Wizcrafts

The inside foot is severely bent up on the left and down on the right. This is wrong! Replace the inside foot, or both feet.

Both of his splitters have been sold.

I don't know about the alignment of his machine either. He needs to check the presser foot to see if it lies flat on the throat plate on both sides. If the foot isn't square on the plate, the head may be out of alignment (four bolts). Or, the gearbox may be misaligned. There are two bolts under the gearbox that secure it to the arm.

Constabulary; I believe his machine is not misaligned. He "can" move the needle to the left or center of the hole. But, if he does, the machine will skip stitches, just like my 172. There is something about the cam on the back, or the clearances in the shuttle drive system that causes the loops over the eye to be diminished and hard to pick up. Thus, keeping the needle all the way to the right gives the hook a better chance of picking up the little thread loop. Sergeant; Replace your shuttle and see if that helps. They are not all cast the same. Yours may be blunt, or worn down.

I own a Singer 29k172, which is the long arm, big bobbin version of your machine. It too has to have the needle all the way to the right to avoid skipped stitches. Timing is difficult on these Japanese built Singers, which were the last of the line of the 29k series. They were last produced in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

I use my Singer 29k "patchers" to sew embroidered patches onto vests and jackets, especially over pockets and sleeves. I also use them to repair purse and sandal straps and loose thread on shoe and boot uppers. Their sole advantage is that the machines can sew in any direction and have very narrow snouts and long cylinder arms. Other than that, they serve no other purpose in my shop. I limit my patchers to using #69 bonded thread, top and bobbin. The stitch length gets shorter over time, with use. Eventually, the machines will need to have the feed parts replaced, or brazed and shaped, to regain the original 5 to the inch maximum. The stitch length also gets progressively shorter as you sew over 1/8 inch of material. Finally, the feed is via teeth on the presser foot. These teeth will leave lasting impressions in most smooth top grain leathers, especially in veg-tan. Rubberizing the bottom of the foot reduces its grip on slick leather, further reducing the stitch length. You can still buy tiny patcher sized spools of bonded nylon thread from Wawak.

My thinking on this is if the #207 thread you use is soft, rather than stiff, you'll have better luck with it. This means probably not using black on top all the time, unless you get a batch that does not act like a coil spring. You might want to try some of the bonded polyester that Campbell Randall sells. I have a couple spools in black and white and the black is definitely softer than any of my bonded nylon thread.

Check the label on the long belt to see its "size." The legend may begin with 3L, which is the width designation. This may be followed by a dual number, like 58, 59, 60, etc. That is the circumference of the inside of the belt. Your machine has a speed reducer system that mounts on a square steel block. It can be moved up and down by loosening the one bolt facing the outside right on that post. The belt feeding up to the machine is usually placed around the smallest pulley on the reducer. If you have already lowered the reducer as far down as it can go and the belt slips on the smallest pulley, order a belt one inch (size) shorter. When it arrives, loosen the bolt, remove the old belt and install the new one. Then set it for no more than 1/2 inch deflection if the middle and tighten it down. The shorter belt goes from the motor pulley to the large wheel on the reducer. You can adjust the motor position to tighten that belt for minimal deflection. I usually spray belt no-slip on my sewing machine belts. This lets you run them a little looser than a dry belt. Looser belts translate into longer life for the interconnected components and their bearings.

Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines, the primary Cowboy dealer in the USA, can advise you about the cost of boxing and shipping a Cowboy machine to Scandinavia. Your local voltage will need to be considered.

It appears that you already have regular sharp point needles. Bonded polyester thread is better than bonded nylon for use in sunlight and moisture. It is also more expensive.

If you want to sew with #69 bonded thread, use a #18 (110) needle. A #150 needle is waaaaay too big! It is meant for #138 thread, which is twice the diameter of #69. Also, do not use a leather point needle to sew vinyl, unless nothing else is available. Your goal should be to hide the knots inside/between the layers. If the bottom stitches are too loose, tighten the bobbin spring a bit. If this causes the knots to lay under the material, increase the top spring tension to compensate. Tighter springs cause tighter stitches. Over-tightening causes puckering of the material. Find a happy balance, but use the correct needle/thread combination.

The CB227R can sew from two layers of denim or vinyl, up to 3/8 inches of leather or webbing. It handles a range of thread sizes, from #69 through #138. It can go slightly over and under those sizes, but not with as much accuracy. It is not so great sewing linings, or thin garments, due to the way walking foot mechanisms are constructed. I keep a separate straight stitch machine for cloth garments. The fixed needle, tiny needle hole and three row feed dogs are better suited to light work and thin, cotton thread. Where a walking foot machine will make you money is sewing patches onto bikers' vests. With a removable table attachment you can keep the backs and front sides flat for large patches. Seat covers are easier to sew on a cylinder arm walking foot machine. Bags are also.

Any of the following, standard upholstery grade, compound feed walking foot machines will handle your anticipated work, and are in the same ballpark, price-wise. Techsew 106 or a Cobra Class 17, or a Consew 206RB-5, or even a Chandler 406RB-1 As for Juki, look into the Juki DNU-1541s.

I would sooner drive to Texas in my station wagon and buy a fully rebuilt Campbell Randall high lift needle and awl stitcher than spend over $8500 on an Adler. I would still have money left over after buying the Randall.

