Wizcrafts

I have a walking foot machine that is similar to your Juki. These are really upholstery machines, not built to penetrate and properly sew hard or thick leather, or to use heavy thread. So, I got a Cowboy CB4500 to handle the heavy work. It sews like a champ. I can go down to #138 thread, or even #92, by using smaller needles. Normally, it is threaded with #277 on top and either #207 or #277 in the bobbin, depending on what is being sewn. Cowboy machines are distributed and sold by Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines.

Sometimes, just raising or lowering the needle bar a fraction of an inch can help or hinder your timing and thread breakage problems. It is possible that after repeated pounding, the needle bar can get pushed up a little, which changes the timing position of the eye. You can test this by loosening the needle screw and lowering the needle in its mount, by 1/16 inch. Tighten it up and see if this makes matters better or worse. If lowering the needle improves the stitch reliability, the needle bar itself may need to be lowered to compensate for slippage. There are two Allen socket screws that secure the needle bar in its bracket. The faceplate needs to be removed to access them.

Search the Interwebs for a manual for the Consew 227R. They are very similar machines.

Singer of Japan made a blue body zig-zag industrial sewing machine: the 29U. It allows you to set the position of the needle for straight stitching, or to zig-zag, using two levers (needle position : zig-zag width). It should be adequate for marine upholstery, seat covers and even some light weight drapery. Do not attempt to sew leather on one of these machines! Pfaff also made/makes industrial zig-zag machines. Contact our dealers to see who has what in a zig-zag machine. with a motor and table.

The number after the RB- designates the generation of that machine. The current generation is RB-5

Right from the get-go I can see that not only is the top tensioner being doubled up un-necessarily, but the thread coming off the thread check spring is not going under the J-shaped thread-check bar, before going up to the take-up lever. This means that there is no slack in the top thread, which is going to cause skipped stitches and other tensioning problems.

This is very thin thread for a 30-70. Everything needs to be tweaked if you previously set it up with #138 thread. Start by moving the needle mount to the right. Loosen the upper screw in the oblong cutout and push the needle mount to the right, then tighten the set screw. This places the needle closer to the hook. Next, back off the forced lift setting, inside the left end of the trapeze. Loosen the thumb screw, move it down, from Dick (thick) to Dorf (thin), then tighten it in the lower position. Try some stitching. If you have any skipped stitches, look at the leather as the needle ascends. Is the leather lifting, or puckering under the foot? If so, increase the pressure spring thumb nut pressure. Your combination of a #18 needle and #69 thread is as good as it gets with 332LG needles. But, leather point LR needles work better than rounds and Schmetz needles work better than GB or Organ. Make sure that the foot has enough lift to allow a full-length stitch to form, at 5/inch setting on the sliding stitch regulator puck. When you load the bobbin into the case, make sure the thread is pulled through the tension spring and that it has enough tension to hold back the thread a bit. Then, feed it though the tiny hole, then through the hole in the center post of the bobbin case. This affects the stitching considerably. Finally, there is a paddle shaped spring inside the needle bar, just over the needle mounting bracket. Shine a flashlight on the spring and see if it is still making good contact with the flat area on the inside, where the thread passes on its way down to the needle. This is the check spring, and will cause skipped stitches if irt is broken, twisted, or bent away from the thread at the paddle end.

I used type 332-LG needles when I operated an Adler 30-70. They are considerably longer than standard industrial needles. If Bob says they are 2 1/8 inches long, I believe him (he probably has a pack of them in his office). My Singer patcher uses the same length needle as the type 135x16, which is just shy of 1 3/4 inches long. If your needles are closer to 1 3/4 than 2+ inches, they are the wrong ones for the 30-70.

Yes. It is the same as how my ULS works: punch a hole with a chisel pointed awl, then bring up a barbed needle through that hole. In your case, bring down a closed-eye needle through the same hole. If you intend to use your Cowboy 441 clone to sew holes into plastic, do tighten both needle bar screws first, as much as possible. Install a #26 or #27 diamond point needle, or make an awl out of a hard steel rod that has the same shank diameter as a 794 needle, by 2 3/4 inches long. Prepunch the holes with the awl in the machine, then install the correct needle and sew through them. If you are going to sew with a #25 needle, make the stabbing blade a little wider (like a #26 or @27 needle). Bob Kovar sells these huge needles and might be willing to build you an awl. It should be either a chisel or diamond shape at the blade, with a quick taper to round in about 1/8 to 3/16 inch. If you have a friend nearby with a Union Lockstitch or Campbell-Randall machine, ask him or her to sew the plastic for you. It would be safest to use a combination of a #4 needle and #5 awl, with #346 or #415 thread. The #5 awl pokes a big hole and is very strong. Smaller awls may bend. The size difference between the needle and awl allows the needle to cleanly enter the possibly ragged hole from the bottom, pushing its way into the hole. A #4 needle is also very hefty and less likely to get deflected by exit wounds on the bottom of the plastic.

