Singer 29-4 New Member, "New" machine

[Nikonmom]

Hi, Thanks for letting me join. There is so much good info on this site. Congratulations!

I have just acquired a Singer cobbler's patcher machine. A few parts were missing but that is now resolved. I want to be able to use #69 bonded nylon thread but it isn't working. The thread is being chewed up on the top and the bottom. I know that it is all about tension on vintage machines, as I have become a repair-person after my Touch & Sew died. Tension, needle size, threading, etc. but my main question is:

why the heck didn't they make the bobbin bigger? I can't believe a machine that is supposed to be able to stitch leather shoes and boots has so small a bobbin!!! I really need for this machine to sew bonded nylon size #69 thread since my main leather projects are belts and purses. If you guys have a true 29-4 and can walk me through exactly what each part is for and how I can get this thread to work, I would be most grateful! Thanks so much. Here is a recent purse I finished. I am a fan of simple design.

[Constabulary]

A 29-4 is a very very very old machine - it was designed for repair work like patching shoes and boots or sewing rather short seam, sewing in tight spaces and the like. Thats why the bobbin is small. There are also 29K´s with larger bobbins like the 29K31, 29K60 or 29K72. But these machines were not designed for producing leather items though many folks are using the machine for this work - plain and simple these are machine s for repairing things.

It could well be that your machine is worn out and you have to replace some parts but not many parts for the 29-4 are available. The "up to date" version of you 29-4 is the 29K71 and you get almost very single part for it but yours is many decades old.

You probably have missed this thread:

 

Edited December 5, 2017 by Constabulary

[Nikonmom]

OK then, a nice 29-4 for sale in Maine. $500