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I ended up loosening and then very gently tapping the rocker frame bearing pin at the top. I had the screw/clamp loose that is accessible behind the plate next to the stitch length adjuster. The latter was great to move the needle bar fore and aft and center it in that direction, but I didn't get any left or right movement from it. I moved the needle in the hole by about 1mm. Hitting and upload limit for the other photo

I have used the 1245 manual to center the feed dog in the throat plate, and I can center the needle fore and aft in the needle hole, but yet to figure out how to move the needle bar left/right. Help!

.mI think they are selling a 6mm and 12 mm machine. I had a 8 mm Bernina with a 12 mm cam. I bought all the Global parts to successfully convert it to a 12mm machine with a puller. Erik

Global will sell you a cam box... If I find a source on the needle clamp I'll let you know

Not a leather sewing machine, but the knowledge base here is great. Anyone have a source or lead on a double needle clamp for a Bernina 217. Global does not list one afaik. Erik

Heya N ~ I don't see anything on my 545 that resembles the pic or the parts drawing. I have the top mounted leaf spring to control presser foot pressure. Not the vertical, internal coil spring. It's yours a newer model?

Thanks folks.... all good idea. I'll report back e

All - Some PO used lubricating oil on my machine that over the years has gotten very stiff or turned into an evil form of varnish. Last time I work on the issue I traced the biggest culprit to the main bearing that supports the upper shaft at the flywheel. Mild attempts to remove it failed so I slipped the timing belt out of the way, tilted the machine sideway in a pan and soaked the bearing in situ in a pan filled with kerosene for several days. Active use of the machine made me think things were OK, but after sitting for several months it is very, very stiff again (cold mornings don't help, either). So I am looking for some thoughts and encouragement on how to clean it, hopefully without disassembly. I happily submerge the whole machine in some appropriate solvent that would not degrade the timing belt or other painted or non-metallic parts. Or on a sunny day us kerosene, heat gun, air compressor to blow things out, break cleaner... Erik

Uwe - Sorry to be late in replying. The machine is now running satisfactory and I finished up a couple of canvas projects for the boats and some small wallets for birthday presents for the daughter and gf. Then the needle broke and jammed in the hook and while getting the needle out I knocked the timing off and fixing all that took some effort. But all is good now. I am going to start a new thread on my Juki 563 - it needs a deep clean and I am wondering on various options given what I've tried to date. Erik

Uwe - I saw your "Safety Clutch" video on U-Tube and besides being - as usually - awed at the quality production and clarity, I immediately played with the one on my 545. It was a little stiff and possibly set too firm, so I eased the spring tension. I presume that if it disengages too easily I need to tighten it? Erik

OK, further disassembly demonstrated that the two eccentrics were rubbing against each other and were not properly aligned with regards to the pivot/attachment points below the bed. Fixed . And after taking the needle frame out a couple of times, things seem to be all good at that end, too. Question about the hand/knee lift for the presser foot. The presser foot locks in the up position when the hand lift is used. The knee lift will release it from the up position, but it will not provide for any locking when raising. . I have, I believe, an original Pfaff knee lift under the table, and there is no locking mechanism in it, either. Erik

K - I thought I read here or on the Hotrod forum that one can raise the needle bar to accommodate the longer 190 system needles and possibly do some retiming. I am assuming that the shank diameter will fit. I am no expert.... e

This is my most favorite site for sewing machine info and hoping the collective experience here can help and save me an embarrassing trip to the sewing machine shop. I mostly sew on canvas for sails and boat projects and started messing with my Pfaff 545 H3 that isn't totally new to me and sewed OK, but was obviously not tuned. I started with the available 1245 adjustment manual and followed the steps outlined there. Centering the lower dog within the needle plate was needed and easily done , so was adjusting the lower feed dog height, and the needle bar height (Sections 13.05.01 through 13.05.04). First problems occurred when trying to follow the 13.05.05 which involved centering the needle in the needle hole. The 1245, with the internal pressure foot spring, has a different needle bar frame (NBF)_ and associated adjustment compared to the 545. On my machine the needle entered the lower feed dog too far to the left (and this has caused some needle breakage if the needle got deflected too much while sewing). The only adjustment I could find was loosening the set screw on the top pivot shaft and then trying to move the NBF to the right. But it appears that the frame is out of travel space at the bottom and contacts the lower right-hand guide on the machine case. This then actually cause the needle bar frame to start "tilting" more to the left and further offsetting the needle relative to the feed dog. So with that in mind I tried tilting the whole frame the other way, which worked, but caused the outer pressure foot mechanism to bind. In the end I compromised and left the needle somewhat off center right-to-left. Am I missing some adjustment? In sorting all of the above out, I did manage to take things far enough apart to remove my broken needle bar (lowest thread guide was broken off) and replace it with a new one I had bought more than a year ago. I needed to do some serious battle to remove screw near the stitch length/reverse lever that adjusts the fore and aft centering/timing of the needle entering the lower feed dog. Somebody had previously tried and failed and left the flat head slot stripped. Small butane torch to heat things up, and then pitting German against German, my small Bosch 12V impact wrench finally did the trick. I felt pretty good after getting that screw out and doing the fore/aft adjustment. My next steps (and this is where things have gone awry) were to adjust the eccentrics related to the bottom feed dogs and drive motion eccentrics (13.05.06 and 07). In a total brain fart, I loosened the screws holding the tops of the rings riding on the eccentrics (the ones with the nice red lube holes) and not the eccentrics themselves. The machine immediately stopped turn over and no loosening/tighting of the screws, including those of the eccentrics has made things better. HELP! I assume the eccentrics themselves are round, but mounted off center on the shaft. I don't quite know where the friction is coming from - maybe the two eccentrics are rubbing against each other? Also, is there an adjustment manual specific for the 145/545? The timing instructions for the newest 1245 look a bit different although this manual (245, 1245, etc) seems to show an older machine and things look more similar to the 545. Hopefully all the above makes sense and thanks so much for any feedback and advice. BTW I am in the SF bay area and happy to meet with folks if necessary. Erik

First post. Have enjoyed the info and excellent advice the members provide. I got a bit of a stumper going in on my Juki 563. Seeing up for sewing some 5/32" piping and when I installed the new walking foot set I noticed that the inner one is hitting the left inner edge of the outer foot. Overlap is about 1/16 to 1/32 of an inch. This is a brand new foot set. My other feet seem to not have this problem but they have more clearance. Any thoughts? Erik