Wizcrafts

Could you please post a close up picture of the flat ground #230 needle?

I believe that the Cobra 26 uses standard Singer 111w155 style walking feet which are sold by virtually every industrial sewing machine dealer in the World. Cobra sells presser feet too. Have you contacted them to get a double toe presser foot?

Normally I would say no. I use #19 needles with #92 thread, or a #20 in difficult/dense materials. But, what have you got to lose by trying a #21 needle? I think that a #22 needle will poke such a big hole it will look bad on top. Another way to tame loose stitches is to tighten both sides so the thread is pulled tighter against the surfaces. In that case you would probably want to use an S point inline wedge needle that gives a submerged leading and trailing edge. That is a Schmetz design that is available for your machine in compatible System 134-35. They are pretty much the same length and shank as the 135x16/17 needles. I checked with Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines and he has those needles in stock in sizes 16, 18, 19, 21, 22 and 23. Unfortunately, he hasn't got any #20. Those Organ needles you mentioned have a contradictory designation. System 135x17 is a round point cloth needle. Diamond points are usually leather needles and are System 135x16. But, who knows anymore? You could try some actual System 135x16 needles with different point shapes. PS: if you tighten up both tensions you may also have to tweak the check spring travel and its position in the curved slot. Overly tight top thread tends to pull hard going around the bobbin basket and will make a snapping sound on the way out. The check spring position can feed a little more slack in the top thread to compensate for this, while still maintaining the required thread tension on the take-up stroke. Just keep that in mind.

It looks like the needle is a fair distance away from the hook. Try moving it to the left until the hook just misses the scarf. When you actually sew material the needle gets pulled to the left. If it is already a little distant from the hook, it is farther away during sewing.

Chuck, the stitches might lay better if you can lap skive the leading and trailing edges of the double leather that transitions to/from a single layer. This would give the machine a couple stitches to adjust to the different thicknesses. Another thing that may help set the stitches is to increase the foot pressure to press the layers together harder. Unfortunately, this will increase the foot marks and bubble through on the back side. You can also try using one size larger needle. This will affect the top tension because it will be easier for the take-up lever to pull the knots up. This may be the easiest change you can test. Needle shape can also affect the stitch quality.

Our member Uwe (pronounced oo-vah) makes custom table attachments for cylinder arm machines @CowboyBob Kovar has some table attachments for sale.

No good deed goes unpunished. To be fair to Charlie, I do give preference to our paying dealers when a machine they sell is being discussed. Those folks keep the lights on here, paying 3 to 5k a year to advertise here so you can enjoy free membership where people around the World share knowledge and expertise about leather work and industrial sewing machines. Without their support and that of our "contributing" members, this server would go dark in a relatively short time.

Have you tried Hoffman Brothers in Rosemont, Il? They are a long time industrial sewing machine dealership.

I see a needle position synchronizer on the balance wheel. This machine was used in a production setting. What you need to look at is whether it has a two or four motion feed dog. If the feed dog moves back, drops down, moves forward and raises up, it is good for some leather sewing. If it only meves forward and backward and doesn't drop, it is a binder machine. A binder machine can still feed unbound material, but the feed motion may shorten the stitch length and won't help feed the material.

Wow!

Here is a service manual for a Singer 29k71 patcher. 29k71-71-73 Service Manual and Parts List.pdf

