Wizcrafts

I'm not going to try to type out a list of machines such as you requested. I will attempt to give you a basic understanding of the type of sewing machine you will need top sew gun leather. First of all, holsters and gun belts are often thicker than 1/4". A holster with a side filler and sight track can easily exceed 1/2". I have made them up to 3/4" with double leather fillers. To securely sew this much hard leather will require a tough machine that is geared way down, takes large needles and manages the heaviest bonded threads. The problem: your budget is $3000 maximum. Solution: buy either a Cobra or Cowboy 441 clone, with a 9 to 16" cylinder arm. Both are top of the line heavy duty stitchers. They come with servo motors and speed reducers. The Cowboy has a gear reduction servo motor with a 2" output pulley. It is awesome for the 300 watts it consumes. Cowboy machines also come with stainless steel pressor feet and throat cover plates, to avoid tarnishing wet leather. The Cobra has a special pressor foot designed by John Bianchi; a world renowned holster maker. It is exactly what a holster or harness maker needs. Cobra nad Cowboy machines are priced similarly and are well under your maximum budget. Cobra is located in Highland California (866-962-9880) and Cowboy in Toledo Ohio (866-362-7397). Other machines that will do the work include used cylinder arm machines, like the Adler 205-370 ($$$), Juki 441, Artisan, Ferdinand Bull. Used machines sometimes have worn out parts and excessive clearances. and may develop mysterious problems. The timing may be slightly out and will only reveal itself on your most important projects. Used machines often need replacement parts much sooner than new machines will. All of these stitchers have a slight learning curve. You must thread them a certain way. The tensions must be balanced for a perfect stitch top/bottom. The foot tensions need to be adjusted just enough to hold the leather down, without digging a trench along side the stitch line. Liquid lube may be needed on top of the machine, to prevent the thread from burning up on contact with dense leather. You must hold the ends of the thread back before the first stitch, or the machine may eat them. Thou mustn't sew thine own fingers while holding the leather. It will take a few days to master all this stuff (on a new machine). Now is a good time to buy a new leather stitcher. Prices are at an all time low and have bottomed out. They can only go up from here.

DPx17 is ball point, not leather point, which would be 135x16. A number 24 needle is fine for #207 thread, but a #23 leather point (135x16) will probably work as well, but with less stress on the machine. One quarter inch of veg-tan is not too much for a typical walking foot machine. Mine sews over 3/8". Make sure that the top thread loops around and goes through all of the holes in the top thread feed block, located just to the right side of the upper tension disks. The thread should feed out of the bottom of the guide block holes. Then, pull it all the way into the disks from the left and out on the right. Next, thread it around the bottom of the check spring assembly and under the check spring. The thread should be under a bit of tension from the moving check spring when you pull up on it and should not pop out of the upper tension disks. From the check spring, feed the thread up to the eye in the take-up lever, feed it through from right to left, then down, through all the guides, to the needle bar. Feed the thread through the last guide on the needle bar, then thread it through the needle's eye, from left to right. The needle must be aligned with the eye facing left to right. The indent above the eye should be on the right and the slot on the needle's shaft faces the left side. Next, take the bobbin out of its shuttle. tighten the thread on the bobbin, then insert it so it feeds against the rotation of the machine. This means that the bobbin goes in with the thread feeding over the top of the bobbin, to the slot in the case, then backwards in the slot, till it can be pulled out of the hole under the bobbin tension spring. Make sure the thread goes under the bobbin spring and is under some pressure, and not free flowing. You'll need to balance the top pressure to pull the bobbin thread up into the leather. Pull out about 6 inches of bobbin thread and snap the bobbin firmly into the shuttle. Now, it's time to pay attention to the pressure on the inside and outside pressor feet. Some walking foot machines have a separate screw above each pressor foot bar. As was mentioned earlier, tighten down the inside foot pressure screw as far down as it will go. It is important to have enough pressure on the inside foot to prevent the material from lifting as the needle begins its ascent. Insufficient inside foot pressure results in skipped stitches and torn threads. Set the outside foot pressure so that the leather does not move by itself until it lifts as the needle, inner foot and feed dog pull it back. There are other things that can go out of alignment on walking foot machines, but they are too complicated to list here.This includes the timing of the bobbin pickup point and the timing and lift of the alternating feet.

