dikman

As I'm getting one I thought I'd do some homework before it arrives. I watched two videos on youtube about how to thread it - one from Hightex (Ryan) and one from Bob Kovar. Hightex do two full wraps, coming in via the wire guide above the lower tension assembly and then out via the same guide, Bob just does 1 1/2 turns. Hightex has the bobbin thread coming off anticlockwise, Bob runs it clockwise. They can't both be right?

The link worked for me in Australia. Interesting site, some of those could be worth it for the table and legs alone! Mark, until you have a lot more knowledge about machines I'd suggest you give places like that a miss, too easy to get caught out. You are going to be faced with the same unpalatable truth that many face when starting out - to do what you envisage you'll likely need more than one machine. For the lighter stuff (and might include the chaps, I'm not sure about them) the usual upholstery class machine with 3/8" under the foot and up to #138 thread should suffice. If you intend doing horse tack, which sounds highly likely, then you'll probably need a harness stitcher too (heavy duty sucker!). Having said that, a Cowboy 3200 might come pretty close to doing almost everything, depending on how heavy the horse tack is likely to be. Unless you want to invest a lot of time to learn how to adjust and maintain an industrial machine I'd suggest you consider buying from a reputable dealer who can give you support, whether you buy new or used. There's lifetimes of knowledge and experience on here (not me!) so you've come to the right place to point you in the right direction.

Obviously not a matched set. The one on the left is larger, with rounded corners and is aligned at the top of the frame, the right is a smaller frame and aligned to the bottom. Chuck 'em out and buy a new set.

And the reason they take so long to stop is because they have a massively heavy flywheel in them.

The "scratching" sound is a bit of a puzzle. With these type of motors about the only things that can go wrong are burned out windings, which you would know about by the smell and the minor problem that it would keep blowing fuses/tripping breakers, and seized/shot bearings. The bearings are obviously not seized because it's running and if they were shot/dry you would know by the loud rumbling noise. Unless it's very old, in which case it might have bushings rather than bearings, I suppose, but if they were worn it would be rattling! Sounds to me like it's running ok.

Look on the bright side, now you'll be able to tell us whether it's any good.

Now it makes sense. Google kept trying to tell me it was an embroidery machine!!! Although when I searched for 26-55 it still didn't find anything and yet in Constabulary's brochure it's clear as day. Very strange. Threading should be pretty straightforward and similar to many other machines, other than what is presumably a lube pot (which you won't need).

Still can't find anything. Need photos......

Are you sure you've got the model number correct? It's funny that nothing at all is showing up. And is this a domestic machine? If so you're in the wrong place as we deal in industrial machines.

Thanks mate, I seem to recall that Wiz mentioned 277 is perfectly adequate for holsters and belts, I'm guessing that the only "advantage" of 346 for my needs will be appearance. 277 also appears to be available in a wider range of colours (here at least) so I'm thinking that will be the logical choice. But it's nice to know that I will have a machine that can sew rope if I want to. What do you make, by the way?

Good idea, you just reminded me that I did the same thing! Waste not want not. I'll have to check the size.

Thanks Wiz. Frodo, they're referred to as Chinese shoe patchers and there have been a few posts on here about them, plus a lot of youtube vids (I have one myself). For the price, and what they are, they can be a useful little machine, good for sewing patches on jackets, repairing bags and shoes etc. They're not designed to do long stitch runs and have an aggressive foot, which can be smoothed a bit but is needed to grip and move the material. They have small bobbins and will handle up to #138 thread, but obviously won't hold much - #69 is a better option. The finish on these things is pretty rough and you can spend quite a bit of time smoothing and lubricating one to make it operate better, but they are designed to be simple, easy to use, portable and cheap to buy. As such they are an interesting little machine. I suggest you check out youtube.

Regarding the closed centre toe, it's possible to open it up by using a Dremel with a cut-off disc and just cut a slot in front of the hole. I did that on one of my Singer feet.

