Search the Community

Due to health issues I'm no longer able to continue with my leatherworking business so I'm selling my beloved CB4500. It's Hightex branded but identical to the Cowboy machines available in the States. I bought it from Franklins in the UK in autumn 2019 for making dog collars. Covid hit at the worst time and that business never took off so it's only made the odd guitar strap and journal in the last 5 years. I've maintained it well with regular oiling in all the right places and it runs as smoothly and fault free as it did when it was delivered. I've only ever stitched 2 layers of 2.5mm veg tan at most. It has the standard speed reducer fitted so can sew at super slow speeds which is why I bought it in the first place. If you are looking at this you're already know that these machines are absolute monsters and will stitch through just about anything. The torque is unbelievable. It comes with removable table, drop down stitching guide, sliding roller guide, all the original tools and top oil reservoir. It also comes with at least 10 empty spools, 3 packets of various sizes of needles and a box of bonded nylon threads in various colours ranging from 20s upto 8s. There are a few marks on the table due to clumsy old me spilling dye on the adjacent bench in my workshop and it splashing everywhere. There's a tiny chunk of paint come off the front from when I removed the stick on LED light. The machine is located in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, UK. It's on the first floor of a building with easy access down a very wide flight of carpeted stairs. It will need the head unbolting to get it downstairs and at least 2 strong people. I got it up there with the help of my son. I've left it as is for now so it can be tested by the buyer, but it's only a 10 minute job to dismantle. Sadly I'm unable to offer any help lifting due to my health issues now. You will need a van ideally unless you want to dismantle the based and the table completely. It will all fit (just) in the back of a Zafira or similar people carrier. I have a couple of short videos of the machine stitching which I can send if required. (I can't upload videos here as they are too large). I'm looking for £2200 or very best offer. Please e-mail me at blackorchardleather@hotmail.com with any enquiries and I'll give you my phone number so we can discuss viewing arrangements etc. Thanks Andrew

Hi all, I am embarking on that big journey of finding myself a machine to be used for sewing leather. I have been stalking the local facebook marketplace and have found a cowboy 4500 for sale about an hour and a half from me. This is an beautiful machine, one that I would be proud to have. Painted a glossy black with red and gold pinstripes all the way down to the foot pedals. I believe that this was a special edition machine sold by Cowboy but have not found much info other than that. The seller list it as having little run time, and being a few hours from Toledo I would like to think it came from Cowboy Bob. I am going to go look at this machine in the near future, and am wondering what all I should be keeping an eye out for, or what may stand out as a red flag when buying a used machine. As of now I plan on bringing a flashlight and checking the components for cracks or wear, and also plan on freeing it from the servo to ensure that the head runs smoothly. Is there anything else I should be on the lookout for? Is it polite to bring scrap to run the machine? I have owned large industrial machines before, made for fabric but never a walking foot machine. If I decide that this machine is a safe purchase, what is the best way to transport this beauty? The machine is on casters, I have a truck and a flatbed trailer with a smooth ramp, but would it be to top heavy to transport like this? Would laying it down on blankets be a safe way? Or should I be looking to find a box trailer where it can be strapped to the walls. In the past, I have taken the head off from the machine, put that in the truck cab and put the table in the bed on blankets. Can this even be done with this type of machine? What can I expect for this machine to weigh? Thank you, maggielj

