Darren Brosowski

This topic is raised every now and then and I thought it was time that it was revisited as I noticed this ad on eBay UK but there are plenty of these shonks in the USA and everywhere else. Domestic sewing machines are not for leather! Yes they can sew a couple of layers of upholstery leather or even do what this advertiser has done but all you are getting is a $25 machine for $400. It won't feed properly, cannot handle anything more than #69 thread and it is going to crap itself very quickly The term "semi industrial" is meaningless and I always ask people what "semi industry" they would use it in. The advertised machine is a Singer 99k which absolutely the worst possible Singer vintage domestic straight sewer for leather. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Semi-Industrial-Singer-99k-Mk2-Sewing-Machine-Heavy-Duty-Leather-New-Motor/292011554953?_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D43782%26meid%3Dcb77f3de8b45407589eedd77e6a51505%26pid%3D100011%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D252912248287

Toledo has this table; http://www.tolindsewmach.com/cb227r.html

Don't be fooled into buying a "walking foot" attachment for the machine as they are just light devices for helping the feed when quilting.

I just like doing machines a bit different as the factory colours are bloody boring

The question I always ask is; "What is the absolute last thing that happened before it stopped working?" 99.9% of the time the last change or "clunk" or whatever is the cause of the issue

The bigger importers spend more time sourcing to get the right product. Tracing design histories is interesting but most Japanese machines have a touch of Singer in them from when Singer started having machines built in Japan

Go for a compound feed rather than the 0302..

I use my trusty electrical screwdrivers but have a variety of older types that have been ground to shape for various jobs.

Green? Blue?

201p was made in Penrith (Western Sydney)

As always - the guys who sponsor this page deserve your consideration.

The Cowboy Outlaw is cast iron and I have disagree that aluminium is suitable for the frame To keep the weight down the castings are relatively thin and when changing between cast iron and aluminium they did not thicken the casting to compensate for the difference in material properties. It only takes a tiny amount of flex in a sewing machine frame to cause problems. By basing the machine on a cast iron frame - as well as all the other modifications - the Outlaw will outperform the original Boss

It is possibly a Korean built version of the Juki 555 If you want to make mass produced clothing it is a great machine

That is quite accurate but is something most people do not realise. When Seiko started building machines for Singer they very quickly upgraded them and most gained reverse. The 132k6 became the 132B2B with a driven walking foot. Things got out of hand with the 45k and it morphed into a machine closer to the higher end ADLER 105 which is sort of ironic considering the very earliest incarnation of that machine - the ADLER 4? - was an exact copy of the 45k

Talk to the dealers. Bob at Toledo sells the CB4500 every day of the week to saddlers and between him and Ryan Neele at head office you are not going to find a better team to back you up. The other dealers here also have good reputations but for breadth of product Cowboy pretty much have it nailed

Ah, this is the Cowboy machine!!! In that case the product support will be as good as it gets.

There could be a number of problems. Most likely the foot is lifting as the needle comes up so the loop is not forming properly. The foot pressure is controlled by the nut under the top arm that tensions the two springs that run through the upper arm. If not then you may need to drop the needle bar a poofteenth of an inch

One has to wonder what the support will be like........

I mentioned a servo motor in our PM on facebook and I apologise that I did not explain it better. The Cowboy servo comes with a very small pulley and a minimum set speed of 300RPM. At best the motor on that 45k25 will be 1425RPM and appears to have a bigger pulley so the servo on its lowest speed reduces the total machine speed by a factor of about 8. When you get more comfortable you only press one button to increase the speed for longer runs. I mentioned that for your work the CB227R was probably the best machine. These have a small balance wheel on the machine so we fit a 4 to 1 speed reducer. Because you are doing mostly light work I did not mention the CB4500 (441) as it is way over the top for your needs. While the can do lighter work it is difficult to get the smaller needles. The CB4500 on a heavy pedestal table is $AU4450 with all of the accessories.

Generic Chinese GC0302 or similar

If working well these machines are a joy to use but if parts are worn out they are a horror - as Eric suggested. Talk to CowboyBob about a new CB227R which is the same machine but brand new with servo and warranty

It is like buying a car that can take the family to Church on Sunday, plough fields during the week and win a hill climb event on Saturday

It is a $15 domestic sewing machine. Brilliant for wallet inners etc but the seller is a crook

With a three phase motor it is most likely a machine that has sewn a million miles so wear maybe an issue but parts are readily available. Get yourself a servo motor rather than a clutch. A consew 227r manual is pretty close