A little change to make a BIG differance on Cowboy sewing machines

[RockyAussie]

11 hours ago, Doc Reaper said:

I’m still trying to figure out how to use the holster plate!

They are a pain to set up with all of the changes that have to be done for sometimes 1 job. Probably not to bad if you do it often enough I suppose.  I don't get any call for making up holsters and since I have set up the narrow needle plate set I have not had to take them out for anything in the last couple of years now. Do you need the holster plate to do holsters or does the narrow needle plate allow you to do with them?

[Doc Reaper]

I’ve Done holsters by hand and by machine, I’m able to favor my left and right and working to the left is no problem, but the holster plate was a gift from my daughter. Not using it would be insulting and a waste of money and effort. I’ll get hold of Cowboy Bob, he sold me the machine and I’m sure he’s very knowledgeable about such matters 

[RockyAussie]

34 minutes ago, Doc Reaper said:

I’ve Done holsters by hand and by machine, I’m able to favor my left and right and working to the left is no problem, but the holster plate was a gift from my daughter. Not using it would be insulting and a waste of money and effort. I’ll get hold of Cowboy Bob, he sold me the machine and I’m sure he’s very knowledgeable about such matters 

He is and that is just one more good reason to buy from a reputable dealer. He also helps keep the forum here going

[Doc Reaper]

I’d like to be considered as one of those members, but my time is limited, I hate Facebook because of censorship 

[alpha2]

On 5/19/2022 at 5:18 PM, RockyAussie said:

They are a pain to set up with all of the changes that have to be done for sometimes 1 job. Probably not to bad if you do it often enough I suppose.  I don't get any call for making up holsters and since I have set up the narrow needle plate set I have not had to take them out for anything in the last couple of years now. Do you need the holster plate to do holsters or does the narrow needle plate allow you to do with them?

I do a lot of holsters, but not one yet with the holster plate, because I can't figure out how it's supposed to be used. I'd love to see a short video of someone using it. To be fair, I haven't needed it yet, that I know of! Maybe it makes something far easier that without, but it's beyond me to see it. I do more belts than holsters so maybe it's not worth the effort/time to change things out. I gave up on doing webbing projects because it's way too much trouble to reset everything on the machine. 

[Wizcrafts]

55 minutes ago, alpha2 said:

I do a lot of holsters, but not one yet with the holster plate, because I can't figure out how it's supposed to be used.

The holster plate serves one purpose. It raises the leather above the end of the machine and the shuttle cover so that lower shapes can pass by close to the stitch line. Some holsters are sewn pre-shaped, or have belt loops on the back, or other hardware that would get hung up on the standard low throat plate.

The holster plate is also useful for sewing dog collars and horse tack so that hardware can slide by close to the left side of the feet. I usually use a right toe foot in these instances.

[JollyDodgerCanvas]

On 5/18/2022 at 9:28 PM, Spyros said:

Well oiling so frequently is great for the machine but not so great for the leather, if you overdo it even a little bit it will absolutely spew oil on your work (and your shoes, don't ask me how I know)

I have a terry cloth rag and wipe up under the head before loading material, drips are annoying, but it takes a while for oil to migrate down through the bushings.

[Spyros]

On 5/19/2022 at 7:38 PM, RockyAussie said:

Good thing is generally most sewing machine oil does not leave any marks on leather after it dries out absorbs or whatever.

Mine did dammit, I'm just using a no-name bottle that came with the machine.  Any brand recommendations?

[RockyAussie]

5 hours ago, Spyros said:

Mine did dammit, I'm just using a no-name bottle that came with the machine.  Any brand recommendations?

I think I have been using the same oil and not have had any problems like that yet. I will have to do some testing on it now. What type of leather did it leave a mark on? Brand wise I have used the Singer oil you can get on line and never had any issue but may depend on the leather as well. I generally keep a cloth under the feet when not in use and I also wipe the feet down before I start a job and that may help but on the other hand I also often put a felt somewhere in the sewing thread line to oil the thread which helps to stop the glue from sticking to the needle. Doing that sometimes leaves a little hint of oil around the needle hole but that has always disappeared by the next day.

[RockyAussie]

15 hours ago, alpha2 said:

I do a lot of holsters, but not one yet with the holster plate, because I can't figure out how it's supposed to be used. I'd love to see a short video of someone using it.

