kgg

Interesting detailed video of how the Chinese Patchers form their stitch. Title: Chinese Leather Shoe Patcher : a 3-point turn to lock a stitch Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOliY3NHg_A kgg

I feel your pain. It all comes down to the judge and their expedience / knowledge. Where I come from we don't know the Lab as a Lab it was always called the St. John's dog and they were a very much different dog then what you typically see today. It would be quite a struggle to get most of todays Labs from the water and over the side into your boat. Now they are more commonly referred to as Pig-a-Dors. A close friend of mine, who has done very well with a couple of her yellow females, I tell her to never bring them to me as I would put them to the back of the line. I could go on with breeds that have become a poor representation of what they once were but really it is safe to say I do feel your pain and frustration. kgg

That's what it is all about -- problem, try, try, try, ah solution, refine solution. I don't think there is a one size fits all answer but maybe for a future situation / problem someone can build upon the suggestions to resolve their issue. kgg

With breeds that can still have a job working you will fine variances but still within the standard for the breed. In my breed you can get everything from the couch potatoes or the hunters. Almost all will do their job but the hunters are hard too live with, they want to hunt 24/7. The higher the prey drive the more they will scream which sounds like if you tried to neutered a boy without the benefit of anesthetic. Since every bred has it faults the benefit of purchasing a purebred is they are easier to contend with and a reputable breeder will bred around them to minimize future problems. Whereas mixed breeds may windup doubling up on the faults of multiple breeds and which can result in devastating health problems. kgg

I commend your effort and the solution you are working towards. Your spool configuration reminds me of the old fashion industrial size wooden spools or a scaled up version of the domestic spools. What I am getting is that, Gymnast didn't see in his trails the uncoiling problems which may have to do with the quality / type of the thread (brand name vs unknown manufacturer) and dikman pointed out the problem some, me included, have had with cheap Chinese nylon 8 oz (226 g ) spools of thread particularly black. For me I tried placing the problem 8 oz spools on various angles from upside down, like Gymnast has, to the normal standing straight up position and found the best angle to have the spool placed horizontally. My solution may not solve the tension problems associated with twisting of the thread and it's affect with domestic style machines, which can be a bit more temperamental to thread issues, but should help. Did you get a response to the thread manufacturer? Also on this side of the pond American & Efird is no longer supplying 8 oz spools, maybe it is their problem child as well or just a demand problem. kgg

I would check out your local sewing machine store or order online some industrial sewing machine oil. My red neck concoction that I use for oiling hard to get too parts and old singers consists of 7cc's of Royal Purple Synthetic Oil SAE 5W-20 for gas engines and 5 cc's of Motormaster Full Synthetic Dexron- VI Automatic Transmission Fluid mixed together. I have not had any problems using this mix in old Singers or in my Juki 1541s but still use clear sewing machine oil in the base of the Juki 1541s. I would forewarn anyone using oil other then recommended by the manufacturer that they would have to be willing to take the risk of voiding the warranty, broken parts etc. Staining of items can occur with any oil if not properly applied/used and my also depend on the tolerances of the machine as well as the condition of seals. kgg

Could you post a couple photo's of the top thread path? The problem could also be related to the bobbin tension. To get the tension right on your bobbin thread in a flatbed machine: Try this with a fresh unthread bobbin. Thread the bobbin to about 80 percent and make sure it is inserted in the bobbin case so the thread comes off the bobbin in the correct direction. It should spin in the bobbin case holder counter clockwise. With the bobbin in the case and thread through the tensioner but before it is placed in the machine. Pull out about 6 inches and hold the end of the tread and let the bobbin / case rest flat in your other hand. If the bobbin spins easily in the case tighten the thread tension spring screw. If you can lift the bobbin and case off your hand with no thread coming off the bobbin then loosen the thread tension spring screw on the case. I like the bobbin case to stand up and the bobbin move sightly but not spin easily in the case. Before installing the bobbin check and clean up any excess thread around bobbin and hand-wheel through to catch the thread and try a test piece while holding both threads hand wheel through couple of stitches and see what happens. You probably will have to adjust the top tension. As far as the top tension: Recheck the thread path through the tension discs making sure the thread is well seated in between the discs. I would remove the top thread from the needle all the way back to the tension discs. Then lift and lock the presser foot in the up position to remove the tension on the tension discs and then hold the thread both side of the tension disc to ensure it is firmly seated between them. With the presser foot locked in the upper position the disc will be noticeably loose, not tight together this will allow the thread to be seat properly. If discs don't become loose they maybe tighten in to tight or maybe an internal release problem. While holding the thread tight on both sides of the tension discs unlock the presser foot which will cause the disc to close together on the thread. Re-thread through the needle, the long gouge in the needle should be on the left side of the needle. Also every time you change the needle (new - different size), the thread size (69 - 138), the thread type (polyester - nylon) or the thread manufacturer check the bobbin thread and top thread tensions. kgg

I am sure someone on the forum has printed pulleys for the both the top end as well as the motor end. I wonder how they are holding up? I would predict in the next 10 years as the price of 3d printers for metal become more advanced and come down in price things are really going to change. Instead of buying / shipping certain parts you would just buy or develop the file and print it in a workshop. kgg

