Wizcrafts
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Posts posted by Wizcrafts
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What Glenn said, with #69 or #92 bonded thread. It is a patcher for shoe and boot uppers, as well as for repairing purses, skates and sewing patches over pockets on vests. Every leather shop that does business with the public should have one.
Once you get the machine and learn to operate the treadle, you'll be surprised at how fast it can sew. The big flywheel has two sizes of pulley. The smaller pulley gives more punching power while the larger one gives more speed. Keep the leather belt tight enough to not slip and you won't need a motor.
Adding a motor to a cast iron patcher base is a big deal. It would be simpler to mount the head on an industrial sewing machine table that only has a belt slot cut out and a motor underneath.
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Maybe the bearings are bad, or dry on the reducer. Or, perhaps the belts were too tight.
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Since you're in Missouri, have you considered Springfield Leather? They sell industrial leather sewing machines from Cobra and Highlead. I see they have a Cobra model 26 cylinder arm machine listed on the machinery pages. It is a medium duty walking foot machine that comes standard on a pedestal table on a square column with a foot lifter pedal on the right side of the speed pedal. The pedestal height can be lowered for use when seated (requiring readjusting the motor linkage and foot lifter chain).
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57 minutes ago, Bert51 said:
I wonder if it is not to put over the feed dog if you just want to use the feet and needle fee?
Bert.
When I first saw that plate I thought it is a bobbin cover plate for a cylinder arm machine like a Consew 227 or Singer 153. I have a Techsew 2700 that uses long, narrow cover plates over the bobbin and shuttle. The slot could be for a sliding edge guide.
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You can back off the foot pressure by turning the wide thumb nut on the top left rear of the revolving head housing. You can see the coil spring inside a channel on the rear of the head.
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One of the more interesting System 190 needles I have are number 150, which are between #22/140 and #23/160 in diameter. They are a perfect size for #138 thread into medium to hard temper leather.
I believe I got some of them from Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines.
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1 hour ago, Rbarleatherworks said:
Hi there
Just looking for thoughts on how to lessen the pressure foot marks that my singer treddle machine leaves on my projects?
Thanks
You forgot to mention the model number of the machine. If you don't know it, take a small resolution photo of the operator's side of the machine and upload it in a reply. Then we who might respond will know what to tell you about where the pressure adjustment is on the head. Also, tell us if there are teeth on the bottom of the presser foot or feet.
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1 minute ago, jjs111w said:
I suspect now that in the past someone did raise the needle bar on our machine. I would love to lower the bar as suggested but I have no idea how to do it. Worried about screwing up a machine that is working very well.
Sorry but I am very much a novice hobbyist. For example as "gottaknow" recommends to
"to rotate the hook point into the scarf..." Not even sure what the scarf is?
Thanks,
You can always buy Pfaff System 190 needles which are exactly 3/16" longer than System 135x17. They have the same top shank diameter. I'll bet that the previous owner raised the needle bar to let him/her use these longer needles to get higher alternating foot lift. I've done that on a few walking foot machines to sew a particularly tall step or thick seams.
The scarf is a cutout on one side, above the eye hole in the needle. The other side has a ribbed thread channel. Normal alignment places the scarf side of the needle towards the rotating or oscillating "shuttle hook", which has a sharp point on one end that picks off the thread loop that is formed as the needle rises above bottom dead center. SOP on your machine is that the point of the hook intersects the rising needle about 1/8 inch above the eye. At that position there is usually a decent loop for the hook to split and carry around the shuttle and bobbin.
If you don't plan to sew over 3/8 inch, download a manual for the Singer 111w155, read the sections about timing, then lower the needle bar.
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It would help if you included your location in your profile. There are parts suppliers in different countries.
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4 hours ago, MzVictoria said:
I am now the proud owner of an Atlas. Thank you kgg for that suggestion. He was such a character, so informative and talked me down from the $1800 AT3441 I went in for to a smaller $1400 machine that he felt would suit my business better. He sat there and fiddled with the settings until we found the stitch that I liked. He showed me how to do the binding feature, which I now can't wait to bind thousands of things. He made the tabletop custom right there in the store and carried on a pleasant conversation while doing it. I feel really good about this purchase. I mean he would not let me leave the store unless the machine was perfect, as we were loading it into the suv he noticed a couple of the bolts were loose and insisted on tightening them, crouching in the gutter in front of the store and he cleaned the machine off-including the foot pedals. I'm so impressed. I left with an array of goodies, a spool of thread, scissors, tape measure. And he asked me to ask him questions. He said it was a simple machine and he would give me instructions any time I got stuck. I felt very well cared for. Just what I had hoped for.
