Top And Bottom Stitches

[1894leverguy]

The machine is a Cowboy 3500. When sewing two 1/8 in pieces of leather, should the top and bottom stitches look the same?

On my machine, the top stitch looks good but the bottom isn’t near as tight

The top stitch has a distinctive gap between each stitch but the bottom isn’t tight enough to have a distinctive stitch.

While the bottom isn’t a bad stitch, it seems as though it could be improved a bit

Thread tension appears good to me

Are there any other adjustments?

[Trox]

Hi!

That is because the needle is punching down true the leather and makes a exit wound. The bottom stitches will never look as good as the top ones on firm leather, this is normal. Hammering the seam flat will make it look better. You can use a sponge with some water before you hammer it; if needed. But this you know already. The bottom stitch looks better with one size thinner thread than the top one. Adjustment are the tension and foot pressure. The right size of needle will also matter. A shorter stitch might also improve. But post a picture of it, that is the only way to determine if it looks normal.

Trox

The machine is a Cowboy 3500. When sewing two 1/8 in pieces of leather, should the top and bottom stitches look the same?

On my machine, the top stitch looks good but the bottom isn't near as tight

The top stitch has a distinctive gap between each stitch but the bottom isn't tight enough to have a distinctive stitch.

While the bottom isn't a bad stitch, it seems as though it could be improved a bit

Thread tension appears good to me

Are there any other adjustments?

[TwinOaks]

It depends on why the bottom doesn't have any gaps- If it's leather filling up the space between stitches, then you could try something like an overstitch wheel. If you see the top thread between the bottom stitches, you need to increase your top thread tension just a little so the lockstitch is pulled inside the leather.