Wizcrafts

It turned out that my new-old Union Lockstitch machine came equipped with a custom modified stepping foot, set to about 6 wide, ugly steps to the inch. Does anybody have a flat bottom, standard pressor foot they can spare? I also need a raised throat plate for holsters and cases. Anybody???

You're welcome! Here's a link to just one of the new walking foot machines offered by one of our dealers, Cobra Steve. Bob Kovar, in Toledo, has all kinds of new and used industrial sewing machines, including Cowboy leather stitchers, at very reasonable prices. He has no website, but his phone number is 866-362-7397. He can mail you brochures for Cowboy machines. Other brands represented by members of the leatherworker.net forum include representatives of Artisan, Campbell-Bosworth, Boss and Techsew (and probably more). You won't find a better place to get help online for your leather sewing problems and questions than right here. BTW: here is a picture of my National walking foot machine. It sews just over 3/8" of leather, Naugahyde, or nylon strapping, flawlessly, with up to #207 nylon thread. It uses Consew parts, which are available everywhere industrial sewing parts are sold.

Pretty much any compound feed, walking foot machine, that can sew up to 3/8" with a #22 needle, will sew dog collars, using #138 bonded nylon thread. You can take your pick from these brands: Consew, Juki, SewPro, Cowboy, Cobra, Neels, Artisan, Singer, National, Adler, Pfaff, Mitsubishi, Seiko, Sailrite, Morse, Rex. You should get a machine with a swing-away edge guide and a reverse mechanism. If you plan on making a lot of collars try to get a large M bobbin machine. A variable speed servo motor is going to be necessary to sew the box stitches at the ends, because they are more controllable at slow speeds than clutch motors. Check with our dealers before you buy elsewhere. Most of them have excellent used machines in stock and unbeatable followup service.

The following parts are from the Union Lockstitch parts list and pictures. Looks like I will need some replacement 4-sided screws, # 5 and # 117, some shuttle screws #253, a few awl set screws #86, and maybe a needlebar and definitely a new needle set screw # 133. Other screws needed are for the brake: 2 #19, with 2 #20 nuts. I'll need a new knockoff stud #12 and these springs: #148, #241, #292. I could use a spare pickup thread point #276, and throat plates #250F, 250N and 250G. Also, small and a large four-sided wrenches in good condition. I can use needle sizes 2, 3 and 4 and awl sizes 2, 3, 3 1/2, 4 and 5. Any leatherpoint awls would be a treat! I'll post more requests as I find more worn out parts. BTW: my machine serial number is 42xx. Does that indicate that it was built in 1942, or that it was the 42xxth machine built? Thanks in advance. I hope someone has spare ULS parts they can let go of. PM me if you have parts to sell!

Thanks to Andrew Wood, I now have a manual for a Union Lockstitch machine. I only need everything else in my previous post!

A trade for a ULS machine has been arranged. See my post looking for spare parts, needles, awls, bobbins, springs, etc, in the Leather Sewing Machines section of the forum.

I am looking for parts and accessories for a Union Lockstitch machine. I have posted a list of items I want in a topic on the Leather Sewing Machines section of Leatherworker.net. I prefer to buy from individuals with extra, or left over parts, not retail dealer prices. Contact me via the forum if you have anything to sell for a ULS machine.

I am getting a Union Lockstitch machine (ULS) in trade for my Adler 204. The ULS has minimal accessories with it. The machine has the standard extended throat plate, a roller edge guide and closed standard pressor foot. I am looking for the following spare parts, preferably from individuals, not retail outlets. Needles (various sizes) Awls (various sizes) Bobbins Raised throat plates for holsters and pouches Other non-standard throat plates Non-standard pressor feet (e.g. left toe, right toe, open front double toe, stepping foot [5 to 8 to inch]) loopers thread guides Swing away, non-roller edge guide Various springs and tension parts (esp. bobbin cover springs) Misc straight and tapered screws, nuts and bolts T-wrenches A users' manual Threading rod Take-up lever/spring and lifting parts that wear out Any other replacement parts you don't need Let me know what parts you have laying around and how much you want for them, shipped to Flint, Michigan.

The outside tension disks, on the front of the head, facing you, are meant to be used for darning, or for situations where the pressor foot lifts so high that the main tensioners are released by it. You can use them if needed instead of the top tensioners. You can also use the front tensioners for winding bobbins, if you have bobbin thread on the little spool post near the back of the machine.

I do! I'll need to scan it into a PDF and zip it up. I will try to get that done in a few days, as time permits. Let me know if you get one online.

Try to buy a machine with smooth pressor feet, so as to not mark the tooled top grain side. Stay away from spring loaded pressor foot machines, as the foot may slip on the polished top edges of a tooled belt (it happened to me on a Singer 132k6). Look for either a triple feed walking foot, or a needle feed jumping foot machine. Once you decide how much you can afford you can call the various dealers who frequent and advertise on this forum. You will get excellent value for your money and unmatched support and servicing. In fact, Cobra Steve is one of those dealers. I'm sure he has a machine for you! He wishes he had my Singer 29K172!