Cowboy Leather Machines, who I bought it from, don't have a website yet, Jess said they're still working on it. They're only on facebook. She and her husband bought the business from Steve, who has been a contributor on here for some time. I'd say if you took the badge off yours would look identical to the Cowboy. I've been used to buying stuff overseas where it basically just comes through the mail system with minimal issues, this has been an eyeopener about what happens when it's something that requires customs, shipping, freight forwarding, port handling etc. Fortunately, Wiz, I doubt if I'll need much technical support as they're still learning the ropes themselves. Besides, I expect the machine will be pretty well set up from the start and I have the huge wealth of information here to consult should I need it. It comes with left and right feet, double toe foot, holster and stirrup plates, smooth feed dog plus the stock blanket feet (which I can always re-shape on a grinder if needed). I can easily make a roller guide. I have a spool of #277 to practice with (it was given to me and is of indeterminate age) and Jess said she will include some leather needles to suit that thread. I now need to work out the sizing system this machine uses to buy some more needles and new thread. I have no idea if I'll actually need #346 or if #277 will be adequate for my needs. Other than having to make another set of holsters and gunbelt I actually have no idea what I'm going to use this machine for! Once I understood a bit about leather sewing machines I just knew I wanted a heavy duty machine. I just had to have one......

To finish off my input to this thread, I've just bought a Cowboy 4500!! I managed to get the China price down to around $2700. I spoke to Jess at Cowboy Leather Machines in Queensland, who have just taken over the Cowboy line there, and had a nice discussion with her. She made me an offer that I won't mention here but it was very fair and meant it wouldn't be worth the hassle of going through the import bit. She also sells larger thread (#277 and #346 - in black and white - and needles) so once I figure out what I need I'll put in an order.. I could have cut the price down by about $500 if I bought the cheapest machine and didn't use a broker, but if anything went wrong I could easily blow that saving. Not worth the risk imo. Bottom line is that for Australia, at least, it isn't viable to import an individual sewing machine from China. While the unit price might be good the various charges and taxes soon add up to mean any potential savings are minimal.

Looks great! The machine doesn't show any obvious signs of wear on the paint so I wonder just how much it was used? The needle holes definitely look on the large side, but it's sewing! It's alive!! Just think how easy it will be to make holsters now.

You've probably used it all fixing things.

It's "au contraire", to be precise and yes, your are right, of course, but I think it's safe to say that most on here who use industrial sewing machines soon learn how to judge bobbin tension and also, in most cases, tend to leave the bobbin alone and tweak the upper tension when adjustment is needed. Except in dire cases. This is precisely what I just did with my Chinese patcher. I could not get it to sew consistently and eventually backed the bobbin tension right off and use the upper feed to balance the stitching. That finally worked.

Spoken like a true Aussie - not much you can't fix with a pair of pliers and fencing wire!

An interesting exercise but I agree with Constabulary on this one. We have to be careful not to over-think things sometimes.

Groan!

Sorry, MikeRock, but that won't work as their are several variables to take into account - size of apple/orange, type of apple/orange, moisture content, type/size of candy bar etc.

I'd suggest browsing youtube as there will be lots of videos on there. Watch as much as you can to start getting a feeling for sewing leather and to understand the adjustments that will be necessary depending on the thickness, and type, of the material and thread being used. Bear in mind that this is an upholstery-class machine (which means it is quite versatile) but it isn't intended for holsters. It will not have enough clearance under the feet and is limited to #138 thread, which is a bit light for holsters.

The Pfaff 335 would seem an obvious choice but I would think any of the usual cylinder arm upholstery-class machines should work, depending whether you're looking at buying new or used.

I had the same problem but fitting a larger pulley didn't work. It appears some servos work with a speed reducer/positioner combo and some (probably most, I suspect, don't). A member on here posted about modifying the positioner to get it to work, he did it successfully but again it didn't work for me. Open up the positioner and inside is a disc with a magnet attached at the rim. There was a hole on the opposite side for another magnet which he attached, this turned it into a dual sensor unit. It is then necessary to access the settings in the servo and change it to a dual sensor (or whatever they call it) pickup. It worked for him but in my case while it eliminated the error message I did not have the option in the servo to change the setting to a dual sensor. I could not set it to stop either needle up or needle down, it was inconsistent so of no real value.