trekster

I have a Tippmann Boss Leather Stitcher for sale. This machine has a Serial Number of 7056. That means it has an aluminum casting for the machine body. This machine is one that I have completely disassembled, cleaned and refurbished. I replaced the AR-10 Needle Shaft Gear with the newly redesigned Gear. This new gear is far superior to the old one in the way it attaches and transfers physical energy to the operating stroke. Also, I installed the Gear Rack Upgrade Kit. This kit involves Gear Rack Stops made from softer materials and the timing was changed to ensure long life of the AR-10 Gear and CAR-08 Gear Rack. I stitched up about three of my holsters with this machine, just to make sure it was operating correctly. The plastic tackle box contains 2 bobbins, a selection of needles and the Allen wrenches. Please note that one corner of the plastic tackle box has a chip broken out of it. Also included is the Operating Manual and the Tippmann Industrial DVD of Instructions. If you think you might be interested in buying this machine, please contact me by email. The price is $1100.00 plus shipping within the continental US only. I estimate UPS shipping will be $30.00 The machine will be shipped in an original Tippmann Boss container, as seen in the background of the photos. (I have two other photos. Also, this Boss is currently listed at my Tippmann Boss blog. )

You may want to take a look at this blog, as there is some pretty good information and troubleshooting tips over there.

I heard of several fellas that have started with the Boss, and then eventually moved on to an electric machine. Some have hung onto the Boss, "just in case"; but I rather imagine once they get totally committed to the electric machine, the Boss probably won't get used again. Guess I would agree with Rayban; and if you can't think of any good reason to keep it, may as well pass it on to someone that is looking for a good used one. They do seem to sell pretty well, both on Craigslist and eBay. Trekster tippmannboss.blogspot.com

There is a new blog that has recently started, about the Tippmann Boss Leather Stitcher. There is a posting in it about the importance of mounting the Boss on a sturdy supporting structure.

Did you get the TB new or used? Sometimes these machines need adjusting to your particular needle, thread and leather combinations. Before you take the sledge to it... why don't you give the factory a call, and try to get some advice. Ask to speak to Ben. He has experienced just about every problem you can think of, and will usually have some pretty good tips and/or things to try.

I don't have a picture of mine, but it is quite similar to the shape of the one just posted by clintsdivco. And, it works the same way.

Although I have one of the aluminum casting machines, it came with the older spring, as you mention above. I was aware of the newer spring design, and replaced it in my machine. It does provide for better tension on the thread take up arm, and is well worth the time and money to change it out.

The paint should not be peeling off, as you indicated. Your stitches indicate not enough tension on the needle (top) thread. Leave the bobbin tension where it is, and then wrap the needle thread TWICE around the Primary and Secondary tension plates. If the loop starts appearing on the top of the stitch instead of the bottom, begin to loosen the Primary tension adjustment some. Properly adjusting the tension on a Boss can "drive a sane man nuts" - but once you get past being really mad, and do it a few times, it gets easier. Still, I would definitely call Tippmann and ask to speak to Ben. Tell him Sam said to call him. He will talk you through most any problem you are having, and if there is a quality issue with your unit, he will make it right too.

Glad it worked out for you. You might have a little smaller thread spool than I do; in which case the weight of the thread spool will not add that much additional tension to the overall settings (as it turns), so your thread tensions would not be influenced.

Another alternative fix for the same problem is to replace the wire hanger that comes with the Tippmann Boss. Get yourself a wire coat-hanger and use the wire to fashion a new support wire. The new support should be bent in a kind of U-shape such that a small hook can be formed at the end of it. Take a 1" stainless steel key ring and hang from the hook. Adjust the bend in the wire so that the hole in the key ring is about even with the center of the spool of thread, and away from the spool about 3 or 4 inches. Route the thread from the spool through the key ring and then into the first hole of the first thread guide. As you use thread from the spool it will come off the spool horizontally instead of looping off the spool in an upwards direction. The thread will actually "turn" the spool on the base, and thus will maintain tension - and it can never coil off the spool again. Note: This arrangement will change the overall thread tension some, so some adjustments in tension settings might be necessary.

