Wizcrafts

Wiz's 441 tips Always hold back the top and bottom threads, equally taut, for the first couple of stitches. This prevents thread from jamming in the shuttle, or under the leather. There is a presser foot pressure spring in the head, with a threaded adjuster on top of the head. If the leather lifts as the needle lifts, apply more spring pressure to keep the leather from lifting. This condition causes skipped stitches. Learn how to control the motor speed with your preferred foot. You can reduce the top speed of the motor by applying certain up/down button sequences. You should have received a pamphlet explaining this. If the machine shipped with #277 thread, learn to sew with that thread, using a #25 leather point needle. This thread is really too large for thin leather, like 8 ounces, but it is okay to learn on. Start with some strips and add layers every few inches. This will teach you how the feet walk over new layers and back down. It also shows you how the stitch length diminishes as you increase the thickness being sewn. The top thread tension is always tighter than the bobbin tension. Play with the top tension disk spring setting to see how changes impact the position of the knots. The bobbin case has a tension spring adjuster also, but, it is normally locked in place with a tiny set screw. Find and loosen that set screw a bit, then change the tension of the bobbin thread and see how this changes the position of knots and ease of feeding the material. A tight bobbin makes it harder to advance the leather. Loosen it too much and the knots will rise to the top, instead of inside the layers. The pedestal table height can be raised or lowered by loosening two heavy bolts in the slots of the column. If the starting height isn't where you like it, get someone to help you to lift the head off the table, then raise or lower it to a better height and lock it in. The belts need to be pretty tight if you intend to sew thick or dense leather. The first adjustment is on the motor itself, via two 15 mm nuts, above and below a movable arm on the front of the motor. This should be okay from the factory, but could change with use. Learn the affect that loosening and tightening the motor adjuster has on the operation of the machine. Ditto for the speed reducer, which is adjusted up and down by a single large bolt in a slot in the column it rides in. I usually leave the overall belt tension just a tad backed off, then spray the belts with belt no-slip out of a can from an auto parts store. This allows me to handwheel critical stitches and takes the load off all of the bearings in that part of the drive chain. The motor and speed reducer mounts are also movable laterally. Sometimes they are not mounted dead center of the pulleys and this causes unnecessary vibration from the belts moving sideways. Find and test the lateral adjustment of your motor and speed reducer, in relation to the motor pulley, speed pulleys and machine hand wheel pulley. BTW: The flywheel pulley faces out to the right, not toward the machine. It can be repositioned sideways on its shaft by loosening two bolts. It should line up with the small pulley on the speed reducer. If aligning these two causes the motor pulley to go out of alignment, move the motor by loosening three nuts on the bottom of the carriage bolts going through the table top and motor mounts. You may need to clamp the tops of the bolts with a vise grip to loosen and tighten the nuts for the motor. The machine arrived threaded. Memorize how it was threaded. Make sure that the top thread does not twist over itself and cause knots or binds on any posts or thread guides. Sudden knots on top of the leather are usually caused by top thread wrapping around something it should pass through, not wrap around. I hope these tips help you get started.

Basically, yes. However, a thin needle moving thick leather can bend or be held back slightly by the load. The mechanism would have to be very tight to avoid any change in stitch length over a large change in thickness.

Never heard of that brand. Please take some good close up photos of the affected pulleys and whatever is left of the original belts. We will try to Grok out a solution for you.

The pendulum effect is not just the needle bending. It also involves physics. There is more travel at the bottom than towards the top of a swinging pendulum. Thus, the needle swings longer at any stitch length setting at the flat throat plate level than 1/2 inch above it. A 12 ounce holster perimeter will have longer stitches than a 32 ounce side rib, unless you change the stitch lever setting. All common sewing machines use the pendulum needle bar system. However, there are a few non-standard machines available that have true square drive for the needle bar. These machines push and pull the needle bar along a straight horizontal line. My Union Lockstitch is such a machine. The Luberto Classic, based on the Number 9 machine is another. All of the Randall stitchers have square drive. I suppose the Landis 3 does also, but can't say for sure.

The shorter stitches happen due to the pendulum effect of the needle bar pivoting from the top. Only a square drive (e.g. Union Lockstitch, Campbell-Randall, or Luberto Classic) machine maintains semi-constant stitch length over wide changes in thickness. Even my Union Lockstitch has a slight variance in thick leather, if I am using a size 2.5 or smaller needle. The dang needle flexes under heavy loads, even though the parts moving it are on a square path.

