Wizcrafts

Test the machine with some scrap sole leather and #277 thread, using a #25 (200) chisel or diamond point needle. If it can hold your leather down while forming the lockstitches and places the knots well up into the leather, you are probably good to go. But, if the pressure spring can't hold the leather down, you'll get skipped stitches and bent needles. Also, if there are presser foot options, use the widest outside foot you can get. This spreads out the force over a wider swath and tends to hold down tough leather much better than narrow feet can do.

At 3/4 inch your Cobra will need all the pressure you can apply to the presser feet. This is to hold the leather down as the loaded needle comes up with the knot from the bobbin thread. The pressure is divided equally between the inside and outside feet. The inside foot directly surrounds the needle and pushes the leather down hard into the big slot in the feed dog on the bottom. You are going to have deep puckers on the bottom, surrounding the needle holes. If you use the supplied S point needles, the top stitches will look much better than the bottom, which will appear shorter from being drawn in to the oval holes. You can get around this by ordering diamond point needles in the proper sizes for the thread combinations you plan to use. Diamond points produce a better matched top and bottom stitch. But, the puckers will be visible on the bottom. The only way to reduce the puckering is to greatly reduce the foot pressure. Unfortunately, unless you are sewing harness or bridle leather, the low pressure usually allows the leather to lift with the needle, causing skipped stitches. One solution to this, for 3/4 inch sewing, is to use a Campbell-Randall Lockstitch machine, or equivalent needle and awl harness stitcher. Even a Union Lockstitch produces a nicer bottom stitch than any closed eye needle machine I have ever used. They have a jumping foot that is either single or double toe. The immediate radius around the stabbing awl has nothing but air. The hold-down pressure is off to the sides of the slot in the throat plate and bottom puckering is almost non-existent. Top and bottom stitches closely resemble those of a hand stitching awl with a chisel point needle. These are my observations from using both types of machines.

I own a Singer 31-15. It is a tailoring machine and not much more. I am able to run up to #69 (Tex 70) bonded thread through it, although it prefers cotton or polyester garment or jeans thread. My 31-15 uses system 16x257 (aka, 1738, DBx1, DBx257) needles, in sizes 10 through 18, which are available in a variety of points. For canvas, denim, cotton and webbing, use ball point needles. For suede or thin garment leather, use a leather point needle with an oval chisel point. If you find that your machine lacks pulling power, know that there are at least three different feed dog/throat plate combinations for your machine: fine teeth, medium teeth and heavy teeth. You will probably have to get a set of heavy teeth feeder and the matching plate for moving suede along. They stand taller and are wider than the standard or fine set. Leathers and some suede can be sticky under the presser foot. You can either swap out the foot to a Teflon foot, or a roller equipped foot. There are literally dozens of presser feet and folder attachments that fit these machines. I find that about the thickest my machine can actually sew is just about 1/4 inch, with a flat foot. But, with the taller roller equipped foot, 3/16" is the maximum

The 211w151 is bottom and needle feed only. The presser foot is static. Clearance under the foot is either set to 1/4" or 3/8", depending on the needle system it was set up to use. Those become the maximum thicknesses that can be sewn. The job of the presser foot is to hold down the material as the stitches are formed. If the material is tough it can lift with the needle and this causes skipped stitches. To keep hard leather from lifting, you'll need to increase the pressure on the foot. The higher the foot pressure, the more drag it exerts on the leather. This can reduce the length of your stitches, or bend the needle.

The O.P. asked about type 7x3, which are round point needles. The equivalent in leather point is either 7x4 or 794.

Cobra Steve has all types of needles. Certainly, the dealer who sold you your CB3200 has needles for it. Type 7x3 are round point and are mostly available in sizes 19 through 22. However, they are also to be had in larger sizes for sewing heavy webbing. I have some in #27 that I use to poke round holes along the side of belts for little Bling rivets.