My Union Lockstitch machine might be able to penetrate that plastic. But, it isn't worth it to find out otherwise. Use a drill.

You are most welcome!

That is a super-high-speed, bottom fed garment sewing machine. It could be useful in a dress shop, for making gowns and formal wear, or for hemming pants in 5 seconds. It sews a maximum of 6 stitches per inch and uses the standard garment machine needle system DBx1. The largest needle it takes is a #18, which is best used with #69 bonded nylon thread. It may possibly take and tension #92 thread, but that is pushing it. I has an automatic oiler system, which works best at higher speeds only. Are you planning on making cloth garments with this machine?

I prefer to sew with #277 and down on my Cowboy, and #277 and up on the Union Lockstitch. If I didn't have these two machines I would do it all on whichever machine I owned. The fact is that I had the Union Lockstitch first. It is my second ULS machine and I love them. I used to sew fishtails onto gunbelts on the ULS, which requires spinning the flywheel by hand, one stitch at a time, feathering the clutch to get 355 degrees of rotation, then hand-wheeling over the the last 5 degree hump. Now, I slow down my servo motor to 600 and sew fishtails using the Cowboy, at about 1 stitch per second, with my foot down; pedal to the metal. The Juki Pro 2000 is a jump-foot, needle feed machine, right? I like that feed system.

Those are the same thumbscrews that are used to secure edge guides. Every sewing machine dealer in the World sells them. I'm not sure, but think they are 5x40 pitch, or close to it.

Hi Trox! Right now, I use #277 in my Cowboy CB4500, using either a #24/180 or 25/200 type 794 Schmetz needle. Sometimes I have to crank the pressure spring all the way down to sew hard leather 3/8 inch (10mm) or thicker. When I need to sew really thick or tough material, with #346 or larger thread, I use my Union Lockstitch machine. The pressure spring on top of it resembles the old front fork spring used on Schwinn bicycles in the 1950s. I built a chopper out of a Triumph Terrier, using a Schwinn springer fork, when I was in my early teens. The spring on the ULS is very similar and can hold down the thickest leather and even plywood. I have some #346 bonded polyester thread, I bought from Campbell-Bosworth. It has a softer hand than any bonded nylon in similar sizes. I don't know if it has less tensile strength also. I just sewed a double 14-15 ounce weight lifter's belt on the ULS, using this Campbell thread and had no problems whatsoever. I used a #3 needle and #3.5 awl (tight fit; no slack). The knots were easily pulled well up into the layers. I used black on top and natural on the bottom. There was no springiness in the black polyester thread. I am thinking about trying some black in size 277.

I am/was, but nobody wants to pay what it's worth. I just used it last week to sew together two layers of 14 ounce saddle skirting, into a 4" wide power lifter's belt. The stitch lengths are even, across two parallel rows and the knots are well up into the bottom piece. The leather was stiff, but the ULS didn't care! She just chugged away, happily sewing stitch after stitch, at the astounding rate of about 4 or 5 per second.

Mark; Do you have any pre-lubricated thread on hand? It helps me sew into dry leather. I now get mine from Bob Kovar. He has most sizes and colors in stock and the price is nice. The only color that gives me trouble, in any brand, is black, #138 up. It appears that some thread companies redye other colored spools into black (double-dying), making them springy and harder to the pull knots into the leather. Are you using springy black thread?

I sometimes use staples on the edges before sewing them. Other times I use double-sided leather tape made by Venture Tape, sold by Wawak.

See the thread page on the Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines website. They sell pre-lubricated bonded nylon thread in about 6 colors. Natural (beige) is one of them. There is a contact form on the Contact Us page, where you can get Bob's attention by sending him an email from the website.

I'll vouch for that! My Union Lockstitch machine can filigree 5/16 inch of double leather belt. I have done this more than once. These machines are really harness stitchers, not sewing machines. They can handle the thickest thread available and sew through the densest leather, or even plywood and pennies. My Union Lockstitch sews with #554 thread, into a maximum of 7/8 inch of hard leather. When it pulls up the knots, they ain't goin' anywhere, anytime soon!

