Wizcrafts

Check all the guides and rollers/tensioners for a burr.

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I have a Cowboy CB4500 and a good friend has a Cobra Class 4, both of which are now about 8 or 9 years old. From day one I can move the stitch length/direction levers on both machines with two or three fingers and they stay in place. If you have to force the lever up and down, it is binding or too tight somewhere.

Then some moving part in the stitch length/direction path is now binding against another part. 441 machines are robust and don't usually have bent shafts, but anything is possible after a hard stop that throws the timing out 180 degrees. It may help if you post a movie of the parts in motion inside the bottom inspection cover on the lower right front on the base of the machine. Somebody more familiar with the way things should move may see the problem and offer a solution.

If you post some pictures of the shoes apart and under construction it will help you get answers to these questions. Otherwise, one can only speculate on whether or not this machine or some other machine is best suited to the job. I can tell you that SOP is to use a McKay machine to sew the upper to the insole and a curved needle machine to sew the outsole to a welt. In the case of shoes that have a side sole that is attached to the uppers (like sports shoes), a sidewall stitcher is required. That is a different model than the 5100. It is the model 7600 sidewall sole stitching machine. This machine is capable of sewing 2 stitches per inch.

Yes. You want to make sure you have round points on hand in case you have to sew webbing straps. Leather slicing needles will break the strands. Ditto for sewing denim. Use round points on woven materials and leather points on animal hides. Naugahyde can be sewn with either type of needle.

The top thread is probably coming out of the top tension disks. Loop it around the top post, through the holes, in a counterclockwise direction to offset the natural coil of the spool. You can also reconfigure how the thread comes out of the three hole guide before the top tensioner to feed it from the lowest point into the middle of the disks. I actually flip my guides down to give me three positions to place the thread, depending on how the thread is acting. They tend to vary with color and amount of bonding.

Yes, a Singer 111, or clone will do just fine for thinner projects up to 3/8 inch of medium temper leather. I use these machines to hem things, to sew patches on the back of vests, to sew zippers into jackets, sew flat cases, wallets, upholstery, motorcycle seat tops, etc. The 3/8" isn't where they sew best, but how high they climb and still form a stitch. If you get into repairing jackets and vests, you will encounter seams that thick. The CB3200 is a holster class machine that fills the gap between upholstery class and full harness/saddle class machines. It starts with #138 thread (22 pounds test) and goes up to #346 (~56 pounds test). It can sew from about 6 ounces up to 1/2 inch (32 ozs). Here is a thread and needle chart that shows the diameter and number of cords in various sizes of thread we commonly encounter in leather work. The best needle sizes are also shown, as well as the breaking strengths. The #277 (~#44) was meant to show the breaking strength in pounds (#) of size 277 thread.

It would if the bag is made with fur and the hide isn't too stiff.

I have all kinds of thread in my shop. Some of it tends to coil hard as it leaves the spool. With those I wrap the thread through the top and bottom holes in the top post (CB4500) in a counter clockwise direction. This reverses the twist as the thread goes to the top tension disks. I always roll it twice around the bottom roller counter clockwise to get all the kinks out. I feed the thread in and out of the loop over the bottom roller. This also gives the check spring more range of motion and makes it less likely the thread will come off the roller and get stuck in the spring.

The Singer 111w155 uses the very common System 135x16 (leather point) and 135x17 (round point) needles. Leather points come in various shapes with the most common being a left twist slicing point, a triangle point and a diamond shaped point. Needles are available in packs of 10 and are relatively cheap. You can buy a pack of each point in one "size" until you decide which you like best, then stock up on those in all sizes you'll need. Here is a thread and needle chart to help match needles and thread sizes.

You are wanting to make leather items spanning a fairly wide range of thicknesses. Chaps with a folded hem are about 8 to 10 ounces thick. Bridles and halters can range from 14 to 24 ounces thickness. Chaps hems can be secured with #138 bonded thread (~22#). Bridles and halters that take a lot of stress need stronger thread, like #277 (~44#). The machines normally used to sew these ranges are different. Chaps are usually sewn on flatbed walking foot machines that max out with #138 thread. Some have large bobbins that can go a long way between reloads. Bridles and halters and other horse tack is usually sewn on cylinder arm harness stitching machines that have a lower end of #138 thread and go up from there. Some of these machines can sew 1/2 inch while others sew up to 7/8 inch. But, something has to give on such heavy machines and that something is the lower thicknesses and smaller needles and thread. Chaps can be sewn on these harness stitchers but not as conveniently as on a flatbed machine. A lot of new sewers ask similar questions as you asked. They are looking for one machine that sews from very thin to very thick leather and handles thread sizes from garment weight to hand sewing weight. There was one machine I know of that claimed to do all that, but it is long gone. Even if one found that machine, parts would be made of unobtanium. You will have to make a decision to purchase a standard size walking foot machine for lighter weight projects that are fine with thinner thread up to #138 and another one for thick and hard leather and heavy thread (e.g., 207, 277, 346). BTW: The thread used in these machines is either bonded nylon or bonded polyester. Hand sewing thread does not work in modern industrial sewing machines as it clogs the eye of the needle and is too thick to be tensioned and cannot go around most of the shuttles in common use.

