Wizcrafts

Both of my patchers have little 1.5 amp motors on the back. They are somewhat useful, but need manual help to start. Keep #69 thread in your machine and it will sew farther. Use it for patches on vests, purse and sandal repairs, an occasional zipper replacement and to sew loose pull tabs on boots, or to resew loose panels on shoe uppers, and the like. Don't try to sew anything really dense. The machine is over 100 years old. Be nice to it and it will be nice to you. Thanks Steve. I only have one cup of coffee when I typed that mistake. 135x16 is leather point and only for leather. 135x17 is standard sharp point, for cloth and synthetics.

This is an old post, so I will answer your question. A Singer 29 type is a top feed only machine, using teeth on the presser foot to pull the material to form stitches. The feed can be rotated 360 degrees, meaning it sews in any direction. There were four types of these machines made: Short arm small bobbin Short arm larger bobbin Long arm small bobbin Larger arm bigger bobbin The short arm is 12" long. The long arm is about 18". The small bobbin is the only one available in the ancient 29-4. Later models, having K designations were eventually produced with the large bobbin option and a removable gearbox to hold all the bobbin drive components. The sewing capacity is limited by the height of the foot in action. It usually works out to a maximum of 1/4 inch on a 29-4. The machine may require some readjustment to get this lift. Keep in mind that the foot needs to clear the leather so it can move forward for the next stitch. The height of the foot is controlled by a sliding block with a thumbscrew, that moves along the tension spring along the rear side of the machine. Slide it all the way to the right for maximum lift. The thread handling capacity of your 29-4 is #69 bonded thread. The machines used to use system 29x3 and 29x4 needles. However, these are no longer made by any of the major needle manufacturers. Instead, patcher owners had to switch to system 135x15 and 135x16 (walking foot) needles. The most commonly used sizes of needle in patchers is #16 and #18. You can install larger needles, but may not be able to also load it with heavier thread. It depends on how tight and well timed your machine is. Assume that #69 is your thread size and feel blessed if it handles #92 (with a #19 or #20 needle) as well. The stitch length varies with the thickness under the foot. A brand new patcher could sew up to 5 to the inch into 4-6 ounces of shoe upper leather. But, that usually drops to 6 to the inch at 1/4 inch. An old worn out machine will be lucky to get 7 or 8 to the inch, at any thickness. IHTH

Andrew, have you sold the American splitter, or is it still available?

For one thing, the back side stitches always look different than the top (on sewing machines). But, it seems to my eye that the bobbin tension could stand to be backed off somewhat. This will allow the bottom thread to lay looser across the holes. If you have less bobbin tension, you'll probably have to also back off the top tension, to balance the knots. I use my machine with relaxed top and bottom tensions, but adjust them to suit the work.

I never heard of that brand. Please post a couple of photos of it, from various angles. Don't bother. That is just an older standard home sewing machine with zig zag. It is not a leather sewing machine. Please read my sticky topic, at the top of this forum's opening page, about the type of machine you need to sew leather. You can avoid a lot of headaches and broken machines if you go for the correct machine from the get-go. Suffice it to say, you probably won't be able to sit the machine on top of a regular table. Rather, it will have a table of its own, with a very large motor under it

This reply applies to CB3200, 3500, 4500 and similar 441 clone machines. I use a #19 or #20 needle with #92 (T90) thread, which is the smallest size I use on my CB4500, and then only on very rare occasions. Such thin thread requires a lot of reconfiguring of the entire tension path. I find that #138 thread sews best into leather with a #23 leather point needle, the smallest leather point size commonly available in system 794. I prefer a #24 for #207 thread and always use a #25 needle for 277 thread. Finally, I use a #26 needle on those few occasions when I need to use #346 thread. I have found that using any needle under #22 increases the chance that it will be deflected by the layers of leather, into the throat plate, or side of the feed dog, and bend or break. For this reason, I sew thin projects on either a patcher, or a walking foot machine, both of which use system 135x16 leather point needles. These needles are much stronger due to their shorter shaft, relative to the system 794. In fact, I stopped using system 190 in both walking foot machines due to excessive deflection and breaking of #18 and #19 needles.

