new Tippman boss

[cowboy316]

howdy pards been thinkin pretty hard bout trying to find a new boss that the gears have broken like ive heard they have been doing and seeing if i could pick one up cheap and the go and use my dads milling maching to mill new steel gears and the reassemble it any thought on this
thanks
Cowboy316

[outrider]

Cowboy,

I used to have one of those boat anchors....if I remember correctly the main gear (on the handle) was made from aluminum..and I had to have it replaced...also the main shaft at the placement of the gear is not very strong.  If you can find a cheaper used leather stitcher I think you will be happier....The Boss is very limited as to the stitching...best for straight runs...also, the presser foot is on a cam which allows the foot to fall very hard onto the leather thereby leaving alot of marks on your project...the presser foot movement is not smooth and fluid like other stitchers.

Just my opinion....I would try to save up a little and get a decent stitcher...you won't be sorry.

[Ned Buckshot]

I hated mine! Never could make the thing work the way it was supposed to.

I sold it within the month I bought it.

Ned

[Slowhand Bob]

Cowboy, my overall opinion was considerably higher in the end but I did sell iy, sooo.  Mine was a very low three digit model and for this reason perhaps, I do not remember anyaluminum gears in it.  I may be mistaken but I think those gears were steel on my early model.  There are several relevant remarks made by Outrider, the tracking marks of the foot are an issue and the overall action does seem to be a bit herky jerky feeling.  I still have a Tippmann Aero and consider it to share several of the faults of the BOSS but it does free up both hands.  My biggest gripe on both machines was probably my own shortcoming BUT I had a nightmare of a learning curve with them.  The wife finally tired of hearing me swear my soul away and bought me a Toro, which I learned to use much easier and then the Tippmanns seemed to fall into place!  I would pick my Toro ten time over the pair of Tippmanns BUT I would pick the BOSS ten times over a pair of needles and thread! 

[outrider]

Slowhand,

Geez pardner...I seem to remember having the same problems and swearing episodes that you described....Funny...all the problems I was having just totally disappeared when I bought the Ferdco Pro 2000..even with the learning curve...

[JD Alan]

This older Singer I picked up is working great, as long as it's my wife, a pro seamstress it doing the sewing! We found out that Singer makes a leather foot for the machine, and we got some leather needles. Once we got those, it works like a champ. I'm sure it's no substitute for a true leather sewing machine, but we have less than 400 bucks in it. It will sew two 8-9 oz pieces together, and linings are no sweat.

[Slowhand Bob]

What I think was the number one hurdle that I had to clear was letting the machine do the sewing instead of trying to force feed it.  Daddy always said I would never make it past a sledge and shovel in life!

[outrider]

JD,

What is the model of your old Singer?  I am currently negotiating for a Singer Class 15..if I get it the machine will be a good addition to my ever growing collection.

As a side note...within the next day or two I will post some photos of a neat German machine I recently got from my sister.   It is a "Werthheim Electra" tredle machine with a coffin top cover....in working condition...even still has the original manual in German.

[Gun Butcher]

 Hey Outrider, Got any insight on the care and feeding of a Singer 29-4. I have it sewing but keeping the tension on my thread right has been a hair puller up til now. If you or anyone else has any ideas it would surely be appreciated

[outrider]

GB,

I have a friend that has a 29...I will ask him..will probably be next weekend before I see him though

[Gun Butcher]

 That will be fine . I won't be using it anytime soon so whenever you get a chance.
Thanks

[outrider]

GB,
Do you have a copy of the manual for that class 29?  If not you can download it from the Singer Web-site...I looked at it last night and it does explain how to adjust both the upper tension and the tension on the bobbin (lower tension)  If your tension goes out of adjustment after your setting it...maybe you have some worn parts in there...It also explains how to set the stitch length on the booger.

[JD Alan]

It's a 211 G 165. I don't know anything else about it, except that it came from the Pendleton Woolen Mill in Pendleton, Oregon.

My wife says she has a hard time with the bobbin tension; it doesn't seem to have any adjustment. We had a service guy come out and go through it for us, and he said that's just the way it is.   

[Gun Butcher]

Outrider you probably hit the nail on the head with the worn part somewhere. I guess I am gonna hafta go thru it and take a look see. And thanks for the manual idea , I got one off the web awhile back when you ( or someone ) gave the web site to one of the other pards. 
JD, I am beginning to think mine has the same problem as yours.

[outrider]

GB,

If you stop to think about it....what controls the lower bobbin tension???  There should be some sort of spring with an adjustment screw that puts tension and restricts the free movement of the bobbin...thus you can tighten or loosen the amount of pressure on the bobbin...if the spring or the adjustment screw is worn it will not hold your tension...   something to look into

[Gun Butcher]

 I been messing with it today and I think you are on the right track with the bobbin. When I bought the machine about 15 years ago it came with a whole box of pre-wound bobbins.While I was messing with it I noticed that the bobbin was not setting in the shuttle straight so I paid really close attention to it while turning it over by hand and that bobbin jumps around in the shuttle way to much to my way of thinking. So, I am going to wind some bobbins on the metal spools and see if that helps my problem.  I really appreciate the idea and will let you know if that was the answer.

[outrider]

GB,

Today at lunch I had an opportunity to look at that Singer 29 we have been discussing.  The bobbin tension is adjusted with a small screw that is located on the side of the shuttle hook (bobbin carrier)  If you take out the bobbin along with the shuttle hook you will notice that the carrier has a small flat spring...the tension on this spring is adjusted with the small screw.  The thread goes under the spring...therefore applying tension to the thread...the bobbin itself does not have any tension on it so this may be why you see it moving around so freely ... the thread goes through a small hole on the inside race of the shuttle hook, under the spring and out to where the upper thread picks it up....my friends machine has about 8 of these shuttles in it's drawrer....I suppose you can get them from Singer...hope this helps...if you need some pictures I suppose I can borrow a set up and photograph it

[Gun Butcher]

 Outrider I know exactly what you are talking about and mine doesn't seem to want to adjust so I will look into a couple of extra shuttles and see if that helps. Thanks again

[TN Mongo]

Outrider,

I hope it's OK to go back to the original topic.  I bought a Boss three years ago and from day one it was a problem.  It could normally manage a straight run, but nothing else.  If you changed leather thicknesses, you were in for a bunch of adjustments.  I am much happier with my Cobra Model 4.  I still have the Tippman; it's a great $1200 hole punch.

Save some more money and get a Juki 441 clone of some type.

[Slowhand Bob]

Dramatic changes in direction must be made with the handle about half way up or the BOSS will drop that stitch.  Though my TORO is much more forgiving of such glitches, I still make radical direction changes only after the needle has started its upward move.  One thing that is irritating about the version of the Tippmann Aero that I have is that there is no stitch control beyond full up or full down.  Instead of a handwheel it has a simple toggle switch and when it is manipulated the the needle and foot make one complete up or down cycle, depending on start position.  Both Tippmann machines lack the refinements/adjustments we are accustomed to on our big leather machines.

I think that one day we will see these simple machines picked up by the Chinese (I'm sure the patents are long expired by now) with the prices dropping to one third or less of Tippmanns MSRP and only then will they be appreciated for what they are, very basic but actually able to hog through 3/4" of leather in a rough, no frills way.  All wear adjustments must be made with either new parts or shems, I like manila file paper for this.  I just do not see Tippmann surviving with the BOSS being made stateside and competing with far superior designs being imported at such cheap prices.