Ferdco 6/6

[Trox]

I have tried Hoffman Brothers and I get the run-around on their automated system. Maybe things will get better with them as the summer ends. I'm not sure what a needle foot jump machine is for sure.....but it is the needle that pulls the leather forward and the foot just applies down pressure. I'll try to add some pics when I figure out how. The only camera I have is my phone and the file size is too big.

Then it is a needle feed with some kind of special bottom feed, a four motion maybe. A jump foot is a either a s spring loaded or driven feeding foot ( with some people, normally it is the first)

[Trox]

Thats looks like a real leather machine, not bottom feed. Some kind of top and needle feed. Strange position of that foot, cant be right?

[Trox]

There are members who knows this machine, maybe they are pissed you get it that cheap. To bad Ferdco is no more, they was the pioneers in building (modify) new leather machines. I really love their work. At least one of those feets got to move, the top one must move with the needle and the other must get out of the way. Does it feed as it should?

Edited July 21, 2013 by Trox

[Trox]

It has to be some adjustments on the feed mechanism somewhere, height adjustment for the thickness of the leather and so on. Why do you not ask the person you bought it from. Normally you got to adjust the amount of "jump" with a jump foot machine (the bottom feet I think) with the thickness of the leather. It has to move out of the way for the other foot, the top one who moves with the needle. Ferdco pimped exiting machines added needle guides and feeding features (and more) to make them better. There got to be similarities with original machine (maybe thats the Pearson #6). I have only seen pictures of these machine, they do not exist here where I live.

You will get the hang of it.

[wyomingcowboy]

I'm in the process of uploading some videos to youtube. My internet is terribly slow so it's taking forever. I should have the link up by morning!

[Trox]

I'm in the process of uploading some videos to youtube. My internet is terribly slow so it's taking forever. I should have the link up by morning!

Will you post the link here later?

[wyomingcowboy]

[wyomingcowboy]

I'll have the other one up in a minute. According to my user manual, my upper tension is too loose, or the bobbin is too tight. The manual also says that the bobbin tension was set at the factory and should'nt need adjusted. SO....when I back the upper tension waaaayyyyyy off it stops pulling the bobbin thread up through the hole as bad, but the over all stitch is pretty loose. (You can pull it with your fingers) Would this be because the thread is too big/this machine is too heavy duty for what I'm doing?

I typically sew 8-9 oz. tooling leather on top of the various chap leathers so the thikness problem would be solved there, but I do double over the top of the leg and sew it to itself (to give a nice smooth looking finish) and that is only 2 layers of chap leather, and I have the problem of the bobbin thread being pulled up through the hole.

I have some lighter thread on it's way and should have it by tomorrow. (138) So I'll give that a shot and see how it goes. Right now I have a 277 top thread and a 207 bobbin and a #180 needle. The manual only lists specs for 4 different needle sizes - 250, 230, 200, 180 with the 180 being used for the 138 thread. I don't mind the hole being a little bigger than I need for chaps as long as the stitch is pulled tight..... and right now it isn't.

Edited July 22, 2013 by wyomingcowboy

[DavidMillsSaddlery]

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=33384

for the thread and needle sizings...

the foot not coming up much is an adjustment that looks like should be done where the big spring up[ top is? if your using the thinnner chap leather you might not have enough pressure on the leather to hold it down, which will mess up a stitch as well in my opinion... just throwing options at you!

[Trox]

A little bit unsteady camera movements there. Nevertheless, I understand how its working now. The machine is a needle feed jump foot with an extra top needle guide. What looks like an extra foot is actually a needle guide, it make sure the needle do not bent away from the hook. If it does you will have a skipped stitch as the result. Thats the Ferdco mark, they have several patented needle guides who makes their machines in to very fine leather tools.

It lloks like the machine works as it should do, no reverse on these; you have to use the poor mans reverse. What will work better than a standard one with leather needles (I mostly turn on my 441 too).

It pains me to see you run it without material in, do not do that you will ruin it that way (take out the bobbin thread too when you not are sewing, so you want get a backlash).

Its lots of adjustments on the back side of it, that arm that moves sideways will perhaps adjust the stitch length. It looks like the second tension disk has a take up spring, then you can thread one and a half time around it to get more top tension. You will get the hang of it, very nice find for the money. All machines has a learning curve, try to do some sewing with it.

Tor

I agree with Turbotex you must try some real sewing with it.