Putting The Pony To Pasture

[renegadelizard]

Well, i done it...im semi-retiring my stitching pony in favor of a Cobra Class 4...cant wait to get it...my fingers are numb right now...six throat reinforcements, 80 stitches each....cant wait to get that lovely machine...im planning on using 277 top and bottom...any comments on this?..i see a few people that go 277 on top and 207 on bottom....educate me fellas, any tips and trick, anything at all to shorten my learning curve will be greatly appreciated...OHH, and Cobra Steve, if you are reading this, thanks again..you guys have a lot to teach the rest of the free market world...your customer service is top notch...

Don

P.S. Where do you guys buy your thread from?...im assuming bonded nylon would work the best...any forum supporters here sell it?

Edited August 25, 2012 by renegadelizard

[WinterBear]

Supporter Springfield leather (http://springfieldleather.com/) sells 277 and 207 bonded nylon thread in 1 lb spools, colors in black, white, and brown.

Another supporter is Tippman Industrial (http://www.tippmannindustrial.com). They have the 277 and 207 in z-twist spools in bonded nylon, colors are black, white, brown, dark brown, and natural.

[Northmount]

P.S. Where do you guys buy your thread from?...im assuming bonded nylon would work the best...any forum supporters here sell it?

Try Bob Kova,Toledo Industrial Sewing Machine Sales Ltd. 419-380-8540. He is another LW supporter. Provides bonded pre-lubricated thread in black, white, straw, light brown and dark brown. Thread (and good prices)

CTG

[Lobo]

I am sure that you will enjoy the Cobra Class 4 machine. Mine has been working away in the shop for about 2 years. Excellent piece of equipment.

In addition to learning to use the machine myself I have trained up my assistant, who had never operated a sewing machine of any type. Here is what I recommend for a new operator:

1. Assemble as many pieces as you have scrap for, in combinations that are similar to your usual production (2 layers, 3 layers, lining pieces, etc).

2. Apply a stitching groove and stitch patterns to those pieces. Straight lines, broad curves, tight curves, and sharp direction changes should all be included. Different combinations on each piece are helpful.

3. Practice stitching those pieces, learning to control stitch placement, following pattern lines, controlling speed, stopping at each direction change to rotate the work, etc.

After doing a few dozen practice pieces you should be able to start on regular production work. Slower is better than faster. Stopping at changes in direction will help to avoid errors and odd-sized stitches. Timing the stop so that the top thread is engaged on the bobbin shuttle prevents "skipped" stitches (basically, stopping just after the needle has bottomed out and has started to rise, but is still within the material being stitched, will accomplish this reliably).

Thread size will be determined by the work being performed. 277 (T270) is a good choice for most applications such as holsters and belts. Changes in thread size, and even changing from one brand of thread to another, will frequently require adjustments in thread tension.

Some folks like a #207 for the bobbin thread, probably because the bobbin will hold more #207 than #277 so changing bobbins will not have to be done as frequently. The Cobra Class 4 features an automatic bobbin winder, filling your empty bobbin while you stitch with another in place. With #277 thread I have found that the machine will wind two empty bobbins in the time it takes to use up one full bobbin, so having wound bobbins ready is easy to do.

When starting a new piece the top thread and bottom thread must be held by hand until two or three stitches have been performed. Be careful not to apply too much pressure when holding the threads because this can bend the needle out of line with the hole in the plate, causing the needle to break on the down stroke.

A comfortable stool is helpful when stitching several items, or larger items.

When changing from one type of work to another you may need to adjust thread tension a bit. Lighter weight pieces require less tension for a nice stitch. Stitch lengths can also vary a bit with different combinations and thicknesses. So, putting together a sample piece of scrap leather and stitching a few lines will help you adjust the machine for these variations.

More than anything else, just practice and practice some more before starting on real projects.

[KAYAK45]

Great news Don!

I'm sure you'll enjoy the machine over hand stitches. When I first got mine (CB4500)` a couple years ago, I got some advice here on the forum that I now pass on.

Leave the thread out of you needle and don't put in a bobbin. Use some poster board or light weight cardboard. I liked the USPS boxes cut-up. Thought it appropriate to use free gov'T supplies.

Make straight lines with a ruler and sew them, needle only. Next sew next to them, parallel. Next draw some curves and stitch those, again only using the needle.

When you are comfortable that the needle goes were you want it, add thread and try leather scrap.

For several months I did this "warm-up" every day before tackling a real project, and it saved lots of leather.

Good luck and tight stitches.

Kevin

[Go2Tex]

Practice first??? Now where's the fun in that? Naw, just go ahead and dive into some good leather and that really important project and enjoy all the frustration and anger and hours of removing reams of stiching and re-doing it.

That's the way to do it, boy. Learn by doing it the hard way.

[KAYAK45]

Practice first??? Now where's the fun in that? Naw, just go ahead and dive into some good leather and that really important project and enjoy all the frustration and anger and hours of removing reams of stiching and re-doing it.

That's the way to do it, boy. Learn by doing it the hard way.

HAHAHA! That's what I would expect a guy would say, that drives a green tractor. Start thinking RED.

Kevin

[Go2Tex]

HAHAHA! That's what I would expect a guy would say, that drives a green tractor. Start thinking RED.

Kevin

Man, you got that right. Nothin' runs like a Deere....owner - back and forth to the parts department for those over-priced green parts. Had mine for 1 year and 11 months and the battery died. Cost me $100 to replace a battery that died 1 month shy of the warranty expiration. On the way home with my new one, I stopped off at the local generic auto parts store and they were selling them for about $40.

Yeah, I saw red alright.

[renegadelizard]

Unfortunately, i see myself doing this exactly while making a smart ass comment to my wife, something along the lines of "seriously hon, if a six year old in bangladesh can do it, how hard can it be...."..lol...thank all of you for the advice...i will do my best to bow to your collective wisdom...

Practice first??? Now where's the fun in that? Naw, just go ahead and dive into some good leather and that really important project and enjoy all the frustration and anger and hours of removing reams of stiching and re-doing it.

That's the way to do it, boy. Learn by doing it the hard way.

[KAYAK45]

Hey, Don your only 290 miles away. Come on up and use my CB4500, close enough to you class 4. Bring a pistol or two, and we will blow some holes in paper, while your here. Gotta a great outdoor range with olympic indoor training range.

Kevin

[K-Man]

The Cobra 4 is a great machine to use. Give me a shout once you get it, and I'd be more than happy to come up and show you how it works and get you started on it. I'm down in Columbia.

Edited August 26, 2012 by K-Man

[renegadelizard]

The Cobra 4 is a great machine to use. Give me a shout once you get it, and I'd be more than happy to come up and show you how it works and get you started on it. I'm down in Columbia.

im gonna have to take you up on that one...i could really use someone to either stop me from sewing my fingers together or to call 911 once i do...