Certainly! A Walking Foot machine can actually describe several different types of feed systems, but all have commonalities. Basically, the usual, or typical description refers to a compound feed system, where the feed dog (a device under a slotted cover plate with teeth, that raises and lowers as it moves the material forward or backward), an inside pressor (aka pressure) foot and the needle all move together to move the material without slippage or drag. An outside pressor foot is lowered to hold the material as the needle goes up to form the stitch, then is raised as the needle penetrates and begins to move the work the set stitch length. The inner pressor foot lifts and lowers with the needle and helps stabilize the work and prevent it from puckering as the needle begins to raise up. This alternation of the inner foot raising with the needle up and outer foot raising with the needle down allows the machine to literally walk over higher or lower levels of material, without getting hung up on seams, or multiple layers. Often, sticky types of leather will drag against a plain upper pressor foot. Multiple layers can separate from the drag. A walking foot compound feed system ensures that the needle pulls all layers together as it moves forward or backward. This is the best system for sewing vinyl and garment/chap leather. Some harness machines are modified to not use a feed dog at all. The needle does all the feeding. This is a needle feed machine. The pressor foot lifts straight up on these machines as the needle begins to penetrate the material. This takes all upper pressure off of the work, allowing the needle to easily push or pull it the stitch length you have set. Then it comes straight down to secure the work. The lifting pressor foot will clear added layers, just like its compound feed cousins. These are sometimes referred to as jumping foot machines. The are certain brands of walking foot machine that have the outer foot driven, to push or pull the work in time with the feed dog. These machines have needles that only move up and down. The inner pressor foot also moves with the needle, but does not aid in moving the work. The pressor foot moving in time with the feed dog assures that multiple layers move together. These machines have teeth on the outer foot. Some older designs have a stationary vertical operating needle and inner lifting foot, with a spring loaded moving outer pressor foot, that gets dragged backward as the feed dog pulls the work back. When the feed dog reached the end of its travel, and the needle starts to penetrate the work, the outer foot lifts and snaps forward. The old Singer 132K6 works like that. These are the basic types of walking foot machine. Details will vary regarding capabilities, depending on the brand, model and modifications. To answer the last part of your question, top feed means that a pressor foot does the pulling of the work. The shoe patchers are all top feed machines, all without any feed dogs at all. Bottom feed means that teeth on a little rack known as a feed dog do the pulling or pushing of the material. The feed dog comes up through slots in the cover plate, under the needle and pressor foot, in time with the machine. They push up and move the work against the pressor foot, which should have just enough pressure to keep the material from slipping, or from lifting with the needle as it makes its way up to form a stitch. Most home sewing machines work on this principle. They also usually have a means of dropping the feed dogs down so they don't make any contact with the material. This allows one to darn or embroider by hand or with special cams. Machines with this addition are called "drop-feed" machines.

I recently bought a flatbed Adler 204-374, which sews an honest 3/4" thick belt leather, with #277 thread in a #200 needle (as currently setup). It can be altered to use up to a #250 needle and #346 nylon thread. I am willing to trade for a cylinder arm stitcher, or needle and awl harness stitcher, like a Union Lockstitch machine. I am located in Flint Michigan, so the trade would have to be made within a one state radius, unless you are prepared to drive here. I am not available to travel on Wednesdays or weekends.

If your holsters are only two layers of flat 8-9 oz vegtan leather, any geared down industrial walking foot machine that can handle thread size #207 - with a number 180/24 needle, or #277 - with a 200/25 needle will work. If they are going to be sewn after you shape them to a gun you will need a cylinder arm machine that allows you to sew right up to the nose of the machine (to the bobbin case cover). The Cowboy 2500, Techsew GA5-1 and Singer 45 Class machines all have 1/2" maximum lift of the pressor foot and can sew just a tish over 3/8". Expect to pay up to $1200 for one of these machines. If the holsters have a 1/4" side filler the equation gets more complicated. For that you'll need a geared down machine capable of sewing 1/2" of hard leather. You'll most likely want to use #346 nylon thread, run through a silicon lube pot. The needle needed to sew these threads is either a #230 or #250. This brings you into the realm of the large cylinder arm harness stitchers, like: Adler 205-370, Cowboy 3500/4500, Cobra Class 3 or 4, Artisan Toro 3000/3200, Techsew 180-2 and Juki 441 types. These very heavy duty machines sell for prices ranging from about $1800, up the $4000. The average selling price is about $2200 to $2500, fully equipped, with needles and accessories. When you begin sewing with heavier threads you need to be prepared to pay around $18 a pound, up, for nylon thread. I use Linhanyl and Weaver bonded nylon thread, in sizes ranging from 69 through 277. Here is a picture of a recent acquisition of mine, an Adler 204 Class, that will sew up to 3/4" of anything you can get under the feet...

