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Singermania

Big machines can go down

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HI all, we over at Cowboy Leather Machines in Australia get a lot of enquiries as to whether the big machines can sew fine work.  Yesterday was a typical enquiry from someone wanting to sew gun holsters and then needed the machine to repair handbags...  Our flagship model the Cowboy CB4500 is best known for making saddles, but like many other machines it can also turn its hand to these lighter jobs.   Here it is with a 130/21 needle sewing terko M36 (80?) thru some old upholstery leather.   The lightest needle we stock is the 130/21, I'm wondering whether you guys have run thinner needles and what were they?  Correction.. I couldn't upload the video.. if you look on facebook.... Cowboy Leather Machines you will see it.

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I have System 7x3 needles in sizes 19 through 22 for my CB4500.They are round point, but do a good job sewing chap leather and denim jeans. While I don't normally use my 441 machine for light sewing, there are times when I must use it with thin thread and small needles.
 All of the following struggles would be unnecessary if I had a medium duty cylinder arm machine, but hey...

Assume that I am sewing a hemmed denim pants cuff around the outside, using Tex 80 Jeans thread (cotton covered with polyester).

  1. Before I alter the tensions I decide if I'm better off removing the feed dog and standard needle plate and replacing them with just the narrow slotted plate. The narrow slotted plate is less likely to allow soft material to be squished down into the slot than the feed dog with its bigger hole and huge rectangular throat plate. This requires removing the shuttle race cover and shuttle to get the feed dog unscrewed. If you do this, be careful to keep the screws and tiny compression springs from dropping out of the race cover.
  2. Carefully reinstall the shuttle and race cover, minus the feed dog.
  3. Whether I change the throat plate or not, the next step is to change to a #19 or #20 needle. These are System 7x3, round point.
  4. Next, I wind some of whatever thread I am going to use on top onto a bobbin. I probably won't fill the bobbin.
  5. I load the bobbin into the case and adjust the bobbin spring to get a small amount of pull resistance. It cannot be as tight as thick thread going into tough leather or the light material will be puckered.
  6. I thread the top with the lighter thread. I just cut the existing thread off a few inches from the guide over the spool stand, tie the ends together, raise the presser foot, then pull the thread all the way through to the guide above the needle.
  7. Since I can't usually tie a knot small enough to pass through the hole on the needle mounting bracket, I cut off the threads above the knot and feed the light thread through to the needle.
  8. Next, I back off the top tension and presser foot pressure spring adjusters. Denim and light leather don't need as much top tension or foot pressure.
  9. Set the stitch length for small stitches, like 8 to the inch.
  10. Sew a test stitch line into the cut off material to hide the knots.
  11. Ramp up the speed on the motor. Time is money.
  12. Sew around the cuff, starting at the inside seam, overlapping and backtacking over the starting stitches.

I use the same steps to sew soft, thin leather (skirts, pants, caps). The conversion can take anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes, from start to sewing. It gets faster with experience. I refer to this process as dumbing down a 441 machine. I have used this technique with as small as #69 thread, but, #80 Jeans or #92 bonded is more reliable.

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thanks Wiz, yes I dropped the top tension to stop the thread coming up..... Cowboy as you know now also supply two additional springs, one is a 'weaker' foot lift spring and the other is a 'weaker' behive top (primary) spring for doing light work.   Whilst I've got your attention I wanted to suggest that the slotted needle plate with the back left corner missing is a mistake, I believe the Chinese have copied a broken plate...what is your feeling on that.?

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My slotted plate is rectangular. It doesn't have a broken edge at all. When did you get these plates?

img_0030.jpg

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Sorry I was lazy and should have put on a photo of the slotted needle plate that I believe is an error.   We carry both this one and the one you showed above.....Slotted%20Needle%20Plate.jpg....

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I wouldn't want that cut off plate on a 441. If one needs a drop off behind the slot, the holster or stirrup plates are more effective.

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11 hours ago, Singermania said:

thanks Wiz, yes I dropped the top tension to stop the thread coming up..... Cowboy as you know now also supply two additional springs, one is a 'weaker' foot lift spring and the other is a 'weaker' behive top (primary) spring for doing light work.   Whilst I've got your attention I wanted to suggest that the slotted needle plate with the back left corner missing is a mistake, I believe the Chinese have copied a broken plate...what is your feeling on that.?

Hello,

I haven't seen that plate...YET ! LOL

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Ok fellas, I'm going to keep my neck stuck out there and say its a mistake, if I'm wrong then pls tell me.   The plate is available from both Cowboy and Keestar.

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