Uwe

I've no personal experience with Tippmann Boss although others have reported very good results. The guy selling the cast iron Tippmann Boss posted some stitch sample pictures that look simply amazing for machine stitches. Perhaps your machine can be adjusted to cooperate at the same level, the Tippmann Boss folks should be motivated to help you figure this out. As an alternative, consider a Pierson 6 or similar machine. That foot pedal drive is hard to beat for old-fashioned eye-candy and the machine is supposed to have impressive stitch ability and quality:

The needle bar and inner presser foot bar are running inside one solid piece of metal. I don't see how they could get out of alignment other than falling off the truck. Are you saying your needle bar is not aligned front-to-back with the inner presser foot bar? Can you post pictures that show side and frontal views of the full length of the exposed needle bar area?

That sounds oddly familiar! My switch to a servo motor was a bit of a puzzle as well. When I got my new servo motor and tried to figure out how to mount it, the controls either faced towards the back or they faced forward and were inaccessible directly behind my stand's support column. I made my own speed reducer and a new table top, so this is the setup I ended up with : Come to think of it (and seeing the commercial speed reducer in one of the pictures), I may have ended up making my own speed reducer because I couldn't figure out an elegant way to use the commercial speed reducer that came with the machine with the new servo motor. I recommend doing an upside-down trial layout on a piece of wood or a table to figure out how things should line up. You won't be tilting the machine head back, so it doesn't really matter if the speed reducer is directly below the hand wheel or even towards the front a little. The machine is solid, bolted to the table and won't go anywhere. Pick a layout that allows you to reach the motor controls easily and adjust both belt tensions without too many headaches.

I put together some more details on the Arduino step motor drive setup for those who are interested. I know this is not everybody's cup o' tea. Feel free to ignore if it chafes you or you prefer a clutch motor or a treadle. A few pictures to show the overall setup: The stepper motor itself is quite small, actually, considering how powerful it is ( 3 Nm torque): The pulleys are XL type timing pulleys with 20 teeth (motor) and 40 teeth (machine) for a 2:1 ratio The motor is mounted using a bracket in the original belt slot. I used rubber pads to reduce vibration noise somewhat: The motor drives the machine with a 11mm wide (XL size) timing belt: The thumb dial and rotary encoder The controller bits still set up in a test configuration, not yet neatly packaged: The Pedal is actually the most expensive part at $65. It also needs a return spring. The main parts used for this project ran about $225 total: Step Motor (23HS45-4204S) $50 Motor Bracket $15 Arduino Uno R3 $10 24V 250W Power Supply $20 Step Motor Controller (ST-M5045) $35 Pulleys & Timing Belt $25 Thumb wheel & Encoder (Adafruit) $5 Pedal (Ernie Ball VP Jr. 25K Ohm) $65 I've made a shopping list on Amazon (large pulley in the list has a 10mm bore, my machine takes 12.7mm, i.e. 1/2") The prices don't quite match up because I had ordered some bits through Ebay directly from China at a lower cost. The Arduino Sketch Software Code is available as a text file to import into an Arduino Sketch window. The Code is commented to explain what's going on. The wiring diagram (also available in high res) - there went five hours of my life ...

Nice machine! Direct link to the ebay item: http://r.ebay.com/ZH9jeR Did you mean to say "It uses #69 Bonded thread no higher" ? Seems like the machine is designed to handle thicker thread than that.

Sewing machine manufacturers have delighted in messing with people's minds regarding screw thread sizes and pitches for well over a hundred years. They happily mix fractional, metric, and in-house custom sizes (random-prime/64" is popular) on the same machine and generally keep you in the dark beyond the part numbers. I've been trying for weeks to find out what size thread is on top of a 441 clone arm, but even the official U.S. importer of the machine does not know ("Whatever it is, it's the same as the Juki!"). I'm gonna call Mr. Juki himself and after he tells me I may just slap him, just because they started that particular mess. There's a fair amount of re-drilling and re-tapping going on by end-of-the-rope owners, too, so your machine may not have the same threads it left the factory with. Good luck with your search. If you find the actual thread specs, post them here to preserve the knowledge for others.