Sure thing! A static pressor foot just presses down on the material. This is necessary for two reasons. Top pressure keeps the material from moving until you are stitching, and then only in the direction the feed moves it. Top pressure keeps the material flat as the needle begins its ascent. If the material (including leather) lifts with the needle, the stitch will skip. This also tends to fray the thread. There is a big thumbscrew on top of sewing machines, directly over the pressor foot (outer foot on walking foot machines). Turning it down increases the top pressure and visa-versa. Use it to set enough top pressure to prevent the material from lifting with the needle. No more, no less. Too much top pressure will cause the top layer to want to go out of alignment with the lower layers (unless they are tacked or glued together). Sometimes, you will need to sew sticky material, like Naugahyde, or garment or chap leather. Normally, backing off the top pressure solves the feed problems, but if not, a roller foot will. A roller foot, in the context of the machine you ordered, is a large wheel on a ball bearing spindle, that replaces the original pressor foot. It has a positioning screw that lets you move it sideways with respect to the needle (keep it close to the needle, but not touching it). As the feed dog moves the bottom layer, the roller rolls with the top layer, keeping the whole shebang in alignment. You can apply the necessary amount of top pressure to prevent lifting, without compromising feeding. That's all I've got to say about tha-at!

No, it is a bottom feed dog driven machine. The needle only moves up and down and the foot it static. There is an optional roller foot available, to assist in feeding slippery top layers. Most work will feed just fine with the standard foot. I still advise you to mail Bob a glued together sample of the leather you want to sew and have him sew it on the 2500 machine, with the needle and thread you hope to use. Then you can see the results before you buy a machine. The main thing the CB 2500 has going for it is the very heavy duty moving parts. You aren't going to hurt the machine, unless you take a sledge hammer to it. It will not break because you are sewing dense leather with #277 or 346 nylon thread. On the other hand, try that with a Singer 153 and you may well destroy it. Whatever your ultimate decision, I hope you get the best machine you can afford, for the work you are going to use it for. Don't neglect extra needles, in different sizes (for different thread sizes), extra bobbins (for different colors and sizes of thread), and some 1 pound spools of thread, in the sizes and colors you prefer. Sewing with a clutch motor is difficult for beginners. Sewing with a geared down servo motor is much easier. Good luck GunNut!

That is ingenious! Nice job of blending it in with black paint. What are you getting, 1 or 2 stitches per second maximum, with about 1500 pound feet of torque?

Art; A long, long time ago, I used to lived in Toronto, Canada. I was playing music on the road back then and doing leathercraft as a serious hobby. One week I got a gig in a hotel in Barrie, Ontario. As it happened, Barrie was the location of the headquarters of Tandy Leather of Canada. I took a tour of their factory area one boring day and saw a huge sewing machine, named Union Lockstitch by Randall. The manager told me it was for sale, cause the only guy who knew how to operate it had retired. The next week it was sitting in my basement, in Toronto. Unfortunately, they had no manual to go with it. When I got it home I couldn't figure out how to thread it. I asked around some leather crafters and the local Tandy shop and was referred to contact Freedman Harness. Sam Freedman (may he rest in peace) answered the phone and invited me to his shop. When I got there he had already photo-copied his own owners manual for his ancient ULS machine. He also sold me a huge lot of spare parts (long gone now) and showed me what linen thread looked like. The next day he called me into the shop and sat me down behind a Randall stitcher and handed me a 1 inch thick by 1 inch wide stack of English Bridle Leather and asked me to sew it 1/8" from the edge in a straight line. The work had a groove line, but the machine had no edge guide. It was set to sew 10 to the inch and had a stepping foot that patted down the stitches in the holes. This was a test of my ability to operate a Randall needle and awl machine on precision work. I passed the test on the Randall. It was threaded with 4 cord Barbour's Irish linen thread, running through a pot of Super Ciroxilan (?) clear liquid wax. Sam told me where he bought this thread in Toronto and I shopped there a bunch of times, but it's been so long ago I don't remember the name of the wholesaler. If there are any Canadian members of this forum living in Toronto, maybe they can dig a little and learn who it is/was that sold Barbour's Linen Thread. They stocked it in white, natural, black, brown and yellow-gold. They had 3, 4, 5 and 6 cord in stock at most times, in left twist (for harness stitchers), and 6, 7, and 8 in right twist (for sole stitchers). They mostly supplied shoe repair shops and Freedman Harness, then me. Maybe David Freedman still uses this thread. He might tell you where he buys it (in yellow or any other colors). Tell him the Wiz said hi!

