MainiacMatt

People can knock carrying a "mouse gun" all day, but I sure as heck wouldn't want to be shot by one. The mouse gun you carry is more useful than the big gun that sits in the safe because it's too large to conceal or to heavy to carry comfortably.

kgg.... thanks for that

progress report.... I received the new needle bar thread guides I ordered on Amazon. They are stamped metal and when installed don't center properly on the needle. After wasting a lot of time attempting to bend one to align correctly, I went back to the OEM part which I had damaged. This appears to be a MIM (metal injection molded) piece and it's much harder and precisely shaped. That explains why it snapped when I held it in pliars attempting to file a sharp edge off at the gap. I reinstalled the OEM part and found it would still guide the thread under most circumstances, so I'll continue with it until I can find a source for a OEM replacement. I received a spool of 92 weight thread from Superior and was able to get the tensions dialed in to get a good (centered) stitch on two layers of 4 oz. chrome tan (both with the original ebay thread and the new Superior thread). I sped up, did tight curves, and didn't break the thread. The top thread (regardless of brand) breaks when I attempt to back tack with the reverse lever. The top thread (regardless of brand) breaks when I attempt to sew four layers of my leather. After several hours of fussing around, I got frustrated and called it a day. My conclusions: It's not the thread It's not the tension settings It's not sharp or burred edges (at least not above the deck) The only adjustments I haven't checked above the deck are the thread control spring range and tension, the presser foot height, and the presser foot movement distance. I suspect the problem is being caused below the deck. My hook timing appears to be spot on and the clearance between the hook and the needle at the scarf is with one sheet of paper ( ~.003" to .004"), where .02mm to .1mm ( or .0007: to .004") is the spec. I have yet to look at the thread release finger clearance.

Warning.... thread necromancy to follow. I just learned that The Maine Thread Company sells both Eddington Thread (8 oz. spools) and A&E thread (16 oz. spools).

Ordered thread from Superior. We'll see how that goes.

Thanks for all the replies.... The spool with the blue painters tape on it is not feeding the machine, I'm just storing it on the thread stand. I purchased the 92 bonded nylon thread off ebay for $7/4oz. spool, so I'm sure I can do better. I used Coats and Clark on the leather cushions I made long ago (not this machine) but I don't think they make anything this heavy. What brands/suppliers are recommended? Prices on Superiorthreads.com are $20/lb. for 92 Bonded Nylon, but no brand name is listed. thethreadexchange.com has Amann and A&E for double that price. Sailrite has Sunstop brand at $20/4oz spool. I have no idea what brands are considered to be better, or who the best retailers are. The only sharp edges I could identify were on the clearance v-cut in the front of the needle bar. So I dusted them with a tiny grinding wheel on a Dremel tool. The gap in the needle bar thread guide has a sharp corner on it, so I fiddled with that and a diamond hone, but managed to break it. I ordered parts on Amazon, but won't see them until Tuesday. So I won't be able to do anything further until then.

Backed off Bobbin tension another 1/4 turn and dialed in top tension firm, but not crazy tight… stitching is much better… top Bottom still shredding thread whenever I back stitch

It’s always the top thread that breaks. It will always break when I press the back stitch lever

When I try bobbin drop test the bobbin is ejected 1/4 way out of case by spring and seems to bind a little, so I don’t feel like I’m getting an accurate take on tension

Starting like this… Sorry pics all posted sideways

I’m pretty sure I’m threading correctly I think thread is breaking at needle, or at needle guide

third pic is bottom side after cranking to tension very tight Thread is all same dark brown color. Sunlight makes it look like two shades. needle is #20 size Bobbin is inserted CW

Attempting to sew 3-4 oz. Chrome tan with size 92 bonded nylon thread on new to me Consew 206. top stitches bottom bottom after cranking down tension and then I start breaking thread… I’ve disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled the tension mechanism, but the problem still persists. Bobbin tension didn’t seem excessive, so I backed off the tension screw just 1/4 turn. No joy! Any advice is much appreciated.