Cut your losses and take the head to Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines for repairs and timing adjustments. Their address and phones are: 3631 Marine Rd, Toledo, OH 43609. Phone: 419-380-8540 in Toledo, or Toll Free at 866-362-7397

Make sure the new needle is the same type/system as the old one and that it is all the way up in the needlebar housing. Make sure there isn't any portion of the old needle stuck at the top of the mounting hole. This would lower the eye, throwing out the timing. In contrast, the impact may have moved your needlebar up, throwing out the timing the other direction.

Tighten down the pressure spring on top of the presser foot to obtain more positive drive. If you received a blanket feed dog (with teeth), try using it with the slick leather. Use the double toe harness foot for more distributed top pressure. Back off the top and bottom tensions (to match), to reduce thread drag. Check the position of the inside and outside feet as the stitch completes, the feeder lowers and the needle ascends. If there is too much free play the leather may be pulled back toward you before the outside foot secures it in place. This is user adjustable with the middle size Metric Allen wrench supplied by the dealer. The large crank on the back that feeds into the faceplate controls the vertical position of the inside foot. (See photo) (

Three causes come to mind: The top thread is caught in a guide, post, or stud along the path to the needle. The needle is way too large for the thread combination and is making too big of a hole. The bobbin thread has slipped out from the output guide in the bobbin case and has little or no tension.

Poor loop formation can be caused by early timing, coupled with a relocated needlebar to compensate. The hook passes the eye at a good height, but the shuttle driver may not be in the best position relative to the needle. To explain this mumbo-jumbo, with the throat plate off and the needle threaded, rotate the wheel until the hook is centered above the eye of the needle. Observe the bottom of the eye of the needle and bottom of the loop that is formed/forming. If the bottom of the eye is not in contact with the shuttle driver, the loop is suspended in thin air. There should be a tapered cut in the top of the shuttle driver, on the left side. This is a thread guide that pushes up on the thread coming out of the eye. Your goal is to reposition the height of the needle so that the bottom of the eye is on the way up, about 1/8 inch, as the point passes by the cutout over the eye and the bottom of the looping thread is just making contact with the cutout are in the shuttle driver. Once you find this happy place, tighten the needle bar and shuttle driver as much as possible. The next thing to adjust is the check spring. Too much travel, or too much spring tension causes the loop to dissolve as it is forming. That spring should move far enough to keep the top thread from forming loose loops on top, but not so far as to ruin the loop at the eye, as the hook meets it.

I would wait and buy one with reverse. The machine only has a 10.5" depth inside the body. If you are sewing a long Western holster, or a large strap with inside stitching designs, you'll need more room to turn it around to lock stitches. OTOH, if you only expect to sew along the edges, in one direction, reverse isn't required. In this case, sew over the starting stitched for a few stitches, then cut the thread and burn the ends into the holes.

Liberty; You are going to want to curtail your search to a triple feed walking foot machine, with a large bobbin, capable of sewing 3/8 inch with #138 thread, or even #207. This is the minimum requirement for the projects you have stated as in your plans. The Juki you are looking into is not that type of machine. A Juki 1541 or 1508 is.

I got one with my CB4500. Call Bob and order the flat, slotted throat plate. You need to unscrew the feeder to install that plate. Note the height of the raised dog in the standard plate and return it to that position when you reinstall it and the standard plate.

In such cases, I remove the feed dog and replace the standard plate with the narrow slotted plate. Since reverse depends on the feed dog, use the poor man's reverse when using a slotted plate and no feeder.

It converts to a double feed machine, using the needle and inner presser foot to move the material. Note, without the feed dog reverse stitching will probably not hit the same holes anymore. If a perfect backtack is required, spin the work 180 degrees.

It's a WhoFlungDung motor.

With either a stirrup or holster plate and no feed dog. Both are raised almost a half inch above the standard top of a throat plate. This allows dee rings and buckles to pass on one side or the other,as you sew.

Try using contact cement, or double sided leather tape, to hold the side pieces in alignment. Bend the wallet sharply as you come to the middle area. Better yet, install your stirrup throat plate, if you have one, and bend the wallet around it as you sew. This will give it natural stretch. If you didn't get the stirrup plate with your machine you can order it now.

