Wizcrafts

That machine would have to mechanically 100% to properly handle 20 ounces of leather. It was not built with this in mind. It was for leather and vinyl upholstery. I had a similar machine with the National nametag. It worked great sewing 12 to 16 ounces, but struggled with anything above that. I had to crank down both foot pressure screws almost all the way to keep the leather from lifting with the needle on the upstroke. It let me use #207 on top with #138 in the bobbin, but was happier with #138 top and bottom (above 8-9 ounce thickness), down to #69 for thin leather seams. I paid for it sewing rifle slings and guitar straps for a friend who had a business.

Try downloading it now. It is in pdf format. Most devices are able to open pdfs. SQ5000Instructions.pdf

I don't see any evidence of moderation on any posts in this thread. Are you sure you pushed the Submit button?

In a nutshell, that's what this forum is here for. It exists to discuss industrial leather sewing machines and help others experiencing problems who don't have access to dealer support. A lot of these machines are long out of production, but there is usually somebody with knowledge of the machine in question, or our database can be searched for previous discussions about your machine. We have many manuals that members have uploaded for other members to download for free. Even some sewing machine dealers and repairers take part in assisting members with technical problems. This is a wonderful asset.

The dealers I know are very small businesses, often with one or two people on the job. There isn't much time to do videos when your day involves taking orders, setting up, shipping, receiving, picking up, ordering, or repairing sewing machines, while also responding to email, phone and forum inquiries. Larger companies, with numerous employees, have more time to setup a video room and learn to do it correctly.

There are at least three parts that cause the stitches to get shorter than specs. The primary part that wears down is the Feed Motion Bell Crank Lever, #8559, followed by the Ring Slide Bar, with #1816 cam roller, and the #1801 cam roller on the back of top Needle Bar Driving Lever that fits into a cam on the back shaft behind the balance wheel. I attached the Singer 29-4 parts list in pdf format, below. 29-4 Parts list Original Singer Doc.pdf

You posted this just before I posted my reply. You made a good choice as long as you stay within the stated specs.

@Tequila Figure out if your best machine should be flat bed or cylinder arm. flat bed machines are best used on flat items. Cylinder arm machines are best for cylindrical or shaped items which have parts hanging down on the left of the arm. This includes bags, cuffs, some holsters and things that have hardware (rings, buckles, loops) on the bottom. Most cylinder arm machine tables can take a table attachment, or one can be made to fit them, or adapted from another model. Some cylinder arm machines can be ordered on a pedestal stand that is wide open under the arm and has holes for a bolt on table attachment. Next, define the minimum and maximum thicknesses you expect to sew together and the height of any other seams that the raised feet and needle will have to clear to get to the sewing area. Thinner work, up to about 1/8 inch, requires thin thread (to hide the lockstitch knots) and small needle sizes (diameters) for minimal holes. Thick work (over 1/4 inch) requires thicker thread and larger diameter needles to keep it all together under the stress of usage. A lot of people are interested in medium duty machines and may try to push them beyond their practical thread handling capacity. When that happens they think the machine is defective, when it is not. If a machine's specs say the maximum thread size is #138, that means top and bottom, as setup at the factory, or the dealership. If you try to use #207 or larger thread, unless the machine has been purposely setup for that size, it may jam in the hook, or cause the leather to lift with the needle, which causes skipped stitches. OTOH, a more heavy duty machine can be dumbed down to sew thinner work with thinner thread and thinner needles. But, it will cost more up front.

I suffer from the same affliction!

Not after it times out following your initial posting. I think that time frame is under a half hour. What did you want changed?

You'd also have to pay a considerable Customs and Duty charge before taking delivery.

The CB3200 is a step down from the 4500. It only sews up to 1/2 inch. I believe that the TS-4800 is similar to the Cobra 26 and Cowboy CB-1341 (aka: 6900).

@CowboyBobprobably has that hook in stock. Call him and ask. The phone number is in his signature.

I suggest that you read my blog article about dumbing down a Cowboy, Cobra, or other Juki TSC-441 clone.

Contact @CowboyBob about this. Or, start a new topic and wait for a professional dealer to reply. Yours is now a non-standard machine. I also have a Singer walking foot machine that @CowboyBob converted to use a Juki U bobbin. He knows the parts and alterations involved in this conversion.

