Wizcrafts

Venator; There are several industrial sewing machine dealers in Toronto, most of whom know Adler machines inside out. Techsew is a division of Raphael Sewing in Montreal and is one of our advertisers. However, I think you should return to the check spring assembly and try again to loosen up the sliding stop bracket on the bottom that acts as a spring travel stopper. Most machines that have that type of check assembly secure the movable stop bracket with a screw on the lower right side. This is separate from the screw that secures the entire assembly to the hole in the body of the machine. That screw lets you turn the assembly, which either loosens or tightens the action on the check spring. You will probably want to tighten it to get the full amount of travel, as limited by the stop bracket under the spring. Where did you buy your Adler? Have you tried contacting the seller for help?

Lengthen the travel on your check spring. It is letting go to soon.

Your experience is similar to what many other people go through as they strive to sew leather on machines. That is why I published the sticky article about "The type of sewing machine you need to sew leather." It is among the other sticky topics on top of the Leather Machines section of the forum (this section). The information in it can save others from going through what I endured, learning about what type of machine it takes to sew real leather projects. To be fair, some old machines can sew some types and thicknesses of leather, with what I regard as upholstery grade thread. In my own experience, this meant about 1/8 inch with #69 thread. It also required changing the presser foot to either a roller equipped foot, or a Teflon foot. Ancient machines, like your 27 type, have a solid presser foot that usually mounts the wrong way compared to modern machines. This requires changing the presser bar to use newer feet that flex, or have rollers or are made of Teflon.

That little spring is very important. Did you run the thread through it until you heard it snap in? pulling up on the thread should lift the top of the spring, if threaded correctly. If this spring was not threaded, it explains your ripped thread problem.

I Googled for close up images of your machine and found this one, which clearly shows the lower left knob has an external "check" spring on its shaft. Your thread must pass through this spring on the way to the take up lever. That spring follows the thread with the upward and downward motion of the take up. As the needle descends, so does the take up lever. The check spring should be adjusted to maintain tension on the thread as the take-up moves down. The travel of the spring can be adjusted by moving some kind of limiting tab on the mechanism where the spring is mounted. Please consult your user manual for better instructions.

Check the travel on the check spring. Too little travel allows the thread to form a semi loop near the point of the needle, on top of the work, leading to thread separation. Too much travel dissolves the loop before the hook picks it up, causing skipped stitches. The check spring should keep your top thread under tension until the needle penetrates the material. then, it should release the tension and allow slack so the loop can form underneath. IHTH.

That is a model 27 and probably one hundred years old. It is not meant to sew leather; just textiles. You would have to remove the original solid presser foot and the presser bar and convert it to a modern foot and bar system. This would allow you to install a roller or Teflon foot to help feed buckskin, which otherwise might not slide under the foot very well.

My US Cowboy holster plate does not have those grooves. However, the standard plate did (past tense), until I sanded them off.

Check the motion of the feed dog relative to the needle and inside foot. It might need tweaking to move in sync in both directions. They have an adjustment somewhere that allows the feed dog to move at a different rate then the top. This is used to ruffle drapes and garments.

I do believe you can duplicate that sewing with a "441 clone" machine. (e.g. Cowboy, Cobra, Techsew, etc), or an Adler 205-370 (recently deprecated) They have cylinder arms that can sew inside bags and can run thread sizes ranging from #92, through 415. Most can clear the entire handle and even sew right through it. The bag in your photo appears to be sewn with #138 bonded thread, which is a middle weight thread that home and most tailoring machines cannot handle at all. The holes suggest that they may have used a #23 leather point needle. If the handle was sewn all the way through, it would call for either #207 or #277 thread. It could also be sewn on a Campbell Lockstitch machine (needle and awl harness stitcher), using 4 or 5 cord Irish linen thread run through liquid wax.

I have a servo motor powering my 1920s Singer 31-15. It uses the stock 16x257, aka: 1738 needles. I have a variety of presser feet and feed dogs, including a complete roller foot conversion kit. I typically run it at about 15 to 20 stitches per second, but can slow it down to 1 per second if needed. This is a tailoring machine. As for needle sizes, I use whatever the job calls for. Right now it has a #12 needle and common 50 weight household thread that was used to hem a shirt. When I sew zippers with it, I switch to a #18 needle and use #69 bonded nylon thread. The smallest needle I have used in it is a #10, but it can take smaller. The largest is a #19 or #20. My machine doesn't like any thread larger than bonded #69. Some 31-15 owners have more modern hooks and shuttles that can manage #92 thread. Not mine ;-( The only time this machine sews leather is zipper replacements on lightweight leather coats. However, it can be used to sew patches onto biker vests, using the roller foot conversion. Again, it is a tailoring machine for garments.

Definitely, get the 1541s - with the safety clutch. Does the dealer or seller offer phone support?

Either of those two will be perfect! If given the option, buy one with a "safety clutch" that disengages the hook if there is a thread jam. It is advisable to get the machine demonstrated at the dealership. This way you will know the basics and avoid headaches down the road.

Andrew; Look directly behind the left side of the machine. There is a crank arm emitting from the head that fastens to another crank arm that has a large hex bolt on top. With the outside foot down, loosen that bolt and the inside foot should move up and down freely. When you find the right height, tighten it back down. The downward push of the inside foot causes the outside foot to lift X amount. Readjust the alternating lift thusly. The overall ratio of lift is controlled by the other crank arm that comes out the middle area of the back of the machine. It connects to a curved slot that determines how high the feet can lift. If you find that the feet can't climb over or below new layers, lower the position of the mid-crank in the slot.