The machine head will arrive fully adjusted, oiled, needled and threaded, with a sewn test stack of leather under the feet. The machine head will be in a separate box on the pallet from the pedestal stand. Any accessories you order up front will also be in the machine's box and protected from impact. There will be an assembly guide, or even a DVD. You will need to assemble the table and mount the machine before you can use it at all. Do not turn any knobs or screws on the machine head at this time! The head itself is very heavy and you will definitely need assistance mounting and securing it to the pedestal table. The table should be extended to your preferred operating height before the head is bolted on. It will be very difficult to move it afterwards. If you raise or lower it from the default setting you'll have to reposition the connecting rods and chains to the motor and foot lifter arm. Once the head is mounted onto the table and the v-belts properly tensioned (for about 1/2 inch deflection in the center), follow the thread path, photograph it and memorize it. Open the cover plate on the left end and you will find the bobbin case that has a spring loaded release tab. Pull on the bobbin thread to see what the factory bobbin thread tension is supposed to be for that size thread. Note, that the top thread will probably be cut off of the actual spool it was on. You will have to re thread the machine from a fresh spool once you have assembled the thread stand onto the table. There are some basic techniques you need to learn and keep to heart. The first thing every industrial sewing machine operator has to learn is to physically hold back the starting threads for the first 2 or 3 stitches. Next would be when to try to pull out the work and thread after raising the feet. This happens on the take-up stroke when the take-up lever is close to the top on the upstroke. There is going to have to be hands on time to bring you up to the comfort level to sew actual projects. This is time you will spend practicing sewing straight lines and turns, then sewing parallel lines and reversing. Test strips will help you learn how to adjust the top and bobbin thread tensions for different size thread and needles and different thicknesses of leather. So, yes there is a learning curve. But, it usually happens fairly quickly and you should be on your way in a couple of days after setting it up. You can always contact the seller for assistance (this should be your first option since it is irrevocably included in the price of the machine) and we have many experienced owners of Cobra, Cowboy and Techsew machines in this forum. Many of the owners of these big machines, known in the trade as 441 clones or harness stitchers, had little or no previous experience before buying their machine.

Confirmed! This is a rookie mistake. Most folks just order a new needle bar and go through the process I outlined, or even take it to a dealer. Thou shalt not over-tighten the tiny top screw in the needle bar thread guide! It has nothing to do with securing the needle on most Singer sewing machines and their clones. It is only meant to hold the thread guide in place so it doesn't flop around as you sew.

I just changed the needle bar on a Singer 211G156, from which your machine was cloned. If the parts they copied are the same, here's the sequence that I used to do exactly this operation. WARNING: THIS WAS NOT MY FIRST RODEO. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGES THAT MAY ENSUE FROM FOLLOWING THESE STEPS! Unthread the machine Remove the faceplate cover from the left end of the head. Remove the needle and its set screw Remove the small screw that secures the thread guide to the needle bar, then remove the thread guide Hand wheel the balance wheel until the needle is at its lowest point (BDC). Use a flatblade screw driver to loosen the screw that should now be residing in the opening in the needle bar frame, near its lower end. The opening should clear a 1/4" wide screwdriver blade. Don't remove the set screw, just loosen it a couple of turns. Try to turn the needle bar by hand to loosen it, then start raising it up.. A trick to raising a semi-stuck needle bar is to handwheel it up, then grab it above the needle bar rock frame with smooth jaw pliers. Eventually, it will move up until it hits the top of the head. Hand wheel until the needle bar moves under the hole in the head, then use a plier to force it up and out of the head. When you are ready to install the new bar, oil the bar and drop in in from the top, aligning it with the clamp that you loosened the screw on. Then continue pushing or tapping it down from the top until it extends down below the head about 1.5 inches. Rotate the needle bar so the holes for securing the needle and thread guide are on the right and the indent in the bottom of the bar faces you in front of the machine. Gently tighten the clamping set screw to hold the needle bar. Reinstall the thread guide and its tiny set screw, which goes into the top hole in the thread guide and needle bar. Be careful to not overtighten this screw or the head may break off leaving the threads stuck in the needle bar. This will cause the thread guide to flop around as you sew. Insert the needle set screw in the bottom hole in the thread guide. Start it by hand to avoid cross threading it. Insert the largest needle you have or will use. In most upholstery machines this is a #23 needle, then tighten the needle set screw. If your largest anticipated needle will be a smaller size (under #23), use it. Lift the feet with the hand lift lever. Unscrew the throat plate and set it and the 2 screws aside. Aim a good work light into the space between the hook and the feed dog. Hand wheel the balance wheel until the needle reaches BDC, then moves up 3/32", or so. It should be over 1/16 and under 1/8 inch up from BDC. If the hook is inline with the center line of the needle, the hook timing is still on. If the top of the eye of the needle is below the point of the hook and the hook is within the cutout scarf area, lock down the needle bar set screw for all you're worth. If the eye of the needle is not just below the tip of the hook, loosen it enough to move it by hand into the position where the eye is a bit below the hook and the tip of the hook is inside the scarf. Lock down the needle bar set screw to hold this position. Reinstall the throat pate, ensuring that the little tab on the bobbin case fits into the cutout in the throat plate. Thread the machine, insert the bobbin you were using and test to see if the hook picks off the top thread and carries it around the bobbin basket when you hand wheel until the hook passes the needle and the take-up lever pulls the threads up. The top thread should go around the bobbin basket without any snapping or binding then come out the hole in the feed dog smoothly. Also, take note if the hook passes by the needle without making contact with it! If it hits, read my notes below. Reinstall the faceplate after oiling the moving parts and oil holes inside the head. Hopefully, you are good to go at this point. If the hook hits the needle, it must be moved to the right, or the deflector shield needs to be gently pried out to push the needle out of the way. Normally, if the hook is in a working machine the distance and deflection are already set. However, when you change needle bars the lateral position of the needle can change just enough to allow the hook to hit the needle (this just happened to me when I changed needle bars in my Singer 211). Moving the hook is for another discussion. Hopefully that isn't necessary in your case. You can also take the head to a sewing machine dealer and let them do this troublesome work and time it for you. I strongly recommend this if the hook needs to be moved, and/or the hook timing is out relative to the eye of the needle on the upstroke.

