What Feed Dogs And Needle Plates To Get For A 441 Clone?

[amuckart]

Another question on this machine, since there is mention of guides here, does anyone know whether the guides for a 441 clone will fit the Seiko?

Thanks.

[Anne Bonnys Locker]

I would advise against buying a machine and modifying it as things can become expensive and complicated. Wait until you find the machine that is right for the job without attacking it with a gas axe .

In the long run having parts 'off the shelf' will save you hassle.

Another question on this machine, since there is mention of guides here, does anyone know whether the guides for a 441 clone will fit the Seiko?

Thanks.

[Gregg From Keystone Sewing]

Here is what a slotted plate looks like:

Damn, talk about going the extra mile to help. Pretty awsome, looks like Wiz put quite a bit of time into that that post.

[amuckart]

I now see the misapprehension I was working under. I thought the CH-8 was a 441 clone with quirks, I hadn't realised that it was a completely different machine.

Thank you all for your help, especially Bob & Wiz who've both spent a bit of time answering my queries on this machine.

For the cost of the head (and the fact that I don't have to tack on 30% in duties like I would for an imported machine) it might well be worth my money to buy it and get custom feet made, but I'll see what that costs and go from there.

[Wizcrafts]

Damn, talk about going the extra mile to help. Pretty awsome, looks like Wiz put quite a bit of time into that that post.

I thought I should make up for my previous snafu on another topic!

[Gregg From Keystone Sewing]

I thought I should make up for my previous snafu on another topic!

I feel like I may have come accross a bit rough there. I forget that sarcastic remarks and dry humor don't always come accross the way I intend it to, for sure. Your definaly one of the people here who make this MB a cool place to share information with.

[Wizcrafts]

I feel like I may have come accross a bit rough there. I forget that sarcastic remarks and dry humor don't always come accross the way I intend it to, for sure. Your definaly one of the people here who make this MB a cool place to share information with.

Nah, it's okay Gregg. I should have splained myself up front. Just trying to save the OP some money in the long run. I had one of those 111's and fought with it too much (stitch/spin/stitch/spin/tie off/adjust length/readjust length/oops, bobbin is empty). After I got an LU-563 and fixed the floating stitch length problem (by replacing the machine with a Union Lockstitch), I never looked back!

[amuckart]

I saw Dan at Campbell-Randall mention that he had feet for this machine in another thread on the board so I rang him this morning during the brief window when I'm awake and he's at work. The Seiko-fitting feet and plates aren't significantly more expensive than the 441 ones, so there is a source for them.

Of course, that done, I've eyeballed the machine and found it's not in very good nick, so it might be back to square one. We'll see.

[awharnessshop]

Hey Wiz, hows life? I saw this post, and was scrolling through it til I saw that "Inline" presser foot! Does bob sell that combo? because I will be ordering one today if he does! I can think up a few applications i could use that for!

-Andrew

Here is what a slotted plate looks like:

With this plate you can sew very narrow work and get an edge guide right up against the side of the material. If you have a standard feed dog in place, your edge guide will usually have to be outside the right edge of the dog. The slot in the standard throat plate is about 3/8" wide and an inch long. This leaves a lot of room for the tips of straps to fall into the front edge of the slot, unless the leather is very stiff.

The feed dog, whether smooth of with teeth, helps transport the leather and is responsible for adjusting the reverse stitch length, to a degree. When I sew without a feed dog, the reverse stitches don't always hit the same holes as forward sewing. Also, the stitch length is reduced at all settings of the lever, without a feed dog. I find that unless the leather is medium or soft temper, I need to move the stitch lever down a bit to maintain the same stitch length as with the feed dog.

A left toe presser foot is standard for sewing belts and straps around the perimeter. It allows you to move the edge guide in on the right, to maintain a straight edge at a fixed distance in. The feed dog itself may be the limiting factor for the edge guide, due to the inordinate width of the standard set. My friend bought a Cobra and had a machine shop make a narrower feed dog and throat plate for him. This allows him to sew with an edge guide uo close enough to have less than 1/8 inch stitchline from the edge. The standard dog and plate would move that out to almost 1/4". The workaround is to place a narrow washer under the edge guide, to raise the bottom of the roller above the plane of the feed dog.

About the plates that allow you to sew right up to the left side of the machine: you will have to choose between a holster plate, a stirrup plate, or a ground down slotted flat plate.

There is something you need to know, in advance, before you choose 3rd party presser feet. The so-called Harness Feet are all cutout in the mid-back, behind the toe or toes. A right toe foot will sit about 1/4" away from the center of the needle, on the right side. There is zero steel inline with the needle. Ditto for the left and double toe feet.

There are a couple of workable solutions to this problem. One is to have a custom foot cut from a suitable block of steel, with steel behind the toes, all the way across. The other solution would be to purchase a standard outer presser foot for an Adler 205 or Juki 441 and grind off unwanted material on the sides.

Bob Kovar did just that with some presser foot he had laying around and I have a photo of it. I call this a Pseudopod. It is a true inline presser foot set.

As for a standard 441 clone presser foot, here is what you will probably find in the carton, from China:

These feet both have teeth on the bottom, as does the standard feed dog.

As for the lube pot: it is only important if you feel it is helpful to run your dry thread through either silicon or oil. It will make it easier to penetrate the leather and pull up the knots.

I hope this helps somewhat.

[Wizcrafts]

Hey Wiz, hows life? I saw this post, and was scrolling through it til I saw that "Inline" presser foot! Does bob sell that combo? because I will be ordering one today if he does! I can think up a few applications i could use that for!

-Andrew

I don't know if he has an inline foot set in stock, or not. Call him and ask for it. It is is gone he may be able to machine another one for you. They are tricky to use, as there is no forward support around the sides of the needle, other than the inside foot..