Wizcrafts

Best I can figure, by comparing rulers, is that your range of sewing, in numbers I understand, are from 3/16 to 5/8 inches. This is fully within the normal operating range of the 441 type machines. Examples include those from Cowboy (CB 3500 and 4500), Cobra (Class 3 and Class 4), and Techsew (4100 and 5100). An Adler 205-370 will also handle this range of leathers. All of the above are cylinder arm machines with triple feed, large cylindrical bobbins, massive cases, moving parts and bearings and the ability to sew with thread sizes 92 through 415 (USA designations). If those sizes aren't common in your country (you gave us measurements in metric), consult this thread and needle chart to find equivalents.

Never mix thread sizes on a holster that will be worn by anybody in law enforcement or security work, or on a webbing tow strap, or any horse tack, or heavy dog collar/harness.. Use the strongest thread that allows you to bury the knots inside the layers. Use whatever size needle it takes to get the job done. If absolute strength is not an issue, you can use 1 size smaller in the bobbin. Sometimes the thinner thread lays better on the bottom. It depends on the material. This may allow you to downsize the needle by one number.

Steve; I don't know about any connection between Puritan and Union Lockstitch, other than basic appearance of the casing. All Unions are lockstitch machines, while most Puritans are and have been chain stitchers. Maybe they shared foundry costs way back when... An owner of a ULS is like a horse owner. You must train each other to get along amicably. I have owned and mastered two ULS machines. They are unlike anything else, if you can get along with each other.

Steve. That little yellow book is all there is, aside from YouTube uploads from Campbell-Randall, or private users.

I recommend upgrading to the adjustable height pedestal table setup, as is used on the CB3500 and 4500.

I think I interpreted the two photos in reverse order when I commented. If the knots are indeed visible on the top, increase the bobbin tension.

You need to tighten the top and bottom tensions a bit and maybe increase the throw of the check spring.

The Juki LU-1508N and NH are about as high end as you can get in a standard walking foot class machine. Model N uses the common walking foot system 135x16 needles. The NH uses the longer Pfaff system 190 needles and can actually sew 7/16 inch of material. Normally, these machines top out at 3/8 inch. Both have the double capacity Juki LU bobbins that keep on going and going. Both use commonly available presser feet and bolt on accessories. Should Tom win this machine, he can expect to be happily sewing leather 3/8" thick, with #138 or even #207 on top and #138 in the bobbin (with #23 or #24 leather point needles). Unfortunately, pushing it beyond 3/8" will not yield a good result in most cases. If the machine is sub-model NH, caution will be needed to avoid any deflection of the needle as it enters the layers. In my experience, system 190 needles have very little tolerance to deflection and either bend or break tens times more often than the common system 135x16 needles. The NH class is really designed to sew thick, but soft leather items, webbing and denim garments.

Depending on your competition and the condition of the machine and if you are up against sewing machine dealers, the bidding could go up to $1200. These machines normally sell for about $2500, plus or minus.

I forgot to mention that with #69 thread I use #18 needles. They poke a hole very easily and it doesn't require very much foot pressure to hold the leather down as the needle ascends with the knots.

The 29-4 was an mid-early model in the development of the UF machines and an improvement over the first designs. 100 years ago they were state of the art for what they were built to sew: shoe and boot uppers and thin leather straps and patches on sleeves and knees. The cobblers and saddlers did not have any bonded nylon or polyester thread; just cotton and glazed or hand waxed linen. Over time the design was modified to make the machine more usable for a wider variety of work, eventually including handling of very strong bonded thread. This thread places more stress on the tensioning items, including the take-up lever and check spring. It also is rougher on the shuttle gear, with the increased top tension needed to pull knots up. Advancing the leather with tight bonded nylon stitches is harder than with cotton or linen thread, which has a softer lay. This causes the thread feeding cam and ring to wear down, leading to smaller stitches. Thus, patchers wear out faster when used with modern thread than if one stayed with glazed cotton or linen. The newer models, with replaceable gear boxes and thread slack adjusters on top can have bottom end parts replaced more easily than the old style, which has the rack gears hidden inside the arm. The original needle system for Singer patchers was Singer type 29x3 and 29x4. Those are going out of production now, so most of the working patchers are using system 135x16 instead. The shaft top end fits inside the needle hole and the length to the eye is about the same. But, the 135x16 has a cut-away scarf, where the 29x4 is straight all the way to the eye. A marginally timed 29 machine with system 135 needles may skip stitches more often than the same machine with system 29x4. As for the maximum needle size size the 29-4 can handle, that would be as large a needle as will fit into the needle mount and make it through the large hole in the throat plate. It would need to be moved to the left to avoid making hard contact with the hook. The thread is another matter. You can use any size thread you like, as long as it fits through the eye of the needle. But, will the mechanism be able to pull it up to form a knot inside your leather? In my personal experience, with 5 patchers I've owned, the practical limit is #138 bonded thread on top and #92 in the (tiny) bobbin. While you can use #138 in the bobbin, it won't go very far and requires more top tension and a bigger (#23) needle to get the job done. Bigger needles and heavier thread puts more stress on the presser foot spring, which must then be tightened up to hold the leather down. This adds more work for the feed cam, usually leading to shorter stitches. With the cost of replacement parts being higher through the years, I want my patcher to outlive me. So, I limit it to #92 thread, maximum. Most of the time I use #69, top and bottom. It is easier on the entire mechanism and can be used to sew very thin projects once around and thicker ones twice around. Then, it's time to load another bobbin!