On 5/19/2022 at 9:50 PM, Doc Reaper said:

I’m still trying to figure out how to use the holster plate

I had looked previously on how some have gone about setting these holster plates up and using them and I think that may have left me thinking that it was all too much trouble to bother with. After doing a trial for myself I think that I was WRONG. 2 minutes if it was that and I was sewing. I was on the understanding that the feed dog had to come out and maybe it does on the standard feed dog but I can say that it does not with the narrow needle plate dog foot set. I just switched the needle plates over (remove 2 screws and put back 2 screws) and reduced the foot pressure down and that was that, I was stitching. Reverse on mine also worked fine but that may be just mine who knows? Now there may be some confusion as to what is a holster needle plate and what is a stirrup plate. The smaller one is the stirrup plate and that does have to have the feed dog removed to use it and the bigger one is the holster plate which in my experience does not. I do have to point out that you need to check that the holster plate can go back in far enough for the needle to be in the centre of the needle plate slot. I had a check on 2 machines and it showed that I had to grind the needle plate back edge about 1mm (about 2.5 oz) to get it right. Anyway ...I found a video that shows a holster plate being used to stitch some stirrups and in that part it is good to see.  I would take not much notice of the set up procedure. It is great that at least he made the video and shared it which is more than can be said for many other that could have. https://youtu.be/WCoamFAgxng

 

[Spyros]

2 hours ago, RockyAussie said:

I think I have been using the same oil and not have had any problems like that yet. I will have to do some testing on it now. What type of leather did it leave a mark on? Brand wise I have used the Singer oil you can get on line and never had any issue but may depend on the leather as well. I generally keep a cloth under the feet when not in use and I also wipe the feet down before I start a job and that may help but on the other hand I also often put a felt somewhere in the sewing thread line to oil the thread which helps to stop the glue from sticking to the needle. Doing that sometimes leaves a little hint of oil around the needle hole but that has always disappeared by the next day.

Just some very light coloured nappa leather, it's a bag interior and it definitely stained grrrrrrr

Maybe because the presser foot squeezed the oil into the leather

I'll try the Singer brand

Edited May 27, 2022 by Spyros

[alpha2]

On 5/27/2022 at 12:43 AM, RockyAussie said:

I had looked previously on how some have gone about setting these holster plates up and using them and I think that may have left me thinking that it was all too much trouble to bother with. After doing a trial for myself I think that I was WRONG. 2 minutes if it was that and I was sewing. I was on the understanding that the feed dog had to come out and maybe it does on the standard feed dog but I can say that it does not with the narrow needle plate dog foot set. I just switched the needle plates over (remove 2 screws and put back 2 screws) and reduced the foot pressure down and that was that, I was stitching. Reverse on mine also worked fine but that may be just mine who knows? Now there may be some confusion as to what is a holster needle plate and what is a stirrup plate. The smaller one is the stirrup plate and that does have to have the feed dog removed to use it and the bigger one is the holster plate which in my experience does not. I do have to point out that you need to check that the holster plate can go back in far enough for the needle to be in the centre of the needle plate slot. I had a check on 2 machines and it showed that I had to grind the needle plate back edge about 1mm (about 2.5 oz) to get it right. Anyway ...I found a video that shows a holster plate being used to stitch some stirrups and in that part it is good to see.  I would take not much notice of the set up procedure. It is great that at least he made the video and shared it which is more than can be said for many other that could have. https://youtu.be/WCoamFAgxng

 

Thanks for the link. I can see where if I sewed the holster "upside down", that holster plate would work like his stirrup plate did, where you run the stitch line against the formed side of the holster. I do the 80/20 style of holster, where the entire raised side of the holster protrudes from the flat, or mostly flat back. Using the holster plate like that would put the back side of the stitching on the front of the holster. I'm not sure I'd like that. With the 80/20 holster, I haven't needed a holster plate, just thought I  might be missing something. 

I noticed where Don mentioned that his Cobra parts worked without any grinding being needed. That was NOT my experience with the Cowboy. Considerable bending and grinding had to be done before things fit properly. Also, he used 3 in 1 oil on his machine! I can't imagine it's as non-staining as sewing machine oil. 

[dikman]

Don't get yourself wound up over oils. The commonly used Lilly-White sewing machine oil is basically hydraulic oil, around ISO 32. I'm using ISO 68, which is probably a bit on the thick side but it was all the auto store had at the time. It works fine for my needs.

[voidsurfer]

This looks like it could solve my problem with my cb4500. I’m so impressed! How can I get hold of a set - I’m in the UK?

[suzelle]

On 5/28/2022 at 4:12 PM, dikman said:

Don't get yourself wound up over oils. The commonly used Lilly-White sewing machine oil is basically hydraulic oil, around ISO 32. I'm using ISO 68, which is probably a bit on the thick side but it was all the auto store had at the time. It works fine for my needs.

Good to know Dikman! (That Lily-White sewing oil is basically hydraulic oil ISO 32). I have two huge bottles of it at the moment, but 2 months ago, I had none! I was wondering what I would look for if I were to find it at an Auto Supply store. Now I know! Thanks!

[dikman]

14 hours ago, voidsurfer said:

This looks like it could solve my problem with my cb4500. I’m so impressed! How can I get hold of a set - I’m in the UK?

PM RockyAussie, he'll be able to get one to you.

[voidsurfer]

6 hours ago, dikman said:

PM RockyAussie, he'll be able to get one to you.

Thanks, will do.

[Gulrok]

On 5/19/2022 at 5:38 AM, RockyAussie said:

Good thing is generally most sewing machine oil does not leave any marks on leather after it dries out absorbs or whatever. To skip a good oiling practice is not a good idea especially if you think that 6 years between is alright .

