Wizcrafts

If your servo has up and down buttons to control its functions, one of the positions will control the direction. On mine it is S2. I get there by holding the down button until it stops at S0. Then I push Up until it gets to S2. If you have this configuration, once at S2, press up or down again to change direction. Try running the motor and see if that did it.

The chain got hung up when the foot was lifted without the pressure spring present. Jiggle the chain where it goes through the hole in the body, or look at where it connects to the floor pedal. A link may have turned sideways at the S hook.

I buy #80 Jeans thread from Wawak Tailor's Supply: www.wawak.com

The amount of lift in the alternating feet is adjusted on the back of the head, via the sliding crank arm sticking out the back, that moves up and down inside a curved slot. Loosen the screw that locks the position and move the arm down for more lift during operation. When you get the amount of lift you want, lock the screw back down. There is also an adjustment for the moment that the inside foot hits the throat plate. It is done via the large hex head screw on the crank on the left end of the same assembly that sets the lift. You can fine tune the lift of either foot, in relation to the other, using that crank. Note: the moment that the inside foot makes contact with the material, relative to the needle, is important and may affect the reverse stitch length.

Cowboy also makes a medium duty cylinder arm machine, with reverse: the CB-227R. Then, there is a Seiko that I believe is in the same price range.

Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines (866-362-7397) has parts, if anybody does.

That throat plate and doggie are used on many brands of straight stitch machines, not just Singer. You may have to move the lateral position of the feed dog, and/or the moving mounting bracket, to get the teeth to line up inside the throat plate slots. A large, flat head screwdriver is needed to loosen the screw that locks down the feeder platform. It is shaped like the open jaws of a plumbers' wrench. It is accessed by tilting the head back all the way onto the table. The adjuster screw is on the left side of the bottom of the machine.

Finally found the 2012 invoice for the heavy duty throat plate and feed dog I bought for my Singer 31-15. Here are the same items from the same seller. I cannot predict if the quality has changed or not, since January 2012.

The Campbell Lockstitch, Union Lockstitch and Puritan chainstitch machines are entirely built in the USA and are currently available for purchase.

That machine can handle thin thread. Just back off the top tension to balance it to the bobbin, which will already have less tension, due to the thinner thread under the spring. You may even have to add bobbin tension to get the knots to stay down. Additionally, you may also have to back off the tension on the check spring, as it could override the top tension disk setting if it is too tight. Some people tighten that spring for use with #138 thread, making it way too strong with #46 or under. You can back off the top pressure spring over the presser foot. This will make it a little easier to sew thin material. Use the smallest needle that freely passes your thread and pulls the knots inside the bottom layer. One other factor affecting soft material is the size of the hole in the feed dog. Walking foot machines have a fairly large oval needle hole. Soft material, like linings, can get pushed into that hole as you sew. Backing off the top pressure helps alleviate this to a degree. A wide presser foot set may give better results than a narrow set. This is going to be a matter for experimentation. If the bottom layer is still getting pushed into the feed dog hole, or the rectangular slot in which it moves, add masking tape to the bottom layer and peel it off after sewing through it.

Disassemble the reducer and grease the shaft and bearings with axle grease, or any other decent motor grease, or even Tri-Flow, until you hear from Ronnie. Check the shaft for nicks or out-of-roundness. If it was just dry, the grease should help.

Consew 206RB-5 is exactly what you need to sew 3 or 4 mm of leather. Actually, it can sew up to 10mm, with up to #138 bonded nylon/polyester thread.

The cons of a needle and awl machine vs a closed needle machine include: No reverse. You must turn the work clockwise, 180 degrees, and very carefully place the barbed needle to the outside of the previous stitches, or else... Backtacking is tricky with a barbed needle machine. The barbed needles will pull out the bottom of webbing, unless you use the minimum size needle that will hold the top thread long enough to form a stitch (my trick). A completely filled barb doesn't usually have enough sharp edge sticking out to catch the ratable material on its way down. With the exception of the Union Lockstitch machine, most needle and awl stitchers run at only a couple of stitches per second (between 2 - 4). Only the Union Lockstitch is able to sew fast. Mine pounded away at about 13 stitches per second, flat out. Shook the whole house! Sounded like a farm thrashing machine. But, got er done! They don't fair as well with thin thread as thicker thread. I got my ULS to sew with #138 bonded nylon, but that was it. They prefer 4 cord linen or larger = #277 or larger bonded thread. Not really meant to sew thin stuff, under about 6 to 8 ounces. Of course, a good operator can make anything happen. Tricky to change stitch length. Could require re-adjusting needle starting position, depending on your clearances. Expensive! Used, but not shot, they sell for up to $3,000. A factory rebuilt Union Lockstitch Machine can cost you up to $4500. A new one, $6,000. A Campbell Randall is almost $7,000, fully set up.

