dgkfit

Hello, Thank you all for your help in the past. I have a Cobra Class 4 with all the premium accessories. I have been using it to sew nylon fabric to make exercise gear for almost 3 years now. I am probably going to end that business soon. The machine is paid for by sales. I need to decide what to make with it now. Let's assume that it will be made of leather. But I don't know what to make with it. Even tho I am from Texas, I don't think another saddle / tack maker is needed. And, I don't speak the "language" of those who use that stuff. I am thinking about shearling vests, making one or more for myself, and seeing how that goes. Also, I am thinking about making dog beds. But back to the leather. Where can I get both ideas and instruction on how to do leatherwork? Thank you Dale Workout Sandbags

Hello all, I think i have it fixed for now. I loosened the screw that holds the pivoting part with the fork, and got the fork to go over the coil at the end of the thick wire that goes on down inside the machine. (That is the internal linkage) Again, the parts manual gives no names I can find for these parts. The " upper end of the thread tension release arm" DOES go between the "thread tension discs" when i step on the lift pedal. Steve at Leather Machine Co told me to adjust the " foot pressure adjustment screw on top of the machine" way down because the feet were slipping on slippery ballistic nylon fabric. So, that raises the question: SHOULD I ADJUST THE BANANA SLIDE TO THE TOP POSITION FOR THIN FABRIC?....if so, and then should i loosen up the screw that makes the foot pressure spring so tight? Thank you all again....I think I fixed it. I will call Steve/David if it needs more fixing. Dale K

hello all, i took the end plate off and oiled everything that moved. that included some pistons that go up and down when the feet are lifted. then, when i went to put the thing back together, and put the fork over the knob that connects and completes the connection, the disc that goes around the bent rod inside the machine came off. i dont know how to re-connect it. it is a mess. i looked hard in the parts list to find names for these parts, but could not find them. fotos are below. thank you for your past and future help.....dale

hello floyd, thanks for your input. i didnt take the end plate off, but stepped on the foot lift, locked the hand lock, and stepped on the foot lift again. the hand lever dropped. this is after i oiled the center bolt on top/end. i will take this up again tomorrow. thanks dale

hello uwe, thank you for your help. i oiled the bolt that goes up and down inside the lockscrew that adjusts the presser foot height. that helps alot. we shall see. your "hiding in plain sight" input helped me look at that. i will sew tomorrow. thank you and i will reply with more....dale

hello wiz, bob, and uwe, thank you all for your rapid reply. i will try to answer all your questions, and try what you recommended. it is a cobra 4. i bought it new, only because its dealer was the closest dealer to me. but it has been a good machine, and the service has been fine. 1 it will stick up no matter how it was put there, foot pedal or manual. 2 the recommendation was that i take a dremel and motor-file off some of the end of the lever's knob, which attaches to the fork on the back / end of the machine. i did this some. 3 the big presser foot pressure knob is adjusted way down tight for the thin fabric i sew. is that making the foot stick in the up position??? 4 it has been a while since i oiled inside the end plate. i had a machine mechanic come and try to fix the problem, last fall, but he hasnt totally fixed it. and, he looked inside the cover plate. which place inside there should i especially oil to treat this problem? thank you dale k

Hello, Your help is needed. I have a 2 year old 441 clone, one of the popular brands. It has a chronic problem. The mechanism that lifts the presser feet to remove material from under the feet and needle sticks, usually in the UP position. I have done what the importer says do, and it still does it. Is there any advice out there as to how to fix it? Thanks Dale

Hello, Thank you all for your help in the past. I have a 441 clone. I have watched the video of Ryan Neal showing how to adjust thread tension. It compares the top and bobbin tension to a tug-of-war. That is a good analogy. I have been sewing thin nylon fabric with thick #346 thread top and bobbin. Lately my wife has bought lots of leather to make purses with. And, she wants me to sew them. Do any of you have some advice on how to adjust from the 346 thread down to 138 thread, and from thin fabric to thicker leather? I of course will change the needle type and change the feed dog and presser feet? Also, how to adjust the presser foot height? Thanks Dale

