Wizcrafts

I have a 29k71 that gets almost 5 to the inch. The feed motion bell crank has a little play in it,

Here is a manual for the Singer 29k58, 60 and 62 (.pdf). It will show the parts that control the lift and feed motion. The part that controls the lift height is on the back of the round head and has a thumbscrew adjuster. The moving block should have 3 lines for low, medium and high lift. If this part is missing, broken, or set too low, the foot can't lift. No lift, no feed. The maximum thickness that can be transported by the foot action is usually just at or under 5/16 inch.

All sewing machines whose needle bars pivot on top experience the pendulum effect of loss of stitch length at increased thicknesses. In the case of a top feed only machine you can reduce the foot pressure to the minimum needed to hold down the leather to get the best feed. Patchers use a feed motion bell crank that has a puck shape on the end that rides inside a ring to move the foot. This puck always wears out before the rest of the moving parts. As the puck wears, the stitch length decreases. It is easy to determine how much/badly your bell crank is worn by lifting the foot with the lift lever then push and pull the foot to test for slack. I usually do this with the stitch regulator all the way down against the top of the raised foot. If your crank has a 16th of an inch slack, the maximum stitch length would be around 8 to the inch. On a new machine it would get 5 to the inch at about 6 ounces thickness. A really tight fitting bell crank and ring might even continue getting 5 to the inch at 10 ounces.

This topic belongs to Pedalpower. Please start a new topic about your machine. Be prepared to upload photos.

No, it's a good, well built sewing machine when used for the purpose it was designed: sewing vinyl upholstery, Bimini covers, awnings, tents, tarps and sails. The Sailrite LS and LZ portables are top and bottom feed walking foot machines (with teeth on the feet) with a static position needle and inside foot. The design specs say they are limited to #92 thread. Some people push the limits (and maybe the warranty) by loading it with #138 thread. The Monster Wheel is needed to help the machine penetrate leather. The machine will struggle too much without it. Tandy Leather is having a sale on them right now (branded as the Craftool® Pro Stitch Master®).

I have a CB4500, in a room full of other sewing machines machines. I have developed a system for dumbing down a Cowboy CB4500 to sew with thin thread. Read it and decide if you want to go through the routine every time you need to sew a wallet, or hem pants. My solution was to buy a lighter duty cylinder arm machine that handles thread sizes 46 through 138 and can sew over a 3/8 inch seam, maximum.

Check the back of the head for a sliding block with a thumbscrew adjuster that rides along the front end of the long leaf pressure spring. That block gets pushed up my a lever as you operate the machine. If the block isn't at or near the spot where the spring is cut down from wide to narrow, it can't lift the foot.

Make certain that the motor you buy is reversible. The Cub rotates clockwise, opposite to industrial sewing machine standards.

I keep bonded polyester thread in stock in black and white, in sizes 92, 138 and 207. I use it when I make or repair outdoor projects, like motorcycle seats. I get bike seats and tarps in where the nylon thread gave up from exposure to the elements. Other than that, it costs a couple bucks more per spool than nylon. None of these compare to what I spent on one pound spools of Barbour's Irish Linen thread for Union Lockstitch machines.

Sadly, I was told by another dealer that this is true.

I strongly recommend the Cobra Class 4 for gun belts and holsters. The model 26 will not handle #277 thread or very heavy stacks of leather. If you buy the Class 4 and have projects too thin for it the way it was setup, you can dumb it down.

I've never head of a brand named Consequence, or Congee. A photo would help us reply to your concerns. Maybe you meant Consew 225?

Machines with position sensors seem to have problems when reducers are between the motor and machine. Since the positioners can start and stop on a dime, you probably won't need a reducer if you learn to feather the foot pedal. Reducers always run at least 50% slower than direct to motor machines. Some run at 1/3rd the motor speed. These are easy to start and stop without too much of a learning curve.

It is true that system 794 leather point needles are not available under #23/160. However, smaller sizes are available in system 7x3 round point. I bought a bunch of Orange branded round point needles in sizes 18 through 27. They come in useful if I sew webbing or cloth. The smaller sizes allow the Cowboy and Cobra 441 machines to sew with #69 and #92 bonded thread. That said, these machines have heavy springs in the tension path and they need to be backed off in order to sew thin material. I wrote an extensive blog article about the process, called: Dumbing down a Cowboy CB4500, Cobra Class 4, or similar harness stitcher. The same information applies to the Cowboy CB-3200 and even the bottom feed CB-2500.

CowboySew/Hightex makes/has a synchronized binder attachment for an Adler 205. They call it: #205-370-BH Viberating binder: perfect for binding leather and very thick materials. This part would probably have to be ordered through a Cowboy/Hightex dealer. We have one who is a sponsor of this forum.

We have dealers who are members of this forum and might be willing to answer your questions about that machine. Try emailing them from their website contact forms.

I have two machines in my shop that have reverse, out of 9 sewing machines. The rest are straight stitch, forward only, or patchers. Reverse is nice if the stitch lengths match. If not, it is a pain. If your project can be sewn all the way around, just sew over 4 or 5 stitches to lock in the beginning and ending stitches. When I can't sew around, I use Poor Man's Reverse: spin the work around 180 degrees and sew over 3 or 4 previous stitches. Other times, I sew a couple stitches, raise the needle and foot/feet, pull the work towards me and bury the needle into the first hole and sew over those stitches. Cechaflo sometimes uses the same technique to lock his stitches in his videos.

I once owned a Singer 132k6. I thought it was the machine to end all machines until I tried sewing projects 3/8 inch thick with #346 thread. Fergettit. It is meant to sew buffing wheels, not leather. It will sew 5/16" better and 1/4" reliably. The feed system is a spring loaded follow foot on top and aggressive feed dogs on the bottom. The inside foot and needle remain in place. If you decide to go into the car wash business this would be a good machine for dangling brush repairs.

I found this article posted on January 27, 2019, suggesting that the virus won't survive shipping times typical from China. It doesn't address next day shipments though.

Before anybody tries motorizing a Cub, contact Weaver Leather and talk to their sewing machine gurus. The bearings, crank shafts and other moving parts may or may not be able to withstand speeds above what you can do by hand cranking. The manual oiling system may not be designed to provide proper lubrication at more than a couple stitches per second. If anybody gets official word on how fast one can safely run this machine, please post it here in a reply, quoting Weaver.

Might I ask how wide your projects will extend on the right side from the needle? Also, do you need to sew across the arm (standard and mostly affordable) or up the arm (rare and expensive)? The answers to these questions will help narrow down your list of compatible machines. I do Grok that you don't want or need to use heavy thread or large needles and need a feed system that won't pucker the soft materials.

I split the discussion about the Weaver Cub into its own topic. Any further input about the Weaver machine should go into the new topic. This thread is specifically about the Cowboy Outlaw manual sewing machine. If anybody wants to discuss a different brand, start a new topic.

WOW, Michiel! Thanks for posting these photos. I will help anybody with any similar belted machine do a changeover.

I have thrown away brand new v-belts that were "welded" off center and moved sideways, or bumped once around. Considering that these belts can be had for 5 bucks or so, I would buy a replacement just to see if the belt was the problem. Before buying a new belt, loosen the tension on it at the motor or reducer. An overly tight belt magnifies any manufacturing imperfections.

Absolutely! Buy a new type 3L belt of the same length.