The Cowboy CB4500,3500 and 3200 narrow needle plate and feed dog set. Why was it developed? A few years back I decided that I wanted a cylinder machine that could handle a wide range of threads (particularly thick) with a large bobbin that could hold a lot. Smaller machines I have could do thread up to 138 (20m) but with that size thread in the bobbin I may only get 1 or 2 belts done before the bobbin needed loading again. Also the thickness of the job would often be more than desirable for the machine to handle. I managed to get a Cowboy CB4500 from our local dealer at the time and found the machine could do large jobs like tool pouches and such with no trouble but..........when I thought I could do smaller weight projects like wallets I was sadly mistaken. The large needle plate hole and wide feed dog allowed the job to be pushed down into the hole if I wanted to get closer to the edge than about 5mm and it would make a mess of any edging that was done prior to be stitched. I was approached by the local correctional centre about this time to make up for them an improved stronger personal alarm pouch and the numbers were pretty significant. I went ahead and designed a good pattern and proceeded to put it into production. Here is a picture of the finished article – Everything went well up until the stitching stage. The best way to do the job was to get all of the edging done first before the stitching and that is what I did. I knew when I was doing it that the job was going up and down a lot and was very difficult to control but I did not take enough notice of the edging at the time.. This picture below was by no means the worst one but just an average one after the stitching. “Golly” I said (perhaps something stronger and shorter to be honest) This was going to take a lotta fixin On a close inspection I found the reason. This belt strip shows that at the start of the strip as the needle enters the job all looks good. Then as the needle goes back with the dog foot and the dog foot descends the belt strip lowers down into the hole as well. The sharp edge of the needle plate was tearing up the edging every time the dog foot went down as it got to the back of the hole. This set me onto a path to find some way to get this machine to behave the way I wanted. After a year or more later and a good deal of development time with the new Cowboy sewing machine dealers here in Australia (Good people) this is what we came up with. A narrow needle plate which has a narrower hole in it than the original and also been reshaped to improve tighter curve stitching like gussets. The narrow feed dog gives the advantage of assisting the needle to be guided at all times through its motion whilst the feet are down. This means the stitches are less likely to miss and revering is now more accurate at lining up the stitches. Previously a narrow slotted needle plate was provided but that involved having to take out the dog foot altogether and at the cost of an unreliable stitch length at times, especially in reverse. This shows the original needle plate hole width in metric (8.75mm) and the next in English (.344 of an inch) This next picture shows the new needle plate hole in metric (5.54mm) and following that the English size (.218 of an inch) Due to file size limits on loading here I will follow this up a bit later with a link to a couple of video's I have done showing off the improved capability given with this new set as well as some practical use pictures I have taken whilst making some of our products.

I have been happily sewing on my CB500 for several months now until I needed to tackle a new application; sewing a 5 point star pattern. Every 'external' pivot drops the stitch. 'internal' pivots are never dropped. I've spent many, many hours now trying every conceivable tension adjustment/thread/needle combination I can, to no avail. Can someone please explain to me what it is about the difference between the 'internal' and 'external' pivots causing this? Maybe if I understand this I can resolve it. See pic for clarification.

Hi all - I have a strange issue with the cb4500 which I don't think has been there before but I may just be going mad :D The top thread is being picked up fine by the hook, but when it slides over the bobbin case to form the knot, it seems to snag on the little hole right at the bottom of the bobbin carrier and then snaps back up when the tension is increased at the end of the stroke. I don't think this is correct as it makes a loud snapping noise and I cant remember that happening before. It is still making stitches but seems to be putting a large strain on the thread and the rest of the assembly so I'm concerned. I took the whole bobbin shuttle and race assembly out to clean it, oil it and reinstall. I also gently sanded the case to remove micro burrs around the hole. This seems to have helped a little bit but it is still snapping very loudly! Link to video I tried to compress the video to add directly to the post but can't get it small enough so apologies for the external link. Mb

I am trying to install in-line presser foot set onto my CB4500. I installed the needle foot and the back presser foot okay. The back presser foot position was fine, but I needed to lower the needle foot a little. I loosened the nut to adjust the needle foot. While making this adjustment I heard a clunk, I think the back presser foot dropped a little, and it no longer walks (goes up and down). I am very much a novice so if you think you can help, please pitch your answer accordingly :). I attach a video. I took the face plate off for the video; I assume it’s something in there that needs attention. if the video isn’t accessible, I’m attaching a photo that may help. TIA.

Finished these Waxed Canvas Tote Bags with Wickett & Craig English Bridle leather straps. I you a CB4500 with #277 Thread I bought this machine from Bob Kovar over at Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines in 9/2015 it was the best purchase I have made for my leather work. Was using a Singer 7/34 it was a very cool machine but you can only do so much with it. Bob is a great person to deal with if you need a new machine give Bob a call over at Toledo 866-362-7397.

I recently bought a Cowboy Cb4500 and could not be happier with it. I got 277 thread with the machine and two sizes of needles 180/24 and 200/25, in 7x4 Diameter, the 180/24 for if I use the 277 on lighter leathers, but I was looking at perhaps getting some 138 thread thread for some lighter leather projects. On Cobra's website I seen they had some 135x8 that can go up to size 22 needle for use with 138 thread. I was curious what the difference in 7x4 and 135x8 needles in leatherpoints are? I figured I would just order 7x4 in size 23 for 138 thread, but was curious what the difference in the two types of needles are?