Hello, I have a small problem with the drive belt-driven bobbin winder on my 441 clone. This type of winder is on Cobra Class 3, Cowboy 3200, Nickosew 441-S, and other shorter arm 441 clones. Even though I have a Cobra Class 4 with its internal bobbin winder, Steve and David were nice enough to send me a Class 3 / belt-driven bobbin winder for free! Much praise to their customer service! Here is my small problem with it: After many adjustments of what I call the "slider bar", it refuses to put the thread evenly across the bobbin. It starts out good, but ends up with it on either one end or the other. This disengages the winder, putting less than a full load of thread on the bobbin. Does anyone have any tips as to how to adjust the slider bar to make the thread go on and end up evenly across the bobbin? Thank you Dale

hello art, thank you for your reply. again, i do not intend to market sewing machines. i am just curious. thank you. dale

just for curiosity, who in shanghai makes the cobra class 4 ? thank you dale

hello, thank you for your replies. in particular, i am looking for the factory of cobra, cowboy, artisan, and nickosew in that order of curiosity. again, this is just for curiosity, nothing else. thank you dale

hello y'all, i have a silly question. i promise not to start my own sewing machine company with the answer. i am quite happy with my 441 clone. i have been told by more than one seller of them that they are made in the same chinese factory. they just put a different paint job on them, and do slight changes that the seller orders. and, service after the sale is the largest difference between them. just for curiosity, WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE COMPANY THAT MAKES THEM AND WHAT CITY IN CHINA ARE THEY MADE IN? thanks dale

hello all, thank you for your replies. the support stand has been moved toward the machine about 2'. that eliminates the possibility of mid-sheet sag. it also makes room for a little folding table at the end. dale

hello y'all, almost a month ago i posted an idea for a work platform for a 441 clone machine. all the work platforms that come with the machines are way too small, so i made one that is 2' x 4' in size. and it worked great. now i have made one that is bigger and better than that one. it is 3' x 6' in size. it is held up into the proper place next to the machine by a pair of 6" long 2x4's that are 1.5" in from a cutout i made for the cylinder arm. see my previous post entitled "work platform idea" for the dimensions of the cutout. this platform is made of cabinet grade plywood, and finished with 4 coats of clear polyurethane. it stands on the other end on a stand made of 2x4's with one 1x6 for a shelf. if you have any questions, please ask. dale

hello all, thank you all for your help with past problems. i am slowing getting the hang of this. it appears as tho i must use the "blanket feet" for my cobra class 4. i sew thin fabric with thick thread. i know, this is a problem, but i am making the adjustments to handle it. i get some failure to feed with the leather feet. i am using the fabric feed dog with both feet sets. but the leather feet are very agile and turn much better than the fabric feet. the fabric feet are 7/8" wide and the leather feet are 3/8" wide. big difference. so, DOES ANYONE MAKE A NARROW SET OF FABRIC (SERRATED TOOTH) PRESSER FEET FOR A COBRA 4 /COWBOY / ETC 441 clone? thank you dale

i tried to sew with it again and it sewed for awhile and then stopped and the needle went up and down in the same place. here is the foto. thank you for your calls. dale

hello all, the only reason i am writing this is that it is sunday, and i have a deadline to meet. i bought a cobra class 4 2 weeks ago and it has been a steep learning curve. the only reason i bought a cobra instead of another machine is that the cobra dealer was closest to me. i want to say THANK YOU to david and steve at leather machine co and also cowboy bob at toledo industrial sewing. both have given great service and help either here on on the fone. below is a foto of the problem i have been having with my machine. it seems to have a bad habit of making a birdsnest mess with the bobbin. we might have fixed it today. we tightened up the bobbin tension and then re-threaded the machine. it seems as tho when taking the thread out the top threading path gets out of its proper place. the tiny set screw that holds the bobbin tension is way too small and way to far in to be easy to adjust. and, the head on it is tiny, and i am afraid of stripping out the slot for the tiny screwdriver. but is this the way to fix the problem, or is there something else i am doing wrong? i am sewing 1680d ballistic nylon with #277 thread top and bobbin. thank you all dale 501-358-2783 call if you like

hello y'all, here are some more fotos of the plaform with some measurements on it. let me know how you would modify it. but it works great for me. dale

