catskin

If Cowboy machines now are like that I am glad I bought mine several years ago. There are apparently lots of companies copying the JUKI and some do better than others. That is why I wondered if this was maybe a shipped from china machine that was not from the same place Cowboy comes from. But claimed to be equal. For example those parts in the pictures don't look stainless steel as mine are.

When and where did you get this machine? Hardly any parts look like my Cowboy 4500 the parts on yours are all rough where mine are smooth and shiny I have never had to make any adjustments to any parts that came with my machine. Tension discs thread guides bobbin case all look cheap made compared to mine. Or is this just a copy made by somebody else that is supposed to be like a Cowboy.

With the rosin you may not need to sand paper the pulley. Just rib it on the belt. What I do is hold the rosin in my hand or warm it up a bit and run the belt through my hand. Its best to crush it a bit to a powder. It can be bought at most tack shops cheap. I bought about 1/2 lbs. for a couple dollars a few years ago.

Another option I have used on belts that are older and a bit stiff is to make a hole with an awl and use thread and a needle to connect the ends going round and round through the ends that leaves a more flexible joint than the wire clip and on older belt it is less likely to break out at the hole. I did this 30 years ago and its still going. It broke out at the clip in 2 days. The rosin works too, rodeo riders use it all the time on gloves and bull ropes.

Maybe NOT 5 but 25 or 50!!!!! Cost recovery.

The package that the seller put them in says 180, with a micrometer they measure the same as 180 for my Adler. Will have to look on them to see if they have 180 or the old number.

Some body made the parts to build that machine. So while it might not be cost effective to hire someone to make them there is no reason they could not be made by a person that likes to machine. And where for example a hole is worn bigger in the casting ( frame ) make the part over size that goes in. I realize this might sound unreasonable to some it would be possible.

Since they seem so rare and I only have a hundred of various sizes for my pearson I think I will not give out my source until I get some more. I will have to find out if I might have gotten the last of NOS in size 180 since the package is different from the ones of the other sizes I ordered. They are NOT schmetz. They are in a plain package with no company name only the name of the seller so likely were bought in a huge quantity and repacked at the seller. I will have to take a very strong magnifying glass to see if there is a company name on the needles. Schmetz is NOT on them ,so far all I have made out is a number and what looks like a logo. Stay tuned.

I just got a package of 180 needles for my Pearson # 6 so they are still available.

I found the same thing with the one I built. ( pictured on another thread ) getting the thread to wind evenly while hand guiding it is a bit tricky. That might be why the Aaron Martin ones are so long between bobbin and tensioner. I intend to try putting a tensioner on mine at a distance to see if it then winds more evenly. But have not had any problems sewing even with uneven wound bobbins.

You are right. The pictures shows the cover with the spring but it says shuttle cover spring. NOT shuttle cover WITH spring.

I can't tell on mine if its threaded or not. The pin is near flush on the outside. If it is it likely is a Whitworth thread. I thought you were close to Aaron Martin they have those slides listed for sale one the website. So would be easy for you to get that plus shuttle and bobbin.

Jimi, I stand corrected. But it seems that it would have been a good idea for a lot more of the older machines to have had it done. Even now with powered machines it would be a lot easier when you have to make just a few stitches. The old harness machines Pearson, Landis #1 and maybe others had them. So the lighter machines would have been handy that way to.

Yes if it is square you likely will . They have a slope on one side. Sort of like if you cut the one corner off leaving a 5th flat area.

I seem to have reached my limit on posting pictures when I posted the one of my bobbin winder on who uses a Pearson # 6. But looking at the picture you posted it looks like the brass is quite worn. On mine the slope on the brass is flat not rounded as that one looks to be.

Since hand operated machines are being discussed. I wonder why no company seems to have made a machine other then the 29k ( patcher ) style machine with the flywheel on the front. They would be SO MUCH easier to use then with it on the end like the one pictured. Doesn't seem like it would have taken that much more machineing .I realize now most machines are motorized but a lot of the older machines were built when power was not available to everybody like it is now.

Tried to post more pictures but got a message that I have reached my limit. If anyone wants more pictures please private message me your email and I will email more pictures.

Yes it is. I started with a winder from a 100 old year old sock knitter . Made a new top shaft with pully and the part that the other end of the bobbin runs in. I tried to post 2 pictures from different angles but got a message that I could not. Will try to post the others on separate posts.

The above post is the bobbin winder I made for my Pearson # 6. Had trouble getting it loaded and text didn't seem to get on. Sorry if I did something wrong mods.

