BobbErr

Thanks guys. I will try a larger needle. I have some DYX1 7X1 300 needles and some 330 samples on the way. I will try them. The machines stitch fine with the .8mm thread and the supplied 230 needles. I thought there may have been some sort of interference between the arm of the machine and the bobbin carrier with the 1.1mm thread. I thought it might require grinding away the bobbin carrier or something like that to allow thicker thread. Could be wrong. We'll see. I have been told by a needle company rep that a 250 needle should handle 1mm+ monofilament. Whatever that is - fishing line?

Old Thread. I bought one of these. The needle size is DDX1 230/26. Same with the Sl 26 side stitcher which I also have. They both stitch well with .8mm braided kevlar. Some modification may be needed to use 1mm or above - I'm working on that. I broke the teeth on the bobbin shuttle driver thingy on the insole machine before I identified the problem. Replacement parts are on the way. Both machines have a much larger bobbin than the ordinary clsp Sl 18 patcher. I tried 1.1mm braided kevlar. It seems to get stuck in the needle hole. I switched to a 250/27 needle. The needle doesn't seem to be the problem. Does anyone know if you can grind out the hole to allow the use of thicker thread? For those who are metrically challenged I believe 1.1mm is roughly equivalent to Size 554 / Tex 600 / Govt. 8-Cord . Not certain of .8mm but possibly similar to Size 346 / Tex 350 / Govt. 5-Cord ? I have also ordered the Sl 28 which seems to be a superior alternative to the regular clsp patcher. The needle size is likely 28. It has a much larger bobbin - 3cm diameter (well over 1 inch) and is capable of stitching through up to 3cm. Or so I am told. That one should sew with 1mm thread or more straight out of the box. I think. This is the one 32-3A Flat head shoe sewing machine http://robinindustry.com/product/274.html For those who are interested in the insole machine I would encourage you to ask Robin about the RC 32 4A1 - which is the bigger brother. They have not made it yet but if enough people are interested they will. I am told they need to make a minimum of 100 units. It is capable of sewing through thicker leather and has a longer lower arm which would be very handy for larger boots/shoes.