More closely resembles appearance of hand stitching on bottom Uses linen thread, run through liquid wax, or bonded polyester. Union Lock can use bonded nylon also. Thread size is dependent on needle and awl size. Needles are currently available to take about 10 cord linen, or #600+ bonded thread. Needle and awl machines are usually square drive, moving the feeding needle or awl absolutely horizontally, not pendulum driven from a pivot point on the top. This means that all layers are moved the same distance, no matter if the work is thick or thin. Pendulum drive machines lose stitch length on thick stacks of leather, or items sewn on the raised holster and stirrup plates. Sews Biothane better than closed needle machines. Depending on the brand of machine, there can be a lot of accessory presser feet and throat plates available to do specialized sewing. These may include (based on my previous Union Lockstitch experience): Single toe left and right Double toe, open or closed end Knife in front to cut a stitching channel Right or left toe stepping feet, for various stitch lengths. These feet have an arch on the back that sits on top of the thread holes, pushing the thread down on the ends for a perfect top appearance. Available channel cutting knife on the needle bar on Union Lockstitch machines. This cuts a groove on the bottom to bury the stitches for horse gear. French Box sewing attachments for stitching across intersecting corners Throat plates of every imaginable configuration. Long, short, high, low, narrow raised, stirrup, long narrow slot, short narrow slot, etc. Raised roller swing away edge guides. Lets the bottom layer pass under the roller, while securing the top layers for edge stitching. Good for items that have oversize liners on the bottom, to be cut flush after sewing is done. Some make a pleasing tapokita tapokita sound as you sew. This makes you feel like Walter Mitty. Made entirely in the USA!

Possibly a number 28 or 30 needle. My largest needle is a #27, which I use to pre-punch evenly spaced holes for small rivets, to be set along the outer edges of some Bling belts.

There are two different transport systems used in needle and awl machines. The first is needle feed, wherein the awl moves in a static vertical position, stabbing the hole, with the needle coming up and moving the work as the foot lifts. At the end of its travel, a looper feeds the top thread into the barb. When the needle descends, the hook pulls the top thread off the barb and around a huge round bobbin (about 2.5 D x 3/4 inches W). The thinner the needle, the more it can flex under thick or heavy loads, which affects the stitch length to a degree. Needles are usually one size smaller than the awls. This system is used in the Union Lockstitch machines. They are the fastest production needle and awl machines in existence and pull the tightest stitch imaginable. The other system is awl feed, where the awl stabs the hole, the foot lifts and the awl pulls the work back. Then the needle comes up and down in its static vertical axis. The awls are more solid than the needles, which must be one size smaller than the awls. There is less flexing, hence more consistent stitch length across heavy, thick leather projects.. The Campbell-Randall Lockstitch machines are awl fed and have boat shaped shuttles and long, cylindrical bobbins. Slow and steady, making a sound like tapokita, tapokita, they are the cream of the crop in my opinion.

Hand sewing thread, like what Tandy sells for the stitching awls or hand needles, is either 4 or 5 cord waxed linen. None of the regular eye type needle machines can run waxed thread without serious problems. Then, only the biggest machines would even take a needle large enough to pass this thread, or tension it properly. It is the same diameter as #277 or #346 bonded nylon. The required needle size would be somewhere around a #25 or #26. This leaves the 2700 out. If you intend to use waxed linen thread, set your sights on a Campbell-Randall Lockstitch, or a Union Lockstitch machine. These are needle and awl machines, with barbed needles and special tension paths that are friendly to waxed linen thread. There is a needle and thread size chart on the Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines website.

Your best combination of the machines you listed is a model 2700, with a table attachment and the 5100, with all accessory feet and throat plates. The 2700 is best suited to thinner to medium thicknesses, ranging from 4 ounces to 20 inches. It handles thread sizes 69 through 138. The 5100 is best used with thread sizes starting at #138 and going up, and thicknesses from 8 ounces to over 3/4 inch. These two machines will sew everything you listed in your list. Each does a better job within its operating range than the other.

It will take me a while to locate the receipt at home. I bought it at least a year ago, if not longer.

My heavy duty set fits perfectly. No problems at all. Maybe you got a mismatched set.

Take the feet to a machinist who has an industrial buffer and have him/her buff the bottom edges of the feet.

Call Ronnie at Techsew (aka: Raphael Sewing in Montreal). The phone number is found on their website. He will get you the narrow and single toe harness feet you are looking for.

Yep, that's the set I bought. The teeth are very wide and aggressive. The needle hole is as large enough to pass a #25 needle. It is definitely a very heavy duty feeder set.

The 3650 is a bottom feed only machine. Its capacity is 7/16 inches under the foot. Thread-wise, it has needles in sizes meant for #138 through 415 bonded thread. Most people use #277 bonded nylon with these machines. Because it is entirely bottom fed, the teeth will leave deep marks in the bottom layer. If bottom appearance is important, those marks will need to be rubbed out manually. The throat depth is 10.5 inches to the right of the needle. The throat plate extends quite a bit to the left, making it difficult to sew shaped items the extend downwards. Accessories are very limited for this class of machine. All machines in this class are basically built the same way and have the same limitations.

I sure could have used an 11-34 to sew up the arm on a project yesterday!