Part numbers are always useful when communicating with vendors: JUKI LU-SERIES HOOK PARTS.pdf The standard hook for a LU-563 is the B1830-563-0A0 The hook gib set screw is 101-12803 The tension spring set screw is 040-05140582

My Tacsew T1563 had a similar issue even though it is a vertical axis hook. My thread take-up lever started pulling up too soon, before the thread was wrapped around the bobbin. I had to adjust the timing belt, advancing the hook driving shaft by one notch. Some machines have markers for proper synchronization of top and bottom driving shafts. If your machine has those markers, do a visual check if the markers align at the right point in the stitch cycle. Exactly how that is checked varies between machines, check your machine's manual. In the absence of a marker or a manual, I believe the following statement about top/bottom driving shaft synchronization should be true in general: "The thread take-up lever is at the very bottom position (providing the maximum slack) when the thread wraps around the farthest point of the bobbin." In your case (horizontal axis bobbin) the take-up lever should be at the very bottom of its movement exactly when the hook pulls the thread around the very bottom (6 o'Clock position) of the bobbin.

I'd love to find an on-this-continent source for properly tinted hammertone spray paints. Alternatively perhaps a silver hammertone base coat and tinted clearcoat airbrushed topcoat may be a good approach. I've not seen hammertone paint you can mix yourself for airbrush use. I think I will also try one of these silicone rubber plug kits for my next sewing machine paint project to plug holes. They're made for high-temp power coating applications but they might work nicely for spray painting, too. About $0.10 a piece in bulk quantities on Amazon. They might even be reusable if you can just peel the paint off them after it dries, or perhaps just pull them out while the paint is still wet.

I think I can safely take "repair ringworm infested horse blankets" off my list of things to try.

Am I the only one who wishes somebody would post a photo to show what they're talking about?

Don't take it personal. Most people click on the topic because the title doesn't say much in itself, to find out you're asking about specific advice on a machine they've never even heard of (the Wimsew brand). The Pfaff is a well respected original, well known and broadly discussed class of machines. Good quality and expensive parts. Same general benefits/drawbacks as any other walking foot flatbed machine in the same class. The Wimsew appears to be a local clone brand, which is why nobody outside of the UK know much about it, including me. There are lots of past discussion in these forums already on the relative merits of flatbed versus cylinder arm machines. Some folks grow weary of answering variations on the same questions over and over again. Not your fault, I'm just stating a fact. Do a Google search like "site:leatherworker.net flatbed or cylinder arm" to find out what people have already said about the topic. Then, if you have specific questions, post it with a meaningful, descriptive topic title. Also, search for make and model of the original brand that a particular clone is based on to find relevant information. The folks who make Wimsew will be able to tell you which machines it's based on, or do a Google image search to find machines that look identical, save for the nameplate (originals are names like Pfaff, Adler, Durkopp, Juki, Singer, etc.) It may take you less time than I just spent composing this reply and it will get you much better response rates and more meaningful information.

I am somewhat reluctantly putting my Durkopp Adler 69-373 up for sale. I'm reluctant because I know I will never put my hands on a nicer example than this one. Some of you may know that I spend considerably more time working ON sewing machines than I do actually sewing things with them. The "problem" with this machine is that there is absolutely nothing to work on because it is totally pristine. I'm rather afraid to accidentally put a scratch on it. I has seen perhaps an hour or two worth of actual demo and test sewing over its entire life, and it's been cared for by a small group of LW members since it was new. I've mainly used it to design and test-fit a flatbed table attachment for this class of machine. I installed a swing-down guide on it using existing mounting holes. Price for the head is a firm $2,000. (It's also on Ebay, but for a higher price due to various fees associated with that channel). I'm located just outside of Detroit and I'd really rather not risk shipping this machine, but if you insist I can build a custom padded plywood shipping box for it. Packing+Shipping runs a flat $175 within the continental US. Weight of the head is 63 lbs. Packaged up and ready to ship it will be close to 75 lbs. Manuals: Durkopp Adler 69-373 User Manual Durkopp Adler 69-373 Service Manual I have a full gallery of photos posted here: http://proofs.uwe.net/sewing Here are few samples from that gallery:

