kgg

Williaty, my experience with the bird nest on the bottom, was that the bobbin tension wasn't right and had to be readjusted. It also depended not only the size of thread but whether it was bonded nylon or bonded polyester and whether it was near the end of the thread on the bobbin. The colour of the thread also played a role particularly black bonded nylon. I have had most of my problems using the 8 oz size spools of bonded nylon thread particularly black, black seems stiffer with more spring-back as it uncoils from the main spool and as it uncoils from the bobbin then bonded polyester. The thread on some 8 oz spools would even spring-back enough to coil under the bottom of the 8 oz spool and jam. To overcome this when I am using thread from any 8 oz spool regardless of colour or type of thread I mount it horizontally to get a more even, smoother thread take off with no spring-back from the spool for the top thread and for when winding the bobbin. kgg

I do have a couple of questions? Does this occur just with cordura? Have you tried stopping the forward sewing before reversing or are you just depressing the reverse lever while it is still sewing forward? Does this happen when you are sewing at a real slow speed or only when at max. speed? You said you are using 135x17 needle but what size and how often are you changing the needle? Are you using bonded nylon or bonded polyester thread? A couple of suggestions to try. Try it with same number of layers of softer fabric as a test to see if it does the same thing. For V69 thread you should be normally using a #18 needle. I have had to sometimes use a size #20 needle, depending on the number of layers of 1200 denier ripstop I was trying to sew to get a good stitch. I find with ripstop (more waterproof) and I assume the same with cordura (more abrasive resistant) that type of material has a tendency to dull and bend needles fairly quickly. If possible can you do a picture of your thread path for the top thread sometimes incorrect top thread paths can cause weird top tension problems with stitches as well as worn tension check springs. kgg

A hard lesson learned by some FB users who are addicted to letting their "friends" know what is going on in their daily lives moment by moment do count downs. Vacation count downs to when, where and for how long they plan to go for. Guess what their homes / apartments get visited and their stuff magically disappears. The crooks were able to schedule an leisurely uninterrupted visit. To harden the lessen their insurance company looks at their page and doesn't cover their loss, who says your digital footprint doesn't count. kgg

It is the sign of the times, the more outlandish the view/action I think the more people are afraid of saying something just in case it may offend someone or even worse themselves be targeted. The 1%er's use to be the not so friendly biker clubs and other outcasts of society now it's the socially inept bubble wrapped snowflakes. When people wake up and realize that their facey book "friends" will eat them alive in a heartbeat things my change back to some form of normality. Just wait and see what happens when the smart home assistants get really refined and become as normal as today's cell phone. kgg

Welcome to the forum. You sir definitely have an addiction and now that you have been bitten you must labour at the feet of the leather beast. kgg

I guess business must be good for your sewing machine stores. If you want/need/like a new machine, at least has a walking foot mechanism, something that will hold it's resale value and a good workhorse then I would strongly suggest looking at the Juki machines. That is not to say the Consew 206RB-5 (~1400US) or the Sailrite Fabricator (~1500US) are not good machines each have their pros, cons and limitations like every machine but the cost difference to that of a Juki and the availability of parts/accessories for me it would be the Juki. The Juki DU-1181n (walking foot ~$1400US) or even better the Juki DNU-1541s (compound feed ~$1800US). Buy once, cry once. kgg

It all depends on what you need the machine for, your budget, space restrictions, etc. Yes some of the portable walking foot machines are terrible and sound like a bucket of bolts rattling around of which I will not mention. I do recommend the Barracuda based on my experience, it was sewn off by Reliable and worked properly right from the get go. I pushed that little machine too it's limits and then some. Remember that the Tandy Stitch Master is just a Sailrite portable walking foot planked into a table with a servo added. Reliable has their version of the Monster wheel called the Cuda Crank for about $110 US. kgg

