Biblethumper Report post Posted April 23, 2018 After sewing by hand for the last 10 years my arthritis finally forced me to consider the purchase of a machine. I needed something that would handle a large thread and did not need a motorized machine. The Tippmann Boss was what I landed on and after 4 months I thought I would offer my opinion. First let me say that Ben, at the factory is awesome, he has helped me work through 2-3 issues and is so very helpful. At first I wanted to use the largest thread available which is the 415 but quickly found that only black and white were readily available. The next size down is 346 and is available in most colors in bonded nylon and polyester. While the polyester will work, the bonded nylon runs so much smoother and is all I use. Not having ever used a sewing machine before I had much to learn, ie. bobbins. One huge tip I picked up here on LW is that the bobbin tension must be set at 1 lb. and the best way to do that is to weigh a bottle of water to use as a weight. This way you can get it set exactly. The other thing is to rotate the kerf of the needle exactly left by putting a small pin or needle through the eye which gives a perfect guide and allows you to hold the needle in the most upward position while tightening the set screw. The 230 needle is the perfect size for the 346 thread but I could not find a source for this needle with a chisel point so I made a chisel point with the Dremel that sliced straight and then polished that area. This gave me a nice straight back stitch without blowing out the back side. This machine has never skipped a stitch and has, overall, been extremely reliable. What used to take an hour to sew now only takes about 10-15 minutes..more to come later. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
badLoveLeather Report post Posted July 12, 2020 The last part of this post was a sheer stroke of genius! I've had my Tippman Boss for over a year now and been through many, many repair adventures. To be detailed later. Flat grinding a 230 round point needle to get a spear effect is GENIUS! Just tried it and it worked like a charm. I sew through anywhere from 3 to five layers (up to 5/8" thick leather) of Herman Oak Veg Tan and I've loved the 230 needle 346 Thread combo but that damn bobbin side bow out was killing me. I took a 230 needle and used a drum sander for a drill with 240 grit paper and flat ground both sides. It was super quick and super easy. Did some testing and was really pleased with the results!!!!! AWESOME!!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wizcrafts Report post Posted July 12, 2020 Could you please post a close up picture of the flat ground #230 needle? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
