Wizcrafts

If so, it belongs in Warehouse 13! Artificer; If you only need to sew up to 3/16 of an inch, of soft temper leather, you can use either a roller foot or walking foot machine. Singer post machines were often equipped with a roller on top and a rolling feed dog on the bottom. There is a new Cowboy post machine that has gear driven top roller, in addition to the rotating feed dog. Machines like this provide very positive feed. Still, if price is the driving factor, and you will be buying used, a Singer post machine is a good option for 10 to 12 ounces of soft leather. The post will allow the material to be moved in all directions after each piece is sewn (hanging over the post, inside, outside, front or back). I used to make caps and hats on old Singer roller foot post machines. The one thing you must keep in mind is the thread size limitation of these old machines. They will not be happy sewing with anything bigger than #69 thread. None of the tensioners, not the presser foot spring are heavy enough to provide enough tension to sew with #138 thread, or hold down hard leather (with a big needle). If you limit the needle to a #18 leather point, with #69 bonded nylon thread, you should be able to sew your bags on it.

Art; Is the Lily Oil you get from Campbell different than the Lily Oil sold for typical industrial sewing machines? I have been using some 20 weight oil in my Union Lockstitch machine. I wasn't aware that Campbell had something heavier than standard machine oil. I like that idea of adding Mystery Oil to Lily Oil. I have even used Lucas Oil in the rear lower shaft bearing's oil hole (to keep it from flowing right back out the bottom).

I wish I could afford to buy a Puritan chainstitch machine, just for the pleasure of owning another piece of real American iron and steel. I have repaired rifle cases that were sewn on a Puritan, and it wasn't the stitching that gave out. That video was encouraging. A lot of skilled sewers are employed at Red Wing, sewing on Puritan chainstitch two and three needle machines. If any of you have a chance to buy one for money you can afford, do it. Then buy liquid wax and linen thread and put her to work on heavy leather projects, where the bottom layer is not normally visible. When the wax dries, the stitches will be locked for a lifetime.

That machine will not sew anything more than light weight garment leather; small sections at a time. It will need a Teflon foot to even do that. You will be limited to using either home cotton or polyester thread, or up to #69 bonded nylon. There is no way this machine will sew belts or heavier projects. Still, if it was cheap, experiment and see what you can get it to do.

You are stretching the capabilities of the Juki LU-563. This series is a couple decades old now and was never designed to sew 24 ounces, except for denim or vinyl, which compresses under the feet. 24 ounces of veg-tan leather is hardly compressible. You would be better served with a traded in LU-1508N, possibly with high lift and system 190 LR needles. It is built tougher than its predecessors from the 1980's.

The reason I steered you away from the portable machine is the fact that they are not usually made with strong enough metal to withstand the pressure of sewing veg-tan leather. Also, there are teeth on the presser feet, which assist the feed dogs in feeding the material and they will mark the top of the leather (as the feed dog does to the bottom). These machines were made to sew small marine vinyl and for sail repair jobs. With a presser foot clearance of just 1/4 inch, unaltered, they will not sew anything more than a pancake of two layers of 8 ounce leather. If your work is all under or at 1/4 inch, of not too dense leather, a portable might work for you. When it comes to portable walking foot machines, many are made with junk metal moving parts that can be bent by hand pressure on the cranks and the walking foot guide parts. You would really have to check out the way a machine is built before buying one of the portables. Or, send a sample of your leather and have the dealer sew it on that machine, using #138 bonded nylon thread. In contrast, a recent model Consew, Chandler, Juki or equivalent walking foot machine will all sew 3/8 inch of leather, with #138 thread. The moving parts are strong and smooth at the mating surfaces. The bearings are good size and many take a large M style bobbin. All modern walking foot machines have a reverse lever, for backtacking. Even an ancient Singer 111w155 (no reverse) can sew almost 3/8 inch. Some Pfaff walking foot machines can sew 7/16 inch, due to their longer needle type (190). There are several cylinder arm machines on the market that can sew 3/8 inch. What machines have you already looked at? Have you visited any industrial sewing machine stores? If you were to go to such a store with samples of your leather projects, they might match a suitable used machine to fit your budget. There are few if any new leather sewing machines under $1000, capable of sewing hard leather, 3/8+ inch thick, with heavy thread, all day long. The closest would be the Cowboy CB2500, or Techsew GA1-5. These machines sell for about $1300 to $1500, depending on the setup (reverse, roller foot, edge guide, speed reducer). Both are able to sew 7/16" out of the box, with #346 bonded nylon thread. There do not appear to be any small needles for these machine, so the bottom end of their sewing would be #22 needles with #138 thread.

I fear that you will be sorely disappointed in the performance of that portable walking foot machine. You should go straight into a triple feed walking foot machine, with a motor and table and speed reducer servo motor. When you say you want to sew knife sheathes, how thick are you talking about?

That company is out of business. You would be smart to have a machine shop make the replacement part.

Sometimes, dealers list their toll free number in publications, but may also list a local number on their website. For instance, the Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines website has the toll free number in their banners and on-page, but lists a local phone number in the footer of every page. The footer is the bottom section of a web page, where copyright, important links and contact info is typically presented.