I see a reverse lever in the photos. It is attached to the right end of the head and has leather strips wrapped below its top. One presses down on the lever to reverse the feed. Parts availability depends on what machine it is a clone of and if parts for that machine are available in the aftermarket, or from a manufacturer in Asia. There are few if any actual Ferdinand parts available. Hoffman Brothers in Chicago would have whatever was left when they bought the brand. You might want to contact them about this machine.

It's entirely possible that the upholstery shop adjusted the clutch for fast action, because they like to sew fast. You can tell if this is the case by checking how much free movement there is on the floor pedal before the clutch engages. It there's little or no play before it takes off, back out the big bolt on the left end, in front of the shaft and pulley. This increases the slack and may clear up the noise it is making, if it was caused by a hair trigger clutch setting.

Since the posts were about the same machine, I merged them into one thread. Unfortunately, the title of one was lost and replaced with the one about oil. I can change the title for you, just tell me what you want it to say.

You can spread a little oil or grease on the brake pad to get smoother engaging of the clutch. A combination of a small pulley and slack before the clutch engages will make the motor much more user friendly. The belt should have at least 1/2 inch deflection in the middle, between the motor and the pulley on the machine, when you press it with your finger. Of course, you don't want it so loose that it slips....

Remove the top thread from the machine. Have a helper stabilize the left side of the head as you remove the drive belt from the flywheel and foot lift chain from the back of the head, then remove the bolts and nuts that secure the head to the pedestal table. Carefully lift the head off of the pedestal, with one person holding the left end and one holding the flywheel and put it on the ground. Next, loosen the linkage that goes from the motor to the motor control pedal, freeing the pedal. With your helper, loosen the big bolts in the square pedestal until the table top can be raised or lowered to the height you prefer. Tighten the pedestal bolts, then reconnect the pedal linkage to allow a full range of motion on the floor pedal to the motor lever. Next, lift the head onto the pedestal table and bolt it down. Reconnect the lifter chain using whatever link best controls the floor lifter pedal at the new table position. Roll the v-belt onto the flywheel and you should be good to go. Note: you can leave the extra foot lift chain loose on the top or the bottom, as you wish.

All modern era clutch motors have a big bolt on the right front that adjusts the slack between the brake and the clutch ring. Back out the bolt to get more free movement, then set the locknut. There is a thumbscrew on the arm under the motor with a spring. Screw it in to raise the lever all the way up when your foot is off the pedal. Make sure that the back of the pedal isn't hitting the floor when backed all the way off. It is does hit the floor, readjust the linkage until it has some clearance above the floor.

https://www.tolindsewmach.com/thread-chart.html

You've made a wise decision. If you even need technical assistance, the dealer is a phone call away and speaks the same language and is in the same time zone. You can get thread, needles, bobbins and accessories in-country instead of by a slow boat from China.

Those are domestic/home cloth garment sewing machines, not industrial leather sewing machines. This forum deals with industrial leather sewing machines. There is no comparison between the itsy bitsy motor on that machine and the huge motors used on industrial leather sewing machines.

I have a Techsew 2700 in my shop and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. It handles thread sizes 46 through 138, although I stop at #92 in that machine. If I need #138 thread, I use my CB4500, or Singer 42-5. As for the 2700, once properly adjusted and lubed, it can sew 2 ounces of clear vinyl, with #46 thread, up to about 18 or 20 ounces of medium temper leather, with #138 thread. I tend to use mine for lesser thicknesses, like 16 ounces and under. If you get a 2700 and don't also get a drop down edge guide (which you will need), you will need to buy edge guide outer presser feet. They range in spacing from 1/8 to 5/16 inches from the needle to the spring guide.

Fur machines combine layers at the very top with a whipstitch across the top. Some may even roll the material over toward the machine as they sew. There is just one thread and a looper, so it is a form of chainstitch, but really a coverstitch. Multiple pieces are pieced together at the top, sides and bottom with the fur inside and skin outside.This way when you open up the pieces, there is just fur showing on the outside and the coverstitch is hidden. I may be getting a Bonis fur machine shortly. If I do I will report back here.

I've bronze brazed to build up the worn puck on a 29-?, then used files and Emory cloth to bring it down to the best fit in the ring, then polished it on a buffer with green buffing compound. It lasted for a few years and never lost its stitch length (5/inch) as long as I owned it. That was a long time ago, in a land far far away.

Yeah yeah yeah, okay