This is a Form 3 SLA (stereo lithography.... uses laser to cure resin) printer. The layer resolution is quite a bit finer than FDM (fused deposit of molten plastic), but the supports can be a PITA. The resin I used is called Tough 2000, as it's intended to be strong enough for functional parts (as opposed to form only prototypes). On the non-functional surfaces, I just trim the supports and lightly sand the surface, so you can still see the striations from the print layers and pimples from the supports. But when I turned the critical surfaces on the lathe, the finish was very, very, smooth. I'm hoping to try printing some custom graphics for use as embossing tools some day. There's several YouTubers doing so and the results look promising.

Another assembly pic... With the servo motor at its lowest speed setting (the speed dial clicks into position on this model), and the pedal pushed all the way, I'm getting ~2 stitches/sec. If I back off on the pedal, I can slow down to 1 stitch/sec. Control is pretty good and with some care I can cycle individual stitches. I would have liked to go slower, but as noted, I maxed out the pulley size I could print. Thanks for looking in. I realize that not everyone has access to the tools to do this style build, but I gleaned a lot of info. from other speed reducer builds I found posted and wanted to share this as yet another way to do it. Happy trails...

After trimming the supports, I cleaned it up and precision bored the shaft hole for a close fit to the shaft Printed small pulley and bored on lathe as well... AL Plates were milled on the Bridgeport clone after hours at work.... sorry, forgot to take pics. Here's the finished assembly...

Here's the groovy new rig... a Chandler 406 RB-1 (Consew 206 RB-5 in disguise) Purchased new from local dealer for $1,300, which was way over my "allowance" ... so I had to economize for the speed reducer. That meant DIY... but I do machine design at work and have access to machine shop and 3D printer so let the fun begin. Here's the 3D model of my design. I found the pair of flange bearings on e-Bay for $15, and go the aluminum plate stock from my stash of cutoffs. The step pulley has 50mm and 150mm sheaves (150 maxed out the printer build envelope). Here's the pulley model prepped for printing with supports in the printer app. Hot off the printer...

This is what I'm talking about...

Me again with another question I'm seeing type M bobbin cases ranging in price from $3.50 ea. to $27 ea. Is there a huge quality difference in bobbin cases? Or are some people just fishing for suckers? The finish in some of the photos vary from a dull matt to a bright chrome. Are there different manufacturing processes? (i.e. are some cast and some stamped metal?) If so, which would be prefered? Inquiring sewers want to know.

Bueller?

Hi all, I placed my first order with the Thread Exchange, and of course, I screwed up. I wound up ordering a pound of Size 92 monocord (single filament) nylon thread, when what I really wanted was bonded. They'll accept a return, but as it was my mistake, shipping will eat up half of the refund. So being a newbie sewer, can someone please tell me if monocord is suitable for leather upholstery with 3-4 oz. chrome tanned leather? And if not, what is it useful for? Thanks in advance for your help.

All set up in my “office”. This thing is a beast. Needles and thread on order from The Thread Connection. Going through mechanic videos to learn machine and precision tune to factory specs. Need to order feet… any site member favorite sources recommended? I’m thinking about ditching the belt guard. Any thoughts on that?

I went and looked at the Chandler today. The guy basically runs a service shop and had machines all over the place. I can see why he doesn't keep "office hours" as the shop wasn't exactly tidy and had no showroom suitable for customer presentations. None the less, he really seemed to know a lot about sewing machines. He even had a bench top lathe and mill set up in one area, where he does his customization work. It turns out that this Chandler was the last of a lot of 10 machines and has been on his shelf for ~4 years. Like everything else in the shop, it was dusty, but had no signs of wear. This was by far the smallest machine in the shop. He had just finished setting it up on the table (also dusty) and I sewed several test pieces. It plowed right through six layers of my 3 oz. chrome tan upholstery leather with no apparent effort. $1,300 out the door (thankyou tax free NH). Let the fun begin.

Thanks Bob