Wizcrafts

Almost forgot... It is also easier to pull the top thread out through the needle is the needlebar is on the downstroke a bit. This has to do with the angle of the thread as it leaves the last steel loop guide, then goes through the guide on the needle bar. Just jiggling the wheel back and forth, with the feet raised (and work out), helps loosen the thread for removal.

I have my machine (CB4500) and my friend's Cobra C4 set up so we can pull the work out by simply lifting the feet. But, I find it works best when the threads are pulled backwards and down. The only time this doesn't work is when I have had to crank up the top tension tighter than usual. There are even a few instances where I had to also tighten up the bottom roller disk, to get enough pull to bring the knots up. Then, I do have to pull the thread out of the take-up arm manually. But, those are exceptions for me. I have tried a lot of brands of thread and found that no two are the same any more. Black thread is the most troublesome, both for sewing, coiling up, and pulling out. Some brands of thread unravel too easily (poorly bonded). I have 2 spools of light colored thread that are almost useless because of unraveling.

Try backing off both the top and bottom tension springs. Also, get another spool of black and run it instead. Black thread is often double-dyed, making it drier and springier than almost any other color.

Something happens during those stitches to cause the tension to go awry. The problem is either in the bobbin/bobbin thread, or the top thread and its path. Watch the top thread as you sew a long strap. You may see it twist around a post, or even itself. Make sure that the bobbin thread feeds under the bobbin spring and stays under it. Load the bobbin so it feeds counterclockwise into the slot in the bobbin basket. Check the bobbin to see if the starting thread has a stub sticking out that might be catching on the case, basket, or shuttle.

The check spring is used to keep the thread taut as the take-up occurs, which reduces shock and awe. This is mostly during the take-up and slightly in the take-down cycle. The longer the stroke of the check spring, the longer the thread is held taut. However, if the thread continues to be taut during the hook's pick-up point, the loop will dissolve before it can be picked up.

That shouldn't matter if the top tension is not screwed in too far AND if the bottom tension is not screwed all the way in, or the thread has twisted or jammed along the path.

You may also need a one inch shorter v-belt, due to the lesser diameter of the motor pulley. It depends on how your motor is mounted, whether the old belt can be tightened enough with the adjuster bolt..

Once in a great while, after loosening the top thread between projects, I find that it gets outside of the bottom disk and wraps tightly around the shaft. Sometimes, if one isn't careful about keeping the top thread taut, it can loop around that post with loose thread between the take-up lever and the spring loaded thread guide below it. This happened to me so many times, with springy black thread, that I learned to pass the thread through the forward side of that guide, rather than the back side. The extra 1/4 - 3/8 inch of space caused by the little center post/screw is usually enough to counteract this anomaly. Some thread is springier than others and tends to uncoil under the spool, or twist around the upper thread guide in the thread stand. I have even watched this kind of thread form a tight knot on its way to the machine. So, make sure that your thread isn't to blame for the tight top thread situation. Lastly, if you tighten the tension adjuster nut too far in, it gets harder to separate the upper tension disks with the lifter lever or pedal. The same applies to any sewing machine. The top tension disks must have some room to move to allow the thread to be pulled through them after sewing is done. If the spring is tightened all the way in, there is no more room for the disks to open.

It could be caused by the thread being too springy, or not feeding off the top of the cone.

Whatever servo motor you get, make sure it has a 50mm or smaller pulley installed. Most of the eBay dealers and I suppose industrial machine dealers who primarily supply the upholstery and tailoring trades, supply motors with 70mm or larger pulleys. Some are as large as the machine's flywheel pulley, causing the machine to run at 1:1, or about 2500 to 5,000 SPM. These speeds are typical for those trades.

Wrong motor pulley! Where did you buy the machine? If a dealer, contact them to see if they can supply you with a small (2"/50mm max) pulley and a shorter belt to match the difference in diameters of the old and new pulleys. Before you contact them, try all of the speed settings to ensure that all or most make a difference. The slowest speed on my similar motor is labeled 350. With the 2" pulley, at the 350 position, it sews at about 3 stitches per second. If the motor won't slow down at the lower settings, it may be defective.

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!