I started out in leather work wanting to sew a leather vest. My requirements were modest at that time and I bought a straight stitch old Singer 96k40 that did a good job for me. It wasn't too long after I finished the vest that I decided to try sewing belts. This is when I began learning about the limitations of many industrial sewing machines. A man's gotta know his limitations! Every time I bought an industrial sewing machine, I tried to exceed its thread size or thickness capabilities. This led me to always look for a bigger and better stitcher. I have owned several walking foot machines, made by Singer, Juki and National. Each had its strong points and weak ones. It is an established fact that once a person decides to become a leather worker, and lets others know, the work requests will come in and will get into larger requirements than most are equipped to handle, at first. Almost every leathercrafter on this forum has stated their intention to sew wallets, or vests, plus some belts, holsters, sheathes, etc. Most newbies expect to be able to machine sew with the same thread used in hand sewing. They are usually unpleasantly surprised to learn that this is not likely on most industrial sewing machines, or even most heavy stitchers in common use. Back to the Sailrite topic... The Sailrite portables are very good machines for making and repairing vinyl sails, biminis, seat covers, awnings and other items made from heavy cloth and vinyl. They have positive double feed, over and under, with aggressive teeth on the feet and feeders. These machines are designed for sewing marine items not exceeding 1/4 inch, or so, in compressed thickness, using thread sizes 138 or less. Some of our members have bought portable walking foot machines, then tried to modify them to sew into 3/8 inch of veg-tan belting. The results can be disastrous to both the machine and material. The metal used in the drive and take-up system is not strong enough to withstand the pounding imposed by hard temper leather when you sew into it with a #23 or larger needle. Sure, if you restrict your sewing to #69 bonded nylon, using a #18 needle, you should be able to sew 1/4+ inch of leather together. The pressure required to hold down the leather as a #18 needle, carrying #69 thread ascends is not that much. As long as the pressure spring has moderate tensile strength it can hold down 1/4 inch of leather, using small needles and thread. But, ramp it up a notch! BAM! Load the machine with #207 thread and a #24 or 25 needle and see what happens on the upstrokes. The needle will come up and so will the leather. This causes skipped stitches and broken needles and thread, plus jamming of the bobbin mechanism. Before the machine breaks, it may sew for a while. But, the knots will be on the bottom of the leather. So, you will crank up the tension on the upper tension disk thumbnut. Before you realize what's happening the take-up and walking foot drive parts will bend and start to bind. The needle bar will move due to the impact, throwing the machine out of time. You will try to overcome the binding and skipping, which may finish the machine off for good. You don't have to believe anything I said here. Life is yours to live, for better or worse. If you listen to the advice of those who proceeded you in this craft, you will save a lot of time and frustration. Most of us have worked our ways up through all manner of sewing machines, breaking many along the way. My advice is to save your money until you can afford a real, industrial walking foot, triple feed machine. That is for sewing up to 3/8 inch and not all day long. Sewing machines that are run at full thickness and hardness capacity wear out quickly, or go out of time. Figure out what you intend to sew, both now and a year down the road. Buy more machine than you need now, so it will still handle the work you get down the line. If you are going to be sewing veg-tan leather, in thicknesses exceeding 3/8 inch, a regular walking foot machine may not hold up. The thicker the thread, the larger the needle required to poke a big enough hole to pull the bobbin thread up into the leather, to form the lockstitch knots. The bigger the needle and thread, the harder it is to hold the leather down as the needle rises out of it. The more spring pressure you apply to the feet, the harder the machine pounds on each stroke. When it comes to buying a real heavy leather sewing machine, cheaper is usually NOT better. Walking foot flatbed machines are built to sew soft upholstery material, not 5/16" or thicker belts or holsters, with heavy bonded thread and #24+ needles. Even the ones that have high lift still don't have an easy time with hard temper leather and big thread. There are things that can be done to improve these machines to a certain point, like sewing with #207 thread, but you have to know their limitations. Eventually, you'll need to sew a leather project that is 1/2 inch thick and the upholstery or sail-maker's machine will not be able to handle it.

Yes, if you are using S point needles.

Use the Poor Man's Reverse: spin the work around 180 degrees to lock the beginning and ending stitches. That's what I did when I owned a 153.

If is not the CP206R, it must be a 206RB-something.

The thread size designations will confuse ya. There are a bunch of different standards associated with different manufacturers or places in the World. If you follow my path you'll end up with a bunch of different sewing machines. I had narrow and wide cylinder arms, post machines, flatbeds, a Union Lockstitch machine, blind stitcher, sergers, patchers and even an industrial zig zag machine. At one time I had 13 industrial sewing machines. Now, I'm down to just 5: Cowboy CB4500 Union Lockstitch National walking foot Singer 31-15 Singer 29K172 I also have these non-industrial sewing machines, all in full working condition: Pfaff 2 needle-4 thread serger Janome New Home electronic machine Kenmore 158 type, with many attachments and cams Singer 15-91 portable Singer 66, motorized, in a cabinet Kenmore Imperial Rotary, motorized, in a cabinet, from 1942 All in all, these machines allow me to sew anything from very light cloth to 7/8 inch of hard leather, with thread sizes ranging from #33 nylon (or #50 or thinner cotton), up to #554 nylon (or 8 cord linen). No one machine can handle the entire range. But, my Cowboy comes awful close! If I tweak it, I can use #92 thread in it and sew jeans cuffs and vests, jackets, zippers, etc. Then, I can change needles, tensions and pressures and sew a 3/4 inch holster with #346 thread.