Help With New Tippman Boss

[colt1911]

Im having trouble keeping my stitches uniform all the way through. On some of them, the knot part of the lock stitch pulls through on the top and others pull through the bottom, and yet others are perfect....all in the same stitch line. Ive called Tippmann customer service twice and all the told me is i need to add tension to my secondary tensioner. Hows that gonna help if some of the stitches pull through the top already? Its erratic and random, no matter how much tension i put on the thread or bobbin its still an inconsistant stitch. Ive lubed the machine as per the owners manual and went through the troubleshooting section on the dvd at least a half dozen times. Ive made double sure im stroking all the way up and down. Ive ruined 4 projects trying to use this satan-inspired machine and have since resorted back to sewing by hand untill i get this issue resolved. If i cant get the problem fixed, there will be a slightly used Boss for sale in the classifieds section of this forum. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[Denster]

Im having trouble keeping my stitches uniform all the way through. On some of them, the knot part of the lock stitch pulls through on the top and others pull through the bottom, and yet others are perfect....all in the same stitch line. Ive called Tippmann customer service twice and all the told me is i need to add tension to my secondary tensioner. Hows that gonna help if some of the stitches pull through the top already? Its erratic and random, no matter how much tension i put on the thread or bobbin its still an inconsistant stitch. Ive lubed the machine as per the owners manual and went through the troubleshooting section on the dvd at least a half dozen times. Ive made double sure im stroking all the way up and down. Ive ruined 4 projects trying to use this satan-inspired machine and have since resorted back to sewing by hand untill i get this issue resolved. If i cant get the problem fixed, there will be a slightly used Boss for sale in the classifieds section of this forum. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Whoa don't panic. The machine is fully capable of doing great work. Here are some tips. You didn't say what type and thickness of leather you are sewing. I'm going to presume that it is veg-tan at least 4OZ in total thickness. First are you using the S type chisel point needle. The standard needle works OK for garment leather and canvas but for veg-tan you need the S type. Second is the needle the right size for the thread you are using and is it oriented properly in the machine? Third what type and size of thread are you using? Fourth most folks think they need a lot of bobbin tension. You don't. The thread should flow freely from the bobbin with light, less than 1lb, resistance. Set your thread tensioners as per the manual. Make sure that your thread stand and that wire guide allow the thread to come off the spool with no resistance at all. Fifth on uneven stitches this is often the fault of not having enough presser foot pressure in combination with too much bobbin and tensioner tension. These are some things to try.

It would really help to know what leather you are using and what thread along with some pictures to help diagnose the problem.

[machinehead]

You have probably checked to see if the thread is tangled around something along its path from the spool to the needle with no burrs on any of the contact points including the needle itself. Are the felt pads in place on the tension assembly? Is the needle set all the way up in the bar and lined up correctly? Does the thread pass through all of the guides and does it go down through the needle foot before being put through the eye from left to right?

What type and weight of leather are you stitching? You might try spraying some silicone lube on a rag and rubbing some of the thread to see if that helps. What size needle and thread are you using? Are you still using the thread that was wound on the bobbin at the factory? Is it wound uniformly? Do you have the bobbin inserted into shuttle in the proper direction? Set your presser foot tension so that the leather doesn't lift up as you stitch. Stick with it as there is a learning curve; but you will get there.

Im having trouble keeping my stitches uniform all the way through. On some of them, the knot part of the lock stitch pulls through on the top and others pull through the bottom, and yet others are perfect....all in the same stitch line. Ive called Tippmann customer service twice and all the told me is i need to add tension to my secondary tensioner. Hows that gonna help if some of the stitches pull through the top already? Its erratic and random, no matter how much tension i put on the thread or bobbin its still an inconsistant stitch. Ive lubed the machine as per the owners manual and went through the troubleshooting section on the dvd at least a half dozen times. Ive made double sure im stroking all the way up and down. Ive ruined 4 projects trying to use this satan-inspired machine and have since resorted back to sewing by hand untill i get this issue resolved. If i cant get the problem fixed, there will be a slightly used Boss for sale in the classifieds section of this forum. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

My apologies Denster. Didn't mean to horn in on your excellent reply.