I'm pretty sure that the 25% Chinese Goods Import Tariff would probably be charged, whether or not the invoice is below $800. I know our dealers have to pay it on shipments from China.

Please report back on how you like it and what temperature range it requires, plus the cooling time when it sets.

I dug around and found this Customs Brokerage firm who has some very good information on their home page about what one will need to do to import machinery of any kind from China. It is both bewildering and eye opening.

There has been some discussion in this forum among members who tried importing sewing machines directly from China vs buying in one's country from an authorized dealer. Most agreed that by the time the machine was delivered, any savings was either minimal or zero after paying shipping and handling fees, getting insureance against damages, faxing documents, paying Brokerage warehouses and the cost of Customs and box inspections. One fee most folks overlook if they aren't in the habit of importing machinery from China is the 25% tariff on the landed price. In addition to all of the costs and fees, once the machine arrives you become the dealer for the purposes of assembling it, setting it up, timing it and performing any necessary servicing. Do not expect technical support from the Chinese seller. If a manual is even supplied, it may be in Chinese, or Chinglish. Worse yet, if it gets damaged in transit you will have to file photographic documentation with whomever you paid to be the insurer and hope for compensation. Should you want to return it to the Chinese seller it will be at your expense.

Sellari's make hard stitching wax that is melted in heated wax pots on Landis sole stitchers and McKay insole stitchers. It is listed on page 59 of the Rockford Leather catalog. Other shoe repair suppliers probably carry it or another brand.

Already answered here.

We have a sub-forum dedicated to 3D printers and Laser cutters where members share files they've created for them.

Did you know that you can just order a replacement beehive tension spring?

You will probably get more and better answers in our Leather Sewing Machines forum, but you would have to first become a member. It only takes a few minutes and costs nothing. We have several long time members in Australia. All posts and replies in this Help Wanted section have to wait for approval by a moderator before they can be seen. You also don't have access to our private messages system, which members do enjoy.

When I got my Adler 30-7 it too needed some replacement parts. They added up to about $250. Additionally, the needles are extra long and not very plentiful. Thus, what is available is expensive. If you were in business with a walk-in customer base, the Adler would be worth fixing for on-the-spot repairs.

The Adler 30 series are shoe patchers. They are top feed only, via teeth on the jumping foot. The bobbins in this particular machine are tiny. It is best limited to #69 bonded nylon thread. If you don't repair shoes and boots, you can use it to sew embroidered patches over pockets and sleeves on biker's vests and jackets. They get into narrow spaces, like the sides of purses where the strap connecting tabs tend to let go. Once you get it sewing it can make you quick cash doing repairs for people. This machine will not substitute for a compound feed walking foot machine with normal or oversize bobbins.