I really liked the new videos posted by Solar Leather on youtube. Simple, straight forward, to the point and no BS. 1. Motor Pulley not moving --- Adjusting a non-responsive Enduro Motor - Cowboy Sewing Machines at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-G4vKs7Yh9Y 2. Motor Creep --- Motor Strongest sewing machine motor troubleshooting 1 at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4kQm_md8JM kgg

I just rechecked the ad and the now listed telephone number is for Labar Sales and Distribution. " Labar Sales has been Barrie's Premier Residential & Commercial Supply store for Para Paint, Stains, Window Coverings, and so much more for over 25 years! ". On first blush their description of their business really doesn't instill confidence for sewing machine sales /service. kgg

I figured I put it out there just in case someone was looking but did find it curious, no listing on Cowboy website, no phone number or business name mentioned and whether they were a sewing machine retailer /repair business. kgg

garypl and Pintodeluxe have both offered some good advice. The short answer is Yes put a servo motor on the machine it will give you better speed control. Clutch motors have a much steeper learning curve, are always running, more noisy, use more electricity and can be very intimidating to the first time user. What model Juki did you get and what are you planning on making? kgg

Looking good KennethM. Stitching has really improved, looks like you finally tamed the Techsew machine. kgg

The accuracy of either Imperial or Metric are equal. It only becomes a problem when trying to go from one system to another as it is near impossible. I like the Imperial system and to this day hate, hate, hate the Metric system. When Canada "seen the light" and went Metric all the construction designs were done in Imperial and then just converted to Metric. It was bad enough having to contend with US Gallon (3.8 litres) being less by about 20 percent then the Imperial Gallon (4.54litres). To this day I have to convert in my head what things are in Imperial to get a sense of size/speed/distance/weight particularly at the supermarket where say meat is priced by the pound and sold in Kilo's. Confusing, maybe just me. kgg

not really but close enough: 35/64 ths =.546875 inches while 14mm=.551181 inches

For those who are not metric 14mm is .2875 mm smaller then 9/16 inch. kgg

Looks really nice. kgg

The thread bird nesting on the underside of the leather is more than likely caused by incorrect needle tension. I would: 1. Looking at the photos I think the needle is really large for the thread by looking at the holes in the leather and how the thread really doesn't fill them. On the bottom of the thread spool there should be info as to what type and size the thread is and buy/install the correct size of needle for the thread. If the needle is to big for the thread it can and well affect the thread / stitch tension. 2. Recheck the thread path through the tension discs making sure the thread is well seated in between the discs. I would remove the top thread from the needle all the way back to the tension discs. Then lift and lock the presser foot in the up position to remove the tension on the tension discs and then hold the thread both side of the tension disc to ensure it is firmly seated between them. With the presser foot locked in the upper position the disc will be noticeably loose, not tight together this will allow the thread to be seat properly. If discs don't become loose they maybe tighten in to tight or maybe an internal release problem. While holding the thread tight on both sides of the tension discs unlock the presser foot which will cause the disc to close together on the thread. Re-thread through the needle, clean up any excess thread around bobbin and hand-wheel through to catch the thread. 3. Try hand-wheeling through a small seam while like Spark9 suggested holding the top and bottom threads for a couple of stitches. kgg

I use HDPE a fair bit and would feel reluctant in recommending it for this purpose. HDPE has a tendency to crack when exposed to temperature variations and pressure as well as buckling and twisting which then requires reheating to straighten. Your friends car reminds me of how the old Russian Lada's (basically Fiat 124) rusted which I swear were made out of recycled coke tins. The only way to prevent rust was to give them a good old fashion slop oil bath, then run them over a dusty dirt road and let drip dry for a day or so. kgg

Maybe check out Homedepot type store for some aluminum or metal flat stock and cut it to the length needed. That would be similar to what Klein uses in the tops of their canvas tool bags. kgg

I wouldn't whole your breathe on any sales in the near future of any Chinese made products with the 25% tariff which will probably affect the products new base price. I guess the amount of any dollar increase to the imported cost will be reflected in what price the distributor / dealer needs to increase the price by. I think the tariff is based on what the manufacturer sells the product for to a distributor / dealer. If an items sells for $1000 now and the price goes up by $125 at the 25 % tariff rate then you know the actual cost of the item at the point of entry is $500. If the price goes up $250 you know you are being ripped. For some products the cost increase will be small while others will be more significant, it will all depend on what the Chinese manufacturers selling price is. kgg

I should have put the link in the original post. https://www.kijiji.ca/v-hobbies-craft/barrie/cowboy-industrial-leather-sewing-machines/1439138083?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

Nice elegant classical looking shoes. Good work. kgg

Wish we had someone with a set so maybe some manufacturer would eventually get the idea to open up in North America. I would rather pay extra for something that puts money in the pockets of North American workers. I wonder how the Chinese clones that come into Canada, relabelled and shipped to the US will be affected??? kgg

As shoepatcher said check out the dealer (W.S Bessett) and there maybe other dealers near you. I would be wary of ebay and agree buying from Alibaba could be risky as well. The difference between the clones and a Juki are significant cost wise for a new machine but for a used one it maybe closer to that of a new clone. I would still take a used Juki from a dealer over a new clone.