Cobra 26 Cowboy 227R

[Scootch]

I've been seriously thinking about a sewing machine.  What is the capeabliity of the Cobra 26 and Cowboy 227R... Will they sew better than 12 oz Herman Oak or is 12 oz about the limit?  I've been making. belts in the 12 oz range, gun holsters from 8/9 oz so about 18oz thickness there and the same for pancake case trapper scabbards.  Aside from how much veggie tan they will sew is there an advantage of one machine over another?

Thanks,

Scootch

[Wizcrafts]

These are medium duty sewing machines. While they can sew up to 3/8 of an inch, that probably doesn't include worked and hardened veg-tan. But, 12 ounces should be fine with either machine; even 18 ounces. After you cross that general thickness it becomes harder to hold down the leather to form a stitch. Also, these machines can't handle #277 thread, which is required for three layer holsters. The most they can handle would be #207 thread on top and #138 in the bobbin. That means that the strength per stitch is limited by the smaller thread. In this case that would be 22 pounds test.

Holsters and sheathes with fillers should be sewn on a harness stitcher, like a Cowboy or Cobra heavy stitcher. They can tension #346 thread and hold down 3/4 inch of leather.

[Scootch]

5 hours ago, Wizcrafts said:

These are medium duty sewing machines. While they can sew up to 3/8 of an inch, that probably doesn't include worked and hardened veg-tan. But, 12 ounces should be fine with either machine; even 18 ounces. After you cross that general thickness it becomes harder to hold down the leather to form a stitch. Also, these machines can't handle #277 thread, which is required for three layer holsters. The most they can handle would be #207 thread on top and #138 in the bobbin. That means that the strength per stitch is limited by the smaller thread. In this case that would be 22 pounds test.

Holsters and sheathes with fillers should be sewn on a harness stitcher, like a Cowboy or Cobra heavy stitcher. They can tension #346 thread and hold down 3/4 inch of leather.

Thank you for the reply.  I didn't realize the bobbin carried a lighter weight thread.  A sewing machine is a significant investment for my budget.  I want to make sure I make the proper choice.   It looks like a man really needs two different size machines.

Thanks again,

Scootch

[dikman]

2 minutes ago, Scootch said:

 It looks like a man really needs two different size machines.

That is the reality that many come up against. So many want a single machine to do it all, but it's something that simply doesn't exist. An upholstery-class machine is a good choice - until you want to make holsters! For that you would be looking at a CB3200/CB4500 (or equivalent) type of machine as a minimum, but trying to do finer work on one of those is extremely difficult (if not impossible).