What model is your Cowboy machine?

I refurbish and sell some old Singer sewing machines. I have a Singer 66 on the display rack. All tuned up and optimized, it can only sew into the thinnest and softest leathers, like chap or vest leather. The stitch length is very short, by design. The largest thread size would be T70 (US #69) bonded thread, using a #110/18 leather point needle. Normally, these machines are used with cotton or polyester/cotton garment thread. The needle bar is secured with one light duty set screw. Trying to punch through tough leather may cause it to slip upwards, putting the machine hopelessly out of time. I would never recommend such a machine to anybody looking to get into leather work. It will let you down, quickly. Stay away from old straight stitch machines. Restrict your search to compound feed walking foot machines, with industrial motors and tables.

When you change back to the harness feet, align the outer feet straight so they're straight ahead and not touching the inside foot, which should also face straight ahead. The regular feet were adjusted so the inside foot arrives at the feed dog just after the needle. If you sew really thick leather, you may find that reverse doesn't match forward stitches. If so, you can readjust the moment of contact between the needle and inner foot to regain equal stitches. However, if the reverse stitches are longer than forward, it is easier to feather the position of the stitch length lever to match the holes. Less upward position gives shorter reverse stitches. The tightness of the top and bottom threads also affects your stitch length. Finally, you may have the exact stitch length set into 8 ounces of leather. But, when sewing 1/2 inch the stitches will be shorter. This is due to the pendulum effect of the needle bar. The pendulum swings farther as you move away from the pivot point at the top. Always be prepared to run a test strip when changing thickness, or density, or material, or thread size, or thread colors. Adjust the stitch length and tensions as necessary. Don't use more thread tension than is required to lay down consistent, nice stitches.

You'll have to open up the face plate and remove it to access the screw on the presser bar. When you loosen it, pull straight down until the foot reaches the throat plate. Line it up as accurately as possible, then tighten down the set screw. Oil the tiny holes in the cranks inside the head, then reinstall the faceplate. Rotate the handwheel towards you until the needle just reaches the plane of the feed dog. The inside foot should also reach the plate, just after the point of the needle. As you rotate farther, the needle and inside foot should move with the feed dog, and the back foot should lift up. When the feed dog drops, the needle pulls up, the back foot should drop and then the inner foot should lift. If the above doesn't happen, stop when the needle reaches the throat plate and raised feed dog. Loosen the large hex bolt behind the head, on the big crank arm. Manually move the inside foot until it just contacts the feed dog or throat plate. Lock down the bolt on the arm. That should do it.

I have the inline feet, not foot. There are two pieces required. You absolutely must use the special inline inside foot in order to use the back foot. Both are shorter than the harness set. So, you'll need to lower the presser bar enough to get the pseudopod foot to reach the throat plate. Then, you must readjust the alternating foot crank on the back of the left end of the head. This crank controls the ratio of alternation between the two feet.

I use Cowboy thread and Weaver's bonded nylon and bonded polyester. I don't notice any bleeding with either. Weaver thread is more expensive though.

The small knob in the center of the handwheel is the stitch length regulator. Turn it counterclockwise to lengthen the stitches and clockwise to shorten them. If you are unable to get the knob to turn ccw, open the metal plate on the top rear area of the machine. Inside you'll see a shaft that culminates in a circular plate with a movable assembly attached to it. Rotate the handwheel until you see a set screw inside a threaded hole. Caution: there are two threaded holes. One has a screwed on cover that holds a heavy coil spring against the shaft. You don't want to unscrew that cover, believe me. Once you identify the hole with the set screw, use a narrow flat blade screwdriver to turn the screw in further, which increases the stitch length. Test a few stitches. If it isn't moving far enough, turn it in more. Sometimes, the little knob gets cross threaded, or jams up and won't move freely. Oil may be your friend here. While the steel cover plate is open, oil everything that has an oil hole or wick. Place oil in the gaps on the movable block parts that control the stitch length.

