Wizcrafts

You are probably going to have to look for old iron at that price point. Look into auctions at harness shops for an old fix-er-up or traded in machine. Here is what you need to look for to sew holsters and slings: Minimum clearance under the foot with foot or knee lever: 5/8 inch (more is better) Large bobbin: Standard walking foot type M; Juki type LU bobbin; Juki 441 bobbin Triple feed walking foot with a smooth feed dog. Or, no feed dog, but needle feed with jump foot Very thick take-up parts, at least double those on industrial machines Very heavy tensioning spring, to bring up thick thread in multiple layers of veg-tan leather Needle sizes ranging from 22 through 26, handling thread sizes 138 through 346 1/2 to 3/4 horsepower servo motor with a speed reducer, mounted under a pedestal table. There are a very few flat bed machines meeting these specs. But, there are many 441 clones exceeding the lift spec. I have a Cowboy CB4500 cylinder arm machine that sews 7/8 inch, with up to #415 thread, using a #27 needle. In contrast, my modified National flat bed walking foot machine sews 7/16 inch, with up to #207 thread, using a #24 needle. It will take a #25 needle, but cannot hold down the leather as the needle ascends after picking up the bobbin thread.

Probably not. This is a very old Singer, meant to sew about 5/16" with #92 thread or less. It was meant for sewing gloves and soft shoes. Further, it has a snap foot and bottom feed, which is not a good system for either slings or holsters. I had two snap foot Singer machines and neither did a good job of feeding slick (polished), or thick leather.

Please define what you consider "inexpensive." Next, state the size of thread you want to use mot of the time and the probable thickness you intend to sew. I can sew rifle slings all day on my flat bed walking foot machine, using #138 thread. Holsters are another story. A properly sewn serious use holster has #277 thread or even #346. No standard upholstery grade machine can properly handle or tension those thread sizes. You'll need a machine like Busted described (a.k.a: 441 clone, like Cowboy, Cobra and Techsew), or a Union Lockstitch needle and awl machine, like I use.

The best machine is the one with the least slack in the feed and shuttle mechanisms. So much depends on tight clearances, especially in the ring in which the foot revolves. If the puck shaped actuator is worn down, the machine won't produce long stitches at any thickness. Aside from the wear factor, They are both short arm patchers with small bobbins and are best suited to #69 bonded nylon thread. The maximum thickness that can be sewn is about 1/4 inch. The stitch length diminishes with thickness, so a machine that sews 5 to the inch at 6 ounces may only yield 7 to the inch at 1/4 inch of leather. A worn machine may not even sew 7 to the inch into thin leather. I would recommend taking some pieces of 8 ounce leather with you and see if one machine gives longer stitches at 1/4 inch. Then make sure it actually sews a proper stitch. Some old Singer patchers have missing, broken or bent thread check springs and skip stitches no matter what else you do. I don't know what kind of leather projects you anticipate sewing with these machines. Don't expect them to sew holsters, or rifle slings. They are made for soft to medium leather, from 4 ounces up to 16 ounces total. They are meant for repairing shoes, boots, and for sewing patches onto garments.

Take some close-up photos of the needle and the uncovered bobbin inside the shuttle, with the needle down at bottom dead center. While the needlebar is down, shine a flashlight up from the bottom and look for a paddle shaped spring just above the needle mounting plate. This spring is responsible for keeping a little tension on the thread as the needle moves down, then ascends. This is what forms the loop. If that spring is bent, broken or missing, skipped stitches will be the norm.

I like that huge flywheel on the back of the machine. Coupled with the speed reducer, it should be able to sew through sole leather. Unless the walking foot mechanism has been modified, the maximum clearance under the foot when sewing is 3/8 inch. You can probably get away with #207 on top and #138 in the bobbin, using a #23 needle. For 207 in the bobbin, try a #24 needle. It all depends on how strong the top tensioner beehive spring is. It's too bad about the teeth on the presser feet. Check with Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines to see if smooth feet even exist for it. I've never seen any.

Bob Kovar might be able to help you with parts. Give him a call at 866-362-7397. He had a Gritzner or Frobana in the shop when I was there two months ago.

That's a sole stitcher, for boots on the ground. I think you'll get better stitches with bonded polyester or waxed linen. Nylon is stiffer and tougher to pull up than polyester. Waxed linen is the easiest to pull into the holes. If you must use nylon thread, try moving up one awl size.

Jesse; You have the twist backwards. Most lockstitch machines do use left twist thread. If you try to sew with RT thread on most lockstitch machines, the thread will begin to unravel. Double needle lockstitch machines are the exception, where the bobbin running in reverse uses RT thread. Most sole stitchers do better with right twist thread, run through a liquid wax pot. This applies to your Gritzner/Frobana as well.

I got this right wrapped toe foot from Bob Kovar. He may have another one laying around. It isn't a full wrap around like I described, but the front has the flap facing inside, in front of the inner foot.

I always use the best presser foot for the job. Sometimes that means using only a left or right toe foot. If none of the feet can do the job, find a local machine shop and have some feet custom milled. In your case, if the right toe doesn't grab the leather on the right enough to securely feed the work, a custom made wrap-around right toe foot will do the trick. I would need to cover the front and back inline with the inside foot, like a reverse capital letter C in a digital readout font.

Oil all moving parts and oil holes. The roll itself doesn't need oiling, but the bearings on the sides of its axle do. I used to have two skivers and used 20 weight oil on them.

A Singer patcher is designed to use series 29x3 and 29x4 needles.