Glad to hear you are having a better time with your Boss. It would be interesting to hear from you what contributed the most to your current success. Were there bad parts that were replaced by the factory (Ben)? Perhaps different adjustments and thread tension settings? Or, do you think it is more just you becoming more knowledgable about the operation of the machine? Anyway... good luck with it.

Keep us posted. I'll be interested in hearing of your experiences with the machine as it comes back from a "factory tuneup".

Yup, I agree, operating the Tippmann Boss can be a very frustrating experience. I think generally the erratic operation of the Boss stems from a couple of problems; both of which must be overcome before an operator can obtain consistent results. Personally, (IMHO) I think both problems arise from a lack of proper information (from the manufacturer) and the level of expectations from the typical user. IMO, the Boss has a significant "learning curve". That is, time spent by a new operator experimenting with a "significant" number of different machine settings, bobbin tensions, thread tensions, material feed methods, timing adjustments, etc. to name a few of the main ones (and there are others). Not every new operator has the desire or the time and patience to traverse this "learning curve". Certainly, the manual does not explain this fact - but they "hint" at it by saying you should spend a little time practicing on scrap leather before doing a real project. Which leads to the other problem... "level of expectations" ..... Most of us, myself included, buy into a Tippmann Boss because we are tired of hand stitching and yet do not have the level of work and/or financial resources to invest in a Cowboy 4500 (or even a 2500) - which is so often recommended here on this forum. Sure, having one of those would be nice, but a lot of us just cannot justify the expenditure for the type and quantity of work we are doing. So, many of us hear the siren call of a Tippmann Boss, buy a used one off of Craigslist or eBay (for something less than retail) and figure our days of hand stitching are gone forever. That is, our level of expectations is; we figure we will spend a little time practicing and then suddenly begin knocking out our projects in a tenth of the time we spent hand-stitching, and have results that look just like we have been used to prior to getting the Boss. There are three glaring problems with that thinking; one, the machine we buy used, could have any number of things wrong with it, which we don't know at the outset, but which could render the machine totally incapable of producing acceptable results (believe me, I speak from experience). Not only that, but I've heard of people getting a NEW machine that contained an out-of-tolerance part, which prevented it from "ever" producing acceptable results. The second problem is, (IMO) a little time practicing could mean a WHOLE lot more expermentation, trial and error, than we ever imagined. And third (again IMO) NO mechanical method of producing a lock-stich in leather, can ever exactly resemble the looks of hand stitching. Still, I do believe a properly adjusted Boss, in the hands of an operator that has gone through the "learning curve", will produce a very acceptable looking lock-stitch in a variety of different materials and projects. However, is the Tippmann Boss "the" machine for everyone wanting to give their fingers a rest from hand-stitching? No, I don't think it is -- for the reasons I iterated above. Fortunately, there still seems to be a significant number of folks who hear the siren call of the Boss, and hence the used machines on eBay are usually sold for not much less than retail cost, and therefore a disgruntled user may unload it without losing a significant amount of their initial investment. Chalk it up to experience and education....

Sending it back to Tippmann is probably the best thing you can do right now. I have heard of at least two different owners who did the same thing, and both were extremely pleased with the operation of their machines once they got them back. Glad to hear you didn't damage any of the gearing.

Well, the electric machines are very enticing, but I just don't do that much quantity that I can justify the cost. Plus, don't forget they come with their own "learning curve" and it is probably quite a bit different from using (and getting used to) a Boss. Let your machine rest awhile, call Ben @ Tippmann in the morning and tell him what happened. He has seen (and heard of) just about any problem you can think of - and he usually has a pretty good solution. Get the parts ordered, and give it another try. Then if you still ain't happy with it, put it on Craigslist or eBay. I've seen the Boss machines on eBay go for darn near new price, so you shouldn't take too much of a beating on it. BTW, if the operating handle is not acting right, I suspect you probably sheared off some teeth on the rack gear, or perhaps the round gear that mates up to the rack gear. Take the back cover off, and you should be able to tell right away.

