Techsew Ga5-1R

[Jbarv Bulls]

Im pretty sure my toro 3000 would run screaming from trying to sew through a penny .... thats pretty cool.

[mogwild]

I seen it on the Campbell video. Had to try it on the Randall

[Techsew Ron]

I seen it on the Campbell video. Had to try it on the Randall

your needle can't be in very good shape right now !!

[mogwild]

Needles fine, it doesn't penetrate the material It just reacheds up though the hole after and grabs the thread.

The awl does awl the work (zing!), and it needed changed anyway. Though, it didn't look any different after going though the penny.

Edited July 13, 2012 by mogwild

[Tim Schroeder]

I have a GA5-1 for lack of funds for a 441 clone. I ground the feed dog down enough to knock down the sharp edge on the teeth. I also cut off the presser foot tension nut. There was to much pressure to start with. The only problem I have found is stitch length because of the bottom feed. With a little practice I'm sure I could produce better results. I have another machine (basically the same as Cobra class 18) that is triple feed and it produces a really consistent stitch length. One day soon I'll have one of the 441 clones. Here is a picture of the backside of a notepad I made. I didn't rub out any marks. Like I said about the stitch length, it was hard to keep it consistent. This was the first project I had sewn on this machine.

Thanks Tim

Edited July 14, 2012 by Tim S

[jimsaddler]

Quick comment on the 45K 25 Clones.

Even stitches are achieved by Operater Skill! Hand pressure is applied fore(rt hand) and aft (lft hand) to make sure the Materials are fed through evenly.

Buff the Feed Dog teeth very well and the Dog won't pierce the underside of the work. Then simply rub the marks with a piece of heavy canvas to rub them out. For Skirting Leather damp it slightly then rub it out. These Machines were developed for use with proper Veg Tanned Leathers like Bridle or Harness which don't mark very badly. Lets face it Veg embossing is not properly finished Leather, so it is expected that there will be some finishing involved before it is finished for use.

Kindest Regards.

Jim Saddler.

I have a GA5-1 for lack of funds for a 441 clone. I ground the feed dog down enough to knock down the sharp edge on the teeth. I also cut off the presser foot tension nut. There was to much pressure to start with. The only problem I have found is stitch length because of the bottom feed. With a little practice I'm sure I could produce better results. I have another machine (basically the same as Cobra class 18) that is triple feed and it produces a really consistent stitch length. One day soon I'll have one of the 441 clones. Here is a picture of the backside of a notepad I made. I didn't rub out any marks. Like I said about the stitch length, it was hard to keep it consistent. This was the first project I had sewn on this machine.

Thanks Tim

[Tim Schroeder]

Yes, I agree on the operator skill part. I will probably have to use this machine for some time. When I first tried this machine the marks were more like cuts and could not be rubbed out. I didn't hesitate to start working on the feeddog rite away since you can replace it pretty easily. Cutting down the presser foot tension nut made a big difference. The lightest setting I felt was way to much pressure. I have ground and filed the feeddog down so much that it requires a little more skill than normal. I can just hold the material and the feeddog would just slip and it will sew in the same hole. But as you can see in the picture there is not any marks at all. I am completely satisfied with those results. I try to think I'm a perfectionist and one bad stitch will drive me crazy. If I hadn't been to lazy to build a support table to help hold it up it might have helped. No excuses, you should be able to make this machine work fine, especially for the price. I paid $600 with shipping for just the machine. I mounted it on a spare piece of Corion and can just set it in the hole my other machine sets in. I can change my machines out in just a couple of minutes.

Quick comment on the 45K 25 Clones.

Even stitches are achieved by Operater Skill! Hand pressure is applied fore(rt hand) and aft (lft hand) to make sure the Materials are fed through evenly.

Buff the Feed Dog teeth very well and the Dog won't pierce the underside of the work. Then simply rub the marks with a piece of heavy canvas to rub them out. For Skirting Leather damp it slightly then rub it out. These Machines were developed for use with proper Veg Tanned Leathers like Bridle or Harness which don't mark very badly. Lets face it Veg embossing is not properly finished Leather, so it is expected that there will be some finishing involved before it is finished for use.

Kindest Regards.

Jim Saddler.

[Wizcrafts]

You could have just dipped liquid, hardening tool coating into the teeth to fill the gaps. I use Tool Magic, available from craft stores. When it wears off I redip the parts.

[Dirck]

I've had a GA5-1 (no R) for a couple of years and ran a lot of leather, canvas and nylon strap through it.

It can mark the leather, but if you adjust the pressure for the thickness, when changing thickness, it will be minimal to none. Of course the lighter the pressure the more responsible you become for the feed.

I had never thought about taking the sharp edges off the dogs, but I have tried masking take to the side of the stitching and it worked.

Other than that the machine has been a horse.

[gainesvilleman]

I received my GA5-1R on Thursday February 6, 2014, today Friday open it up and put the table together and set up the servo and the machine. The presser foot lift is 3/4". I sewed through 4 layers of 8-9 oz. veg/tanned leather with no problem right out of the box, did not see any marks on top or bottom so far. Played with the stitch length seemed to work ok, the reverse worked fine also. I was sewing 277 bonded nylon on top and 138 on bottom. I'm looking forward to sewing on it, my PFAFF 1245 will be my back up machine now.

I welcome any and all comments, I do not post very often but I do read and learn from Leather workers network.