Wizcrafts

The difference is I WANT that 360 post machine! LOL Actually, the big difference would be that the post machine "bed" moves as you turn the work, thus, not fighting the operator. A patcher is fine if you have a defined entry point and can sew circles without running out of room for the arm. With a rotating bed, if the work fits over the little post, it gets sewn without a fight. As for the feed, the post machine appears to have a roller foot. We don't know if it has a driven foot, or feed dog, or if they are passive. If the rollers are driven and in sync, the feed would be very positive. The patchers are all top driven only via the teeth on the presser foot. No teeth, no feed. Patchers tend to get hung up on bulges or new layers on the bottom. Roller foot and walking foot machines usually have no trouble with new layers and small wrinkles on the bottom.

Hell no! An actual boot patcher is about 18 inches tall! They weigh about 70 pounds and are usually mounted on a treadle base. Otherwise, you'll need to buy an industrial sewing table for it, and add a motor and all the linkages required to power it. If you buy that piece of Chines junk, and actually receive a machine, it won't be ready to use as is. You may also be liable for duty and other taxes. This looks like a scam to me. A patcher is worth over 2000 bucks new, and about 800 used. And, that's just for this particular size. They come in two different sizes. This is the small size. You really need to do more homework before you buy any machine that isn't from a dealer. Search for posts and photos of a Singer 29k71, or 29k171, to see what the last models actually look like, mounted and ready to sew.

Download the manual from the link provided by the previous person. It is likely the same adjustment. Please don't post multiple copies of the same question. I have hidden your other 2 posts with the same question.

The seller claims to be Bed Bath and Beyond, which is a US based household accessories reseller. They are not in the sewing machines business. The price shown for this machine is suspiciously low. Patchers like this usually sell for four times the listed price. This page could be a knock-off website. Even if it's a legit website, you would probably be buying a machine that will be drop shipped from China. You will be on your own to assemble it, power it, and repair it if something is wrong with it. There are reputable industrial sewing machine dealers in Canada. I recommend contacting some of them.

These 111 and 211 machines have 7 inch wide beds. I used to have a bracket that either screwed onto the bed or across it. There was a metal space on the left side to screw on a binder or edge guide. @CowboyBobmight have them.

@Pinto I once was where you're at, with sewing machine decisions. When I started making leather goods for myself, I bought the wrong machines twice in a row. I changed dealers at that point and talked to a more knowledgeable dealer. He sold me what looked like a monster machine, a Singer 132k6. It sewed the holster jobs I had lines up, but not with much ease. When I told him about it's shortcomings, he told me to look for a harness stitcher. I did and eventually bought one fickle ancient Union Lockstitch machine, then another (I invented new swear words), and finally, a Cowboy cb4500. The Cowboy sews thick leather with huge needles and large diameter thread (346+). It is pretty much hassle free and has accessories that make it easier to sew certain jobs that a flat bed machine can't handle. I have operated the hand cranked machines and my arm got tired really fast. And, that was in my younger days! You say you want to get in under big dollars and are probably sewing 3/8 of an inch (24 ounces). With that in mind, I recommend the Cowboy cb3200. It can sew up to 1/2 inch (32 ounces) of holster leather, with #346 bonded nylon thread that the Jolly Green Giant uses to slide down from his hut in the clouds. To do this requires a #26 needle, which closely resembles a roofing needle in diameter! It costs much less than the cb4500, and uses the same huge bobbins and needles.

Here is a short video explaining where you lower the feed dog on a Singer 111, or Consew 225.

This article explains how to post photos on our forum.

In leatherwork, we machine sew with either bonded nylon or bonded polyester thread. As Dwight mentioned, these threads are wound on plastic spools. They are usually sold in 4 ounce through 16 ounce put-ups. The thread must be on a thread stand and must feed straight up to an overhead thread eye that it goes through before going to the sewing machine. Spooled industrial thread is not meant to be fed sideways, like home/domestic thread is. Also, there must be enough distance between the top of the thread spool and the overhead eyelets to keep it from twisting over the top structure, or wire eyelet. I try for about 5 or 6 inches spacing when possible. If none of the spools you find are bonded thread, don't waste your money.

First of all, what type of servo motor is installed on the machine? Does it go directly from the motor to the machine? Or, is there a speed reducer between them? In the early days of the CB4500 and Cobra Class 4 machines (e.g., 2011 - 2013), they all had digital servo motors with a readout display and push buttons to change functions. these motors started spinning at about 200 rpm. Sometime after that, they began to ship with analog servo motors featuring a simple knob to limit the top speed, plus a 3:1 speed reducer to triple the torque. My analog servo and speed reducer lets me sew so slowly that it's like watching grass grow if I just slightly engage the speed pedal.

Is the top thread going through the take-up lever? Is the bobbin thread jammed? Is the tab on the bobbin case catching the top tread? If so, maybe the latch opener needs to pull back more on the bobbin case flange.