If your thread is #69 bonded nylon, the usual needle sizes are either #16 (smaller holes), or #18 (bigger holes). If the needles are bending and getting deflected too easily, try a #19. All should have a leather point, either chisel, or diamond, or triangular shaped.

I am trying to imagine my CB4500s stirrup plate on a Pfaff 1245 flatbed walking foot machine. My stirrup plate is about 1/2 inch, or ~12.5mm higher than the standard plate. The specs say that the maximum thickness it can clear, under fully raised feet, is 14mm. That is not the thickness it can sew, but the thickness that can be inserted and withdrawn. Subtract about 2mm to allow the feet to alternate, to move the material, and you get a maximum thickness of 12 mm. A half inch is about 12.5mm. That means that even if you could have a stirrup plate fabricated by a machine shop, there would only be 1.5mm room left for inserting the material, and almost NONE for the feet to alternate. Stirrup plates are meant for high lift, super heavy duty cylinder arm machines, using type 794 needles that are 2.75" long, clearing up to 1.1" and sewing up to 7/8". Even with these impressive specs, there is no more than 3/8" of material that can be sewn and advanced by the feet, when using a stirrup or holster plate. In practical use, I find that it is more like 5/16" maximum that can move along over these raised plates.

The 4500 wasn't actually posted for sale anywhere. It is used almost every weekday in our shop. I was speaking hypothetically, if we lived closer to each other (rather than half way across the Country), I might consider selling it and moving up.

Looks like a w155 to me too.

Answers: Not too loose and not too tight. Enough to get good close windings that lie next to each other. Your movable thread guide (mounted on the front-left side of the machine) is too far toward or away from the head. Loosen the screw on the back of the guide. Push or pull on it until the bobbin loads equally, side to side. Then lock down the screw. I usually insert the bobbins so they pull counter-clockwise. This is the same as the thread feeds over the top, then through the angled slot. However, some threads just tend to get hung up going through the slot and I will reverse the bobbin so it feeds clockwise (under the bobbin windings). When doing it this way one has to rely upon the anti-backlash effect of the beehive shaped spring inside the bobbin case. Left unchecked, the bobbin tends to loosen when rotating clockwise, vs ccw.

Just remember to leave the machine to me in your will!