We set her up tonight, I'm going to give her a spin tomorrow, it's been quite a day but I just wanted to thank everyone for the help!
This is why we frequently recommend calling or visiting a dealership before buying an industrial sewing machine. These dealers are usually old school and love to deal directly with their customers. They are knowledgeable in the makes and models they carry and want to have happy customers.
Before the Internet this is how things were done every day. I'm glad there are still real brick and mortar businesses that serve the needle trade. I personally travel 2 hours each way to visit my favorite industrial sewing machine dealer when I want another machine. Sometimes, like the OP, I come home with a different one than I originally thought I wanted.
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40 minutes ago, youdesiremenow said:
Hmm, it is new thread and I purchased 3 rolls of each in different colors. Yikes I'd be happy if it was just the thread but can't see it being wonky with all of them.
Thanks I'll keep plugging away.
Check all the guides and rollers/tensioners for a burr.
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37 minutes ago, Jollyshoemaker said:
Wiz, last year, I read a long, long piece you wrote about sewing machines. and I've been using it to help me decide what machines to consider. Yesterday, I thought I started a new topic asking about some sewing machines, but now I can't find my post. Can you help me understand how to find posts I've already made on this vast forum?
You can use the search box near the top of each forum to search that forum, or all of our forums, for posts by author (in this case, you) or subject, or key words. You can also limit the search to a certain time period.
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12 hours ago, RemingtonSteel said:
I have to place my palm under the knob and push it up or cup my hand around it to pull it down.
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.
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5 hours ago, RemingtonSteel said:
Mine has actually become tighter after the "thunk" the other night, and has not loosened even after oiling.
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.
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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.
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38 minutes ago, vonL said:
Aha! Great info - thanks guys:-) so I should be using 135x16 for leather (with it's various points) and 135x17 for fabric?
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.
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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.
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14 minutes ago, Donkeykong said:
For the thinner stuff I'm looking at, would something along the lines of a singer 111 do the trick? Then I would need to get the cowboy 3200... or is the 3200 not going to handle the heavier thread? Is there a good guide to how the thread is sized? It looks like the bigger the number, the fatter the thread is? Whats the second number you are referencing? #277 (~#44)? I am assuming that there is an older or european measuring system and a modern/standardized one, or is it different for hand stitching vs machine?
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.
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5 hours ago, NewfoundlandLaw said:
Does this type of stitch work for sewing things like handbags?
It would if the bag is made with fur and the hide isn't too stiff.
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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.
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20 hours ago, vonL said:
I've read that the 111w155 will work with thread in the range of 69-138. I am having a hard time figuring out what sort of needles i should buy.
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.
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On 12/3/2019 at 9:00 AM, Donkeykong said:
I want to make my daughter custom chaps (she is tiny, and everything on the market is too long, or too small in the waist)... I want to make a leather bridle and eventually halter for my Shire horse... I want to make some tool-rolls for my wrenches at work.
On 12/3/2019 at 9:00 AM, Donkeykong said:there is a used industrial machine place not far from me who happens to have random sewing machines.
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.
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55 minutes ago, nategines said:
Would you say it has reverse? The buyer didn't know and Im not sure what to look for on the photos.
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.
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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.
CB4500 foot clearance problem
in Leather Sewing Machines
Posted
Apparently. the (new) dealer failed to fully adjust and setup the machine. It takes time to develop a checklist of things that need to be tweaked and adjusted. I would mention it in a followup message to the seller.
Adjusting the internal lift parts requires removal of the faceplate. There are two large screws holding it onto the head.The full lift is a little over one inch. The pressure spring makes it harder to lift that high when it's in, so remove it while you fine tune the lifter components. When you replace the spring you need to recheck for binding on the wheel inside the head that pushes against an adjustable steel guide block. That block can be moved at both ends to get the smoothest action up and down. I tweaked my machine via those lifter parts.
When you are done adjusting the lift, oil all the tiny oil holes on the moving parts. Replace the faceplate, making sure you place the tension release lever slot over the stud that drives it on the rear lift lever. After a few times this will become old hat. Those internal parts need oiled every so often.