Wizcrafts

A Family Sew FS-550, equipped with a 2 inch pulley, needs no help from a speed reducer on a simple walking foot or straight stitch flat bed machine. I have one powering my 20 inch bed Singer 139 walking foot machine and it has all the power it can possibly use, even at the slowest speed setting. The same setup can speed up 10 x faster with the twist of the speed limited knob.

It sounds like your shuttle driver gear is out of sync with the needle bar. There are only two places that can adjust this relationship on a patcher. One is the eccentric screw connecting a rod inside the body to the rack gears. It is accessed through a big hole on the lower front of the main body. Turning the large flat slotted screw moves the shuttle. The second place is underneath, where the rack gears turn the shuttle gear. You may need to change the position of the shuttle gear, or maybe even the passive rack gear.

You'll also need the screw that secures the outer foot to the presser foot bar and evidently, the left cover plate (where the big oil hole is).

Compound feed walking foot machine, with a cylinder arm at least 10.5" long, with reverse, capable of sewing 3/8 inch seams. Most machines in this category can handle thread up to #138 bonded nylon, or as thin as #46 bonded or #50 cotton. A good thread for your application might be Tex 80 jeans thread. I would recommend using a size 19 needle with this thread.

Once you sew on a powered 441 clone, you won't even think about using a manual stitcher (except for on-location shows lacking power). Also, you only need to encounter one project that requires you to turn 90 or more degrees, where the side you turn into exceeds 5 inches, to appreciate a longer arm machine. I can't even imagine having less than 12 inches of arm for the work I do.

If you simply change the motor pulley, you save money, but lose your top speed. If you swap out the motor for a servo motor with good slow speed control, you lose nothing on the top end, but gain the slow speeds you are missing with the clutch. Or, learn to feather your clutch for slow speeds.

You're using the wrong needle for sewing leather. Type 135x17 is for cloth, webbing and vinyl. You need type 135x16, preferably with an "S" oblong chisel point to sew leather properly. As for needle sizes, I recommend a #18 needle with #69 thread and a #20 with #92 thread. You can move both down one size (16 and 19) for a tighter stitch, but may need to increase the top tension to keep the knots buried.

The guard is adjustable with a screwdriver. It is set as you described yours, to just barely brush the inside of the needle, in the cutout scarf area. It protects the point of the hook. The hook should arrive as the needle starts ascending above BDC, and should be about 1/8 inch above the top of the eye. This is roughly in the center of the scarf area. You don't have to have the guard touching the needle if you have a good size loop on the right of the eye, but it should be real close. The stitches tend to pull the needle to the left as you sew, depending on the top thread tension. If you operate with very relaxed tensions, the deflection may be minimal. Tighten it up and the needle will move to the left more.

There is a very small set screw that tightens the shuttle driver to the rack/pinion gear driven shaft that turns it. The shuttle pinion gear is underneath and is driven by alternating rack gears. If the set screw in the shuttle is loose, and/or if the hole in which is sits has worn oval, the timing will be lost, or flakey at best. Move the patcher so that you can see the back side of the arm, near the left end. You should find a small hole in the arm, big enough for a thin blade screwdriver. Rotate the hand wheel very slowly, while shining a light into that hole, until you see the slotted head of the set screw appear. Open the throat plate and see if the shuttle and bobbin case are in the timed position. If not, rotate them by hand until they are just behind the needle. Then use a thin blade screw driver to tighten the screw as much as possible. Observe the geometry of the hole around the screw to see if it has worn oblong. If a loose set screw was the problem, your machine should now be close to being timed. If the hole in the shuttle driver is also worn oblong, nothing will keep in in time. If the screw head is stripped and you cannot tighten it up, order a replacement. If the shuttle is worn, replace it.

Go for it. You know the mechanic if anything goes wrong.

Why aren't you using your Cobra edge guide to place the stitches where you want them? It can be set any distance to the right of the needle.

The answer depends on the make and model of your sewing machine! Whatcha got?

My machine came to an abrupt halt yesterday, while I was sewing a holster. It turned out that the top thread got double wrapped around the shuttle for whatever reason. I had to cut the thread under the leather and clear the thread jam to continue sewing. It happens! On other machines I use, if I go over a very thick seam and the presser feet are set to maximum alternating lift, the outer foot can hit the presser bar inside the head and halt the machine on the spot. I had to modify the opening on the back of the head on my National walking foot machine to allow the cranks to move freely over thick seams, with a high lift ratio. The OP's problem may be a loose set screw, a thread jam, or even a high lift issue. It might even be from the needle mount hitting the presser foot on the downstroke. This is caused by sewing too much thickness for the height of the needle.

A popular 441 clone

I happen to know a dealer who has a Gritzner hand operated sole stitcher that he just might sell, in the USA.

A Frobana sole stitcher will do what you want to do. It only sews along the outer edge of a shoe, with a minimum 1/4 inch thickness, using curved needles. The machines and needles are available from Power Shoe in Holland. They are available in manual or power stand configurations. Alternately, you can buy a Landis sole stitcher in the USA.

Sometimes it is easier to flip the table on its back to change motors and wiring. Take the machine head off completely, as well as the thread stand and remove the accessory drawer. Clean the oli pan with a paper towel, then flip it on its back side. You may need to use a vise grip to hold the carriage bolt heads as you loosen the nuts under the motor mounting brackets.

Ask your dealer what it is cloned after. With that information you can discover what parts are available for it.

Add back tension to the top thread by wrapping around the holes in the guide before the upper tension disks. This may cause too much top tension, so back off the beehive spring nut to compensate. OR If still no happy happy, feed the thread under the little stud on the right side of the tension disks, then up and over/inside the disks. The sharp turn up and down should keep the thread in the center of the disks. OR Some thread, especially black bonded nylon, is very springy. Try a different spool or brand of thread.

Joey; Bob is too modest to let you know that he sells the Family Sew FS-550S servo motor. It is all you will need. No need for a reducer.

You should contact industrial sewing machine dealers to find an oil pan, if any still exist. They will also have the tilt-back pins, depending on what style your table is cutout to take.

You may find that quite a few of or member-dealers prefer to sell over the phone rather than over the Internet. Some of them are just used to doing things the old fashioned, proven way. I know at least two of our member dealers who prefer to talk to customers on the phone and use their websites mostly for information, rather than sales.

Did you know that you can buy a used Campbell Lockstitch Machine directly from Campbell-Randall, in Yoakum Texas?

Power Shoe, in Holland, sells a motorized Frobana sole stitcher. I think you can also get them in the US and Canada through the folks that sell Landis shoe repair machines. Note, the Frobana only sews along the outside perimeter. It does not have any appreciable depth to sew inside or insoles. For that you will need a heavier post machine, or an insole stitcher. All decorative sewing for your shoes can be done on a flat or post bed machine, equipped with either a roller foot, or a full triple feed walking foot. Some pictures of your work will help. Also, have you been to the Crispin Colloquy website? It is all about shoe and boot making techniques and equipment.

The specs on consew.com say it is a light to medium duty cylinder arm, walking foot machine. It claims fairly low clearance under the feet, which if true allows for not much more than 1/4 inch of material. It will be pretty good for garment sewing and light upholstery, with polyester, cotton, or thin bonded nylon thread