The same thing happened to me a week ago on my long arm Singer walking foot machine. I dinked with this and that and couldn't figure out why the top thread was looping on the bottom of the work --- until I looked really close at the top thread path. That's when I finally noticed that the top thread was routed behind the tension disks instead of inside them!. If it can happen to me, it can happen to you. Check the thread at the tension disks. Disclosure: I had just rethreaded the machine with a different top color. I missed the tension disks because I must have been in a hurry.

I'm pulling this out of my hat, which I'm not wearing right now. I do some hot foil embossing in my shop; just words and letters. The press embosses the leather before I add the colored foil. I usually give it two good presses first, then place the foil over the leather and press it for a second or so at 230 degrees. This transfers the gold, silver, brown, white, or black foil to the project. So, since laser engravers use heat to burn into leather, is it possible to dial down the power just enough so it can heat the foil to 230 degrees after you place it over the leather, in effect burning your design in, right through the embossing foil? It might require two passes. The first would have the power needed to burn the design into the leather. The second pass would be at reduced power to fuse the colored foil as an overlay. Thoughts?

The take-up lever is still available from aftermarket companies and many industrial sewing machine dealers. Additionally, we have a long-time member who specializes in patchers and their parts. He is known as @shoepatcher

LOL! This is a serger that sews thread over the edge of fabrics. It uses thin cotton or polyester thread. Its purpose is to keep the cut edges from unraveling. Sergers are used to sew pockets for jackets, vests, pants, shirts, as well as to protect the inside seam edges. Every dress and alterations shop has one. I have one in my shop to make pockets and to resew the borders on embroidered patches when they are thread bare in spots.

@urlbee51 Please don't cross-post the same topic in different sections of the forum. This section is getting the answers you were seeking. I hid your other duplicate post.

I've never seen a Cobra 26 up close. But, I'm confident that there is some eccentric adjustment to match the forward and reverse stitches. However, if it is anything like my Singer 211G156, matching the holes may reduce the maximum stitch length. In my case, my Singer could sew almost 4 to the inch if I unbalance the reverse stitches. With them balanced, I get 5 to the inch. If you plan on ordering this machine, or a Cowboy CB341 (from Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines), ask them to match the stitch length in the thickness you expect to sew most frequently. That way the machine will arrive pre-adjusted in both directions. The maximum stitch length will be what it is.

Do you know that there are still replacement parts available for Union Lockstitch machines? I bought about $1000 worth of parts and accessories for my last ULS from Campbell-Randall, in 2011. Why don't you contact them and ask if they have any spare threaded hollow wax stripper bolts and the drilled rubber inserts? You might get lucky and be able to order just those parts, then drill and tap a standard Cowboy lube pot. They might be able to do the whole thing in their shop if they have a compatible wax pot.

The SInger 45k25 is a bottom (drop) feed machine with a fixed position presser foot and needle. The feed dog on the bottom raises up and grabs the bottom of the leather and pushes it through for the next stitch. The teeth are fairly aggressive and will leave deep marks in the bottom if there is a grain side facing down. If you always sew with the flesh side down, those marks will be mostly invisible. The 45k can sew with up to #277 thread using a #25 leather point needle.

My Singer 211G156 can sew with #138 thread, once in a while. Mostly, I keep #92 thread in it and use #19 or 20 needles. I got it to clear #138 thread by moving the hook assembly slightly away from the needle, then adjusting the latch opener lever that pulls the bobbin case back as the top thread goes under the tab that fits under the throat plate. If the pull back doesn't happen, the thread can jam in the tab.

Ferdinand machinery has been out of business for a long time now. They often bought stock machines, removed original parts, and added their own custom parts to the inside of their machines. If the machine you're looking at has any mechanical issues that requires replacement parts, you might be in a bind. OTOH, it could be a diamond in the rough!

@thenrie, would you please copy the posts containing those links and paste and send them to me in a private message? I checked every link I saw in all of the pages in this topic and none went to car insurance pages. There was a 404 not found on a forum though. This was an old topic that started in 2011. Dead links and redirects can be expected when they go to outside websites. When you send the posts and links, let me know your operating system and browser make and version. Also, let me know about any anti-virus or anti-malware program you are running.

@thenrie Why don't you contact @CowboyBob and see what he sells a complete Cowboy Outlaw setup for?

@CowboyBob, that's sabotage! Herr Adler would roll over in his grave!

I have a 30-7, not a 30-1. I get over 5 to the inch into 4-5 ounces of leather with the stitch regulator all the way down on the manually raised foot (using the foot lifter lever on the back). You can cheat for longer stitches by lowering the regulator bracket a little more. But, when you go to lift the foot, it will stop at the regulator bracket before it can lock in the lifted position. You can also increase the slack in the top thread to make it easier to feed. You can push or pull the leather to increase the stitch length. As a last resort, if there is noticeable free motion in the foot, when you push and pull on it in the lifted position, replacing the feed motion cam may get a bit more length. However, the stitch length always decreases as the thickness being sewn increases, due to the pendulum effect.