Sew #69 Thread On My Cobra 4?

[Art]

I once paid $20 to watch two porcupines screw, but I can't say I would ever do it again.

Art

[Massive]

I just bought a singer 153W102 to sew thread in that range with 135 system needles. I have the cobra 4 set up for 277 thread, and figured I could get it to work with 69, but the main thing that deterred me was just that the needles are so long they will struggle with drawing up the thread. They are still long enough to do the super deep work that the machine is designed for so that means a long run of light needle going up and down, and also trying to needle feed. Just because one is running lighter material doesn't mean it will be a breeze to feed, so the needles could come in for a workout, then it needs to draw up the tension. I would rather do either with the 153 and 135 needles, which are dead cheap and plentiful in the sizes we need for these lighter threads. I hope I made a good choice, as I don't really know anything about the 153 directly.

[Massive]

One thing I do with my bobbin cases on other machines than the Cobra (because they don't seem to be removable, and anyway, are probably expensive). Is I get a weight that pulls a length of thread through the tension spring when I hold the case in my fingers with the thread running with the weight straight to the floor, not taking some bend around the spring. This allows me to return the spring tension precisely to the perfect setting for various threads. I have been chasing a setting and got all messed up, though getting back is no big deal if one has a good system. However it makes me happy to know I can regulate the bobbin tension to factory specs and start all over even though it isn't marked. I sometimes mark the bobbing screw slot with a sharpie to know where to return the setting to, but the mark usually dissolves away eventually. However it works for a brief walk to the wild side.

With machines that use cheap cases I set several up for different threads. For instance the Sailright I have does some domestic weight sewing and some heavy sail sewing, so 49-90ish threads. 69 is in the middle and can run out of either setting extreme. But I did get in a muddle when I chased the promised domestic sewing end performance when the machine comes set-up up for heavy leather and sail type work (heavy leather over dacron, not holster type heavy).

I recently sewed some jeans on the sailright that were using 18 needles and heavy Jeans thread, into very densely woven Board Short material. What a set of Frankenstein settings that took. Sometimes you can't avoid breaking the whole the whole thing down.

A lot of the nice new machines these days we are told do not need bobbin case adjustments and stuffing a heavier thread under the same spring as a lighter one will to some extent regulate tension anyway, the heavier thread needs more tension, and that is what it gets under the same spring. It works up to a point.

[Squilchuck]

Steve, great to hear you are back in action. I did no see you Friday at Pendleton show and wondered why.

[CowboyBob]

Steve,

Glad to hear your back BUT I didn't know you were in the hospital.

Hope you mend up quick !!

[Cobra Steve]

Thanks Bob and Squilchuck! By the way, quite a day in San Bernardino on Wednesday. 5 miles from my house........too close to home!

Edited December 4, 2015 by Cobra Steve

[Darren Brosowski]

Steve I have run a 441 style machine on #69 and yes it can do it.

For someone who is going to run 69 or 138 on a regular basis then I really think they should look at having a seperate machine set up for the job.

I treat sewing machines like any other tool. Yes, one hammer will do any job but a range of hammers is more versatile.

We sew with thread sizes 69-415 on all Cobra Class 4 machines, yes you will need to change the needle to a size 20 and adjust tensions, but it will do it.

By the way, I am back from my 3 surgeries in 10 weeks and I'm as good as new!

[Cobra Steve]

I couldn't have said it better!

[SantaFeMarie]

The time it takes to transform such a machine into a light duty stitcher is only worth it if you only do it once in a great while. It is simpler for those in business to acquire other medium and light duty machines for thin, soft materials.

What would some examples of good choices for light dutry stitchers for a leather shop be?

[Art]

Marie,

For "light" duty, a Juki 5550 class of machine, but most "duty" around the leather shop is really medium duty such as is accomplished with the Cowboy CB-227R or the Techsew 2700. These machines will also cover the "heavy" end of the light range of needles and thread; e.g. #14/90 needles and Z-46 thread.

Art