Wizcrafts

When the thread take-up lever is at the highest point, the knot is formed in the material.

Don't mess with the timing unless you are getting skipped stitches. As long as the top thread forms a loop and the pick-up grabs the loop, your timing is fine. Here are some things to check that could cause the locks to fall under the work. The top thread is lacking pressure. Check the thread path. The top thread is not going through the center area of the top tension disks. The top thread is not going through the slack (check) spring, after the tension disks, before the take-up lever. The position of the check spring and its assembly has shifted the wrong way. The check spring is too tight. The lift lever is engaged behind the machine, removing all tension from the disks. Something is causing exceptional drag on the bobbin thread. Make sure it really flows easily, but with some resistance. The needle is too small for the thread knots and density of the material. Move up a needle size and see what happens. The leather is too dense. Use thread lube, or lubricated thread, or a bigger needle.

This machine is threaded incorrectly. The top tensioner is supposed to be wrapped around clockwise, after the thread goes around the post on top, behind the tension disks. From there it feeds to a curly spring in front of the needlebar, then up to the take-up lever. The lower tension disks are called "darning tensioners" and are only used when the feed is lifted off the material and the work is moved by hand (darning). The thread would go directly to the darning disks, not through the upper tensioners. The upper tension disks have their pressure relieved when you lift the pressor foot lift lever. The front darning disks are never loosened by the machine. Unless you are darning, only use the top tensioner and reverse the direction of the thread. Go around the little post behind the disk, turn a sharp turn and feed it into the top tensioners clockwise. Do not go down to the darning disks. The needle is backwards. The scarf above the eye must face to the right. That is causing the skipped stitches.

In addition to threading the needle from left to right, make sure that the top thread is going around the little post behind the top tension disks, then around and inside them, clockwise, then out of the disks and through the little loop in front of the take-up and needlebar, then up and through the take-up lever, down the snout, past the little spring in the needlebar, and through the eye of the needle. The bobbin should feed the thread backwards to the slit in the bobbin case, making a sharp bend back through the slot, then be pulled totally under the little bobbin case spring, up through the hole, through the hole in the center post if yours is the large bobbin case, and up through the hole in the throat plate. There should be some modest tension on the bobbin, but not too much, especially for sewing light weight material. If there is an adjuster mechanism on the back of the take-up lever assembly, inside the trapeze, make sure you back it off all the way for thin materials. If it is engaged most or all the way in, the take-up lever will pull too much top thread up and may cause skipped stitches in thin material. It is only turned inwards to sew thick or very dense material. Make sure that your pressor foot has just enough spring pressure to keep from lifting as the needle lifts, but not so much that it squishes thin leather. Also, make sure that the foot goes all the way down, when the lift lever is lowered. The foot does all the work on a Patcher. Finally, check the spool of thread and make sure that the thread feed off the top of the spool. If you don't have an industrial thread stand, place the thread on the base of the machine and feed the thread up and around the thread peg near the rear of the machine, then on to the lube pot, through its hole and out to the upper tension disk. The little thread post post is for what are known as Patcher spools; about 1 ounce thread weight or #69 bonded nylon thread. Patcher spools are usually sold by shoe supply warehouses. Make sure that you use the best fit needle for your thread. For #69 thread, that would be a #16 or #18 needle. If your needle is too big the top thread won't for a loop for the bobbin case's pickup point to grab.

For ladies' designer handbags you may need a cylinder arm machine to sew the tight corners. However, if they are sewn inside out a flatbed machine will do fine. The zippers will be a bit tricky though, unless you have a cylinder arm machine. You will want a walking foot machine and several accessory pressor foot sets. These will include: left toe and right toe zipper feet; a piping/welting foot set for each size of welt you intend to sew between the seams; possible an edge binder set, a swing-away edge guide and aim-able lights. Get plenty of bobbins and extra bobbin cases. Buy thread in either 8 oz or 16 oz spools. Buy needles by the hundred, for the main sizes you will be using. Get several quarts of industrial sewing machine oil and load some into small bottles. Most leather sewing machines require frequent manual oiling. If you decide to buy a used machine, stick with only the top brand names and only buy one that is clean and can be tested before you take it. You will probably want a machine capable of sewing with #138 bonded nylon or bonded polyester thread, using a #21 or #22 leather point needle. You will want a machine with reverse that matches the forward holes perfectly. Many lesser builds do not match on reverse, without a lot of dinking with the positions of the pressor feet. If you buy a new machine, get one with a servo motor, not a clutch motor. Servos are much more controllable at slow speed than a clutch motor. Also, you won't need all the torque a clutch motor delivers, for purse leather. You should get a small pulley on the motor (2" to 21/4"), to give slower top speed with a bit more punching power.