Your little Singer 66 Class can sew up to #69 bonded nylon thread, which is fine for light leather and vinyl projects. You can buy tons of it on eBay, or from the various sources on this forum. It comes in spools of 4 ozs, 8 ozs, or 16 ozs and is available in many colors. The spools range from 4" to 8" high and 2" to 4" in diameter. Get some #110 (US #18) leatherpoint needles to sew the #69 thread. It uses standard home needles, with a flat on one side. You can get by with a number 100/16 LR needle, but that is really pushing the envelope. You will need to either buy a thread stand, or make one, so that the thread is pulled straight up from the top of the spool of thread, then over to the eyelets on the machine. Play with the top and bobbin tensions until the knot sets in the middle of the layers. You may want to look for a more powerful motor. You should buy a walking foot ("even feed") pressor foot attachment to keep the leather from dragging on the steel pressor foot. Singer home machines all use a low shank pressor foot. You can buy these at Joanne Fabrics, or on eBay. Don't try to sew anything over a quarter inch with that machine or you might damage it. The mechanism is not designed to absorb the impact of penetrating and sewing hard leather, but garment or chap leather should be ok. Eventually, you will outgrow this classic machine and want something more substantial. When that day comes, click over to the Leather Sewing Machines section of the forum and we will assist you with your search for the best machine for your projects and finances. Note, that I am referring to big industrial machines that have separate large 1/2 HP clutch or servo motors under a hardwood table on steel legs. Here is a picture of one I bought last summer for under $500...

A: 36 oz of latigo, belting or harness leather, maybe. My Adler 204-374 will sew that much and more, but the needle gets hot and sticks in the leather after so many stitches. This causes the leather to jump up as the needle rises, leading to skipped stitches. One solution to that is to run the thread through silicon lube in a wax pot, or use lubricated thread. B: Are you asking about sewing two layers of 1/4" thick sole leather? That is extremely tight grained leather that will cause most needle fed machines to jam from friction. Maybe needle fed machines will, maybe they won't sew two sole bends together without bending the needle, or jamming it inside the leather. I have used a variety of heavy leather sewing machines and the only types that reliably sewed sole leather together were a Union Lockstitch Machine and a Campbell Bosworth. These are needle and awl machines. The awl punches the hole, and the barbed needle follows through the hole, grabs the thread from a looper, and takes it down to the bobbin shuttle, where the stitch byte is formed. No friction or heat is placed on the needle, just on the awl. To tell the truth, I sometimes had to keep a spray can of silicon handy to spray the awl on long runs, because it got red hot sewing dense leather, like sole bends, used to make weight lifter belts.

I now remember having that bobbin safety clutch disengage on a Singer 111, I had years ago. The first time it happened I thought I had broken the machine! I hauled the head downtown to an industrial sewing machine dealer, who gave it a spin, identified the problem and showed me how to re-engage the clutch. I can easily see how someone else would think the machine was broken if they weren't told about this feature and how to resolve it.

Tom; If you can't afford more than $500, and only intend to sew chaps and light vegtan projects, up to 5/16" or so, just about any used walking foot machine will do. While you will find these machines all the time on eBay, that should be your last option. First contact the dealers who support and frequent this forum. Many of them stock used machines in that price range. They stand behind the machines they sell and will help you through the learning process. EBay sellers won't usually want to be bothered with questions after you buy their machine. Avoid bottom feeders, even if they are cheap. Chap and garment leather is tacky and will drag against the pressor foot, causing the layers to get misaligned. Go for a walking foot, compound feed machine if possible. I learned this the hard way. Alternately, if you end up with a bottom feed only machine, buy a roller foot for it. Some are sold as a set, with a roller foot, single row feed dog and custom cover plate. Others look like a regular pressor foot, but have rollers in the front and back. Another thing to watch for is the motor. Industrial machines use a large motor that is fastened to the underside of the table, in which the machine sits. There are two types of motor in common use: clutch and servo. The motor has a removable, interchangeable pulley on the right end. A narrow v-belt connects from that little pulley to the larger pulley molded into the flywheel on the back of the machine head. A clutch motor is always on when the power switch is on, costing you money even when you aren't actively sewing. You control the speed below maximum by feathering the clutch with a large foot pedal mounted on a cross-member on the bottom front of the machine. Changing the motor pulley to a small size (circa 2") helps with slow speed control, but slows the top speed as well. When sewing leather speed is not your friend. A servo motor does nothing when switched on, until you press down on the foot pedal. It acts like a home sewing motor, but with much more torque. No current is drawn unless you are actively sewing and they are very easy to control by foot position. Most new machines are now equipped with servo motors. A new leather capable sewing machine could set you back up to $2000. But, Ryan O. Neel was selling a "Neels" flatbed, heavy duty, customized walking foot machine for just under $1000, a while back. Look up Neel's Saddlery in the index. Another good source of leather sewing machines is Bob Kovar, at Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines. I get stuff from him because I am fairly close to Ohio. His number is 866-362-7397