Hi all, I was doing some spring cleaning/maintenance on my Cowboy 4500 today. I got everything dusted and cleaned, back on, put together, and oiled. I turned it on to test without a needle/thread installed and it ran great, the only problem is it runs so great that it runs even when I'm NOT pressing on the foot pedal. I don't think I changed anything, but I suppose it's possible I may have bumped or adjusted something unknowingly while moving the machine. -I can push lightly (about half way) on the pedal and the machine will work normally with the speed reducer function. When I let off the foot pedal, the machine will stop as expected. ***The problem comes when I push all the way down on the foot pedal and then let off, the machine keeps running (needle, feed dogs, foot moving etc.) like it's on the slowest setting. It also makes a fairly obnoxious squealing noise while moving very slowly. I tried moving the link on the chain up and down to change the amount of slack and tension- that doesn't seem to be it. If it's too tight it will run too fast and I don't get the speed reduction. Too loose and it doesn't matter. I even had the chain completely unhooked from the pedal and it kept running. I've narrowed it down (I think) to the black plastic arm on the servo motor that is attached to the foot pedal by the chain. It's not going all the way back up to stop the movement of the machine. I can gently push up on it momentarily with a finger and the machine will stop normally. If I let off the pressure with my finger, it will keep running. I also can apply a little more pressure and the whole black plastic arm will "click" or "snap" back up to a locked position and the machine will remain off. It will start up and run normally when I press the foot pedal, but again when I put it all the way down and release it will not stop completely. I have to manually push this arm up to stop it completely. Again, that's why I thought it might be the chain tension, but had not luck when moving the link and tension. Is there anything you can think of that would fix this? What could I have done to cause it? Could the problem be coming from something else? This machine is only 2 years old, hasn't seen excessive use, and it is well taken care of. I bought it from Toledo Sewing Machine and have never had any problems with it before. I'm really hoping I don't have to replace the motor since it's so new. I took the cover off the servo motor to see if there was anything obviously wrong and couldn't see anything. I'm not super mechanically inclined, so I thought I'd start here with the experts before doing anything. I didn't want to start chasing one problem and create a handful of others. Any help you all could provide would be greatly appreciated. Fingers crossed it is something simple and I can get it back to normal. Thanks in advance, -Hannah

I think I have stumbled across a cb4500 special edition but I'm not sure and it is missing everything so my question is it worth buying and piecing together the rest of the parts this is all that is there

The time is coming soon that I am either adding an electric machine to use in addition to my Tippmann Boss, or getting a larger machine to replace it. What I'm looking at is the CB3200 and using that for belts, knife sheaths, some of my holsters and using the Boss for my thicker holsters. Or possibly getting the CB4500 and selling the Boss. I have sewn 5 layers of 9/10oz with my Boss in the past. The only downside was I had to mark my stitch locations and lift the presser foot and move my work to get the stitch length I wanted. Will the 4500 handle that thickness without manually moving the work for 5 to 6 stitches per inch? Will the CB4500 sew thinner material like the 3200? I have used my boss to sew a few lead shot filled suede pouches to use for weights and it did just fine after I adjusted the tension lower. The 4500 package is $1000 more than the 3200 without any extras. I'm guessing I could figure another $300 to $400 for presser feet and edge guide if I choose the 3200? What would the Boss be worth being just over a year old if I decide to sell it? If I go with the 4500, I see no need to keep it, and I am pretty certain whatever I could get out of it would offset the price difference between the two machines I am interested in. Thank in advance.

Hi all, Cowboy 4500 with table, servo motor, lots of thread and needles, inline presser foot, double toe presser foot and like new. $2000.00 OB0 I also have a ton of hand tools as well but not yet sorted for posting. Full shop at a bargain. Location is north central Florida near Lake City. Not interested in shipping, this is a pick up offer only. Best way to get with me with questions is by telephone or PM. Number is 443 553 8365. Thanks, Ken Hopkins

Hi All. I thought I would share my treadle conversion of my machine. We lived off the grid an I decided to convert my machine to work either electrically or with treadle power. Will post an operational video later. Happy sewing. yay now I can post video too.

I've been using the CB4500 for about a week but am having trouble with the stitch length adjustment. Unfortunately, this model doesn't come with a user manual and what I need hasn't been found in YouTube videos. What can I do? Any help would be appreciated.

