catskin

JLS ,I think he will be treated better because of the ATTITUDE of the local guy. I tried to deal with him more then once and was treated like crap. And the price is way better too. That's why I bought from Bob in Ohio.

Sounds to me like it could be the thread tension is not even ( not feeding smoothly ) that it binds someplace or slips to easily for a stitch once in a while. It can be hard to find since it does not happen at a regular time. Recheck everything that the thread touches. Make certain it never binds as it comes of the spool.

Isn't calling this DIRECT drive false, it is BELT driven. Direct drive would be with the motor coupled directly to the machine shaft.

Iranger where it seemed you were dissing new machines was where you say so many have trouble with new machines. This is most likely because so many new machines are sold to people new to sewing that do not understand the simple basic way a sewing machine works. They ARE simple machines to those who can grasp the principle. Just as I said about my NOT grasping computer systems. Just bring some guy that has NEVER driven a truck and put him in one of yours, be it the old 80's one or the new one he will have as much trouble with one as the other. Most of the older machines are owned by people that have been sewing for years. So for that reason you hear less about the trouble they have since they know how to fix it .

Iranger, It has to do with knowing how to use a machine. How long would your truck , chain saw, etc. last if you had some kid who had never seen one before and did not care, operate them??? Same with sewing machines, you might be a mechanic but that doesn't mean you understand sewing machines the same as I might or somebody else does. Most six year olds can do a hundred times more then I can with a computer but I have yet to find one who knows one tenth as much as I do on making and fitting harness. So while you and all the others that are dising newer machines I would be willing to bet you will NOT be sewing in 90 years time. I have 5 machines ranging in age from OLD OLD to a Cowboy 4500 all do excellent work if they are used right all can give no end to trouble if the operator doesn't know how to use them. No different from your machines.

Thanks guys I will have to do some checking.

Thanks for your replies. The ones I got are Groz-Beckert so I am guessing that most places that sell this brand could get them. Being deaf I have trouble phoning but will try to get somebody to phone for me. Any body else ever bought them? I know there are some on here that have Champion machines. And even read of at least one that has a ASN.

For connecters I found that the metal hook type tend to wear the holes and they break out after a while so I have had better luck using nylon thread. Oil about an inch of the belt at each end real good then use a small round pointed object rather then an awl so it spreads the hole rather than cutting a slit to make the holes. Then use the smallest needle you can thread with the thread you want to use and go around as many times as you can till the hole is full tie the ends with a square knot and it seems to last forever. This has worked real good on old belts that have been dried out and kept breaking at a metal hook. Using this I have never had to replace a belt.

I have an American straight needle machine set up to sew flat. ( straps etc.) I would like to get more awls and needles, The ones in it when I bought it have Champion stamped on them and it sews fine with them, so that makes me believe champion ones would work. I bought some from Montreal but they are $10.00 each ($100.00 for a 10 pack ) I saw a few months ago that someone on here said they pay $3.00 each. So I am wondering if someone would be kind enough to tell me if they know where I could get them for less then $10.00.

Nice job, I intend to do a similar one soon. Yours gave some ideas that I might use when choosing materials. Also if you had been able to change to a 1725 rpm motor you would have been half way there already. I just slowed down a singer 78-3 by machining out a little old air compressor flywheel and putting it onto the hub of the hand wheel. This gives me an 8 1/2 inch drive pulley rather then 4. It can be easily removed and the machine is back to original, I didn't even have to move the motor mounts.

Very interesting!! I bought one, no sign of rust, ready to sew, just had to put in thread for $25.00 it even had the feet you are looking for. Just goes to show how prices can differ by where you live. I admit I got a good deal at auction.

If you can find a REALLY OLD clothes dryer some of them have a perfect speed reducer on them in the back. The one I found is a 2" pully on the side of a 10" pulley It runs on bronze bushings but with a bit of oil once in a while mine has run for 20 plus years. And its still going. I use mine with a clutch and motor.