You didn't say what kind of leather you want to sew! Do you mean garment or chap leather? These old Singer sewing machines will sew up to a 5/16 inch of soft leather, maximum. A .6 amp motor is way under-powered for most leather use, unless the material is very light weight and pliable. You'd be better off replacing the motor with one that is rated at 1 amp or more. You will be limited to a #18 leatherpoint needle and #69 bonded nylon thread on a Class 66 Singer. You might get lucky and find some #20 needles with professional suppliers. These may allow you to use up to #92 thread. While you might be able to sew a few belts on such a machine you won't be able to do any production with it. Belt leather is too dense for these home machines to endure. You will probably destroy the sewing machine after a while if you sew belting, bridle, or holster leather. Once you reveal the type of leather you intend to sew, we can assist you with finding the best machine for that job. Most leather workers use compound feed walking foot machines with heavy duty thread tension and drive-train parts and large bobbins. Most leather capable walking foot machines will sew up to 3/8" of anything you can get under the pressor foot, with #138 bonded nylon thread. They come with either a clutch or servo motor, typically rated at about 1/2 horsepower (~400 to 500 watts). The motor on the Singer 66 is rated a 0.6 amps. 110volts x 0.6 amps = 66 watts @ under 1/10th hp. You do the math. If you must use a Singer Class 66 machine you should buy a walking foot attachment for it. It is not the same as an industrial walking foot, but it will help to feed layers evenly when sewing vinyl or garment leather. It will also reduce your sewing capacity to about 1/4".

I have all of the parts to make a Tandy Countess clutch purse and want to do the original 1980's floral stamped design (not the roses currently available), but can't locate a Craftaid template for it. If anybody here has one available, please contact me. I prefer a plastic Craftaid (n.o.s., or used-but-workable), but a full size PDF will do as plan B. Thanks in advance.

That part is the "feed dog." Its motion is controlled by a stitch length regulator. If I recall accurately, you access this by pressing down on a button on the bed of the machine, then turn the flywheel slightly forward or backward until it pops into a position that changes the stitch length as the hand wheel is rotated. Your machine may have the stitch length set to zero. Keep holding down the button and rotate the wheel to change the stitch length mechanism. One direction will shorten and the other will lengthen the stitches. There is a hole in the front of the base of the machine. If you shine a spotlight on it and look in as you turn the mechanism you can see the stitch length markings move. When you release the button and rotate the wheel a bit it will pop back into normal operating position and should move the feed dog the set length. If this doesn't fix the problem it may have parts that have come loose in the feed mechanism chain.

There is almost nothing like a Union Lockstitch machine once you get to know them. I owned that monster machine for about 12 years. I don't think there is anything I didn't understand about it after the first year! I virtually rebuilt it from scratch with new old parts I acquired along the way. I totally disassembled it to relocate 250 miles, then rebuilt it on its table, timed it and went to work. I used to change the stitch length regularly, depending on the thickness of the work and thread. Once you get used to the interactions between the needlebar and the rack that moves it, you're home free. The most important thing I learned right away, when changing the stitch length, was to line up the tip of the needle with the hole made by the awl! I bent a few very large and expensive needles until I grokked that fact. If another ULS was offered to me today by someone who couldn't figure out how to use it, I wouldn't hesitate to give it a home.

Bob; Thanks for that information. I wasn't looking for another flatbed machine, even with such extended capabilities. I'll probably want to trade it for a cylinder arm stitcher of equal value, that will sew a bit over 1/2", with #346 thread, really close to the end of the arm (for inverted sewing on holsters, pouches and cases). Let me know if we can work something out. I really wish I had kept my Union Lockstitch machine, which I sold ten years ago! There was nothing I couldn't sew with it, except for nylon webbing. It had 22 - 3" diameter bobbins, every throat plate made for it, swing-away edge guides, every pressor foot available (including stepping feet), hundreds of needles and awls, baskets of nylon and linen thread, triplicates of each wrench and extras of every spring, thread guide, looper, screw, take-up part, or bearing that could wear out. If only I had known then I would be getting back into this now.

I had two concerns about the usefulness of the Boss to the OP. One is the limited throat depth which can probably be worked around by folding material up inside the machine (if it will fold up!). The other has to do with arthritis in his hands. Squeezing the pressor foot lift lever and pulling on the action lever could be stressful under these conditions. But, I assumed too much as they are not my hands.

And I thought we were all friends here on this forum. My mistake.