I bought the cb4500 mainly to sew biothane beta. I swapped out the stock feed dog with a slotted plate, but after some advice from forum members, I put the stock feed dog back in yesterday. After I installed the feed dog I was getting nice stitches, but the knot was in the bottom side of the beta. I tried loosening and tightening the bobbin tension, but as you can see in the pics below, I keep getting loops on the bottom. The thread did get stuck in the shuttle a few times. Every once in a while the top thread breaks by the needle. I'm running size 138 black bonded nylon thread with a #24 794s needle along with a lube pot. The primary thread tensioner (on the side) is as tight as it can get and the secondary (at the top) still has room for adjustment. The top thread tension is already very tight, so I didn't want to keep cramming down on the secondary tensioner. What adjustments would I be able to make on my own without voiding the warranty? . .

Well I posted here a couple of weeks back trying to get some insight on what to get as far as my first leather sewing machine and I was gonna go with a Cobra 4 but went with the Cowboy instead...well because the "Bob's" are awesome guys! The CB4500 came in yesterday on a rainy day in drought stricken California and I was scrambling to get everything in my "workshop" (read garage, tiny by the way) and with the help of my geezer neighbors the machine was up and almost running in about an hour. By the way, to those new to leather sewing machine....this thing is a BEAST!!! It's heavy as heck and definitely would need another set of arms to help you unpack and get it assembled. The picture in Bob's website doesn't really do it justice and scale...I'm a small guy (5'5") and it's big to me. First thing I did was watch Bob's YouTube video on how to thread it and so I did and tested it on some scraps....smooth as buttah! But it was making a mark so I loosened up the presser feet tension all the way up...like almost popping it out and then loosened the top thread tension just a tad. Some of my scraps had the knot showing on top so I loosened the top thread tension just a bit more and that seemed to fix it...I have to warn you though I had no clue as to what I was doing but fiddling around with tensions and whatnot I finally got it to where I was satisfied. I kept the sample leather that came with the machine just to have a reference on how it's supposed to sew when it came out of Bob's shop. First thing that I noticed, and this is for the newbies on this machine, when you turn off the switch, the servo motor still has a "load" in it and will still move the machine, so make sure to wait a few seconds before fiddling with anything especially with the needle. I will move the on/off switch further out of the table so I could see it easily and I plugged in the lamp which is left in the ON position behind the servo motor so that I know when the machine is ON or OFF and that gives me another way of telling that yes, it's on or yes the needle went through your finger. I like redundant safety systems and so I don't mess anything up because I love my fingers. With that said, I got the hang of the machine last night and decided on making my dog a collar using #277 thread that came with the machine, I stitched at the slowest setting first and bumped it up a couple of notches because the slowest is...yep, reaaallllly slow! I was enjoying the machine last night and the only thing that ruined it was that I have to go to sleep. I'd like to thank Bob and Bob again for being such cool guys and answering all my newbie questions and giving me advice on what to really works with what. I just ordered a lighter spring for the CB4500 and a few more spools of thread and that should tide me over for a bit until I get another machine from him. Wow this was a long'ish post, just goes to show how stoked I am with the machine and if you're trying to decide on what kind of machine to get, I would wholeheartedly recommend the CB4500 or the smaller versions if you don't need this big of a machine. I still have a long way to go but learning from the pros here in LW saved me a lot of time and energy and I'm so glad that I went with the Cowboy.

I'm a new member in Orange, California, and would like to discuss with others who use leather sewing machines. I recently started using the CowBoy CB4500 and was initially able to sew 6 to 7 stitches per inch. Now it won't do that. Looking forward to hearing from other members near and far.

Well here's my first holster i made with my cowboy machine, boy it is strong ,smooth and quiet. i am amazed how slow you can sew , well im still learning on the holsters, like dying and finishing if you look close at the at the stitching you can see raw leather.. also i want to thank all of you that has helped me with the choice of the machine, leathers, and all the questions i had answered directly or indirectly you guys are the Best!!! thanks, nelson

Can anyone tell me why my thread would be breaking on stingray and how to correct it ,no problem sewing leather, thanks. I searched the archives but nothing came up. I'm thinking I should be using a large needle and smaller thread, maybe less tension? I am using a 23 needle and 138 thread. I suspect the thread is being cut by the calcium. Kevin.