from every industrial sewing machine dealer in the World. In the USA they come marked in inch designations. In Canada and non-SAE countries, they are marked in metric notation. Type 3L v-belts can be purchased in one inch increments, from the low 30s through the high 60s and beyond. I have a peg full of them in my shop, ranging from 38" through 59". If your previous 46" belt was too long after installing a smaller motor pulley, order a 44" 3L v-belt. Or, remove the C-clip from one side of your existing round belt, cut off the necessary amount to get a tight fit, punch a 1/16" hole about 1/4" in from the new end, push the open end of the clip through the hole and use your pliers to squeeze it down.

There are a lot of times when I use a size smaller on the bottom. One in particular is on 9 - 10 oz belts when I add decorative edge stitching. I'll use 207 on the bottom and 277 on top. Once I get to a quarter inch I usually run the same size on both sides, for added strength per stitch. This is especially true for the holsters I sew. I go out of my way to tell the customer how many pounds of strength each stitch possesses.

I almost always use the same size thread on top and bottom.

That narrow space only exists for about 5 inches or so. Then, it begins to expand as you progress down the arm.