Here is a direct link to the accessories page for the Cowboy 441 machine presser feet, etc: http://www.tolindsewmach.com/cb-acc-pack.html

Andrew, what is the usable width of the blade? I am trying to come up with enough money to buy the splitter and have it shipped. Can you get an estimate for shipping to 48509 (a commercial building)?

If you are going to be sewing with #207 thread, the maximum for your machine, a #22 needle makes too small of a hole. Use #23 or #24 needles for easier action. Your needles should be system 135x17 for cloth, Sunbrella and vinyl, and 135x16 for leather. Needle size becomes much more critical when sewing leather, rubber, wood and webbing, which are hard materials. In these materials, the needle must be large enough to poke a hole that allows the lockstitch "knots" to get pulled inside the material. If the needle only clears the top thread, your knots may sit under the bottom layer, or be visible on the bottom and not fully buried.

I may be that the machine has an extra heavy coil spring for the presser foot. Backing it off made the machine turn over easier. You only need to apply enough foot pressure to keep the material from lifting with the ascending needle. That's all. Some walking foot machines also have an adjuster over the inside foot. If your machine has one, there will be a narrower coli spring around the shaft for that foot, plus there will be a screw adjuster on top, directly inline. This spring can also be backed off for easier action. My National 300N has two pressure adjusters as described. Replace that 4L v-belt with a suitable 3L.

Just curious if the speed reducer turns freely with the belts disconnected? Back off the presser foot pressure screw until it pops out. See if there is still any binding with zero foot pressure. If not, reinstall the adjuster and turn it down enough to keep it from popping out, then tighten the locknut.. Also, back off the screw over the inside foot, if you have such an adjuster.

At this point in the adventure, I recommend removing the face cover plate from the front left end of the machine. Do this with the thread removed, top and bottom. With the face plate off and feet lowered, slowly rotate the hand wheel towards you (always rotate counterclockwise). When you feel the unusual resistance, look inside the head. Pay particular attention to the position of the crank arm that connects to the outer presser foot, where it is inside the head. See if it is making contact with the shaft for the inside presser foot. If not, see if the arm is hitting the top edge of the cutout on the back of the head. Report back here if you find that the presser foot crank is hitting something inside the head. This must be rectified or the machine will be destroyed in a short time.

Have you called the dealer who sold it to you? Or, did you contact Tippmann? I have read a lot of member's posts who own and have trouble with these machines. Hopefully, some of them can reply to you.

All of the machines sold by our advertising dealers are fully backed up with customer support. This goes for Cobra, Cowboy, Nick-o-Sew, and Techsew. These folks love machines and the customers who buy from them. If you need help after the sale, they will be there for you (but not necessarily the same minute!). I have been able to contact all of these dealers and either speak to them directly, or exchange messages, all to my satisfaction. As for the 441 clone machines, they are not all created equal. The three you mentioned in your subject are specially designed and built to the specs of the dealer/importers. The dealers on eBay may or may not be in the same position to have the machines customized for them. If they are not primarily leather machine dealers, then the 441's they sell may be lower grade all the way around. The 441s sold by Cobra, Cowboy and Techsew (at least) have special harness feet (Cowboy feet are also stainless steel), totally smooth feed dogs, available holster and stirrup plates, as well as a flat, slotted plate, special edge guides, speed reducers, and are setup to sew heavy, thick leather with heavy thread. Most offer a table attachment to assist with sewing flat work. A typical 441 sold by our dealers costs half as much as an authentic Juki TSC-441, which isn't even setup with harness feet, and has teeth on both the feet and the feed dog. Beware of new 441 types that sell for much less (new) than what our guys ask for them. You might be getting a machine drop shipped from China, totally unadjusted and with absolutely zero dealer support.

First of all, the Family Sew 550s motors have a brake that stops the motor when the control arm is fully up. You have to barely touch the pedal to release the (cork) brake. I actually removed the brake from one of my FS-550 motors, to make hand cranking easier. Just watch out for motor run-on if you sew fast. The Consew 206RB should turn freely when you spin the hand wheel. Something is mis-adjusted on yours. As Ferg suggested, it could be the feed dog raising up and hitting the throat plate. Check that by unscrewing the throat plate and pulling it off. Rotate the wheel and see if the binding is gone. If so, lower the feed dog at its highest point. You'll need to flip the head over on the table to get to the bolt that adjusts the lift of the feeder. Use a large, flat blade screwdriver and lots of arm. When the dog has been lowered enough that it doesn't hit the bottom of the throat plate, tighten it back down. If it's not the feed dog that's binding, it could be that you have set the lift of the outer presser foot too high. There are two places I know of that the crank arms for the presser foot can hit and cause binding. One is against the alternating foot shaft, inside the head. The other is against the opening on the back of the head, where the crank protrudes. Try lowering the lift on the curved slot behind the head. If the binding stops with less lift, the machine needs to be readjusted to allow the normal full alternating lift to happen. Contact your seller for an adjuster's manual to assist you. Or, ask them if they can email the instructions, or talk you through it. This is not a trivial adjustment and damage can happen if it's done wrong. Was this sold by an eBay dealer? They are usually sensitive to feedback and problem reports.

http://www.consew.com/List/Lockstitch-Sewing/Zig-Zag

The Sailrite and other similar portable walking foot machines do not use the same feet as the Consew 206RB series. Rather, they use the feet as the CP206R