Need Help! I'm New And Have A Lot Of Problems!

[aaron61032]

This is my first attempt at sewing in general. I am getting into the leather dog collar business and wanted to sew the collars as opposed to hand stitching. I ordered a table/motor combo and an Econosew 2060AL from sewingmachinesplus.com and told them I had no idea what I was doing. They gave me 46-69 nylon thread and a clutch motor that goes unbelievably fast. I then purchased a sewquiet 5000 motor. It comes with two pulleys and they said to use the smaller one for slower speeds. I put on the smaller one and started the machine. It made 1 hole then came up with an error message which was described by the company as meaning there was some blockage. I tried the big wheel and the belt does not fit around that one. I since have not been able to take off the big wheel because it is stuck on the motor and will not come off. I am past my budget, behind schedule, and have no clue how to fix this situation.

[dirtclod]

I think their is a set screw that holds the pulley. If you have that out try spaying some wd 40 on it see if that loosens it up if not may need to get a gear puller to get it off. The error message sounds like something you need to do to the motor to get it running again. Found this when i did a google search on your motor http://www.keysew.com/Webpages/Owners&PartsBooks/OwnersBooks/SQ5000Instructions.pdf . Their is a you tube movie about it to that may or may not help. Hope ya get it figured out quick.

[tnawrot2]

Most of the time the set screw gets screwed down on the flat part of the shaft, if you screw it down on the round part it creates a burr and the pulley will be hard to get off. What weight of leather are you using for the dog collars?

[aaron61032]

I'm using the latigo belts from tandy. I think it is 5-6oz with a deerskin backing. I can barely fit anything in my machine though without making marks from the piece by the needle whatever it is called. I don't get how some people can fit two pieces of latigo and a backing in their sewing machine. I'm starting to think sewingmachinesplus just ripped me off and gave me the wrong machine for what I needed.

[Northmount]

You don't want to put the larger pulley on the motor. It will make the machine go faster and reduce the torque you need to punch through the leather.

If you can't get leather under the presser foot, the machine is not right for your job.

Tom

[aaron61032]

I found out on closer inspection the other layers are put on with rivets. My one design does not fit however. I have an econosew 2060al. I don't understand these numbers but it says these are the lift:

6.5 mm

13 mm knee (the knee pad doesn't do anything)

2 to 5mm (3.2 standard)

I think a gear puller might get the pulley off. I think I also need thicker thread than #69. The needle is 22.

[dirtclod]

6.5 mm lift is when you raise the foot by hand. 13 mm lift is when you use the knee lift, if it's not working you don't have it set up right. The end of the arm needs to touch under the machine to raise the foot. Sometimes it takes a little bit of time messing with it to get it adjusted right. Get some 138 thread from Bob at http://www.tolindsewmach.com/ and ask him about the needle size for the 138 thread. He will treat you right.

[Jimbob]

First of all, I think your machine is not made for what you are trying to do....13mmm is about an half inch or so and this is knee lift....your actuall sewing lift is near 1/4 inch.....maybe good for light upholstery or heavy garment.

You need a larger machine, like an Adler, Cobra or Cowboy,,,,your machine needs to do at least 138 or 207 on top (thread size...) and do 92 or 138 on bottom for 2 layers of 5/6 latigo!!

Do some research on this forum, trade your machine back in or sell it, or keep it for very light leather....then call Bob Kovar, or Steve or other Sewing machine sellers here on this forum....they will guide you in the right dirrection!!

And try to learn as much as you can about leather sewing machines...!!

Guess how I know all this....haha...been there done that.

Greetings

Jimbob

[aaron61032]

Well thinking about it I would just need to sew one layer of latigo to a liner. Hoping not to take this as a loss. I did get the pulley off and working however it needs a bit of help. I have to turn the hand wheel to get it started moving. The problem looks to be from the hand wheel because it is tough to move it. Keep in mind this is a brand new machine. How do I loosen the tension on the wheel? It's been tough to move since I bought it.

[Northmount]

Is it stiff turning by hand with no belt and no leather under the needle. If so, something is binding up. Take the needle out and try it. If it is not binding, then the hook or shuttle is binding against the needle and needs adjusted or bent needle replaced. Also had a case where the bobbin and hook were not locked in properly and it was stretching the top thread real tight as it was supposed to pass over bobbin, and would twang as it finally clear the bobbin. It liked to break the top thread. I'm not familiar with your machine so my description of the bobbin area may not match your machine.

If it is easy to turn without the belt, then recognize that the 3:1 gear reduction in the motor is making it harder to turn manually, or your belt is way too tight.

I hope your have the smallest diameter pulley on the motor, else your are defeating the purpose of getting the gear reduction motor. The smaller motor pulley gives you a slower stitching speed, and increases the torque available to help punch the needle through the leather.

On a 227 style machine, I had to add a pulley reducer as well to be able to run the machine slow enough and have the torque to punch through 2 plus of 8 oz leather.

Tom

[dirtclod]

Did you push on the pedal a little while your trying to turn the wheel ? That engages the clutch in on the motor.

Edited April 28, 2013 by dirtclod

[aaron61032]

Yeah I push the pedal to start. The bottom part wants to move but not the top. I then give it a kick start if you wheel by turning the hand wheel and after a couple turns it takes off on its own and works perfectly.