The answer to your question about the best sewing machine for bags depends on your definition of "bags." If you could be more specific, possibly posting some photos of samples, we can better serve you. Also, do you intend to use the machine for regular daily production, or just occasionally? For regular production, a brand new machine is best. The Consew 206RB-5 meets that requirement to some degree, but a Juki 1508 is going to hold up better, for steady production work. Adler, Pfaff and Juki machines are used in production factories World-wide. Not so for Tacsew or other clone knockoff machines. Seiko makes Consew machines. They are usually considered a secondary-consumer line to the Seiko manufacturing quality machines. It really depends on how much use, at what average RPM, the machine will receive. Once we see the kind of bags you want to sew, a recommendation regarding flatbed vs cylinder arm can be offered. You may need to revise your price range if you intend to go into steady production.

Holly; call Bob Kovar about the Pfaff parts and accessories. His website is not up and running yet. He has everything you will need. Bob Kovar Toledo Ind.Sewing Mach.Sales Ltd 3631 Marine Rd Toledo,Oh. 43609 1-866-362-7397

It so happens that Bob Kovar, of Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines, sells a roller conversion set. Call him, at 866-362-7397 and ask for the 3 piece roller foot conversion for your particular Juki clone machine. Bob also sells needles, bobbins, cases, thread, parts, attachments and edge guides for most industrial sewing machines.

Measure the total belt length with a tape measure inside the pulley channels, then buy a 1/4" O.D. leather belt that is a bit longer (with a steel clamp). Cut off the excess from one end, punch a #0 or #1 hole about 1/4" in on each end and clamp them together with the enclosed steel clamp, with your pliers.

First of all, the machine you bought is designed to sew garments and drapery, not leather. It takes a #18 needle maximum, which indicates that the largest thread it can manage is #69. You can put the world's most sophisticated motor under the table and bore out the needlebar to hold a number 27 needle, but the mechanism in the take-up and bobbin systems will still only be able to sew with #69 thread. You have wasted whatever you paid for that machine if you intend to sew leather, other than garment leather, with it. Even then, you will need to convert the feed to a roller foot and matching feed dog and throat plate.

You just replied to a dealer who sells gear reduction servo motors! Call Bob Kovar, at 866-362-7397. I have one from him and love it! It has a 3:1 gear reduction and a 50mm (2") pulley. Be sure to order a shorter belt if you replace a clutch motor with the SewPro 500GR.

When you say that you have a table and base, are you referring to a Union Lockstitch table, or a standard industrial sewing machine table? If the latter, forget it. The table top will warp under the weight of the machine, unless you add a second table top and glue or bolt them together. If you want to see mine, come to Flint, Michigan.

The Singer patcher is good for up to 12-14 oz leather, using no larger than #138 thread. The shoe lasts are good for holding shoes as you work on them. You just barely got your $500 worth.

Tis time to pack up the head and ship it to an industrial sewing machine repair depot. Where are you located?

That Singer is in all likelihood a home sewing machine, with a drop feed and flat steel pressor foot. It probably does not have sufficient pull to feed and sew upholstery leather. You should be looking for an industrial walking foot machine if you intend to do any upholstery at all. Names to consider include Adler, Consew, Juki, Seiko, Pfaff, or a Singer 111w155. Several of our member-dealers sell these and other machines, like Artisan, Cowboy and Cobra. The difference is that the industrial walking foot machines have triple feed and a very big and powerful motor. This is what is needed to pull and feed heavy and thick material. A household machine is not designed to do that and will either bog down, skip stitches, vary the stitch length, drag apart multiple layers, or fail to sew a straight line. An industrial walking foot machine can sew with #138 bonded nylon or bonded polyester thread, which home machines cannot handle. Some can sew with even thicker thread, like #207, or 277+ (only big leather stitchers). Home machines are mostly limited to sewing with a maximum of #69 nylon thread, using a #110/18 needle.

