Darren Brosowski

Without knowing a lot more a I immediately suspect you are getting a machine in the box as it arrives from China. Best of luck.

Almost no machine without an open frame shuttle (exception being the 132 class shuttle) can handle anything over 138 thread. The 810/820/830 bobbin is maxed out at 138. The Cowboy branded GA5 is capable of heavy thread but despite asking a number of dealers I have yet to see even a photograph of a roller foot so I have sourced them myself - NOT from China. The 17/18 class machines were designed for the shoe industry as vamping (closing) machines which is why they are right handed (17) and left handed (18). The "Global" machine mentioned is purely for forming a "corded welt" in the uppers of shoes and, being decorative, uses an open frame shuttle for heavy threads. I have one of the Italian feed up the arm versions around here somewhere but there is also an ADLER 204 model for the job. For the Cowboy dealers I believe the equivalent is the 7133 based on the Chinese 253 with double roller feet.

My suggestion to all first timers is practice, practice, practice and then practice some more. If you haven't spent ten hours learning the feel of the machine, speed control and guiding the work BEFORE you thread it up then you are not doing it properly

LOL, the Asians ship by air and I often get parts faster out of Asia than I can from Australian suppliers.

This material can be a bugger to feed and in my experience a CB2500/GA5-1/Singer 45k25 will work fine if fitted with a roller foot. The three machines have the same presser foot diameter so the 45k roller foot fits all.

I am saving up for a small lathe so I can make the bobbins. Have not looked closely at the bobbin case but think the 29k version could be ground into submission.

Have you considered core spun PolyCotton or High Tenacity Polyester (AMANN Serafil)?

Lots of machines are used in shoe making. The Singer 17/18 class (Seiko TE/TF) are very handy.

Singer used them too and some were up or down speed units with a clutch

A lot of 205 look to that machine. Suspect it is an East German copy.

I have sold over 600 of these babies in the last three years but my primary market is not leather work. There are a number of problems with the basic machine in part because they test them with monofilament: - the needle bar height will probably need adjustment to avoid damaging multi strand thread - the take up lever needs adjustment for the same reason - the bobbin winder is only about 50% likely to work - the instructions are very funny but otherwise useless - toss out the needles that come with it and buy good ones - drill out the needle plate to 2.5mm and chamfer top and bottom - file and grind off the rough edges - polish the hole in the take up lever - grind off the sharp edges on the foot and coat in a rubber compound - etc. -etc. That is why I sell these for $AU295

As an importer of machines I would suggest you take it back to the dealer and jam it straight up his arse. Chinese clones of the 29k are mostly crap and take a lot of tuning to get working properly. If you bought it second hand then the seller wanted to get rid of it as it is a boat anchor. I refuse to work on these for people as to fix them I need to strip them back to the bare body, flush out the metal shavings, replace all springs with equivalents from Taiwan and then rebuild. For the cost of the labour to get the piece of rubbish working I can airfreight a new machine in from Taiwan.

Reminds me of the 20U class feed dogs and needle plate.

Just to confuse the issue........ Consew was (or maybe is) a marketing name for Seiko machines in the west. Most Consew machines were rebadged Seikos which were derived from older Singer models. Most of the Cylinder bed machines were the top half of a 211 but Seiko had this new fandangled idea of putting reverse on everything!

LOL, during the war it is a certainty that Singer would have been making weapons or parts for them! I'll have one too - a matched pair would be better

I think I need to work on my technique Bob as I tend to use a bloody big hammer on most old machines.

Minor issues with both machines. 45k bobbin winder is readily available and I suspect that a 29k (or Chinese equivalent) bobbin winder will fit the ADLER. The 45k appears to have a reduction pulley set so speeds should be good. Both machines are a great addition to any leather shop but as is from a private seller I would not pay more than $1000 for the pair.

Would be using a 20g needle with #92 for a start If the machine uses a 794 needle then it is a long thin needle for the job.22g or lower I would be using a machine with 135X16 needle.

There are two types of bonded nylon - internal and external bonded - and I would not use either as they damage the thread path over long periods of time. High Tenacity or Bonded Polyester are mush less abrasive and have better UV protection

Based on the Seiko CW8B which is the Consew 227R.

ADLER are not interested in the hobby guys like most on this forum. I hope I do not offend Bob, Steve, Ronnie or others but if I was running a machine 8 or more hours a day, 6 days a week then I would buy the Adler. The Chinese machines are good but I am not convinced they are at full production quality yet. Even dedicated saddlers rarely use the 205/441 class machines for more than a few hours per week and mostly that is at LOW speed which limits wear on load bearing surfaces.

I saw an SD28 today - the Pederson version - and as always it was a joy to behold. If I had the money I would seriously consider having a modern version made in Taiwan using a commercially available needle and shuttle.

Bill they are not reproductions. These machines are made from original Singer/Pfaff tooling and drawings. The problem is that sloppy Indian practices have led to everything becoming corrupted over time...... There is something of a revival of interest in old machines in Australia and I would like to think I am helping it along by supplying new parts.

Anyone who has been watching my posts over the lasts couple of years knows that I like to stir things up and get people asking questions. For portability the Boss has no equal. My concern is the huge number of problems that crop up on this and various other forums.

Often when picking between dealers it comes down to whoever is closest amongst the suggested dealers and this is no reflection on the others. In the rare event that things go seriously wrong then the closest dealer is the lowest cost shipping option. A good businessman is not just interested in the machine you buy today. We all know that you are going to have numerous machines over the life of your hobby/business so they want to build a long term relationship to supply needles, parts, motors, etc. It may sound a bit mercenary but we want to build trust both ways.