I would be very wary of buying a machine head off eBay particularly a used head. I would first try your local sewing machine shop/dealer they may have a good used machine in stock within your price range. Another alternative would be go to your local Homedepot and look at a Reliable Barracuda for about $500 new. Buy it, bring it home and give it a try on your stuff. If you don't like it or it cann't do the job return it back for a refund. The Reliable Barracuda is portable walking foot very similar to the Sailrite LSZ ($900) and the Tandy Stitch Master ($1500) machines but a whole hell of a lot cheaper. In my opinion if the Sailrite LSZ or Tandy Stitch Master can sew it, the Reliable Barracuda can sew it just as good. I have used both the Barracuda and the Sailrite. This maybe a viable alternative until the dollars allow for a higher quality machine. kgg

Tony I don't think the cobra class 20 machine is going to be the ideal machine. There is not going to be one machine that does both ends of the spectrum. You need to decide whether you are going to do mostly garment weight items or holsters. A machine that will do the holster would probably tear the hell out of garment weight stuff and a machine that does garment weight won't be able to handle the holster weight. To give you an example Sewing Gold have a good set of videos on youtube that show the end result with three Juki's dnu-1541s, du-1181n and ddl-8700 sewing the same light, medium and heavy fabric. I would class the 1541S as a good compound feed upholstery type machine, 1181n a walking foot machine and the 8700 as a garment machine. kgg

Gregor what model is your machine? The reason I ask is the max size thread for BN is V69 (Tex 70, Tkt 40 ) with a max needle size of 16 (100) while the CN max thread is V138 (Tex 135, Tkt 20) with a max needle of 22 (140). Could it be that there isn't enough clearance for V138 top and bottom thread causing the machine to jam on this thread combination as well as a timing problem? I would check the timing, the model of the machine and then try it with V69 (Tex 70) top and bottom. If V69 (Tex 70) works good then I would try various thread combinations. You may find that with V138 top thread you may have to use V69 (Tex 70) or V92 (Tex 90) in the bobbin. kgg

Since we cann't see what is happening under the bottom feed dog cover plate I would take off the cover plate. Then very slowly hand wheel it through a cycle to see what the bobbin case is jamming up against without the top thread in the needle. What size of thread are you using? kgg

I would be more concerned with parts being available and how hard the machine was run with the patched together motor / reduction gearing that was placed bolted onto it. The silver cover for the belt to me actually looks like it was from a meat slicer. kgg

Gregor I clicked on the link to your video. I got a message that it was unavailable. kgg

It is really nice to see Jc2019 reach out as he obviously has the want to reinvest in himself too enhance his abilities and hone that skill set to become the best leather-crafter he can. I agree with bikermutt07 a trip down under would be a great investment. Reinvestment in oneself through education and equipment to further a skill will always pay-off in the long run. kgg

I do agree that an apprentice needs to be paid a fair wage if the end work is going to be sold or charged for, otherwise it is just schooling. All education whether by seminar, weekend courses, college, trade school or university the student pays to learn a skill. Oh how times have changed from the indentured apprenticeships like my grandfather done. Seven years paying, yes paying, every week to learn under a master before being able to become one himself, he was a master tailor. We had other "tailors" in the family who he scuffed at not because their work wasn't decent but he considered them to be "factory" tailors. In his eyes they had to use pre-made patterns, etc. to produce a good end product rather then a being able to it from scratch with just the bolt of cloth in front of them. kgg

I am glad they are going to send a new part for your machine it does show that the supplier is willing to supply a complete workable machine to you. I do agree that for a lot of us marking a simple part or finding a work around may not be that much of a deal but not everyone wants to, can or should be expected to on a new machine regardless of the brand, type or price tag. I don't think anyone would expect these machines to be the quality that one would expect from a Singer, Juki or Alder. They don't come with great paint jobs / refined finishes or servo motors but they have their place particularly for a lot of people who cann't justify the cost of a more expensive machine for the occasional use. I think for most hobbyists they get a brand name machine as their main machine (used or new) and then make do. For most the patcher is a nice accessory but with the cost, at least in Canada, ranging from $900 for no name Chinese clone to over $2500 for a brand name Chinese clone the $129.00 price tag becomes really a no brainier as all long as it can sew a decent stitch. Just my two cents. kgg

