29-4 which thread / needle

[Huntbuck]

Picked up a 29-4 for $200 ... Treadle and all...

It took a few hours to clean and get it working again with #69 thread...but here are the questions...

I want to use this for holster work...

1. I believe that I will be wanting 207/277 thread (tell me if I am wrong.
   
2. Will this machine sew it?
   
3. ...and if so, What needle do I need. I have a 10 pack of 29x3 22 needles which I belive are not considered for leather, but need info here as well... I also have a 10 pack of 24x4 110/18 needles but think they will be too small..
   
4. I am looking at the Linhanl Bonded Nylon thread on Artisens website... is this a good thread?
   

I wish I could afford that Toro 3000, but the 29-4 will start my HOBBY....(THE WIFE HAS NOT SEEN ME IN DAYS)

I am hoping to replace my hand work...1st one I made..

with machine work...

Last one I have made...

[Bree]

Picked up a 29-4 for $200 ... Treadle and all...

It took a few hours to clean and get it working again with #69 thread...but here are the questions...

I want to use this for holster work...

1. I believe that I will be wanting 207/277 thread (tell me if I am wrong.

2. Will this machine sew it?

3. ...and if so, What needle do I need. I have a 10 pack of 29x3 22 needles which I belive are not considered for leather, but need info here as well... I also have a 10 pack of 24x4 110/18 needles but think they will be too small..

4. I am looking at the Linhanl Bonded Nylon thread on Artisens website... is this a good thread?

I wish I could afford that Toro 3000, but the 29-4 will start my HOBBY....(THE WIFE HAS NOT SEEN ME IN DAYS)

I am hoping to replace my hand work...1st one I made..

with machine work...

Last one I have made...

Nope. 138 thread is about the max you can go with a 29-4. Quite frankly I think 138 is a stretch. The needles you have are fine but they are fine for the thread that the machine is designed to handle. I think that the machine runs best with #69. That is what I use in mine.

You can go a little higher but you will have a lot of trouble. Heck the bobbin... even the large bobbins for my 29K60... simply can't hold a lot of thread... even at #69. They are very small. At 207/277, you won't get much thread on the bobbin at all. It just isn't designed for that size thread. You will have many other problems with tension, thread fraying, stitch skips etc.

Linhanyl is good thread. Artisan is a good supplier. You can also go to the Thread Exchange where I buy most of my thread.

[Huntbuck]

Bree,

Thanks for the feedback...

I have a couple of MONSTER spools of #69, but I just don't like the look of the thinner thread on heavy leather of the holsters.. I will have to either figure a way to make it work or use it a backup and find another machine.... I ran the machine using the #69 thread and you are right, it does have a SMALL BOBBIN... I have also tried some larger thread (SIZE UNKNOWN) but it was linnen and I did have frays and breaks. After working with the tensions, top and bottom, I got it sewing ok and it does look better against the heavy leather than the lighter thread. My new dilema is that the tensioner spring on the shuttle broke when I switched back to the #69 thread and had some "issues". Parts are hard to find for these things....

Ebay is becoming my friend!

I guess I am going to need to look for another machine that can handle the 207/277 and not put me in the poor house at the same time... Several folks here have recommended a TORO 3000 so maybe I should just start saving up now.

[Bree]

Bree,

Thanks for the feedback...

I have a couple of MONSTER spools of #69, but I just don't like the look of the thinner thread on heavy leather of the holsters.. I will have to either figure a way to make it work or use it a backup and find another machine.... I ran the machine using the #69 thread and you are right, it does have a SMALL BOBBIN... I have also tried some larger thread (SIZE UNKNOWN) but it was linnen and I did have frays and breaks. After working with the tensions, top and bottom, I got it sewing ok and it does look better against the heavy leather than the lighter thread. My new dilema is that the tensioner spring on the shuttle broke when I switched back to the #69 thread and had some "issues". Parts are hard to find for these things....

Ebay is becoming my friend!

I guess I am going to need to look for another machine that can handle the 207/277 and not put me in the poor house at the same time... Several folks here have recommended a TORO 3000 so maybe I should just start saving up now.

You discovered what I did. Now I have a Toro-4000 LA-25 as well as my four 29 class patchers and my Juki 1541-S plus five other sewing machines of various kinds. Each machine has something that it does well. None of them excel at everything.

One thing you can try with the #69 thread is to double the stitches. Sew one complete set and then slowly sew right in the same holes using a round point needle so you don't cut the thread. That will thicken up the stitches and increase the strength.