Wizcrafts
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Posts posted by Wizcrafts
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5 minutes ago, Oreca said:
Hello guys
Is an Atlas1246 a good leather sewing machine for belts,holster, recently interested in leather working as a hobbie
located at Houston, Texas
Thanks
I've never heard of that band. Do you have a link, or specs, or photos of it?
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Cobra, Cowboy and Techsew all offer roller foot post machines with either bottom feed only or driven top and bottom feed. I own a Singer post machine that has triple feed walking feet and can handle #207 thread. That's great for the repair work I do, but not for shoe uppers where 100% visibility of the needle is required. Nothing beats a roller foot for needle visibility. Because roller machines were meant for precision sewing they rarely are able to tension or clear heavier thread than #69 or maybe 92. The clearances are purposely set very tight for small needles and thread to sew tiny, perfect stitches into shoe uppers. Some roller machines are preset to sew 25 to 32 stitches per inch with a #9 or #10 needle and #33 thread. You can't expect such a machine to also accept a #19 needle and #92 thread.
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6 hours ago, Huntermetal said:
Hi. Any ideas? I can’t see any difference. Maybe stitch length range? Thanks!
I owned an Adler 204-374 for a couple of weeks and learned that the difference between it and the -370 is that the -370 feed dog has teeth whereas the -374 feed dog is smooth on top. The same applied to the 205-370 and -374.
The 204 uses the same cylindrical bobbins as the Adler 205 and Cowboy/Cobra/Juki 441 machines.
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2 hours ago, Rhale said:
Where in Okla? Will you part out some things or only sell as one lot? I live in the panhandle of Texas so could pick up! Thanks Rodney
The OP already stated he wants to sell this all at once if possible.
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Hard to tell from the back side! The details will be shown on the front of the machine.
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33 minutes ago, westwood1 said:
Oh wow
It's best to buy a new leather sewing machine from an authorized dealer who specializes in that brand, has parts, accessories and firsthand knowledge of setting them up, adjusting them and repairing them if things go South. These dealers will help you with your machine learning curve over the phone, or by email, or private messages.
You should know that it is difficult to pre-quote shipping charges for sewing machines and tables because delivery rates vary from carrier to carrier and season to season. They are different for commercial buildings with loading docks vs residential or commercial without a dock. It can cost from $70 up to have a truck with a lift gate deliver a machine, in addition to the distance charge. A dealer like the ones advertising with us know the questions to ask to get the best shipping rates, depending on where the machine is going.
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10 minutes ago, Joshstrange said:
What can I sew with the blanket feet on my cowboy 4500 I get that it is probably for thicker blanket material but can I sew fabric or thin canvas with it. Thanks
Not really. The hole in the feed dog is really big and thin.soft material might get shoved into the hole in the feed dog. You need some substance in the material as it passes over the feed dog and the big slot it oscillates in.
There is a different solution for all of the 441 class machines to allow them to sew soft materials. That is to remove the feed dog and install a flat slotted throat plate with a not-so-long, narrow slot.
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4 hours ago, R8R said:
Asked for a quote once. Took forever to reply, and the quote was much higher than the prices listed on the site.
The prices on imported Chinese sewing machines has gone up at least 25% over the past year. Those Cowboy/Hightex prices on that website are likely from before the latest tariff increases went into effect. Second, they don't include actual crating and shipping costs or insurance in the cart prices for items over 40 pounds. Those would be added later at the buyers expense. Third, the website and shopping cart are unencrypted. There is no https lock because they don't have a security certificate installed on the server. Anything submitted from their forms could be intercepted or altered.
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I personally use a servo motor that lets me limit the top speed with a knob. When I sew small areas and vegetable tanned leather I limit the speed to a couple hundred rpm and sew very slowly; sometimes 1 stitch per second. When I sew upholstery leather, banners and long items, I crank it up to maximum speed and sew as fast as the machine wants to go (about 2000 spm). In upholstery, time is usually money. Just make sure you oil the machine well before running it flat out.
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28 minutes ago, dikman said:
one thing I was told is if there's any wood inside the crate, like a table, then it will be quarantined
Wouldn't this also apply to the shipping crate/box?
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2 hours ago, Clintock said:
I have a 3200. Great machine. Up to about 9/16” thick and handles the lighter stuff too. 138 thread is about as small as you can go. If you’re planning on stitching 2/3 oz I wouldn’t recommend it. I can do a layer of 2/3 to 4/5 and it works great. But I can’t hide the knot in 2/3 to 2/3.
You can buy smaller diameter needles and sew with #92 thread into 4-6 ounces. I've used #19 or #20 round point needles (7x3) when those jobs came up. Then I bought a medium duty cylinder arm machine that better handles lighter work and thinner thread.
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18 minutes ago, Constabulary said:
they do not mention any material thickness. So I´d guess this is the stitch length "under best circumstances" and that is thin material from my experience. I have sewn 12mm material with my 29K71 but have not measured the stitch length at this thickness.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kF1feAFwdQ&feature=youtu.be
The foot on my 29k71 doesn't lift as high as yours in the video. My patcher's foot hand lifts to about 3/8 inch (~10 mm) and maxes out at sewing 5/16 inch thickness under the foot. My Adler 30-7 does clear almost 1/2 inch and sews 3/8 inch. Did you modify the 29k to lift and sew higher? If so, what did you do? Does the foot go all the way down to sew thin leather?