I am going to assume you got the multi language manuals with the machine and have your machine mounted. My suggestion would be to go though everything again step by step by the manual. When it comes to putting the bobbin in what I found easiest was to tilt the machine back and let it rest on the back stop post that is mounted in the table. I didn't install the plastic covers over the drive belt. Hands and fingers are just to big and / or clumsy to install from underneath the table as well as I can see and hear the click as the bobbin is installed.

I agree with Tugadude. The word "lie" is really over the line for me as well, particularly on an open form. It just conjures up to many negative impressions. kgg

Definitely remove the bobbin tensioner from the top cover before trying to straighten, it is some sort of alloy. Also you mention in your post "double loop through to wind the bobbin". The thread path should be that the thread enters through the hole in the bracket arm then loops between the tensioner discs and then the thread is threaded back out through the same hole in the bracket arm. The thread does not make a complete 360 wrap before exiting. The thread then goes directly to your bobbin. If you do a complete 360 wrap before exiting you are going to put to much tension on the bobbin thread. Tension on the bobbin thread is then increased or decreased by tightening / loosening the nob on the tensioner. The reason I mention this is that there is a video on youtube that shows the thread entering the tensioner through the hole in the bracket arm which is correct but then goes directly underneath the thread cutter before going to the bobbin, not correct. kgg

I am surprised that it was shipped with it already mounted to the top cover as mine was in a clear plastic parts bag and the styrofoam wasn't moulded to allow for that part to be mounted for shipping. I agree with Sark9 the best way to straighten it would be to put it in a good vise to flatten the bend out. But before you do that contact and request a replacement part from the company you purchase it from. Send them pictures of the damaged part as well as any damage to the shipping carton. I would go through all the bits and pieces with a fine tooth comb checking for any other damage to the machine, covers, table, motor, etc. When you get to run the machine check for any usual sounds it should run quiet, smooth and steady with no vibrations.

I don't think the Singer 7-33 is going to do the job. I don't think you are going to able to stuff the material under the presser foot let alone sew it. From the information I have seen the Singer 7-33 has 9/16 " (14.28mm) clearance under the presser foot and you need 30mm (roughly 1 3/16") so you would be needing about an extra 15+mm (7/16") more clearance just to get the material under the presser foot. I think you would be needing a needle and awl type sewing machine for that type of material and thickness. kgg

I would choose the Reliable Sewquiet based on experience with their other equipment and the number of internal coils the motor has. On a quick check I couldn't determine how many internal coils the others motors have. I am equating the more internal coils the more available initial torque and longevity. kgg

Jcuk, I agree. In my area if two young people ( male or female ) apply for a job. One from the city and one from the farm with both being equally qualified on paper, the person from the farm will get the job. Why, work ethic and not being afraid of a days work. I had a five month construction job finish and it was funny to watch the crews during their coffee breaks and lunch. The older crew members (45+) would be social, chatting about things (weather, family, wife, kids, news, general stuff) while the younger crew members (-25) would be sitting alongside one another heads down just playing with their cell phones, not uttering a word but exercising their thumbs. kgg

Reckless, I think you are going to be very pleased with the Juki. Did you get the 1541 or the 1541s and a servo? kgg

My suggestion is to purchase binding tape already double folded and use a single fold binding attachment. I have tried the off the shelf double fold binders and found that the amount of clearance (top fold to bottom fold) at the needle side is really tight. I had better results with using a single fold binding attachment but feed double fold ripstop tape into it to get a nice double fold rather then a raw edge fold. If you are going too make your own double fold bias tape, purchase a Bias Tape binding maker in the size you need then just feed it into the single fold binder. The only thing I had to do was open the ends up very slightly. kgg