Singer 29-4 And Vegtan Leather

[PAMuzzle]

I just acquired a Singer 29-4 (1908) with the thinking that I could sew modern holsters and other items. Can this machine be modified to work with VegTan?

I read another post that the teeth will permanently mark the leather. Yet I have seen YouTube videos of this machine sewing leather

[Wizcrafts]

The 29-4 is no good for sewing holsters. It has the tiniest bobbin imaginable and is not much good with anything bigger than #92 thread. The sewing capacity of that machine is only about 1/4 inch. They usually lose stitch length as the thickness increases. Unless the feed mechanism is in factory mint condition, the stitch length at 1/4 inch might be only 7 or 8 to the inch.

That machine is best used to sew shoe and boot uppers, or sew patches onto vests.

[Anne Bonnys Locker]

Great machine - just no good for what you want to do with it.

As a part of you machine collection it will be invaluable (if it works properly) so don't get rid of it. Every proper leather shop has a range of machines and a 29 is always found in the best of them.

[PAMuzzle]

Sorry to hear this. I was misinformed about this machine. As I am interested in making holsters, I may end up reselling this machine or parting it out.

Edited December 22, 2012 by PAMuzzle

[Wizcrafts]

This is one kind of sewing machine commonly used to make holsters.

Here is another heavy duty sewing machine that can make just about anything.

[billymac814]

There seems to be a lot of people buying patchers for jobs they aren't meant to do, probably the sellers fault but the buyer has to do their homework too.

Don't count out the Tippmann Boss if you can find a used one for under 1k. If it wasn't for my Boss I wouldn't have been able to make any money to buy other machines. It worked so well I kept using it for years and bought other machines to do other jobs, Consew 206 for flat lightweight stuff, 2 patchers for repair work(patching!!) a singer post machine and a few smaller machines. Now that I have pretty much all my bases covered I'm going back and finally replacing the Boss with a Cowboy 4500 like Wiz posted. I'm picking it up next Friday from Bob at Toledo Industrial. I would recommend him to anyone, he sold me the Consew and a powered base for my Adler and he always answers my questions promptly and even offered to meet me on a Sunday night to pick up the base because I was passing through.

Moral of my story is.... Who knows. Buy a bunch of machines cuz one never cuts it.

I also have a 29-4 but its in the front of my shop in the window as decoration, I have a 29k-58 and an Adler 30-1, I would suggest getting a patcher that is at least 29k-58 or newer, from what I understand the older ones with the fully cast arm you can't replace the parts inside so if they are worn they become a parts machine. Maybe not a big deal for some people but I rely on my machines to feed my family so I need to be able to repair them quickly.

Sorry your purchase didn't work out, do your research and buy what will exceed your needs, if you can't afford that then use an awl and two needles until you can, you'll sell many more holsters that are sewn correctly and you'll have your machine soon enough that's what worked for me anyway.

[billymac814]

Does your name mean you live in PA? If so and you're close to Altoona let me know and if you want to stop by my shop Ill show you what machines I have and you can get a feel for what you need or don't need.

Sorry to hear this. I was misinformed about this machine. As I am interested in making holsters, I may end up reselling this machine or parting it out.

[PAMuzzle]

Wiz. Thanks for all the info. Unfortunately, funds do not allow the purchase of a $1000 + machine for a small hobby.

BillyMac... Yes I live outside Pittsburgh. Would like to visit to see what you do.

I am doing the holsters for friends and relatives. The western styles I hand sew and am planning on always doing them that way. I was just hoping to make it a little easier for the moderns. I picked up the 29-4 for $125 after a couple folks on another forum said it would do the work I was trying to do.

[billymac814]

I at one point said I would always hand sew my holsters too but things got to the point where I could no longer keep up with orders handsewing. Of course at that point I was making them in my living room. Now I have about 12 machines and a 1500 sq ft shop with a retail area. I do a lot of repairs as well and other work that all requires different machines though and I have backups for some.

My advice is to continue to handsew and put away money, when you NEED a machine you should be able to afford one ( if you take payment up front, which you should). A used Boss will probably be the cheapest route and it'll do just about anything you ask it to for holsters and they also give you experience on how to adjust a machine. Anything else suitable and you'll probably be over 2k unless you really get lucky. The Cowboy 4500 is just under 3k and the Cobra about the same.

I think you could technically sew a holster with your 29-4 so they weren't exactly lying I easily could with either of my patchers, however it would mark up your work and the thread would be too thin so your holsters would look like crap and you wouldn't sell any and you'd never be able to afford a better machine. Do it right and the rest will fall into place.

If you're ever in the area let me know you're coming, I'm open Monday - friday 9-5 and Saturdays 9-12:00 although I'm here late everyday so if I know you're coming I can let you in, you could bring a few pieces and stitch them and see what you like. You may never want to pick up an awl after that.