That is a ridiculously low price for a working ULS machine. I am asking 2 1/2 times that amount for mine, with the motor and table. Here are some things you need to consider if you intent to buy a ULS head only. The head alone weighs about 350 pounds The motor used in most ULS machines is a continuous running 1/2 HP or 3/4 HP motor, not a clutch motor This motor has a double 1.5" pulley. One pulley drives the flywheel, which has a clutch is on the inside. The other pulley drives the special bobbin winder, made specifically for this machine. My motor is mounted on the top right rear of the table. Newer models have the motor under the table. One of the pulleys is for the flywheel; the other is for the bobbin winder assembly. The table made for the machine has a cutout under the entire body, for adjusting gears and shafts The machine bolts to the table from underneath, in the front The machine is clamped on the back by an angled bracket bolted into the table top. The table top will need to be about 3 inches thick to support this machine. You will need very strong steel k-legs to support this machine. You will either need the original pressor foot lifter and speed control pedals and rod/crank assemblies, or will need to buy new ones from Campbell-Bosworth, or will have to fabricate them from scratch. They are totally different than any other system used on industrial sewing machines. Assembled, the machine, motor and table weighs about 500 pounds. It will cost you several hundred dollars to have the head trucked to your location (on a pallet). You will probably need a forklift, or a few very strong men, with a very heavy duty steel dolly to unload it and move it into your establishment. These some facts to keep in mind about a Union Lockstitch machine head only. I personally wouldn't buy one without the correct table, legs and motor. You are going to spend hundreds of dollars on creating or modifying a table to support and activate it. If you don't receive the bobbin winder, pedals, rods and pivoting cranks, you will have to buy them somewhere.

Change the bobbin and/or bobbin case and see if that fixes the problem.Make sure you buy the M size case with the slot to the left, like the original. Sometimes, the anti-backlash springs cause trouble. Seek a bobbin case without the backlash spring and try it out.

If possible, can you have some closeup photos taken of the shuttle and its positioning bar, with the throat plate off? Take photos with the needle going down, then coming up, which is where the thread breakage occurs. Use a thin strip of leather or vinyl to give an accurate record of the problem as it develops. Other things to check: the needle for burrs and proper alignment. Also, make sure the needle is fully seated in its housing. Make sure that there is just a bit of play between the recess in the bobbin shuttle and the tang that secures and positions it. Too much sideways clearance might cause thread breakage problems. The actual forward/backward position can throw off the pickup point timing, or can allow the needle to hit the case, rather than pass it cleanly. Have you tried lowering the needle 1/16" and seeing if the problem changes? It is possible that the timing of the hook has been thrown off. It is possible that the inside foot is not coming down and lifting up at the precise moment in time needed for a full length stitch. This could possibly have something to do with your problem.

Yes, I knew that. Almost every triple feed walking foot machine ships with smooth bottom pressor feet. Feet with teeth are usually an add-on option. Almost all triple feed walking foot machines, except for the Adler 20(4|5)-374, have teeth on the feed dog. Jumping foot harness stitchers do not have a feed dog at all. Similarly, needle and awl machines do not have feed dogs. These machines are either needle or awl feed, while the pressor foot is lifted. All patcher machines have teeth on the bottom of the pressor foot. That is their sole means of transporting the leather. Portable walking foot machines, meant for sewing boat vinyl, usually have pressor feet with teeth, for more grip on slippery vinyl and plastic windscreens. My friend at Doug Monroe, M&M Leather, in Flint, Michigan, has a Rex walking foot machine for sale, with teeth on the pressor feet. It has tremendous grip on anything you place under the feet. God help you if that includes a finger!

I didn't know you were into milling or I would have suggested filling in the teeth with steel, or bronze rod, or maybe cutting one out of stainless stock. A decent mill should be able to turn out a smooth-top feed dog and bore the center hole/slot in under an hour. Just use the original dog as a milling pattern.

