machine help

[Azarl]

Hi

I suffer from Parkinson's and my wife & I thought that leatherworking would be excellent therapy - good call on her part :).  We set up a small garden workshop but I think I got the wrong sewing machine. Looking around and talking to the UK distributors, I purchased a Cowboy 335 (Hightex7335) back in April.

This is a lovely machine, but my condition limits my reaction time and even on the slowest speed  I cannot keep up with it (I've sewed my thumb a couple of times :)). I have been sewing manually using an awl for the last 6 months and could do with some help here. I am thinking that a manual machine (hand-cranked?)  may be a better option as that is something I can control much better. Can anybody suggest a machine please for general work and where I can purchase one - I see loads on eBay but know nothing about them.

Thanks

 

[Constabulary]

is your machine already slowed down with a speed reducer?

Edited November 20, 2019 by Constabulary

[chrisash]

This video may help explain what a speed reducer is and does also if your using a clutch motor then changing it for a servo motor will also give you far more control for in the UK just over £100

 

Edited November 20, 2019 by chrisash

[Azarl]

Thank you both. I have both a speed reducer and servo. My control over my hands and feet is an insurmountable issue for electronics. If only for safety, I really think I need to go manual

 

[zuludog]

I don't know if this is any help, but -

A friend of a friend makes sails, boat covers etc from cotton canvas and synthetic. He uses an old Singer treadle machine, which he prefers to electric as he says it gives him more control. But I'm afraid that only you can decide whether you will have sufficient strength and co-ordination to operate it

This sort of problem has been posted before, and suggestions have included fixing an awl blade in the chuck of a small drill press - similar sort of machines are used to press down dies and makers mark stamps onto leather.

Or to get a small Dremel in a drill press stand of some kind; or a small pillar drill There are other makes, including Proxxon, which is more expensive. Surf t'Net and see what's available. Those two would only make one hole at a time, and you would have to do the sewing by hand.

If necessary you could probably have the pillar drill adapted to use a foot switch, though you would still need to pull it down by hand

Edit - have tou thought about using a stitching chisel?

Edited November 20, 2019 by zuludog

[billybopp]

@azarl given your situation, I think I'd consider one of two things to try first:  A further speed reduction using your current servo, or contact your Cowboy dealer and see if they can come up with a hand-crank for your machine.  Or, even better, if they can come up with a MUCH bigger wheel for the handcrank, that would also  drastically slow down the machine when using the servo:  Best of both worlds!

Just some food for thought!

- Bill

[kgg]

Some good options have been suggested by others. From a manual prospective I think you are down to the Cowboy Outlaw, Tippmann Boss , a older Singer 29k with the side crank or a Chinese patcher.

kgg

[Azarl]

Thank you - I'll let you know how I get on

[RockyAussie]

If the 335 does the work they way you want it may pay to try and adapt it to suit your needs. A singer patcher has a nice front or end handwheel control system but they tend to not stitch that nicely compared to most sewing machines. Not at least without years of practice any ways. At the base on a 335 there is a lot of free room for bolting on attachments and I would think if you were to have a talk with a sewing machine repair man it may be possible to come up with a way to bring a pulley and belt to the bottom front and construct a right angle gear arrangement to mount a hand wheel onto at the front. I don't know much about Parkinson's  but I think that means that you are not able to always control the muscles reliably as you would want. Whether you used a motor to slow it down or not would probably not make it much safer for you to use. I have seen many other people on here that for one reason or another would like to have hand control machines and I think that if you come up with something (adapter kit) there would be a fair bit of market interest. There are many little right angle reduction gearboxes available online now days sooo .....maybe not so hard. 

Edited November 20, 2019 by RockyAussie
missed word

[Azarl]

13 hours ago, RockyAussie said:

If the 335 does the work they way you want it may pay to try and adapt it to suit your needs. A singer patcher has a nice front or end handwheel control system but they tend to not stitch that nicely compared to most sewing machines. Not at least without years of practice any ways. At the base on a 335 there is a lot of free room for bolting on attachments and I would think if you were to have a talk with a sewing machine repair man it may be possible to come up with a way to bring a pulley and belt to the bottom front and construct a right angle gear arrangement to mount a hand wheel onto at the front. I don't know much about Parkinson's  but I think that means that you are not able to always control the muscles reliably as you would want. Whether you used a motor to slow it down or not would probably not make it much safer for you to use. I have seen many other people on here that for one reason or another would like to have hand control machines and I think that if you come up with something (adapter kit) there would be a fair bit of market interest. There are many little right angle reduction gearboxes available online now days sooo .....maybe not so hard. 

Thanks - that  is a good idea - I'll look into hand adapting