The CB 2500 will make all the holsters you want. It natively sews up to 7/16", but I think it can be adjusted for a half inch. It has no problem sewing #277 or #346 thread, has a large bobbin, lots of top foot pressure and a servo motor plus speed reducer. If most of your work is one top layer, this is a good machine for you. If you have to jump up and down layers, a walking or jumping foot is better. It sounds like your holsters are one top layer, so check it out. Oh, and it's brand new. You should mail a sample of your leather to Bob, glued together, and have him sew it off for you, with either #277 or #346 thread. Send something that represents your actual work. You can see samples of the other machine's sewing at the same time, as a comparison. It won't handle anything over #207 thread though.

I have sewn reins that are 1 inch thick, on a Campbell-Randall high-lift stitcher, with 4 cord liquid-waxed linen thread, at 10 stitches to the inch. It used a #1.5 needle and #2 awl. The customer preferred the close stitches and the thread was yellow-gold in color. I have made gun holsters that exceeded 3/4 inch, on my Union Lockstitch machine.

I use #277 or #346 thread at 5 stitches per inch, for gun leather and weight belts. I might sew some projects with #277 at 6 spi, but then revert to 5 when done. It looks better with thick thread and is less likely to perforate the leather. For non-mission critical, outside stitch lines you could make the stitches closer, down to 8 to the inch, with #277, or 4 or 5 cord Lax-waxed linen thread (on N&A machines). I just wouldn't go that close where the stress area is.

That's because there is no website for the US operation yet! It is in the works though... In the meantime, here is a scan of my own brochure on the CB 2500.

This is why I and most other members of this forum always recommend buying from dealers associated with Leatherworker.net. They are family and treat other members like family. Hats off to Artisan!

I should add that if the price of one of those machines exceeds $800, after you add a 120 volt servo motor, you're almost at $1000. For that money you could buy a brand new Cowboy 2500 machine. It sews up to #346 thread and is bottom fed. There is a roller foot conversion kit available and a swing-down edge guide. Awesome machine for thick, flat work! 1-800-362-7397

Absolutely, the PFAFF Model 335-H3! Put a gear reduction servo motor and new belt on it and you'll have a nice medium weight stitcher. Just don't expect this machine to sew #277 thread.

The only machine in that list that I would even look at is the Consew 206RBLATCL(N)-3. This is an older model of the Consew 206RB series used by upholstery shops everywhere. They are made in Japan (I think) and are well built. Parts are plentiful, as are accessories. You can get all manner of pressor feet for this machine. Of course, you'd need to see it in operation before buying it, as who knows if it even sews now? If these machines are being sold sight-unseen, pass on them. You will have to replace the motor and wiring harness, adding another $175 or so to the price you're paying. Bob Kovar, at Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines, has new and used walking foot machines and heavy leather stitchers, with servo motors installed, at very good prices. They are set-up, sewn off and ready to ship. Let me know if you want his number.

Ya missed it by that - much! A shoe patcher, if it is motorized at all, is already geared way down. They are not built for speed. They are meant to sew a few stitches per second, for a short run, then stop. Most are treadle operated by foot power alone, giving you about 2 stitches per second maximum. A motorized patcher will have a pulley of maybe 3 inches on it. The pulley on the back of the machine is about 6" in diameter. You already get a 1:2 reduction. Put a 2" pulley on the motor and you get 1:3 speed. Given that a clutch motor can be feathered at slow speed, especially from a clunky machine like a patcher, it is easy to feather control them at one or two stitches per second. A servo motor makes it even easier to control any machine. They have speed limiter control knobs on the back of the motor. Can you say "1 stitch every three seconds?" You are confused about the term 3 phase. It applies entirely to a 220 volt motor and its matching wiring harness. If you replace the 3 phase motor with a 2 phase, 110 volt model, with a new wiring harness and switch box, they will be compatible with residential electrical outlets. I recommend a servo motor with built in gear reduction. Bob Kovar sells them at Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines. Don't worry about the motor until you have a machine and table to attach it to. I fear you are going to be tossing away some valuable goods and money. A shoe patcher is really only meant to sew shoe uppers. I'd hate to think about you building a nice custom molded holster and the client sees the tooth marks on top around the stitch line and refuses to buy it. You really should save up and buy a walking or jumping foot - needle feed machine, that was built and set-up to sew thick and dense leather. Even a used walking foot flatbed machine is better than a patcher, as long as you gear it down (2" motor pulley, gear reduction servo motor, or speed reducer double pulley) and use pressor feet without teeth. A cylinder arm walking foot machine, with narrow pressor feet that sit very close to the left edge, is even better. Most will sew with #138 nylon thread and a #22 leather point needle, which is the bare minimum for pancake holsters. Many of the commercial walking foot machines, like Juki and Consew, with the large M bobbin, can sew with #207 thread and a #23 - 24 needle.

