Wizcrafts

There most definitely is a Cowboy dealer in Australia. We have a lot of members down under who are valued contributors to this forum. I will try to get you the name of the Cowboy dealer in Australia.

The Juki and Adler you listed are among the best. They are also very expensive, You can probably find an authorized dealer of these brands and visit their shop to test them out with your materials. You haven't listed your current, or new location in your profile. What city and State are you living in? There may be industrial sewing machine dealers within driving distance. If you find an industrial sewing machine dealer and settle on the type of machine, or machines that are suitable, report back here about your preferences. Maybe we know someone who sells clones of the machines that are perfectly capable of doing the same job at half the price.

You cannot convert this machine to a walking foot mechanism. It is and will be a straight stitch, bottom feed machine. If the roller is a problem, try to find a standard flat foot that will fasten to your presser bar. Any Pfaff dealer can help you out.

I only use the 31-15 to sew non leather materials together. If I need to sew a lining into something made of leather, I use a walking foot machine. As for the needles, there is no harm using a round point needle on garment or chap leather. The plus is that the round point wont split the fibers in the lining. Regarding round point vs leather point when sewing patches onto leather vests, I started using round points for this work. The reason is that some leather point configurations split the embroidered threads on the patches, whereas the round points are less likely to do that. The embroidery is done with round point needles, so the stitching to attach them should be also. Nobody sees the round holes in the leather under the patches.

The min and max thread sizes depend on the build of your machine (hook, bobbin size, throat plate, take-up lever, feed dog, tension and pressure springs). When I had that model it was only good up to #138 thread, using a #160 needle. It also worked great with a #150 needle. I think you'd need a more recent version that includes the letter H on the model tag to run #207 thread. As for the minimum size, any thread smaller than Tex 50 and a # 14 needle might require a smaller hole in the feed dog and a closer hook to needle spacing. The thread tension spring might need to be lighter duty. My walking foot machines are all setup for medium to heavy duty sewing and #69 thread minimum. They eat cloth and just gobble up or break thin thread. I keep a Singer 31-15 straight stitch machine on hand to handle soft cloth, linings and wallet interiors.

First, ask the seller if it comes with some extra needles, awls and bobbins. If no extras, does it at least have those in the machine now? For parts, contact Lisa Sorrell or else, Southern Leather. I see that Zach White also has ASN needles for sale. You may also be able to locate some prewound bobbins somewhere. It's always a gamble buying discontinued machinery. If you are able to find parts and accessories at all they may cost a lot more than you'd expect. If you buy the machine, here is a video describing the threading and setup of an American Straight Needle machine.

I once had an Adler 204-370 which could sew 3/4 inch with up to #346 thread. The head weighed about 125 to 150 pounds. It had warped the wooden table that came with it. It is a compound feed walking foot machine, identical to the 205-370 cylinder arm version, but a flatbed. This machine is out of production now. The equivalent is a Cowboy cb243. It is huge, just like that Adler!

If the 2750 is similar to my Techsew 2700, it is based upon the Consew 227R. Below is a manual for the Consew 227R, which includes a plate showing how to time the feed dog. Here is a link to Techsew's YouTube videos pertaining to adjusting the TS-2750 machine. CB227R_Oper.Manual_print_pages_3-13.pdf

@JonesCoLeatherworks What model is your Techsew? It must be a clone of some major machine for which there will be an adjusters' manual.

If indeed the presser bar and inside foot bar are identical to a cb3500, you can buy accessory feet from our Cowboy dealer, Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines. Click on the link for available accessories for this machine. There are links in that popup to view pictures of various feet and other parts.

No! lol The edge stitching was about 1/4 inch in. Then I sanded, slicked and dyed the welted area.

The most thickness I have sewn on my Cowboy cb4500 is 1 inch, in January of 2015. I had to increase the height of the presser foot and reduce the alternating height. I think I also removed the feed dog and curved throat plate and installed the thin slotted needle plate. It was difficult and left some top and bottom drag marks that I was able to smooth out. The photos show the holster I sewed along the outside edge, which with the inside welts measured 1 inch along the stitch line.

If the feed dog never rises to the top of the slot in the throat plate, you are sewing with dual feed, without bottom assist. I set my feed dog so it just slightly rises above the top of the throat plate (maybe 1/2mm). It should remain on top for the entire forward or reverse feed cycle. If you experience trouble feeding some heavy work, increase the lift. With the feed dog below the surface you are in dual feed mode. The only downside I find is the the reverse stitches may not match the forward stitch length unless you tweak the stitch length. Note, that if you use the holster or stirrup throat plate, you have no functioning feed dog in the picture and are in dual feed mode..

Before any further talk about importing a motorized sewing machine directly to Dubai, one should be aware of the power situation there. What is the mains voltage in Dubai? Just like the rest of the Middle East, the voltage in Dubai is 230 volts and the frequency is 50 Hz. 230 V ~ 50 Hz Any motorized machine, especially those with a built in or solidly attached motor would need to operable at 230 volts, at 50 cps and have this plug.

