Unusual Sewing Question

[SooperJake]

Is the Cowboy CB4500 capable of sewing through the white cutting board material or similar uhmw type plastic..say 3/8" thick? In other words, I'd have a 3/8" thick piece of plastic trapped between two pieces of 7/8 ounce leather. I seem to recall reading somewhere that it could sew through some plastics.

[TwinOaks]

That kind of thickness/density will likely either stop it, break the needle, or knock it out of time. For getting through tough or thick things like that you'll need to pre drill the holes.

The only type of machine that COULD do it...maybe...would be a needle and awl machine...something along the lines of a Campbell high lift. But I think that 3/8ths of UHMW would be pushing it even for that machine.

[Wizcrafts]

My Union Lockstitch machine might be able to penetrate that plastic. But, it isn't worth it to find out otherwise. Use a drill.

[gottaknow]

I have a Singer 7 at the factory that will sew that. We use it on tactical gear including plastic inserts in deployment packs.

Regards, Eric

[SooperJake]

My Union Lockstitch machine might be able to penetrate that plastic. But, it isn't worth it to find out otherwise. Use a drill.

Wiz, can I sew through the drilled holes with the machine then?

[Anne Bonnys Locker]

That sort of application is probably best done with a needle and awl machine. Is this a one off or ongoing work?

[SooperJake]

Prototype Holster. I think I'm going to add in a stitch line for looks ( a continuation of the trigger guard line ) but rely on a few rivets for the attachment.

[Wizcrafts]

Wiz, can I sew through the drilled holes with the machine then?

Yes. It is the same as how my ULS works: punch a hole with a chisel pointed awl, then bring up a barbed needle through that hole. In your case, bring down a closed-eye needle through the same hole.

If you intend to use your Cowboy 441 clone to sew holes into plastic, do tighten both needle bar screws first, as much as possible. Install a #26 or #27 diamond point needle, or make an awl out of a hard steel rod that has the same shank diameter as a 794 needle, by 2 3/4 inches long. Prepunch the holes with the awl in the machine, then install the correct needle and sew through them. If you are going to sew with a #25 needle, make the stabbing blade a little wider (like a #26 or @27 needle). Bob Kovar sells these huge needles and might be willing to build you an awl. It should be either a chisel or diamond shape at the blade, with a quick taper to round in about 1/8 to 3/16 inch.

If you have a friend nearby with a Union Lockstitch or Campbell-Randall machine, ask him or her to sew the plastic for you. It would be safest to use a combination of a #4 needle and #5 awl, with #346 or #415 thread. The #5 awl pokes a big hole and is very strong. Smaller awls may bend. The size difference between the needle and awl allows the needle to cleanly enter the possibly ragged hole from the bottom, pushing its way into the hole. A #4 needle is also very hefty and less likely to get deflected by exit wounds on the bottom of the plastic.

Edited November 6, 2012 by Wizcrafts