Make absolutely sure to cut off the starting thread that protrudes from the outside hole in the bobbin, as close as humanly possible to the metal. A short thread stub can catch in the beehive ejection spring that lives inside the bobbin case. Open the bobbin case, eject the bobbin and blow out any foreign material or thread particles. Loosen the bobbin spring screw and remove it. Feel the spring to see if it has sharp edges. If it does, use Emory cloth to buff it smooth. Blow out any thread particles that may be caught in the slot under the bobbin spring. Reassemble the spring and adjust it for a smooth pull that is not very tight, nor jumpy. Pull out a few feet of bobbin thread to adjust the spring for the smoothest pull with a modicum of tension. Re-check the top thread path. Better yet, unthread the top thread and start over. Pull the thread up off the thread cone, making sure that it doesn't loop around previous windings. Be certain to keep the thread from getting under the spool. Feed the thread through a thread guide in the overhead stand arm. Keep the top thread guide arm inline with the spools on the round platforms. Feed through a hole in the top post on the machine. If the thread is black and very coli-springish, wrap it around the post and feed it out through a lower hole. Otherwise, one hole will do fine. Feed through the lube pot, making sure the thread doesn't hang on the sometimes tiny holes. Disregard if you don't have a lube pot. I enlarged the holes on my lube pot to reduce thread drag. Feed the thread through the twisted steel loop on the lube pot. Disregard if no pot. Feed the thread through the small steel guide in front of the top tension disks. Pull the thread up, then through the disks until you hear it snap into place near the center post. Feed the thread down through the guide over the bottom disks, then pull it to the left of the disks. Wrap around the disks two turns, then feed it up through the same steel guide. Going down, then up through the steel guide over the bottom disks helps keep the thread inside disks, rather than outside them, which causes thread jams on top and otherwise properly placed bobbin thread on top of the work. Go through the check spring thread hole (make sure that spring doesn't bind again). Go up and through the take-up lever, from back to front. Go down and through a spring loaded guide on the faceplate. Continue down, going through the lower steel guide. Feed the thread through the little hole on top of the needle mounting bracket on the needle bar. Thread the eye, from left to right. Run some test strips, adjusting the top tensions as you sew. If you cannot stop the bobbin thread from showing on top, tighten the bobbin tension spring screw a little at a time, until the knots are balanced. You don't normally need a huge amount of tension on top and bottom to get well placed knots and good stitches. You only want to have as much tension as is needed to place the knots inside the material and have the stitches flat against the top and bottom. If you have to bury the stitches to prevent abrasion damage, use a groover tool to gouge a sewing channel on top and bottom. Your stitches will then be recessed. Always raise the presser feet before removing the work. With the foot lifter fully engaged, the threads should pull quite freely on top and smoothly on the bottom. Twist the thread to the left between your thumb and fore or middle finger and snip them close to the leather with a Tailor's thread snipper. I prefer a curved chrome plated thread snip (Bob Kovar sells them). Next, use a straight blade screwdriver to finger-tighten the two screws that hold the shuttle cover to the end of the body. Then back them off 1/2 turn each. This gives some added clearance for the bobbin case to move laterally when heavy top tread passes around it. If those screws are all the way in the top thread might jam against the bobbin, bobbin case, or the shuttle itself. This doesn't usually apply to thin thread, like #138. I hope this helps.

I backstitched on two Union Lockstitch machines I've owned. The needle/awl/foot-up sequence is reversed on a ULS, compared to a Randall Lockstitch. Here's how you can do it on your Randall Lockstitch. If you are beginning a stitch line and want to backtack, take the thread off the looper and sew two or three empty stitches, stopping at the third with the foot up and awl down Spin the work 180 degrees Re-thread the looper Cycle the machine to bring the needle up into the third hole Sew to the first hole Do another 180 turn Slowly bring the awl down on the outer left side of the previous stitch. Bring the needle up and let it grab the thread Turn the work slightly to the right so the barb in the needle is not dead on with the stitch Slowly bring the needle down, keeping the work facing slightly away from the barb. Do this for all stitches you are backtacking Sew inline to the end Turn the work around and repeat the backtack technique, where the awl stabs on the outside and the needle aims to the left of the existing stitches. One more tip is to use the smallest needle that holds the thread without accidentally letting go on the way down. A filled barb has less room left to rat the existing stitches on the way down. Also, running the top thread through Lax Wax lubricates the stitches and lets the needle and awl go past existing stitches with less friction.

The moderator has to close the topic. You cannot do it.

This topic is now 8 months old, since the last update. But, to answer your question, no, it is not a walking foot machine.

Your download is behind a password protected web page and can't be accessed by the public without the proper credentials.

Your shoes are beautiful Laura. But, you bought the wrong machine (and possibly a defective machine). Needle screw holes should not strip on a new machine. You should be entitled to a free replacement needle bar and installation/timing. What you really needed was a walking foot, zig zag machine; one that uses system 135x16 leather point needles. You would be better off with a #20 or 21 needle and #92 (Tex 90) bonded nylon or bonded polyester thread. This heavier needle is less likely to deflect so far it hits the hook. At least a #19 leather point needle with #69 bonded thread should be used. The width of the zig zag has an impact on the timing of the hook and on the deflection of the needle under load.