I'm just the nerdy little kid at the science fair where most people shake their heads as they walk past the display and only a few pause to nod in appreciation. The project is really about solving the engineering puzzle of building a programmable, computer controlled motor drive system from scratch to learn how these technologies work. I enjoy solving engineering puzzles like others enjoy reaching the next level in Candy Crush Saga. I'm not expecting other leatherworkers to actually do this. I wanted to show a practical application of an Arduino based controller for powerful stepper motors with fingertip control. It's mainly a contribution to encourage folks in the Arduino and Maker community. I also wanted to have a functional motor drive system that behaves exactly the way I want it to with precision and power, and to be able to teach it new tricks with just a few lines of software code. It's not marketable for various reasons. It's also not adaptable to make the current crop of servo motors (let alone clutch motors) behave like this. It's not a DIY project for the masses, but rather for the very geeky few. I pieced things together from various sources, including Arduino Sketch software code snippets to interpret the rotary dial's grey-code signals. The hardware was sourced from my local music store, Ebay, Amazon, Adafruit, etc. I'll do a more detailed write-up and video with parts lists and software code over the next week or two.

When People talk about ounce weight (e.g. 5 oz.) here, they really are referring to the thickness of the leather. The weight of leather and fabric is not a direct comparison. 5oz leather weight/thickness equals about 2mm of thickness. I had some nylon strap material laying around that is roughly the same thickness are your fabric at about 1.1 mm, which I wouldn't classify as "thin fabric". I sewed it on my Adler 205-370 both single and double layer, using a size 27/250Nm sharp point needle and #415 bonded polyester thread. It worked out okay, actually. That seam is unlikely to let go anytime soon. I'm going to revert to my usual "Just try it!" approach to giving advice. Here's what it looks like. Double layer in the left side of the picture, single layer towards the right. Top View: Bottom View:

Can you? Maybe. Should You? Probably not. A 441 class machine is not the right tool for the task. Even if it were, trying to sew thin fabric with #346 thread may be an exercise in futility. It probably won't look right because the fabric is too thin to bury/hide the thick knot.

Go for it! Those are really nice machines. Coming across an nice used machine locally is a lucky break.

The flatbed bed size of the Durkopp 239 looks to be a standard industrial bed size and should be the same as the Consew 225. The hinges can be found online at College Sewing in the UK : https://www.college-sewing.co.uk/229-58052-RUBBER-HINGE-ASSEMBLY-JUKI-DDL There are slight variations in the rubber part of the euro-style hinges. It's perhaps best to get the hinges first and then make your cutout fit them. The hole locations where the metal hinge part plug into in the back of the machines bed should also be standard. For my table I plugged the hinges with rubber part into the back of the machine and took precise measurements to get the hinge pocket locations and depth just right in the cutout. Don't expect to get it right the first time. I recommend using cheap plywood for testing before you cut precious wood. Once it fits one machine, it should fit all the others with the same bed size. In order to separate the pedal from the table, you'll need to get a servo motor that has discrete parts (Motor/Controller/Speed-Input) . This way you can extend wires to make a flexible electric connection between the pedal speed input and the motor controller, instead of the usual rigid mechanical link, similar to this:

That sound may be me wheezing. I actually had to turn down the sounds of the original video almost entirely because the step motor makes and infernal racket at slow speeds right now. It's dead quiet when stopped, and has an agreeable hum at high speed, but low speeds are a very disagreeable racket right now. The motor is just clamped to the table top for testing and every slow step it makes acts like a speaker coil with table top pretending to be a sound board. The programming is indeed a big part of how the button (or any part of this motor drive system) behaves. Arduino programming is fun in a very geeky way. I just knew those engineering, math, and computer science degrees would come in handy some day! I plan to add a little touch screen to allow changing parameters and such. I actually LOVE how well the speed pedal works. I'm using a modified Ernie Ball brand musician's sound effect pedal to control speed input: Not exactly cheap at around $70, but it's by far best, most gradual and precise low speed control I've had so far. None of this weird optical gradient hacking, just hundreds of usable, gradual steps of speed input. I initially bought the pedal to control a Variable Frequency Drive controller, but those 3-phase inverter class motors are wicked expensive,huge, and heavy. The pedal works perfectly as an Arduino input device and it's beautifully made, almost carved from solid aluminum.