EPS motors use a separate sensor module and connecting linkage that controls the up or down position of the needle bar, when the motor is stopped by your heel on the pedal. It feeds a box with the circuitry, which then connects to and controls the motor's off on function. If all you see is a servo motor and a speed reducer under the table and no module connected between the machine and the motor (other than belts), you are missing the EPS. Here is a picture of the Cobra EPS motor: http://www.leathermachineco.com/catalog.php?item=55

In the 9 months since I posted this ad I have invested another $200 in replacement parts, to rebuild the machine to factory tolerances. Besides sewing leather and plywood, this machine even sews the crap being sold by Weaver as imitation leather, for reins and leads. A 441 clone set up to perfectly sew 1/2 inch veg-tan leather could not sew the bobbin thread into this material, but my Union Lockstitch did. The price, as of September 15, 2011, is now $2700, cash and carry, from Flint, Michigan. The buyer must pick it up and load it.

All three of these items have been sold. Please close this topic.

I don't know if he has an inline foot set in stock, or not. Call him and ask for it. It is is gone he may be able to machine another one for you. They are tricky to use, as there is no forward support around the sides of the needle, other than the inside foot..

Name the dealer and we will try to get you their local phone number.

What size, or sizes of needle and thread are you using to sew these awesome backpacks?

What size (number) are the thread, needle and spacer shim in use, when the machine skips stitches? What type of point is on the needle (round, or diamond, or triangle, or LR)? What thickness are you trying to sew, when it is skipping? What thickness of leather will it sew without skipping? Is the leather soft, medium or hard temper?

You will be wasting your money and shredding your nerves if you buy that home sewing machine and try to sew 12 ounces of leather with it. The so-called walking foot attachment is nothing of the sort. It is better described as an even feed attachment, used by quilters. I bought one for my old Singer 15-91, before I got a real walking foot machine. The attachment has an outer foot that basically follows the material as it is pulled by the bottom feed dogs. When the feed dogs drop down, at the end of the stitch, the outer foot snaps forward. These attachments cause you to lose at least 1/16" of usable space under the feet. So, a machine that could in theory sew 12 ounces thickness will now only be able to fit 8 to 10 ounces under the foot. If you try to compensate by pre-raising the pressor bar, the needle bar will hit the top of the feet on the way down. The consequences could be catastrophic for the attachment, the needlebar, or pressor bar. Without the "walking foot" attachment, the machine will not feed leather or Naugahyde properly. Your only recourse would be a roller equipped pressor foot. I have one of these and it also loses 1/16" clearance underneath and on top. A home sewing machine with a roller foot will only clear about 1/8" to 3/16" of material, before the needle bar strikes it and busts it open. Finally, these home style machines are only made to sew with light weight thread. The most you can use would be #69 bonded nylon. This thread has but 11 pounds of tensile strength.

This Boss went for sale today on the Flint Michigan Craigslist. I placed the ad for the owner, who doesn't have the Internet at this time and wishes to sell it for cash and carry only. http://flint.craigsl...2592144098.html If the ad expires, or you want to discuss the machine with him, his phone number is: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx I can't answer any questions about the machine, other than the fact that it actually exists and is as pictured in his ad. Edited to remove phone # on sold item.

By using the same thread on top and bottom, the tensions will increase in both places, usually in an equal amount. The only interference you face is the needle size. You may have to increase your needle size to a #19 or 20, which will re-balance the tensions for you.

Check with the official Adler website for user and repair manuals

Your patcher can indeed handle #92 thread, as can your bobbin case. If you use #46 or #69 in the bobbin, it will last longer, but the strength of the stitches will be that of the smallest thread. If you're only wanting to use #92 on top for appearance only, a mixed thread size is fine. But, if you want #92 for the increased strength of the stitching, use it on top and in the bobbin.

There are at least two sewing machines needed to repair this gun case. It was assembled on a Puritan high post chainstitch machine, using waxed heavy linen thread. At the very least, you will need a long arm (18"), "large" bobbin, Adler or Singer patcher, capable of sewing with #138 bonded nylon, or 4 cord linen thread. A Puritan high post machine would be nice, but you probably don't have one, or you wouldn't be asking about what to use. Otherwise, you might be able to sew replacement stitches using a 25" Cowboy CB5500, with triple feed. Several dealers on the forum and private probably have the long arm patchers for sale.

This motor modification is fascinating stuff. Keep it going please!

I don't play in a Blues Band. I play in Country/Western bands.

Different spool winding directions and different stiffness's of bondings can play havoc with sewing machines. Make sure you are allowing the Weaver thread to go up without any loop-d-loops on the thread stand. You may need to give it a couple of reverse twists with your fingers, as you feed it through the thread eye in the stand. Sometimes, with "twisty" thread, you may need go through one eye in the top post, then wrap it around the post and feed it through a second hole, rather then just straight through. Or, vice versa. If none of this stops the thread from twisting out of the tension disks, try feeding the thread directly sideways, off the spool, to the machine's top post. If you machine lacks a top thread post, substitute a front or side mounted thread post. If your top post in missing, replace it. If none exists, you can buy one, then drill and tap a hole for it, or drill undersize, taper the (threaded) bottom of the post on a sander/grinder, and drive it into the head. If none of this helps, get some other brand of thread, like Linhanyl, if you can find it.