i forgot to say that this work platform has enuff room at the front of it to change the bobbin without having to reach underneath it. the round end of the cutout makes it easy to reach in and change. just slide the platform forward until you have enuff room. dale

hello all, thank you all for your help with sewing machine advice. it has been very helpful. i would like to give back some advice. i find the "work platforms" that come with all the 441 clones inadequate, to say the least. they are too small, and i suspect they are not very capable of being leaned or worked on. so, below see my foto of the work platform i made for less than $40. it consists of a 2' x 4' x 3/4" "lodgepole pine" panel from lowes. it has a 4" hole that begins the cutout. the hole is drilled with a 4" hole saw from harbor freight. the top of the hole is 26" from the edge for a 16" long arm machine, and i suppose it would be 19" from the edge for a 9" arm machine. the side of the 4" hole is straight-sawn to a 7" x 7" square space for the machine arm. so, the 4" hole slants until it reaches the spot 7" from the edge where i straight-sawed in 7". i use what harbor freight calls a "compass saw" to connect the holes and straight saws with a power circular saw. i use a 2x4 clamped to the board to make a straight edge. underneath the 7" straight section that is the machine, see that i have a 6" long 2x4 standing straight up to space the 3/4" panel just right up to the sewing area. these 2x4's are attached by screwing a pair of 4" wood screws thru the 2x4 and 1/2" into the 3/4" thick panel. i also use liquid nails here. the whole thing is finished with 3 coats of clear polyurethane. if you have any questions about this idea, please reply. it works great! just have something to rest it on like the bookshelf i rest mine on. you could make a stand also. thank you all for your help! dale

hello, thank you all for your help with my last issue. so after having a cobra owner come and see my class 4 machine, we discovered that it sews in REVERSE when the selector is in the down position. this makes a bird's nest mess of thread, and so stitching takes place. the machine has never sewn right for me since getting it home almost a week ago. BUT, it sews in forward when the handwheel is rotated toward the user. is this something in the servo motor adjustments or is it a serious flaw in the internal gearing of the machine head? if it is in the servo motor adjustment, where is the video/printed instructions on how to adjust the servo motor? i have searched youtube and they just aren't there. i have watched all the videos on the leather machine co site and they don't address the subject of adjusting the servo motor. it is tricky. thank you all for your help. dale

hello, thank you all for your help with my past questions. a few days ago i went and bought a cobra class 4. i am now leaning how to load the bobbin. i have watched the al bane video carefully, and done what he said to do. when i try to pull the thread thru the slot in the bobbin case, it takes EXTREME FORCE to pull it thru the slot and onto the eye that holds the thread to exit the bobbin case. and even then, the thread is very tight and will not freely feed out. am i doing something wrong? or is this a defective bobbin case with the slot to put the thread thru too close together for even #277 thread? #346 or #415 thread would never go thru it. steve at leather machine co has already offered to send me another hook assembly, and i agreed. he also suggested that i take a tiny screwdriver and try to pry the slot wider. but i am afraid to do that, afraid i might bend it the wrong way? if this a defective part or am i doing something wrong? see attached foto. thank you all dale

hello all, thank you all for your help. i need to decide soon between a cobra class 4 for $2495 that i could drive 175 miles and pick up at springfield leather (and get the coaching) or order a ferdco pro 2000 from hoffman brothers and have it shipped here for $2223. the cost savings is not the issue. the issue is which is a better machine, and which outfit would give me better service? i like the use/maintenance videos on the leather machine co's website. hoffman tells me i can use them for the ferdco. i also like the fact that the ferdco is rated to sew up to #554, even tho i plan on sewing #346. so, which machine should i get? thanks dale

Hello, thank you all for your help. in response to one question, hoffman brothers wants only $2095 for the base pro 2000 machine with fabric toothed feet/dogs, lamp, speed reducer, pedestal stand. that is $300 less than the other guys' base model price. and that is all i need to start. also, they beat their shipping price to me, maybe because of their proximity. i need to sew thick fabric with #346 thread for the product on this site: workoutsandbags.com. everybody i have talked to says "buy a cobra", but this price is quite tempting. and i know hoffman brothers has been in biz for a century. also, the data sheet on the machine says it will sew up to #554 thread! thank you all for your advice. dale