Um, a Singer 269 is a bartacker, not a patcher. A bartacker sews a tight zig-zag stitch about 1/8" high and 5/8" to 3/4" wide across velcro, or whatever you clamp under the elongated pressor foot. They are commonly used to affix Velcro to shoes, vests, jackets, etc. You cannot "sew" anything with a bartacker; only tack bars of tight zig-zags across the material. Each press of the foot control pedal causes a cam to rotate and creates the sideways/forward-backward motion for one complete cycle, then stops, with the needle up. A shoe patcher (Singer 29k series) is suitable for sewing shoes, boots, zippers, patching holes, sewing on patches, etc. Most newer models can sew over 5/16" of leather, but are limited to #69 or #92 thread in the bobbin and #92 or #138 thread on top. The old 29-4 machines can only sew 1/4" under the foot. There are two bobbin sizes on Singer and Adler patchers. The small bobbin is only 5/8" x 1/4", with a 1/4" OD post in the center. They hold a tiny amount of thread compared to most home sewing machine bobbins. The large bobbin machines have a bobbin that measures 3/4" x 5/16" - which holds as much as a Singer class 66 bobbin. Patchers have long snouts, narrow on the left and wide on the right. They are either 12" or 18" length, from the left end to the inside of the body, on the right. Most are hand and foot operated, by a treadle pedal that pivots and spins a drive pulley. A 70" belt goes up to a pulley on the back of the machine to operate it. Some patchers have the hand wheel on the back, others have it on the front-right. Short arm patchers with small bobbins are no good for holsters. They don't have enough lift. Long arm patchers can sew pancake holsters, using #138 thread, top and bottom. Since you don't use a lot of thread on a holster, the small bobbins are not a big problem. The pressor foot on all patchers has teeth on the bottom, which will mark top grain veg-tan leather. Patchers don't have mounting holes for edge guides, making it difficult to sew straight lines of stitches. Some lack the thumbscrew on the front of the sewing head, which is used to lock the revolving feed mechanism in place. Without locking it down, the pressor foot tends to wander. Most patchers can use needles up to #23 and maybe #24 (long arm, big bobbin). A short arm model will be better limited to a #22 needle. Motors. 3 phase motors run on 220 volts systems and have special 220 volt plugs. They are of limited, if any use in residential locations. Many 120 volt single phase industrial machines have a clutch motor installed. These are powerful motors, especially the 1/2 HP - 1725 RPM motors. Most come with a 3" or larger pulley, which is totally useless for sewing leather. For about $12 you can buy a 2" pulley (x 3/4" ID) to fit a clutch motor, slowing it down by up to 50% (needs a shorter v-belt). For about $125 you can buy a speed reducer pulley wheel that brings it down to maybe 2 or 3 stitches per second. That is a very controllable speed and will allow you to sew dense leather without excessively overheating the needle, melting the thread and burnishing the leather. A hot needle also tends to get stuck in the leather. You should be able to find a decent, used-but-functional walking foot machine at a local upholstery shop in the $500-$600 range. A walking foot machine typically has 7/16" - to 1/2" maximum lift under the feet (and point of the raised needle) and can sew about 3/8" of leather, if you slow it down with a small (2") motor pulley, or speed reducer wheel, or servo motor. My post at the top of this forum describes various types of leather sewing machines and drive systems. Take a look at the photos and adjust your plans accordingly. If you trade you $500 gun for a machine made to sew garments or patch holes in jackets and shoes, you will be very disappointed when you find it won't sew holsters as you thought it would. For your info, if you intend to sew serious holsters, with fillers along the outside edge, forget the flatbed walking foot machines, unless you stumble across an Adler 204 model, or an equivalent Japanese model. I had one of those. It weighed over 200 pounds and could sew 3/4" of leather, with a #25 needle and #277 thread. Most holster makers use #277, or #346 bonded nylon or polyester, or else 5 or 6 cord linen thread - run through liquid wax, in a wax pot. The machines capable of handling this thread and properly sewing through 3/4 inch of dense veg-tan leather are made especially for leather work. Most are cylinder arm machines, with a special walking or jumping foot - needle feed mechanism and are geared way down, to a few stitches per second. They are sold under such brand names as Cowboy, Cobra, Juki 441, Adler 205, Ferdinand Bull, Luberto Classic, Artisan, Techsew 180, et al. We have member dealers who sell and service these machines. You can get them in arm lengths from 9" to 24" and prices starting at around $1700, going up to $3500. I hope this helps.