Actually, the inside pressor foot moves up/down/fwd/bkwd with the needle. The outer foot can be left or right or double toe. It's only job is to secure the material between stitches, while the inside foot and needle are up. Yes, the deed dogs move the material from the bottom, in concert with the needle and inside pressor foot. The outer pressor foot comes in a variety of styles, each designed for a different use. There are narrow outer feet, standard and extra wide feet. Inside feet are also available in several widths and lengths. I have a a set of left toe zipper feet that only occupy 1/4" width. I have sanded and buffed some pressor feet to make the slightest impression possible. That, and backing off the main pressor foot spring, while increasing the pressure on the inside foot can give a nice result. That is why this forum exists. There are no dumb questions. Now, I feel it is necessary to impart some advanced technological information to you, regarding the function of the feed dog. It is true that the feed dog is partially responsible for moving the work the set stitch length. This is the basis of most bottom feeders. However, the feed dog on a walking foot machine has a second function; one that is critical to the operation of the machine. Read on... When you get your new Consew 206RB set-up, rotate the hand wheel towards you (CCW direction) from the top and watch the action of the pressor feet very closely. If the machine has been properly adjusted by the shipper or seller, you will notice that as the inside foot and needle come down, just as the needle reaches the plane of the feed dog, the inside foot makes intimate contact with the top center of the feeder. As you continue to rotate the wheel (slowly), the feeder will move backwards, as will the inside foot and needle. When the feeder reaches the end of its travel, as determined by the stitch length setting, the needle and inside foot will begin to lift up. At this moment, the feed dog moves under the throat plate surface and is brought forward, to begin the next cycle. If the feed dog is lowered to avoid marking the bottom of the leather, the inside foot will push the leather down into the now basically evacuated, rectangular slot in the throat plate. The leather will tend to stick down into this gap and will fight the action of the needle and inside foot. This will either result in broken needles, or stitches that vary in length. You will immediately lose a good portion of the preset stitch length, due to drag. Further, since the leather will give at the bottom, when the inside foot comes down under pressure, the timing of the lifting will be thrown off. The inside foot may not lift when it reaches the back of the preset stitch length; it may in fact lift late, and less than normal. You see, the inside foot depends on the solid bottom provided by the steel feed dog to perform its lift and move action. If the inside foot stays on the material too long, the outside foot will also stay down too long. This will further reduce your available stitch length, due to pronounced drag of the double sprung pressor feet. Lastly, you will lose any semblance of an equal reverse stitching action, as the timing of the lifting and lowering of the alternating pressor feet are tied to the feed dog being at the correct height, at the necessary time in the cycle. If the teeth on the feed dog present a problem for critical jobs, I would recommend purchasing another dog and have the top milled or ground flat, then polished. Then, raise the height of the feeder to match the original setting above the throat plate. This will give you the bottom feed and support needed to both move the material and actuate the alternating pressor feet. This assumes that there is enough material inside the feed dog to grind off the teeth and not cut through to the underside of the oblong hole, enlarging it to a ludicrous size. Or, one could just have the teeth ground or filed down, leaving the smooth center bar and hole intact. This may disturb the timing, but not to the degree that lowering the feed dog all the way will do. All of this work can be avoided by purchasing a harness stitcher with a flat topped, smooth feed dog (with a 1/8"+ hole). The Adler 205-374 is such a machine. Its smooth feed dog can probably be used on 441 clones, like the Cobra, or modified for use on them. I don't know of any such feeder that is on the market for walking foot machines like the Consew 206RB, but I could be wrong.

There is only one throat cover (you called it a needle plate) for your machine and you have it. You can find left and right toe pressor feet on eBay, but most have teeth on the bottom. You will really have to search through the listings to find a smooth set. I resorted to buying extra standard double toe pressor feet and grinding off the left or right toe. There are no harness feet for a Consew 206RB. You will have to make your own narrow double toe set, by grinding off material from both outside surfaces of a standard outer foot. If you thought that a Consew 206RB is a harness stitcher, you were mistaken. It is an upholstery machine that is very capable of sewing leather. The feet you described are often included with Cobra and Cowboy stitchers. Those machines are twice as big and expensive as your Consew 206. They are specifically built to sew harnesses, bridles, collars, reins, etc. They are the machines that have alternate throat plates and harness foot sets.

I would use pigskin if I was building that wallet for myself, because it breathes and stretches as you load cards into and under the slots. I have a black pigskin wallet I made in the late 1980's and it is still in my pocket every day and full of cards and ID. I have fresh black pigskin on hand and can make a wallet to your specs. I don't lace my wallets; I machine sew them. Lace dries up and breaks. Nylon thread lasts for decades. My pigskin wallet is over 20 years old and it keeps on going, and going ... You can contact me through the Forum's PM.

That is a bartacker. It's only job in life is to apply a tight zigzag pattern across about 5/8". It is commonly used to secure velcro to vinyl items, shoes, or clothing. The machine is automated to sew this one pattern which is designed into it. You cannot use this type of machine for anything else.

I hope you ordered the small pulley from SewPro, or an authorized dealer. That motor has a smaller diameter shaft than clutch motors and big servo motors.