FWIW, I've heard of all different handsewing methods, drilling holes, punching holes, drill presses etc but I always did it the way I perceived to be the correct way, two needles and an awl, I'd taper the threads and punch one hole at a time and never set the awl down( the Al Stohlman way). That's still the way I do it but that's few and far between these days.

Oh and if it makes you feel any better you could probably easily turn a profit on your machine! Do that a few more times and you'll have a better one.

Wiz. Thanks for all the info. Unfortunately, funds do not allow the purchase of a $1000 + machine for a small hobby.

BillyMac... Yes I live outside Pittsburgh. Would like to visit to see what you do.

I am doing the holsters for friends and relatives. The western styles I hand sew and am planning on always doing them that way. I was just hoping to make it a little easier for the moderns. I picked up the 29-4 for $125 after a couple folks on another forum said it would do the work I was trying to do.

[billymac814]

I should add the caveat and mention I am no sewing machine expert. I'm pretty familiar with what I have though and can usually get my problems resolved with a manual or the Help of Bob. I'm simply sharing my personal experience on how I got from where I was to where I am and the machines that got me there.

[Anne Bonnys Locker]

Maybe have a look at the GA5/Singer 45k group of machines. They have limitations but can be had quite cheaply.

[PAMuzzle]

Thanks all for the info. I have seen the 29-4 on EBay etc, for $450 - $1000. Not expecting that price but at least I know that I may be able to break even at the least.

Another couple questions. The modern I am making now is for my brother. He wants 2 OWB for his Kimber Solo and he wants them finished in Ostrich. He bought me a Blue Gun mold and a whole Ostrich Skin. I picked up an Ostrich leg in a contrasting color to surprise him. Would you recommend sewing the whole border onto the base leather or just gluing it on? And, if sewing it, do you think the 29-4 could handle that, as it is thin leather on top of 8 oz?

Merry Christmas to you all, and a Happy and Profitable New Year!!

Edited December 23, 2012 by PAMuzzle

[Wizcrafts]

The 29-4 should be able to sew through your 9-10 ounce package, but the stitch length may be shorter than you want, depending on how loose the feed mechanism is. Set the stitch length adjuster all the way down, with the presser foot manually lifted with its lift lever. This will yield the longest stitch that machine can deliver. Also, loosen and slide the movable raise block on the leaf spring to the right, until it stops at the notch in the leaf spring. This increases the lift of the foot as it operates, which gives it a better chance at a longer stitch.

Make sure the foot is securely screwed onto the presser bar.

Edited December 23, 2012 by Wizcrafts

[billymac814]

I would also make sure you practice a lot on scraps of the same material, make sure you can get the stitch to look like how you want it to. The foot shouldn't mark up the ostrich skin so you should be good in that respect as well.

If you can't get the stitch looking nice for whatever reason I would feel pretty confident that glue alone will be more than sufficient as long as you use good glue and hammer it down with a smooth faced hammer. There's a lot of shoes out there today that just have glued on soles and they stay perfectly fine and they take much more abuse than an overlay will. You'll need to stitch the holster together obviously.

I recently used my Long arm Adler to stitch on an alligator overlay and it was fine but I can use 138 thread with it and the stitch length is longer than it is on either of my short arm singers. Some of that may be due to machine wear though, I'm not sure about that.

[Wizcrafts]

I also used to sew on an Adler long arm big bobbin patcher and it would give 5 to the inch into any thickness it could clear, with #138 thread, top and bottom.

[PAMuzzle]

Billymac814...I have about 8 days vacation coming up at the end of January (23rd on).

If the weather cooperates, would you mind if I came to visit your place for a day?

[billymac814]

Billymac814...I have about 8 days vacation coming up at the end of January (23rd on).

If the weather cooperates, would you mind if I came to visit your place for a day?

That would work. Let me know what day and a time frame and Ill make sure I'm ready. You can bring some things along that need stitched, that would be the best way to find out what you need.

A weekend or evening may be best so I don't have to deal with many customers while you're there but we can make due any time.

I have a Tippmann Boss, Cowboy 4500 for heavy stitching, a Consew 206rb for flat items in the medium weight range, a long arm and short arm patchers and various other old machines but those ones probably wouldn't really be relevant or practical to your needs.

[Chayne]

Anyone here know what size needle to use in a singer 29-4? I'm using 138 top and #69 bottom on veg-tan. Been given 3 different size needles without luck. Currently using DPX16DIA and seems the shaft is too small as I tighten the needle it tweaks to one side. Thanks

[CowboyBob]

That is the correct needle,so I would say that the hole is elongated & you need to replace the needle holder,we have them in stock.