I do agree that the Pearson was and likely still is one of the best machines made. BUT I stand by my comment comparing the 2 machines. BASED on what I have. I do not have any kind of groover. I do not have a rein rounder. I do not have pricker feet whatever they are. Nor do I have any other attachments if they exist. And like big S. is with Pearsons, I have never seen any of those things. I do wonder if it would be any easier to sew rounds with it then with a 441 WITHOUT the right attachment. So WITHOUT the attachments it is I believe limited to much less then with them. And likely very few would be able to find them. I have to wonder if the saddle makers that are replacing them with 441 and copies are doing it because they need the close tolerances that a worn out Pearson can no longer give them. And a new clone can. After all there is rarely more then 15 feet of sewing on a saddle. ( not counting breast collar etc. ) And can't find , or don't feel the cost of a total rebuild is justified. No rounding on saddles nor likely grooving. As for the Landis #1 I only repeated what the owners told me. The saddle maker had several feet for his and maybe other things but still had the opinion that Pearson might be better somehow. He did all his sewing on saddles with his genuine Juki 441. There again maybe 100 plus years of wear made it less then it was 99 years ago.

I wonder if some of those that don't have the various attachments ( I have nearly all of them )for the 441 type of machine don't realize that they are available. Like the saddle maker that was here last winter , he has a genuine Juki 441 ( had it for many years ) but only had the big feet was very surprised that these other feet feed dogs and plates were available. And intended to order them. So like the Pearson if you do not have the right attachments it limits what you can do. I do not know what attachments are for the Pearson or where it might be possible to get any of them. I got only the machine. I made an edge guide and bobbin winder. As my Pearson is ,doing any fine work would be difficult. My Cowboy does that easy. For example sewing 2 stitch lines on 1/2 " wide leather with 207 thread. I would be very happy if those of you that have Pearson attachments would post pictures. I might be able to make my own version of some. As others likely could too.

I guess I am a bit new to the Pearson. Having only had it a few weeks. But with the work I do I have yet to find anything that I would not be able to do on the Cowboy. We each have different things we do. And I have never seen any attachments for a Pearson only heard about them. I would like to see and or get any that there are. I am in no way putting down the Pearson it IS a good machine. If I didn't think it would be good I would not have bought it. . But as stated no machine will do it all , That's why I have 7. But the guys that were stating that a 441 were a poor machine and would NOT do what a Pearson can were wrong. They can do most of it. I speak from experience ( several years ) of using a 4500. I have seen and know several people that have Landis # 1 machines and they thought they were good. But all of then said that they thought a Pearson would be even better, They never told me why they thought that, only that one said that the Landis would only do traces. There is a Landis #1 sitting 2 miles from me that the people have offered me several times but would not put a price on it. Or likely would be owning it. So when I got a chance to get this one I jumped at it. To pinker, I have been trying to post pictures but have not been able yet. You may not have what I used for the drive. It is the winder that is used for winding yarn for 100+ year old sock knitting machines. It works much like the Pearson winder but uses a belt rather then gears.

Well at risk of ticking off some strong opinioned people. Here goes. I waited 60 years to own a Pearson #6 now I do. It is a wonderful machine. I believe it might be among the best original machines around, meaning it has NO welds on it, the needle plate is clearly original and one end is still like new, not beat out like the machines I see in harness shops. No built up rollers. BUT I also have owned a Cowboy 4500 for a few years and it will make a stitch as good as the Pearson, BUT you have to know how to use and set it . Unless I just got lucky there is no reason to claim that the 441 clones can not do good work.. Today I sewed 35 feet of stitching with the Pearson and I can tell you that my arm feels it. But it never missed a stitch. So I am looking at finishing putting a motor on it. I talked to a guy recently and he asked why, he always cranked his by hand. And I believe him, but I doubt many would be sewing 50 or more feet of stitch in a single session without needing a rest and their arm feeling it. To keep it going it seems to need to be turned at about 70 stitches a minute. When I get the motor on I hope to have it at about 60. Speed is not what I am looking for but a nice steady run. I think my opinion is shared by a fair number of serious users since I have read that people are buying Pearsons from saddle makers that are going to 441"s and copies ( clones ) I had to build a bobbin winder which I finished yesterday ,it is not hard to do. I hope to be able to post a picture soon.

I got a deluxe on the black Friday a couple years ago and it seems worth the price to me although I only use it to skive ends on straps since I have 4 other pull splitters. And recently got a American crank that looks like it has done very little. Based on the fact that the blade has barely been moved from new setting ( all of the slot is still behind the bolt that sets it ) and it splits to paper thin.