I bought a 300 watt gear reduction servo motor from Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines, for $176 shipped. I ordered before 3 PM, EST, and it arrived the next afternoon. I also ordered a 2" shorter (not longer!) v-belt and I'm glad I did. The Servo motor mounts closer to the underside of the table and has a fixed 2" pulley. If the original motor pulley is 3 or more inches, you may need a 3" shorter belt with the servo motor. Tell the salesman what size belt is on the machine now and what the diameter of the pulley is.

That is a post machine, with either a roller or walking foot mechanism. They are built to sew hats, shoe uppers and moccasins. You will be limited to using #69 nylon thread, tops. I don't recommend this type of machine for belts, or anything requiring a true straight sewing edge, as they don't have a means of attaching a normal edge guide. You can buy a gear reduction 300 watt, 110 volt servo motor for it from Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines: 800-362-7397. Measure the belt on the existing motor, then add two inches to the replacement belt, for the servo motor, which has a 2" pulley. They also have replacement parts, needles and bobbins. Alternately, buy a 110 volt, 1/2 HP clutch motor.

The needle is now in correctly and the point is passing the eye at the right moment. Get your thread and start sewing. I recommend using #69 bonded nylon, top and bottom. You can buy it all over eBay, in a huge range of colors and in 4, 8, and 16 oz spools. Use #18 or 20 needles, depending on the thickness and density of the leather. Use may be able to use a #16 needle on vinyl and garment cloth.

Rich; Please read my sticky post at the top of this forum, about the type of sewing machine needed for leather

The timing is a little too late. Advance the hook until the point is in the center of the needle's eye indent, with the eye about 1/16" or so below the point. If the point is too far away, move it closer. The needle should just miss the point, depending on the size of the loop that is formed. Needle size is important for the loop. If you use too large of a needle, for the thread size, the top thread may not form a loop for the pick-up point to grab. Also, make sure that the machine is threaded properly and that the check spring stops moving down before the needle bottoms out. Too much check spring will draw up the top thread before a decent loop has formed.

CustomDoug; You are going to want a machine called a patcher. They were made by Singer, for almost a Century, as well as by Adler and now Chinese brands. The patchers are available in arm lengths: 12" and 18". If you can find a long arm patcher, with the bigger bobbin, you'll be able to sew all the long cylindrical projects you have. Why? Because patchers have a 360 degress rotating feed mechanism, with the teeth on the pressor foot pulling the work in whatever direction you aim it. You can sew sideways, along the top overlapped seam, folding the leather over as you fill the snout to the body end. Here are pictures of a short arm and long arm Singer patcher. Note, that the short arm patcher uses a tiny bobbin that doesn't hold much thread, which by the way, is limited to #69 bonded nylon. The big bobbin patchers can sew with #138 thread. The big bobbin models are available in both arm lengths. It depends on the model number after the dash. Most patchers are foot operated, by a pivoting treadle pedal and leather belt. Or, you spin the flywheel to sew by hand power. The small arm Singer patchers can sew thicknesses up to 1/4", while the long arm models can exceed 5/16." An Adler long arm patcher can sew 3/8", with #138 nylon thread, top and bottom. Used Singer patchers sell for prices ranging from $200, up to $1200. Double that for a Adler patcher. The 29-4 is 100 years old and is at the bottom of the price scale. Patchers wear out after years of use and abuse. They were designed for use in shoe repair shops and are not meant to sew dense leather.

There happens to be a Tippmann Boss on eBay right now, based in Ottawa, Ont.

The Singer 29-4 is a shoe, jacket and boot patcher. It is foot or hand operated, only sews 1/4" and has no edge guides. On top of that, it is a top feed machine, with teeth on the pressor foot. The bobbins are tiny and hold a limited amount of thread. You are limited to #69 in the bobbin and can maybe use #138 on top, if you balance the tensions carefully. Chaps are best sewn on a flatbed walking foot machine, or a cylinder arm machine with a flatbed attachment board. Holsters can require the ability to sew between 3/8 and 1/2 inch of hard, dense leather. Holsters are usually sewn with #277 or 346 nylon thread. This requires a #25 to #27 needle. Only the biggest machines can use these needles and properly tension that size of thread. These include Adler, Cobra, Cowboy, Artisan, Juki 441 and clones of the 441, and needle and awl machines, like the Union Lockstitch I use. These machines can sew 3/4" of any leather, with #346 thread.