I've been wanting to install a retrofit thumb control knob for needle positioning on one of my machines ever since I saw it on that new Adler 969. My Tacsew T1563 made a good candidate to try a few things out, and it actually works! The entire project of installing an Arduino controlled high-torque precision step motor drive is rather complex and I'll post more details later. This video is just about how the thumb control knob works:

We really have no idea whether a particular machine is any good or not by looking at the ebay auction post. Nearly all brands and models of sewing machines that are suitable for leather work have been discussed on this forum before - usually at length. Do a quick basic research on any machine you're considering on this site to see what has been discussed before. It'll take you just a few minutes to decide if it's a desirable kind of machine or not. Use the "site:leatherworker.net make model" template to search. For example, type "site:leatherworker.net adler 69" into the Google search window to see what folks have said about that model of machine before. If nothing pops up, that's also a sign that you're looking at a machine you should avoid. As for individual ebay auctions, you are pretty much on your own. We can't tell you whether or not, or how much to bid at an auction.

What does "directly through Cobra" actually mean? Are you referring to the "Home of the Cobra" Leather Machine Co. in Los Angeles? Not sure how they relate to the Cobra brand, really, other than being one of the vendors for the brand. Toledo Industrial is "Home of the Cowboy" according to their website, but they're not exactly "directly through Cowboy" either. You're located about as far away as you can get within the continental U.S. from pretty much all of the usual vendor suspects, so anything you buy will need to be shipped. Talk to the vendor candidates and find out how many levels of redirection are involved to get to the source of the brand and "the buck stops here" kind of support.

Check out this Juki Lu-563 - it's one of the cleanest and most honest looking machine on Ebay UK in your price range, I think. The flatbed part has been repainted, but the top looks totally original and very clean. The Juki LU-563 machines are great machines, easy to maintain and adjust, and they have good specs and parts availability.

I would approach obviously repainted machines with a healthy dose of caution. I always view machines with crude stickers that say "Adler" (or whatever the brand name is) in the wrong font as a sign of a poor lipstick-on-a-pig type rebuild. That cylinder arm machine falls in that category. I'm also still not sure how Kochs Adler ever allowed authentic machines to leave the factory with their company name misspelled on the type plate. The type plate on the Adler 167-72 says "Kochs Adlernähmaschinen Werke AG" when it should say "Kochs Adler Nähmachinenwerke AG" I would advise against buying a machine on Ebay unless you can inspect it in person to make sure it's in good working condition, or you REALLY trust the seller. Adler machines in general are good machines as long as they're authentic and not worn-out factory zombies with a quick repaint. A machine with lightly/moderately worn original paint is preferable to a machine with questionable re-paint in my mind, because is gives a more authentic picture of the past life of the machine. The Adler 167 (and many other makes/models) came in various subclasses and configurations with varying specs. Read up on the model brochures like the Adler 167 Brochures to make sure the model you're considering is suited for leatherwork. The Adler 167-72 is okay, but not the best version in that model line for leather work (the 167-73 has more desirable specs). Big needles and thread capacity, large stitch length and foot lift are usually a good sign, as are certain model number extensions like -73, -373, -370 for certain Adlers. All three machines in your list are repaints with various issues. I'm not sure any of them are a really great candidate. The whole "which model" topic is quite complex, I'm afraid.

Thanks for sharing! I had used a chisel tool similar to this one to chip off the old paint from the flatbed part of a machine a while back. The chisels are nice and narrow to get into tight spots and corners they work great on flat surfaces, not so much on curved surfaces. Looks like it's just about ready for new coat of paint on the flatbed. Do you mask off the little spring balls in the oiling holes to keep paint off them? I was worried about getting paint in there and my last paint project got messy around the oil holes.