Before doing anything I mention below, try rotating the outer foot pressure adjuster on top of the machine. Sometimes they get drilled off center and the presser bar can hang, until you lift and release to feet. It happened on my machine and I drilled out the bore slightly to clean it up. Check the forward alignment of the inner and outer feet, to ensure they don't make contact and bind against each other. You may have to remove the (4) C-clamps from the crank arms controlling the feet, including the one on the back, and pull off the entire crank assembly. It will be hell to get it all back on, but it is doable. I just went through that process, for other reasons. Remove the needle first. At this point the inside foot will be rotatable slightly. Make sure is doesn't bind going all the way up and down (disconnected. With the cranks off you can plainly see what is going on with the lifter block. You also have unfettered access to the screws that lock the presser bar in position. It may need to be lifted, lowered, or rotated slightly (if the inner and outer feet hit each other). Unscrew the adjuster and see if you can fully raise the outside presser bar, then have it drop on its own when you let go. The block with the big roller rides against a flat steel bar with oversize holes. They allow you to move the top and bottom as needed for the smoothest up and down flow and lease forward/backward free motion needed. You can actually remove the presser bar from the top, with the outer foot and screw off. Then you can plainly see what is deflecting the big coil spring and shifting the lift block. Oil everything left in the head, which will be so much easier with half the parts out. Oil the four shafts before trying to reinstall the crank assembly. A magnetic pickup tool is your friend. Make sure that parts that fall down cannot fall through to China! I save clips and screws on magnets, or in magnetic bowls. If you find that the casing has been gouged by the binding lifter, try to smooth out the sharp edges. It's hard to troubleshoot these machines over forum posts. But, once you figure out what caused all this, you will have lots more experience in case something similar ever occurs.

Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines is in Toledo, Ohio, possibly a less than 5 hour drive. Dealers who cater to leather crafters are the exception, not the rule. Show some lurve and click the ad banners at the top, then call or email them with your request for help finding the right machine.

See the hole in the frame near the timing belt, on the bottom? A rod needs to feed through that hole, connected to some arm on the upper back side of the machine. You need to hook up the knee lever so it makes firm contact with that rod. When your knee forces the rod up, the feet will lft and at some point the top tension will be released..

Your machine is a newer version of a Singer 132k6, which I once owned. The foot could "lift" 1/2 inch, but hard leather like sole bends will probably grab the needle and lift with it. You will have bent or broken needles and marked up leather The needle clamp may not even be able to hold the needle in and it may have to be fished out with pliers. When I owned a Union Lockstitch machine the manual referred to fair stitching on shoes (soles). It was recommended to oil or wet the leather before sewing. I believe it said to not even try stitching them dry. Also, I ran my (linen) thread through liquid wax/lube (Ceroxylon) that helped it go through tough multiple layers of leather. And that was a needle and awl machine.

I get both 7x3 ans 794 needles from Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines.

With the exception of the Singer 111, all the others are strictly cloth garment sewing machines. You need to find out the suffix after the "W"; e.g. w103, w155. No doubt, some of those garment machines will spin so fast you caould control them. Factories use high speed Juki machines to sew at 80 or 90 stitches per second. They need to spin fast to distribute the oil from the oil pan to the wicks feeding the extremities. You need to be sewing at well under 10 stitches per second and either learn to feather the clutch to slow down, or replace the entire motor with a servo motor. Servo motors let you sew at a slow steady speed, often at 1 stitch per second.

Pawpa, I am sorry. I turned off my person messenger a couple of weeks ago when I went out of town and forgot to turn it back on. It's back on now. I also listed a good email address in one of the fields in my profile.

When Cowboy Bob told me that the 205 clones run smoother I took that to mean less vibration. You'll have to call Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines, at 866-362-7397 and ask him yourself. Your previous question about pneumatics would be custom fabrications done by the factory for particular large industrial customers, or the dealers who set up the machines. The new Adler 969 comes with pneumatic foot lift. Contact Weaver Leather, at 800-weaver1 for more details. You must have a business license and tax number to order from Weaver.