Sorry guys I haven't been on here for a bit I have been fixing flood damage to my house. Now, I have what I think is the original 1/2 hp motor (just a regular electric motor), but I have put on a salvaged speed reducer pulley I took of an OLD clothes dryer. And then I had trouble with the old round leather belt slipping so I put on a chain drive from the clutch to the machine( on this machine the clutch is a separate unit) no more slipping belts. I have it slowed way down to about 70 stitches per minute but that suits me fine. I have sewed everything from harness traces to tow straps to 2ply deer skin and anything else that showed up. I use it less since I bought my Cowboy 4500 but it still has its place. Van R Good to hear that your timing marks are right I just had that problem and thought it was worth checking since I was struggling with that for a long time because it was so little wiggle but still skipped stitches some times. To set the needle bar down on mine you loosen 2 screws that clamp the square block that the ( I will call it the pitman ) connects to that also connects to that same cam wheel and moves the needle and slide the needle bar up or down so the needle scarf is below the hook the right amount. It really is pretty easy once you get to it. When I got this machine and another one like it there were several extra parts( when I sold the other one I kept all the extra parts ) including several hooks, the hooks are a bit different from each other so I tried changing them until one worked the best. I think the different hooks set the point of the hook at slightly different distances from the needle to match the different thicknesses of needles. When I got this machine it had needle from as thin as a regular household machine for 69 thread right up to a 300.

Van R, The timing marks are on the end of the shaft and the cam wheel they look like shallow chisel marks, they need to line up. Sorry about pictures, I am not computer literate enough to get pictures loaded. Maybe my brain is analog not digital!

DC. $3.00 !!!!! I paid $8.50 for the ones I got from Landis international. The awl that came with it is a champion ( that's the name on it) and it is the same as the Gros-Beckert that I got so champion awls might be cheaper. I would guess champion needles would be the same too. Yes I am aware that they are NOT for sewing anything but leather.

Van R, Check the set screw that holds the cam wheel that also drives the needle it is deep in a hole . Mine used to skip stitches occasionally and it took me a long time to realize that that set screw was slightly loose and the cam wheel would wiggle on the shaft just enough to skip stitches once in a while. There are timing marks on the end of the shaft and the cam wheel. Mine is also the old black machine.

I have and use one, They are a good strong machine while they don't get into tight places because of the larger feet they can and do easily sew 3/4 to 7/8 inch of leather.

Thank DC for your insight. I also will be sewing harness traces and such, I have A cowboy 4500 but after seeing one of these in a museum this spring I couldn't resist when the guy said he'd sell me this one. I made a flat plate for mine this afternoon and it works good, you guys were right it wasn't that hard to make, would have been even better with the right tools. It sure is easier to sew flat pieces with this plate compared to the sole stitching plate. It tends to want to turn the work since the foot has that paddle on the inside that creates a bit of drag. Now if I could just find somebody that has a foot that fits the shaft that I could buy even broken, as long as it would fit the shaft I could build the foot on to it. I could grind the paddle off this one but I would rather keep it and the plate for sewing soles in case I or the next owner wanted to do that sometime.

Thanks DC I guess I need to get to work, I might make mine even longer since I will be sewing pieces as much as 6 feet long. Just I case someone needs a book I ended up with more than one copy so I would be able to send one to people for a reasonable cost if they need one.

Thanks Bob. The sole stitcher plate part S-8-76 has a little piece on the bottom called a thread retainer, part S-8-76C the book does not mention it for the harness plate is it needed with the harness plate if I make one? For those who have a book the parts I am looking at are S-8-96 and S-8-98 and S-8-99 and S-8-99B to replace parts S-8-76, S-8-76C ,S-3-81.

Thanks for the replies. I thought about making one and I might yet, I've done that sort of thing before. I am hoping Bob might reply on here sending E-mails to him hasn't gotten an answer maybe they don't get through. If you want to see how the flat table works google American straight needle and look at the video that Lisa Sorrell has on, she shows it plus the sole stitching plate. Any body else with any ideas I will be glad to hear from you. PS to Dirtclod Did you replace the sole stitching plate or make a flat to fit around it?

I want to convert my American straight needle from a sole stitcher to a straight stitcher so I need 3 or 4 parts I know they exist because I have seen vid's on the net of them being used. What I need is the flat table, the harness needle plate and the harness foot. If anyone has these parts or knows where they might be available I would be greatful if you would let me know. If you have them you can PM me details including price.

Thanks will try those. I think there are places that it has built up enough to affect the thread control and make it not pull up the top thread.

Lots of you folks clean up old machines ,and I bought one recently that has a lot of old wax stuck/ dried on it, I am wondering what you use to soften / dissolve it to clean it off. Gasoline might work but it is rather flammable. It sews the way it is but I would like to clean up the stuff that is around the rollers that the thread runs on and whatever I can get at without tearing it all down.

On one of my machines the hook got broken rather badly and I took it out took it to the grinder resharpened it polished it with fine sand paper and have been using it for years without a missed stitch. Not everything that gets broke has to be replaced.