They're polished on a buffer, not plated. Those feet and throat plates are cut from stainless steel. I have modified a couple of mine and buffed them up with green rouge on a medium cloth 6" wheel, on a grinder.

Yes. Go to the CB4500 page and click on the link in the right sidebar to see all available accessories in a pop-up window. There are links to photos in the pop-up window.

Another difference is that the ancient patchers had a torsion bar pressure spring running along the back side of the body, whereas the 29k models switched over some time ago to an internal coil spring, with a screw in adjuster for foot pressure. The old torsion bar had a sliding puck to adjust the amount of lift the foot got, while the newer style has a butterfly screw in a slot, directly on the back side of the head. Furthermore, the newer style has a screw adjuster inside the trapeze on top. That adjuster allows you to control the position of the knots, or to add/subtract slack in the top thread. It can add lift to the take-up lever as the needle ascends The old model 4 only has a thin spring to keep the thread under control as the needle bar moves down. It does not add lift as it ascends. The newer models have a removable gear box, where the -4 does not.

I can see one of those in my future!

As I suggested, contact Bob Kovar. He owns all kinds of sewing machine manuals and parts lists. He probably has one of the largest collection of parts for all model 29 machines in this hemisphere.

I used to have one of those spring foot machines. It was my second industrial sewing machine and I kept it for just two stressful weeks. If I recall correctly, it used the same needle system as the 96k40 I bought first: system DBx1, 16x257, 1738. That machine did very poorly on slick leather, with a limit of #138 thread top and bottom, using a #23 leather point needle. The stitches were all over the place, changing from long to short, as the foot slipped on the slick top grain. I think these machines would be best limited to #92 thread, which doesn't need as much thread tension as 138. The higher the thread tension, the harder it is to advance the work without compound feed.

Contact Bob Kovar, at Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines: 866-362-7397.

Find an upholstery or drapery shop and ask what they use and what they might let go of. Look for a compound (triple) feed walking foot machine made for upholstery work. Bring material and test anything you find. Upholsterers tend to stick to major brands that can be serviced by any industrial sewing machine shop. They avoid cheap Chinese knockoffs, favoring American, German and Japanese built machines.

I have a 31-15 straight stitch machine. They use system DBx1 or 1738 needles, which are tailoring and garment making needles. My 31-15 cannot handle anything stronger than #69 bonded thread, using a #18 needle. Its sewing capacity is about 3/16 inch of soft wallet leather, or hems on jeans, or seams on vests or chaps.

You probably need a triple feed walking foot machine, using system 135x16 or 135x17 needles and standard "type 111" presser feet that allow it to sew 3/8 inches of material. The maximum foot lift with the knee lever is usually about 1/2 inch, even though it can only sew 3/8. Most will top out at #138 bonded thread (22 pounds breaking strength), top and bottom, using a #23 needle. You can find these (used) machines at upholstery and drapery shops or your local/nearby Craigslist. Most are sold for between $500 and $800, depending on how worn out they are. You may even find an old Singer 111w155 that still works, for about $400. You will not get a new one for anywhere near $500. A new Chandler 406RB sells for about $1000. A Consew 206RB is around $1250 and a Juki DNU-1541 will set you back about $1600.

15-91, with a gutless pod motor. I have one and eventually gave up trying to use it for anything tougher than a few layers of denim.

The timing looks good.

Can't see the hook in relation to the eye of the needle. Remove the feed dog and upload it.

The worse part of this is waiting on my partner's relative to do the metal work, for cheap. We still don't have the top and bottom plates made for the press. Being a shoestring operation slows you down a lot, compared to those who can afford to have things made professionally.