I dunno bout that. Most of the servo motors I've had don't freewheel as well as clutch motors. My Family Sew barely has 3/8 inch of toe movement on the pedal before it engages forcefully. The only way to get more usable free motion is to remove the brake pad entirely. Most clutch motors can be set for well over 3/4 inch of free motion before engaging. I mention this because I always hand wheeled my Union Lockstitch machines around corners, belt tips and fishtail patterns. Without the ability to freewheel, I would have had to depend on the ability of the motor to sew slowly enough to place the awl exactly where I wanted it, no questions asked. Also, without free motion, these motors fight your efforts to hand wheel a machine.

I knew this was coming. People who wanted a real 205-370, but griped over the $6k price tag, will be in for a real shock when they see how much a new Adler 969 will cost.

You're not crazy. Always buy more machine than you think you need. Considering you are looking at a machine selling for close to $4,000 shipped, weighing in at over 200 pounds assembled, think about picking it up in person. The dealer will show you haw to readjust the springs and tensioners for lighter thread and softer material. I actually have two pressure springs for my Cowboy. One is shorter and has slightly thinner coils. The other is full length and heavier duty. One thing many first time buyers of Adler and 441 machines don't know is that leather point needles under #23 (160) are as scarce as hen's teeth. That means you'll have to use system 7x3 standard round point needles for thin thread. There is a thread/needle chart on the Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines website.

Contact our member-dealers, whose ads appear on the top of every page, about pneumatics. I can't answer that question. As for comparisons, I couldn't tell from the brief time I spent testing them at Weaver. The Adler is much heavier and has better metal than the Chinese built clones. As for a Chinese 205 clone vs a 441 clone, Bob Kovar told me the 205 type runs smoother. It also costs about $1000 more than a 441 clone. As for thin sewing, you are looking at the wrong machines. Everything about the moving parts, feed dog, cutout for the feeder, springs and take-up system is way stronger than needed for thin work with light thread. Put a 227 type machine next to a 205 or 441 and the differences are more than obvious. While I am able to dumb down my CB4500 to sew light stuff, with at least #92 thread, so many changes are necessary it isn't worth the time. I use separate machines for thin or light thread jobs.

Shhhhh! They are now the same company, covering different World markets. Shhhhh! As for the machine you liked, it is available in the USA, as the Cowboy CB205, 205L and 205LR. I saw them up close and they are clones of the Adler 205 series. The machines most of us have are clones of a very different machine altogether: the Juki TSC-441. I was at Weavers a week and a half ago and they have Adler 205s and their own version of the 441; the Master Lockstitch. It looks much like my CB4500. The table attachments are very well built and even have a removable piece to access the bobbin without removing the table. I sewed on both machines and both sewed equally well. If I had the money, I would buy a real Adler. Unfortunately, they cost over $6,000. The new machine they are testing from Adler will have to sell for way over $10k.

You are correct. I meant the timing belt. It must be inserted in a specific position relative to the top to bottom shafts for the timing to work. But, it also drives the feed dog and hook, so in a way it's also a drive belt. I am going to repair a 103 this Wednesday. The belt needs to be installed, the timing adjusted, the latch opener adjusted and feet changed to smooth bottom feet.

Make sure the internal drive belt is not cracked

Also, the 155 has a safety clutch in case you jam thread in the bobbin mechanism. The 103 doesn't have this feature.

LinTx; #26 needles are meant for #346 thread, top and bottom. Try some Schmetz #25/200 S point needles. They produce an inline stitch, with minimal bottom puckering, depending on the pressure on the presser foot.

If that is true, it can sew with #92 thread, maybe up to #105. You should use a #23 leather point needle with #138 thread, top and bottom. Bob Kovar at Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines and Gregg at Keystone sewing are the ones to ask about ancient Singer sewing machines.

I've never seen a 127 machine before. But, it has the basic appearance of a short arm upper and needle feed machine I used to own. It took up to #69 bonded thread and sewed about 1/4 inch or leather. Good luck with your restoration project. Parts are likely to not be available, unless you find another similar machine for parts.