#138 bonded (nylon or polyester) thread has a tensile breaking strength of 22 pounds pull. This is more than enough for soft bags, purses, hats and clothing. It is easy enough to bury the knots inside 6 to 8 ounces of suede, denim or soft leather. This thread is often used to close the outside seams on leather coats and vests. A #23 needle is the larger of the two recommended sizes for sewing #138 thread. It is used when sewing medium to hard leather, as it makes a larger hole than a #22 needle, making it easier to pull the knots up. A #22 needle is more or less the standard for #138 thread sewn into soft material (vests, chaps, hats, purses, etc).

Techsew is one of our advertisers. Call them toll free, at: 866-415-8223 and ask for Ronnie. He is their specialist in leather sewing machines. He, or somebody else at the company will gladly answer your questions about the 2600.

That is not a walking foot machine. It is a high speed, straight stitch, tailoring machine

It is a flat bed walking foot machine. I am thinking you are going to need a cylinder arm machine, not a flat bed. It depends on how you plan to assemble the items. If you have to sew inside, or along the outside of a gusset, or close to a raised section, a cylinder arm is a must.

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A machine can be shipped to you mounted onto a pallet, on a truck. The table and motor will be strapped separately from the machine head and supplied accessories. Assembly does not take a rocket scientist. However, using an industrial sewing machine is different than the machines you used in home Ec, or see at Joann's. If you anticipate buying a walking foot machine, which is very likely (whether it be flat bed or cylinder arm), search for a local upholstery shop. Ask them if you can see how they operate and control their walking foot sewing machines. Ask if you can try one out. They may even offer to sell one they plan on replacing soon. If there aren't any upholstery shops nearby, look for a tailor or alterations shop. Sometimes they keep a walking foot machine for heavy denim, leather and fur repairs and alterations. Ask for a demo. The most basic tip I can give is to hold back the starting threads as you begin to sew. Failure to at least secure the top starting thread usually results in a birds nest around the bobbin and a halt to your sewing until it is cleared. If that happens, and if the machine has a safety clutch, the machine can be easily returned to service after removing the tangled thread. If it is a less expensive machine, or a very old model that has no safety clutch, the timing could be thrown off by the thread jam. Also, try to choose a machine with reverse and easily controlled stitch lengths. Old walking foot machines had odd methods of adjusting the stitch length than may be difficult to set accurately. You will get what you pay for. If you spend $500 or less for a complete machine and motor/table, it may not have modern bells and whistles. It will probably have a clutch motor that runs fast and may be hard to feather to slow it down. A servo motor makes it easier to control slow speeds and is usually used in leather sewing. Adding one on will cost you both time and money. Rectangular drive is from Juki. Prepare to spend serious money for one. You won't regret it though if you need to sew light weight material, like linings.

Cowboy, Cobra, Techsew, Nick-O-Sew, Consew, Juki, Chandler, Adler, Pfaff, and lesser tier brands like Tacsew and Econosew - all have medium duty, cylinder arm, walking foot machines capable of sewing light to medium leather, vinyl, cloth and webbing projects. The first four advertise with us, thus supporting the very existence of the forum. The remainder are manufacturers whose brands are sold by industrial sewing machine dealers. You should contact our member-dealers and see what they have to offer that will match your needs perfectly. As for the second part of your question, you need to do some more research about the types of machines being offered by sellers. A Campbell Lockstitch is a needle and awl machine for sewing extremely heavy leather, like harnesses, saddles, holsters, sheathes,horse tack and such. I know how to operate a Campbell-Randall needle and awl stitcher, due to having decades of experience in this business and being a former owner of a similar machine. I cannot even begin to imagine a newbie to leather sewing operating such a machine. To answer the last part of your question: not likely. The Campbell Lockstitch may be technically "capable" of sewing fairly thin leather (or Biothane), with the proper combination of thread, needle and awl sizes, but a total readjustment would be needed, as they are normally setup for thick, hard leather (or Biothane) and very large thread. They can easily penetrate plywood luggage and are known to sew through copper pennies You are not going to sew purses and wallets with 6 cord linen thread run through a wax pot, or #415 or #554 bonded polyester that is almost 1mm in diameter. This is way more machine than your work calls for. Most of your projects will only require a thread with a tensile strength of between 11 and 22 pounds pull. That encompasses our typical bonded sizes 69 through 138.

Most of the machines you will see advertised in local (Craigslist, etc) ads will be flat bed machines. Upholstery shops use them exclusively. But, cylinder arm machines are specialty items that don't normally appear outside of garment factories or custom builder shops. It is possible for a cylinder arm machine to be retrofitted with a table attachment for flat work, but not vise-verse. A flat bed machine will sew your seams inside out and do a fine job. But, once the bag/purse takes on a shape, it gets harder to sew it on a flat table.

For bags and purses, I strongly recommend that you buy a cylinder arm, compound feed, walking foot machine. The narrower the left side of the arm, the better. The thread capacity should reach #138 bonded thread, which requires a #22 or #23 needle. The lift of the alternating feet should be high enough to sew into 3/8" of material. This usually means that the static lift of the fully raised feet would have to be at least 1/8 inch more, or 1/2 inch. You may have trouble finding old machines with these specs (or not). Something made during the last 10 years should meet these specs. Our member-dealers, who advertise here (see banners), all offer a medium duty walking foot cylinder arm machine meeting or exceeding the aforementioned minimums.

Since you are in Ohio, Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines may be able to help you with missing, extra parts. You can call them at 866-362-7397.

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