I do agree but I will add that to the best of my knowledge here in Australia the machines are checked and adjusted if need be before they go out to the customers. The shim for aiding in getting the back stitch length correct is more of a recent addition on these machines and I believe it is provided so as to make it easier for the customer to do it them selves if things move out of place over time. It is a fairly difficult procedure to explain and show all the steps involved to the average person and they can end up creating more of a problem if they do it wrongly. I do believe it would be a good idea to add into the dealers manuals and or video library an explanation on how to use the shim if ever needed so I think I will try and put something together for the dealers to use if they want. The dealers look after me pretty good over here so it will help me pay back some. (They sent me a new drop down guide and stainless steel flat table top attachment today for the CB4500 to test and try)

I'm likely in the group that doesn't do oiling enough. I wonder if there's a way to develop a little device that puts a light on when you need to oil. (So many hours of power to the motor) ... doesn't seem like it would be that hard so I'm going to take a quick look if its possible.

My staff members for certain don't oil as often as needed, I know that for certain. Its likely going to be cheaper for us over the years to look into a 100$ or less than to deal with maintenance. 

[RockyAussie]

11 hours ago, Gulrok said:

I'm likely in the group that doesn't do oiling enough. I wonder if there's a way to develop a little device that puts a light on when you need to oil. (So many hours of power to the motor) ... doesn't seem like it would be that hard so I'm going to take a quick look if its possible.

My staff members for certain don't oil as often as needed, I know that for certain. Its likely going to be cheaper for us over the years to look into a 100$ or less than to deal with maintenance. 

Sounds like a great idea if you can find out how. One of my tecky staff purchased a phone that can pick up and show heat differences on things and I would have to guess that any bush or bearing surface would likely show up more if it was needing to be oiled more urgently. I an sorry to add that in my opinion that as far as I have seen in most manuals and videos a great many points that should be lubricated do not get shown. For instance why do you think that most presser bar adjustment screws have a funnel shape at the top? Seems to me that it acts as a bush for the presser bar to go up and down in and the engineers thought some oil should go down there. Maybe a bit hard to put red paint there so some of the manual writers though lets skip that one. Same with the needle bar on these machines which often has a rubber cover over the hole. How dose oil lubricate that shaft if you don't put some there? Take some time out to look for every moving surface on your machine and know that in most cases it will need to have lubrication at some time or other. Some parts rarely and some like the 2 I just mentioned a lot. How long and how well a machine operates is in YOUR hands at the end of the day. (2 to 3 drops minimum per hour in the shuttle race). It will sound quieter and smoother.

[RockyAussie]

For any of you that may be reading this and have bought a set please check this post out if you have not already done so which shows some adjustments you may like to know about -

 

[chrisash]

14 hours ago, Gulrok said:

I'm likely in the group that doesn't do oiling enough. I wonder if there's a way to develop a little device that puts a light on when you need to oil. (So many hours of power to the motor) ... doesn't seem like it would be that hard so I'm going to take a quick look if its possible.

My staff members for certain don't oil as often as needed, I know that for certain. Its likely going to be cheaper for us over the years to look into a 100$ or less than to deal with maintenance. 

My question is who is in charge

Staff like doing funny things with company vans, like seeing how fast they can go in reverse, test out their drifting skills,  see how far they can go with the red warning lights for oil and water burning and so on

[alpha2]

No means to light an alarm at a given hour reached, but it can be located in a visible location to check daily. The price on this piece is suspiciously low. The brand we used in trainer aircraft and rentals was Hobbs, and it was commonly called...the Hobbs meter. 

Edited June 5, 2022 by alpha2

[Gulrok]

On 6/5/2022 at 2:54 AM, chrisash said:

My question is who is in charge

Staff like doing funny things with company vans, like seeing how fast they can go in reverse, test out their drifting skills,  see how far they can go with the red warning lights for oil and water burning and so on

I guarantee that's not an issue for us. Its just remembering when you switch between machines and around. 

[Doc Reaper]

On 10/31/2021 at 12:34 AM, dikman said:

aware

hey Aussie, thanks for the educational videos, I never knew what was under that plate until this vid, makes me wonder what else I’m missing!

again thanks much for your help and the education 

[RockyAussie]

On 6/6/2022 at 1:10 AM, alpha2 said:

No means to light an alarm at a given hour reached, but it can be located in a visible location to check daily. The price on this piece is suspiciously low. The brand we used in trainer aircraft and rentals was Hobbs, and it was commonly called...the Hobbs meter. 

Does this Hobbs meter thing tick up the hours when the power is on? If so that may be partly a good idea so long as people remember to turn the power off. Sometimes with these new servo motors its hard to remember that they are still on. I tried a cheap rev counter thing once and it was a dismal failure at keeping up with the machine.

5 hours ago, Doc Reaper said:

hey Aussie, thanks for the educational videos, I never knew what was under that plate until this vid, makes me wonder what else I’m missing!

again thanks much for your help and the education 

Your welcome. Hope I get time to do some more soon.