Why don't you search for any nearby upholstery or shoe repair shops. These businesses use leather sewing machines that sometimes get taken out of service when a new one is purchased. You just might be able to buy a half decent walking foot machine for a fraction of the prices you are looking at now. Regarding the shoe repair shops, they also use universal feed "patchers" that sew in 360 degrees and have long, tapered cylinder arms. Some are mounted on foot treadle bases, others are motorized, and some are manually turned with the wheel in front, or on the back. If you can find one that has a so-called large bobbin, you can sew 16 to 20 ounces of soft to medium density leather, with thread sizes up to T135. Small bobbin models would be best limited to T70 or T90. Patchers are great for sewing gussets as the needle hole is about 3.2mm from the left edge of the arm.

You could contact CowboySew to see if they have a dealer in India. A lot of leathercrafters in North America and Australia use Cowboy brand machinery. You'll want a compound feed walking foot machine. As for the noise factor, as long as the machine you get is equipped with a servo motor it will run quietly, unless the machine is out of balance. I recommend asking the dealer you find to supply an analog servo motor, like the Consew CSM550-1. This motor has a simple rotary dial on the from to limit the top speed. It can be ordered with a very small 45 or 50 mm pulley to slow down the machine. As mentioned previously, a speed reducer between such a motor and the machine will bring it down to watching grass grow speeds. Many of us have cylinder arm machines that came with a flat table attachment. I personally find it a pain in the ass to install it for one job and then remove it for the next. But, I am crazy and am addicted to industrial sewing machines. So, have flat bed, post bed and narrow arm patch machines littering the sewing room. Since you're new to this, I agree that a cylinder arm machine with a table attachment is your best starting setup. They can be purchased with U-cutout tables, or pedestal stands. I sit on a bar stool when I sew on my cylinder arm machines and think a pedestal stand is best. Whomever you contact about machinery, tell them up front that you will be sewing real leather, up to 9 or 10 mm. You want a machine that has smooth feet to reduce marking the top layer. Larger Cowboy brand machines come with not only smooth feet, but also a smooth feed dog. Walking foot machines destroy lining material. Get a domestic bottom feed only sewing machine for your linings. They use standard household thread and needles.

Did you notice that this last reply was posted 8 years ago, in 2014? Things have changed price and supply wise since then. You might want to place an ad in our Marketplace section under Wanted You can also check with Shoe Systems Plus and Campbell-Randall company. Both deal with needle and awl machines. Measure your awl length and the width of the top shank. Chances are better then null that it will be close to an awl from a different machine.

This is an old machine. It is a clone of a Singer 95 that was in existence from 1912 though 1948. They were meant to be used in garment factories. Some had motors with clutches and others just had clutches that mated to driven shafts that fed a line of identical machines. This is a tailor's garment sewing machine for light to medium weight cloth. It has bottom feed and probably uses System 88x1 or DBx1 needles. It has a horizontal hook and probably handles up to #92 bonded thread. That works best with a #19 needle. It will most likely do better with #69 bonded thread and a #18 needle. If you sew light leather (up to maybe 4-6 ounces combined), use leather point needles. If you sew cloth garments, use common cotton or polycore thread and round point needles. If this Consew is a clone of a typical Singer 95, it would have a very low maximum thickness under the foot. Some models didn't even clear 1/8 inch. The most I saw listed on ISMACS were later models that could clear up to 3/16 inch.

Maybe this video will help you troubleshoot the problem.

For outdoor (Sun, UV rays, rain, snow, temperature swings) use i recommend bonded polyester thread. Your machine can handle #69 (T70), #92 (T90), or #138 (T135) thread. Pre-wound G size bobbins are available in #69 and #92, in black, brown and white, if not more colors. Or, you can stock up on empty G bobbins and wind your own. Do you know the top colors you will need? Bonded thread is usually sold in 8 and 16 ounce spools. But, some sellers also have them in 4 ounce spools.

We have a couple members who make boots and use curved needle outsole machines and McKay insole stitchers. They tend to be busy at work. Perhaps one or more will see this and offer some tips. In the meantime, I direct your attention to Lisa Sorrell's videos on YouTube. One of her videos shows her sewing an outsole on her Landis 12, while playing the music it likes to hear in the background. It plainly shows how she guides the shoe without forcing it into the feed. One has to understand that one should not force the work to move. That is the job of the needle or awl, depending on which one moves the work. If the awl punches the hole then the needle comes up through that hole, pushing or pulling may make the needle miss the hole and it will break. This can cause injury to the operator. Lisa has a wound in her neck as proof.

I suggest that you buy a backpack that comes close to your requirements, then take it to a leathercrafter or upholsterer who can disassemble it, cover the most important areas with upholstery or thin chap leather, then sew it back together. Additional compartments could be added before reassembly. The leather and labor will probably come close to the price of the backpack if done by a professional. When customers ask me to do this kind of work I've learned to say NO.

Goof Off is the same thing, but different! ;-)

If you can rotate the hook to get the tab on the basket facing you, you might try prying the basket up with a wooden spoon or flat stick. The thread must have really gotten wound around the hook multiple times. Did you know about holding back the starting threads, especially the top thread when you start sewing? Vertical hook machines all seem to suffer from thread around the bobbin case if the starting threads are left loose.