The machine is a hundred years old and is probably shot Did you replace the thread check paddle spring in the needle bar? A worn, loose or broken spring causes skipped stitches. Revolve the top throat plate sideways and remove the bobbin case. See how much rotational slack there is in the gears driving the shuttle. If there is excessive slack, the screw that secures the little pinion gear to the shuttle may be loose. You can access this tiny set screw by rotating the machine until the screw hole is visible through a cutout in the back side of the nose of the arm. Once the screw lines up with that hole you can insert a jewelers' screwdriver and try to tighten it up. It's possible that the rack gears under the arm have teeth chipped off, or it has jumped, or been mis-adjusted so that the shuttle gear is out of its normal rotational range. This might explain it not positioning the point behind the needle. The needle sitting too low could be caused by a broken needle shank stuck high up inside the needle mounting bracket. An overtightened securing screw can break a brittle needle at the point above the screw.

There are other things that affect the stitch length on all patchers. Check these parts: Presser foot has inadequate pressure (increase spring pressure on top) Presser foot has insufficient lift to allow material to be fed (move sliding block whichever way increases lifting of foot during stitching) Teeth are ground down, meaning the foot can't feed the material (replace foot) The mechanism that causes the feed to occur is worn down (replace the revolving feed mechanism under the head). The jib adjuster on the back of the foot bars is missing or has been damaged (replace sliding stitch length jib)

Mark; A Consew 206RB-2 sews up to 3/8 inch (10mm) of material, with at least #138 and possibly up to #207 thread and has triple feed. I think this will suffice for your webbing and fire-hose projects.

The roller guide swings in and out of the sewing path, along the right side of the work. You set the distance from the edge to stitch line and push the work to the right as you sew. The roller guide keeps the stitch line straight. The round roller helps you to sew inside curves and around outside curves and belt tips. It attaches with a large threaded wheel under the mounting bracket.

Amuckart; Send an email to Bob Kovar, at: information at tolindsewmach dot com. He has the parts lists as well as all replacement parts of most Singer and Adler patchers. Email exchanges take longer, but are the best method to use when you are 14 time zones apart.

Here are a few pointers that may help fix the thread tension problem. First, invert the thread cone so the base is down. Make absolutely sure that the thread goes firmly down into the upper tension disk set. Increase the pressure on the upper tension beehive spring to about half way, for starters. Make sure that the presser foot is lowered all the way down before you start sewing. When it is raised, by either ht lift lever on the back of the head, or the knee lever, all top tension is released. Make certain that the lowered presser foot goes all the way down and sits firmly on top of the material being sewn. Adjust the spring on the bobbin case so that you can pull the bobbin thread smoothly and easily, without tugging on it. The higher the spring tension on the bobbin, the more needs to be applied topside. Don't use a needle that is way too big for the thread. The thread should just pass freely through the eye (left to right). The needle seems to be in correctly. But, I can't decipher the size ot the needle or thread. Are you trying to sew thin material with a big needle and thread? It doesn't usually work out that way. Try a smaller needle and thread when sewing a couple of ounces of material. The last photo shows the top thread flipping off of the upper tension disks. This means zero top tension. Try wrapping the thread around the post on top of the machine to increase the drag before it gets to the tension disks.

Contact Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines,at 866-362-7397. They have every part for every model of Singer 29 series patchers.

Same machine, but I don't recommend sewing machine dealers who aren't members of LWN, if one of our dealers sells the same machine. If you buy the same machine from our dealers you are going to get great customer service after the sale. Industrial sewing machines are not necessarily intuitive to adjust and operate. It helps to be able to pick up the phone and ask the seller questions about its operation, adjustments and available or custom made accessories. You can find more information about the Chandler 406RB-1 here.

Now I know we're not in Kansas anymore! Is that the Coneman?

I sewed a suede lined leather weight lifters' belt yesterday, on a Class 4, using #277 thread, top and bottom., using a type 794 S #25 needle. I used a stitch length of just longer than 5/inch, as requested. The S point has a chisel shape that cuts on the front and back of the needle. That needle and thread combination worked perfectly into the 4 ounce suede lining. The bottom knots are pulled well into the lower layer, even on the reverse stitches. Make sure you get the roller edge guide with your machine!

Stick with it and stay sharp! I'm just needling you.;-)

A Juki LU-563 will work fine for your small parts, interiors and belts. You are advised to test it first. Juki stopped making that series almost a decade ago. Also, sew in forward, then hold down the reverse lever and see if it sews into the previous holes. If not, you'll need to consult with a mechanic who has worked on Jukis. The bobbins in the LU-563 hold about twice as much thread as the standard bobbins in a class 15, or the LU-562. They were good production machines and were used in large and small factories to sew jeans, leather garments and coats. They usually have clutch motors with big pulleys, to get the highest speed possible. Time is money in production. But, continuous high speed operation wears out even the best sewing machines. Check the moving parts carefully for excessive wear. If you buy this Juki, know that is is a manually oiled machine and requires a few drops of oil in every oil hole, prior to use. Use sewing machine Lily oil only. The 563 can tension up to #207 thread, if the top tension beehive spring is the heavy duty one. Otherwise, it will top out at #138 thread, top and bottom. The maximum thickness sewn is 3/8 inch, although the feet lift 1/2 inch with the knee lever. It can handle #69 thread with a #16 or 18 needle for lighter work. The LU-563 also works great with the heavy cotton and polycore thread used to sew hems on jeans.This is size 30 and 40 thread. It is available in a dedicated orange color for jeans, on small and large cones. Needles used are the common walking foot type 135x16 (leather) and 17 (cloth), which are available in most sizes up to #25. If you cannot learn to feather the clutch, you'll need to replace the motor with a servo motor. I use a SewPro 500GR on my flat bed machines. They are available from Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines.This would drive up the cost of the machine to almost $1100 and you can buy a brand new Consew or Chandler walking foot machine, already equipped with a SewPro motor, for almost as much.