[TwinOaks]

And to add to Denster's reply, something that Frank (on here) mentioned to me: Pull a little slack from the spool before the thread gets to the first thread guide. That ensures there is no unintended resistance on the thread. Also, look up the thread "show me the backside of your stitches with a Boss" by Particle. The thread take up lever was causing issues for Particle and I think a half turn on a screw was all it took to fix it. There's more info on that topic in the thread....at least it's better explained.

And if it's still a terrible headache for you, I'll give you $300 plus shipping.

[Dwight]

Your machine may be different from mine, . . . but mine loves to move the tensioners, . . . releasing the tension, . . . allowing the bobbin thread to pull all the way through.

I solved this with a small crescent wrench and two 1/4 x 20 nuts. Put them on the top of the posts, . . . lock the tensioners from moving with them, . . . and once you have your stuff set right, . . . it will not move.

The other advice: needles, thread, bobbin direction, needle direction, . . . all good stuff. Just remember, . . . you do need to practice with it a bit, . . . and it will come.

Also, . . . final note, . . . they guy you want to talk to at the Boss shop is Ben, . . . ask for him by name, . . . he is great. If all companies had a "Ben" in their customer service depts, . . . life would be so much better.

May God bless,

Dwight

[LNLeather]

HI There

I am right where you are, I have a new Boss and to use your words - I am also having

trouble keeping my stitches uniform all the way through.... I did a search for ""tippmann boss"

here at leatherworker.net and am going through all the posts on the subject.

The only advice I can give is to use scrap leather till you get it figured out.

I have seen a lot of leather work sewn with the Boss and I am sure it is easier

than hand stitching... once we get experienced with the machine...

and are sure we are using the right size needle and thread.

I am just pretty disappointed that "The Boss" wasn't easier to use right away. But I guess it is like all leather work,

the more you practice the better you get and the better it looks. Good Luck

Edited February 20, 2011 by LNLeather

[TwinOaks]

To echo the above statements, I had trouble with mine at the beginning, too. Now, I've got it set for the most common thicknesses I sew and it's 'lift foot, insert leather, start sewing'. Spend the time to go through the posts on the Boss, you'll probably find the answer here. Another tip I haven't seen mentioned yet: Hold the thread for the first couple of stitches. The take up arm exerts a lot of pressure on the thread, and if you don't hold the thread, it WILL pull the bottom thread up on the stitches if they aren't secured when you start.

[colt1911]

Thanks for all the feedback yall! I was messin with it all day today and i managed to get it tuned a little better, but nowhere what i think its capable of. I checked out the thread about the problem Particle had with his. I tightened the thread takeup arm screw about a half turn and that fixed the majority of my problem right there. It made my stitches tighter and looks alot better, but im still getting a few random stray ones every now and then. Ive still got some work to do on it and practice...lots and lots of practice!!! But i think im on the road to recovery. Thanks for the help guys!!!

[TwinOaks]

You are most welcome, and we're glad to help.

[particle]

Another thing you should keep in mind - when you're making sharp curves, say maybe a 1/2" - 3/4" radius and smaller - don't try to sew right around the corner. When you hit the curve - stop, lift the presser foot, turn the piece, lower the presser foot, stitch one time, stop, lift the foot again and turn the piece, lower the foot again and stitch, etc. - repeat this until you get around the curve. I was able to completely eliminate the top thread coming through the back of the piece by doing this. Every time I forget and sew continuously around a tight curve, I have to push the thread back into the piece in one or two holes when I'm done sewing.

Also, there seem to be a couple types of needles that Tippman is sending out. One has an angled chisel point, and the other has a chisel point that is NOT angled. I don't know what an "S" type chisel point is that Denster mentioned, but if it's the angled vs. non-angled, you definitely want to use the angled needles. Do NOT try to rotate your non-angled chisel point needle so that it cuts an angled hole, as this will cause other stitch issues, mainly (in my experience) the failure of the top and bottom thread to lock which causes skipped stitches.

My machine came with the straight chisel in the little plastic accessory box. When I ordered extra needles, they were the rotated needles - I did not specify one vs. the other as I had no idea there was a difference until my extra needles arrived and I started using them. As soon as I used them, I noticed my stitches looked better (staggered like hand stitching). I compared the new vs. the originally included and noticed the difference. I have been chatting with another user and suggested he order some replacements - his replacements do not seem to be angled like mine were...