Nightshade

Still for sale?

Still for sale?

I got a bug to learn shoe and boot making. Unfortunately theres no way I can get to any of the courses or schools on the subject. I've considered ordering "Bespoke Shoe Making" by Tim Skyrme. Has anyone read this book or has it for sale used? There also a video series on healthy shoes, but those look more like glorified moccasins which I already know how to make. Are there any books/vids you can recommend, or have for sale used? The stuff on youtube really isnt what I'm looking for. At this point I need step by step, from start to finish. I'm thinking of learning to make dress shoes and cowboy boots. On tools, I just picked up a pair of #3 lasting pliers and will probably get a cobblers hammer in the near future. What other specialty tools should I be looking for? Heres probably the hardest question, are there any shoe/boot last makers in the US that can do custom lasts? Most of this is just for my own amusement and the joy of learning a new skill. But I'm still going to go all out and shoot for perfection.

So I'm wondering...is this a problem? So it might not have all been operator error...lol More importantly can it be replaced or should I look to have the part welded.

Hmmm...so the bobbin finicky and needs to be wound carefully so it doesnt bind. The tension on the top thread doesnt appear to stay constant. It will run fine for a few inches the top thread appears to run loose, then in a few inches its ok again. The machine sat for a while as part of a collection so I figured there might be some issues. Is there any way to clean the tension disks and that area? Or woild it be a better idea to have it cleaned and adjusted?

Is the bobbin thread really that sensitive? Rewinding bobbin and if its not perfect or less than 50% it doesnt run right. And is it really that tiny...lol

I had some more time to work with the Singer. It appears that inexperience and operator error were the major problems. It wasnt the bobbin thread that was getting wrapped up in the shuttle, it was the top thread. I looked at the needle and it just didnt look right. After changing the needle, an Organ 160/23 I think I put in, its doing worlds better. The top tension still needs to be readjusted for the material, 2 layers of 6/7 veg chrome retan. This thing will go through 2 layers of 12oz latigo like butter. The ideas have started flowing again...lol In this little adventure I did discover that if I run the foot pressure adjustment at about half the marks from the foot go away, for the 6/7oz anyway. Thank you all for the help.

In the metal? Could a needle that is messed up or worn out cause this as well? This is my first machine. I'll try and post pix a bit later...

So I had a chance to work with 29 a bit more and whats bappening is the bobbin thread is getting wrapped up under the shuttle. The bobbin unspools countrr clockwise in machine. Thread went in slot, under spring and threw hole. Case in shuttle with hole up and hook looking part toward operator.

@Chris...thank you I wonder if the problem is that the arm that puts pressure on the tension disks from the foot. It hung up a couple times and the foot wouldnt go down. Maybe that arm got tweeked when it hung up?

Walked away from it for the night before I got frustrated

Much prettier than mine... Is there a service manual available that tells how to clean and adjust...well everything?

From the pix in the manual it looks like the bobbin clockwise when you put it in the case(with the wide opening up). The manual is very sparse with exact details...

Yeah...thats a very large possibility and cant be ruled out. I'm still learning the machine. When I threaded the bobbin case I ran the thread into the groove and under the tension spring and then through the hole in the case. But I did have some trouble a couple of time where the foot wouldnt go down after moving the lever for it into down position. Thats why I oiled it.

Foot down and attempting to run some practice stitches...

I recently bought a Singer 29-4 for making quivers. It ran perfect until I had to rethread the bobbin and oiling. The bobbin was threaded into the case and machine rethreaded following manual intructions. The problem now is the top thread tension is way too loose and I'm getting a knot of thread under the work. I've turned the tension adjustment as tight as it will go and theres no change at all. The thread pulls very easily through the machine regardless of how tight the tension is. The bobbin thread also pulls through easily. Thanks...

I was talking with someone a little while ago about this. He had dealing with Chinese manufacturers and I had asked him to get prices on 11mm caps for rapid rivets. As much as I hated the thought of having the Chinese make the rivets it seemed like the only option. But unfortunately I lost contact with him before getting an answer.