I'm sure you probably had a brand new "sharp" needle, so if it didn't make it through the leather, it almost sounds to me like the point may have contacted the needle plate. If it hit the plate, it would definitely not have passed into the shuttle area. The screw holes that hold on the needle plate are sloted so the slot in the needle plate can be aligned exactly in the middle of where the needle goes through. But if you did a bunch of practice stitches, I would think you would have noticed if the slot wasn't aligned very well.

Sorry to hear of your frustrating experiences. I know it can be very maddening, especially when you break something. Other than extremely hard, dry leather, or something outside the maximum thickness - there should be few reasons for breaking the needle and needle foot (guide). I can think of one instance that might do it, but it doesn't happen all that often. If... after the needle just enters the top thickness of leather, you inadvertantly push, pull or put a little sideways pressure on the material - you can cause the needle to bend enough that when it plunges through bottom of the material it will be misalighned enough where the point will actually hit the bobbin shuttle (or the needle plate), and of course if you continue applying force through the operating handle; you can snap off the needle. The clearance between the needle point and the bobbin shuttle is not very much, so it does not take a lot of sideways pressure on the needle to make it contact the shuttle ring as it enters the shuttle area. Not saying that is why it broke, but it is one thing that might have happened without you knowing what caused it. Maybe someone else will comment also.

My presser foot looks just like the one pictured by mlapaglia. I never really noticed my needle foot hitting one of the inside edges of the presser foot, but I do know that it is NOT centered in the space. Obviously it has to do with the dimensional tolerances between both the presser foot alignment and the needle bar. My machine has one of the "older" version needle bar assemblies. You can tell if it is an older version, if it does NOT come apart (needle foot removal) as is shown in the Tippman video. However, the needle bar assemblies are interchangeable, so if you have an older one and it needs replacement, the newer one will fit no problem. However, on the older cast iron machines, the horizontal tension spring for the needle bar is completely different from the tension assembly on the aluminum casting machines, so I'm guessing that needle bar would not be interchangeable with the later ones.

Thanks a lot.... very helpful.

Just a couple of additional questions. 1) What size needle and thread did this new setup involve; and how were the thread tensions set? 2) When he rewound the bobbin; how was it different than how you had it wound? Looser? Tighter? Zigzag?

Real glad to hear you got the Boss working to your satisfaction. Maybe it would be good if you shared some of your experience at McCabes and highlight some of the major things that were done to your machine that resulted in the "fix". Probably could help others who might be wrestling with similar issues.

No, not every time, but sometimes I have some tight corners and curves; and I like to plan out my stitches ahead of time.

Another method to consider, when wishing to figure out exactly where the stitch will be on the bottom of the project -- is to poke the holes first, and then come back and sew. I know it pretty much defeats the purpose of saving time, but often times I will do it just to make sure my stitch holes are perfectly spaced. Without thread in the machine, it is a lot easier to obtain nicely spaced stitches, then on the second pass I thread up the machine and still it's a lot easier (and quicker) than hand stitching. Naturally, it would be easier to groove the backside of the project with the holes already punched, though I've never done that. I set my Boss with fairly strong thread tension, and my stitches are usually pulled nicely into the leather.

If you are careful to make sure each stroke is consistent and against the limit stops, then there are only three main adjustments that can influence stitch consistency. 1.) Thread tensions (needle and bobbin), 2.) Machine timing and 3.) Presser foot tension. If you have the video instruction from Tippmann, I would start out by setting the thread tensions according to what they recommend. Machine timing can be varied by both the stop bolt in the base of the machine, the separation of the two halves of the rack gear pieces and the drive gear on the shuttle shaft. Inconsistent stitch length is generally associated with improper presser foot tension.

Very nice work. Many years ago I made a knife out of piece of truck spring. It is functional but not nearly as nice as yours. At that length, couldn't it almost qualify as a sword.