My take on this is as follows: A tailor's machine is almost always a class 15 machine. My Dad had a Singer 31-15. The local tailor shop in Flint uses a Singer 31-15. I started with a 96K40, but now have a 31-15 for alterations, plus an actual class 15: a Singer 15-91. Most tailoring machines use the class 15 horizontal axis oscillating shuttle, bobbin and bobbin case system, as opposed to the class 66 home machine - drop-in caseless bobbin system. A 441 and Adler 205 is based loosely on the class 15 setup, just bigger all around. So, if a new sewer can learn on a mechanical Singer or equivalent class 15 machine, they will be closer to understanding how a 441 threads and operates than if they learn on a pushbutton, or touch pad class 66 machine (with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the the back of the cover ;-). All of the above is just my opinion. Some of you guys and gals may know tailors who use a drop-in bobbin machine with a vertical axis bobbin system. Back in the day, when I worked for an industrial sewing machine dealer, I was sent out to deliver some machines, which in one case involved demonstrating how to operate, adjust and maintain the machine to a first time sewer. I imagine that it would be possible to pay extra when buying a machine to have it delivered and demonstrated on your premises. Or, if a buyer could travel to the dealer's location, they could receive instructions before taking the machine home. There are YouTube videos demonstrating various leather sewing machines, including most 441 clones. That's a lot cheaper than paying extra for personal delivery or pickup. Check around your general area for other leather crafters who may own a 441 type machine. They may be willing to show you the ropes.

Doug; Locate and check any motor circuit fuses, including any in the switch box. Did you buy your motor from one of our dealers, no more than 365 days ago?

The Boss is entirely designed to be hand operated. If you intend to motorize that hand operated machine, be sure to replace the zinc gears with gears milled from good steel. Also, you may need to replace the bearings with better quality ones with grease fittings. The parts in the machine are not designed for continuous rotational use, or motor drive operation.

I believe that was has happened is that you purchased your machine from a drop shipper, who received it from China. This means you are not entitled to free support from the authorized UK distributor, whom you bypassed. You may need to contact the person from whom you purchased the machine to see what support they are able to offer to you. Otherwise, you are on your own and must deal with whomever is willing to sell you parts, or supply assistance on a paid basis.

I am going to answer the part of your question I made bold and italicized Sewing 101 sounds to me like a beginners class about how to operate a flat bed home sewing machine.This would include threading the top and loading the bobbin, controlling the material and foot speed controller pedal, choosing and changing needles, threading the needle, changing stitch styles, length and width, and adjusting tensions and pressures for different thicknesses of cloth. They usually do these classes on a type of machine that is sold in places like Joann Fabrics, or a Singer store, which might weigh about 15 pounds and be made of white plastic, and which contains rows of push buttons to change stitch types. The thread used in these machines is common cotton or polyester soft wound, with two or three thin strands twisted together, and is sewn using a needle size 11 to 14. The machine will typically have a capacity under the lowered foot of about 5/16 inch, maximum. The largest needle it will probably accept may be a #18 to #20. The thickest thread it can tension may be only #69 bonded nylon, if that. Finally, it will only have bottom feed. If you try to sew 3 layers of leather on such a machine you will destroy it. A 441 is a Juki cylinder arm machine with a sewing capacity of at least 3/4 inch of leather. It uses needles starting with size 19, going up to a #27 or larger. Their thread handling capacity ranges from #92 through #415. The motors are usually 3/4 horsepower servo motors, but sometimes they ship with clutch motors. All have speed reducers to triple the torque and reduce the top speed. A 441 clone is a copy of the Japanese Juki TSC 441, with improved specs. A 441 or clone has a walking foot triple feed system, where the needle, inside foot and feed dog all move in concert, while the outside foot lifts during needle's feed motion and lowers to secure the work between stitches. These machines are made of cast iron and steel and weigh over 125 pounds for just the head, not to mention the pedestal table, with its large motor, they are bolted onto. It is highly unlikely that the people teaching a sewing 101 class anywhere have ever seen or even heard of a 441 or clone. They may have no knowledge or experience running a triple feed walking foot machine. The machines they use cannot sew 34 ounces of leather, no way, no how. Nor can they sew 3/8 inch. They cannot use thick bonded nylon or bonded polyester thread, like the common size 277 used by most of us with a 441 clone, which calls for a #25 leather point needle. You are going to have to learn to sew with a 441 clone on your own, or attend a show where our dealers have their machines set up to demo, or travel to a dealer's store and receive some instructions there, on the machine you are purchasing. There are online videos on YouTube and some dealers supply a DVD that shows you how to thread, adjust, oil and change needles, bobbins and top thread, as well as how to adjust the top speed of the motor that shipped with it.

I have a 1942 White Rotary Imperial in mint condition. It uses up to #69 bonded nylon thread and has double-size bobbins. The needles are typical home machine needles, threaded front to back, and the motor drives the machine via a rubber pulley on the motor shaft, riding against the handwheel, turning it clockwise.

I entirely missed that point Cheryl. You are 1200% correct. The O.P. isn't interested in the model number, but wants us to name the machine. Okay, i'll byte ;-) The machine in the picture is Algernon Horatio Albatross III