I have a Singer Class 18 left handed machine and it is for light duty sewing with thin thread. I keep #69 thread and a #18 needle in it. I think it maxes out at about 1/4 inch of soft temper leather.

The Singer 97-10 machines were often carried on military aircraft and were used to sew and repair tow straps that parachuted people and equipment onto battle fields.

I don't know if this will work for you, but upholstery leather is sometimes sold as whole hides of 50 square feet or more.There is some heavy weight upholstery leather that might be tough enough for chap use. You could use the left overs to recover a chair or two.

I will move this to the Suppliers section of the forum. This section requires approval before any posts or replies appear.

I use "chap" leather. It is available in thin and standard, where the thin chap is about 4-5 ounces and the thick is about 5-6 ounces. There is even thicker sometimes, up to maybe 6-7 oz. Check with Springfield Leather, Zack White Leather, Weaver Leather, Hide House and ALD.

I also have the narrow throat plate and feed dog set that @RockyAussie makes. I installed it on my Cowboy CB4500 and it works like a charm. I can go from sewing a 3/4 inch holster, with thick #277 thread and a #25 needle, down to sewing a wallet, phone pouch, or chap leather project, with #92 thread, by changing to a #20 needle and backing off the foot pressure a bit. Yes, you have to purchase the narrow set as an add-on. But, to me it is worth it.

DFH is the handle of the member who posted the first reply to this topic, on January 10, 2019. Scroll UP.

I call this Poor Man's Reverse. Many of my old Singer sewing machines, with which I pay my bills, have this type of reverse! Only three of the 11 sewing machines in my shop have Rich Man's Reverse (via a lever).

This sentence reminds me of when I decided I needed a sewing machine to sew a leather vest I was making from a Tandy Leather pattern and using their chrome tan leather the salesman recommended. He told me that he had a nice Singer Slant Needle machine for sale on consignment. I went to the back to look it over and decided to try it out. He threaded it up, put a small sample cut of similar leather under the foot, pressed the pedal and immediately broke the needle into a dozen pieces! The motor smelled bad too after that event. The smell of hot wires. Anywho, the Tandy guy told me that I needed an industrial sewing machine. This began my search for a leather sewing machine. I let me fingers do the walking and found an industrial sewing machine dealer not far from the Tandy store. I told him what I wanted to sew and he told me that he had the exact machine I needed to sew leather and it was only $200!. An hour later I had a Singer 96k40,with a 20x48 inch table, a clutch motor, light and thread stand in my station wagon. I could hardly wait to get it home, drag in downstairs to the basement, set it up and begin sewing leather! But, I was in for some serious fetchin' up. The dealer had supplied me with a spool of black #69 bonded nylon thread and a pack of ten #18 round point needles. I broke all ten needles trying to feed and sew the vest, which dragged to a halt at every change of layers. The stitches varied in length all over the place. The holes were ugly and the thread bunched up on the bottom. But, he said it was just the machine I needed to sew leather! It must be so! I called him back and he told me that I bought the wrong type of feed. I needed a walking foot machine! Huh? I asked what that was and he told me he had one for sale. I asked if I could bring back the 96k40 in trade and he said NO, all sales are final! As I learned a few weeks later, the Singer 96k40, although an industrial sewing machine, was NOT a leather sewing machine. It was a tailoring machine for cloth garments and light ones at that. The "walking foot" machine he sold me, for $400 for the head only (shared table and knee lever), was a Singer 31-19 with a spring foot mechanism. It was from the early 1910s, but it sewed my layered vest without breaking any needles or having uneven stitch lengths. It was an eye opener for me. As archaic as the spring foot was, it worked. A year later I found and bought a Singer 111w155, which had an actual triple or compound feed walking foot mechanism. I thought that machine could sew anything made of leather, including holsters. But, again, I had some fetchin' up coming...

I used to have a Pfaff walking foot machine (1980s). I believe it took System 134-35 needles. These are slightly shorter than the System 135x16 used in Singer 111 and clone walking foot machines. System 135x16 needles are about 1 3/4 inches from stem to stern.