Wizcrafts

There are several members here that are modifying their FS 550 motors for better slow speed control. One person has plans to market the components after optimizing them. This would allow one to sew from 1/10th, all the way up to 50 or more stitches per second, with one dial setting on the motor. As for the Sew Pro 500GR, it has become hard to find.

I have a walking foot machine at home and a similar machine at work with each of those motors. The one at home has the Sew Pro 500GR motor and sews into denim jeans at about 1 stitch per second, steady pace. It drops out into single stitching when I try to sew slower. This is with the speed knob on full. It sews slower at about the 50% position on the pot, but loses top end. It groans loudly at the slower speeds, at 50% or under rotation. I am worried about its future. I'll try the same piece of denim at work, tomorrow, on the Family Sew 550s equipped machine. That motor is only one year old. I'll be back tomorrow afternoon with my findings. I have another FS 550 under my big Cowboy CB4500. It feeds a 3:1 reducer system, up to the flywheel. It can plow through hard leather at the astounding rate of 1 stitch every 5 or 6 seconds. Sometimes I hold it at that rate just to amaze myself and my customers. Watching thee needle move that slowly is like watching grass grow. The overall speed reduction from the motor to the CB4500 is about 9:1. On the walking foot machine it is 2:1.

You can buy a Family Sew 550s for $135.00 shipped.

To your knowledge, will your pot mod substitute for the rotary switch currently installed in my FS-550s? I already have great slow speed control, especially with the 3:1 reducer in the chain.

That Neel's number 5 is a good machine for saddlery, like you want to do It sews just under 1/2 inch, depending on how dense the leather is. It uses heavy bonded nylon and bonded polyester thread, definitely up to #346. The machine is bottom feed only, with aggressive feed dogs. As long as the bottom appearance isn't critical to your work, this machine is a decent alternative to a CB4500. What you will lack is a walking foot that climbs up and down new layers, triple - needle feed and a 16.5" arm. Those things exist on the model CB3200 and up.

My FS-550s has a rotary switch, not a pot. The slowest setting is full clockwise. It speeds up the wrong way, CCW. On the pot mod, is the slowest speed at the lowest resistance (~10 - 12k)?

Bob; Are these mods for the Family Sew FS-550 motors? What is the mod to the magnets? Re the 100k pot. Is it a 10% center, log taper clockwise, carbon pot?

I thought you were looking for a zig-zag walking foot machine to sew shoe leather. Are you rather looking to sew sails and small upholstery items? If so, the Sailrite portable will work for those canvas and vinyl jobs.

That would be the best type of walking foot machine for sewing bags, purses, pouches and cases, or arm holes on vests and heavy garments.

I once had a Pfaff 138 zig-zag machine. It was very quiet and smooth to operate. I remember that the width of the zig-zag wasn't very wide, in my estimation. I believe it maxed out at about 5 mm or so. The feed was good, although bottom only. They are great machines for cloth and sail repairs. The teeth on the bottom get a good grip and move the material along nicely. The 138 was not very good at feeding soft garment leather, which is basically sticky on top. The thread capacity was #69, if I recall correctly. It didn't do what I wanted it to do and I traded it for something else. That said, sailors love these machines for repairs to canvas or building new items made of sail cloth.

As for the motors, try out various machines that are equipped with different motors. When you find happiness, ask how much that motor will be with the machine head you are going to buy. The whole package will be assembled for you and setup. You should ask for basic starter instructions, so you don't jam the machine or sew your fingers together. It may turn out that the motor you like best costs more than the one they normally sell on out the door machines. Pay the extra money to get the better motor.

Sproggy; You can see my National 300N walking foot machine in close up action, on YouTube (link). All real walking foot machines work like this one. The feed dog on the bottom (not shown) works in concert with the moving needle and inside "vibrating foot" to move the material, as the outside presser foot lifts to let it go. When you go to the dealer to look at machines, this is the action you want. They may try to steer you towards a less expensive machine that has dual feed: feed dog on bottom and claw teeth on outside presser foot. Avoid it like the plague if you intend to sew leather that would be ruined by tooth marks on top.

Check out the zig-zag walking foot machines on this page

What I would do in your situation is buy a walking foot machine to sew the leather parts together. Then buy a good quality domestic sewing machine, new or used, to sew the linings and cloth interiors together. Join the already sewn interiors to the leather edges on the w.f. machine. You may be able to do the interiors with a straight stitch machine, which could be an old iron Singer with the motor on the back. I have three domestic machines at home that are only used for light duty flatwork cloth sewing. When business picks up you can buy an industrial straight stitch machine.

I think that the Singer 292 is just another high speed, straight stitch, garment factory machine. Expect to sew at 5000 stitches per minute (83/second) to keep the oil circulating to the extremities. The stitch length will be about 8 to the inch, using #46 bonded, or T50 cotton thread. It is meant for flat work cloth.

There are ways to "dumb down" a walking foot machine, to allow it to sew thinner cloth. It will never be as smooth at it as a bottom feed only garment machine. But, a garment machine cannot be smartened up enough to sew real leather. In reality, you may need two different machines: one for leather; one for cloth. Try a walking foot first and see if it can sew your cloth bags.

I just learned that Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines also sells a table attachment for their CB227R cylinder arm, walking foot machine.

Techsew sells a cylinder arm walking foot machine and has an optional table attachment for it.

I'd sure could use a hand cranked curved needle sole stitcher in my business.

Yes, the Techsew 3650, aka GA5-1, aka CB2500, all based upon the Singer 45k, will do what you want. They all sew up to 7/16" of leather, with up to #415 thread, using bottom feed only from aggressive teeth on the feed dog.They use an oddball needle system, 328, which is typically only available in sizes 23 through 27, in leather point. These needles are shorter than the type 794 needles used in the aforementioned 441 clones and Adler 204 and 205 machines. I recommend that you send some stacks of your horsehide strips to several dealers and ask them to sew them together with heavy thread, on the best, most economical machine that can do the job. Compare the stitches and bottom appearance and pick the machine that looks best.

I use a Singer patcher for sewing gloves. But, I mostly do repairs, not new builds. Patchers are cylinder arm machines, with narrow snouts, small or tiny bobbins, and long arms.

I think you should select a leather stitcher, like the Cowboy CB3200, 3500, or 4500, or a Cobra Class 3 or Class 4 and be done with it. The 3200 can sew an honest 1/2 inch with #346 thread. The rest top out at almost 7/8 inches of just about anything you put under the foot. All are triple feed walking foot machines, already equipped with very powerful servo motors and speed reducers.

What we have here is a failure to communicate. What I was trying to suggest to you was that after you loosen the set screws on the small worm gear that secures the hook shaft, you should be able to rotate the hook freely by hand. Nothing else should move underneath; not the worm gear, ring gear or any other shafts. Perhaps I mistook the location of those gears. I believed that they were under the hook.

Set the needle bar for the 135x16 needles, then retime the hook to intersect above the eye, inside the scarf.

Probably just stuck after decades of being there. Try loosening the screws #5 and see if the hook moves freely.