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Regarding location #5 in the OP's machine photo, because the check spring was threaded incorrectly, it can't move up and down to manage the slackness of the thread feeding up to the take-up lever. There has to be some slack in the thread so it can go around the bobbin case without too much friction (and making a snapping sound). The spring's job is to keep the top thread taut until the needle pierces the material. Then it stops moving and gives the top thread enough slack to create a decent loop for the hook to pick off. Without a check spring there might not be a decent loop at all. Tight top thread makes it hard to balance the knots and puckers soft material upwards.
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Theoretically, you can balance the position of the knots in any material by a proper combination of thread size, needle size, bobbin tension and top tension. But, soft materials tend to give/pucker more that stronger materials. It's remotely possible that the otherwise great top/bottom tensions in soft leather won't match the outcome when sewing stiff leather. If you back off the bobbin tension a bit, then rest the top to let the knots drop, it should look better. Stop backing off before the bottom thread gets too loose underneath. If the bottom tension is still too strong, reverse the direction of the bobbin so it feeds inline with the slot in the bobbin case. Rely upon your anti-backlash spring to keep the bobbin from spinning on its own.
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I'd say from your list that the cb3200 is the best machine for the times you listed. The Techsew 3650 is a great machine if you don't mind tooth marks on the bottom layer.
The Toro 3000 is similar to the Cowboy CB3500, 4500 and 5500. They are full blown holster and harness stitchers. I have the CB4500 and love it.
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57 minutes ago, jrprottas said:
Thank you. I can rule them out!
System 190 needles are oftentimes referred to as Pfaff needles. So, there must be a Pfaff model that uses them and has a longer stroke. I just don't know what model or models that encompasses.
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2 hours ago, jrprottas said:
Thank you. This is great information and gives me new ideas to look for. Is there a model or 2 of the Pfaff machines that might fall into this category? There are so many listed on CL in my area.
If there are any Pfaff than are rated at 1/2 inch, they would have to use system 190 needles, which are about 3/16" longer than regular system 135x16 walking foot needles.
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1 hour ago, dikman said:
Matt, I realise it would actually be made in China and my wording is poor.
CB3200 doesn't come up on either alibaba or Aliexpress. I was hoping to avoid having to go through every listed manufacturers' website trying to match specifications.
CB is the Cowboy designation for their current machine line. CowboySew also produces a line branded Hightex. You might want to look into that.
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I like that decal. Does he market them?
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2 hours ago, jrprottas said:
Can you folks suggest a couple of model numbers of older machines that I should be the lookout for that meet the 1/2" requirement?
AFAIK, only the Singer 132k6 and 45k25 can sew 1/2 inch. I've owned both a long time ago. The 132 has a spring loaded alternating pressers system while the 45k25 has a roller foot. Both have aggressive feed dogs. Both take up to #346 thread, using a #26 needle. The roller foot doesn't hold leather down as well as the alternating pressers, or a flat foot with a split toe. So, I limited the 45k25 to #277 thread and a #25 needle.
FYI: The Singer 132k6 was marketed as a buffing wheel sewing machine and had a special attachment available the was used to sew them in a converging circle.
The modern equivalent of the 45k is the Cowboy CB2500. Although the foot lifts to 1/2 inch, it is spec'd at 7/16 inch, with #346 thread.
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8 hours ago, photo2u said:
Great! I buff the driver as good as it can be. Thanks for the info. Finally, could you please let me know how about how little a should pry the end of the driver's? 1 or 2 millimeters?
Trial and error. Keep in mind that if you ever-flex the driver it may break. So, source a replacement just in case.
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6 hours ago, photo2u said:
Also, you mentioned "polishing the trailing end where the thread exits" is that in the stainless steel Shuttle Hook?
No. I was referring to the driver. Polish the end where the top thread exits.
If your hook has burrs, polish it to a shine.
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2 hours ago, christine1ca said:
This is super helpful as I've been going through the same search. @harnessman what's your model # for the machine you love so much?
Harnessman hasn't posted on this forum since January, 2016. This topic is from September 2010; nine + years ago.
Rebadged Singer
in Leather Sewing Machines
Posted
I had to add a speed reducer to my Singer 168 that has a servo motor to get it to turn over and penetrate leather when the speed limiter dial was turned way down low, just above the starting position. Otherwise, the knob had to be turned up higher and it was off to the races at startup. With the reducer, it powers the machine at very slow speeds and penetrates anything under the feet without any help from me. Some of these motors have less torque as they begin to spin and the limiter pot is just at the starting position.
The same problem existed on the SewPro 500GR motors I used to use. Its limiter knob had to be turned up about half way to get it to turn the machine over. It seems to be a controller design problem. Maybe the Chinese motor builders need to design (or steal) a different type of signal modulation controller to get more starting torque at very slow speeds. However, that may produce more heat, requiring a metal box instead of the common plastic in common use.