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I got it moving. Now, after I get the WD-40 off everything. What type of lube should I use for this machine. I imagine that different parts need different type of lubricant. I keep finding info saying all kinds of stuff from regular sewing machine oil to ATF even kerosene and I'm not exactly sure what info to go with. If there is a consensus on this I'd welcome the info. Thanks PXL_20251209_021619880.mp4

does not look worn, it is an oval hole because you can alter the feed doh height I think I have a feed dog to compare I´ll check later today.

Thanks for the tips on the hat clamp. A good fitting quality hat can't be beat. Make sure to have one steamed to fit your head by someone in a good hat shop. You can forget it's even on.

Hello, I used incorrect terminology when I said walking foot, I think the correct term is the feed dog, I believe that is worn out. I had a chance to mess with it some today. I’m not an expert with this but from what I can tell the screw hole on the dog is enlarged due to useage and I think the screw not being tightened. If I had a new one to compare it to I might know for sure. I was able to get it snugged up by using a cardboard shim and it appears to work. The screw is messed up from being torqued on repeatedly. I was just wanting to see if I could get it to work. I’m think it’s got promise, needs a good cleaning and the new parts. Thanks jonathan

If you have someone who has a laser burner . . . the mittens could have a flat board pressed into them (to create a flat surface) . . . and if you could get it flat enough . . . and IF the person using the burner is good enough . . . he could just burn off enough of the waterproofing that you would have a rough surface for the paint to adhere to. The acrylic paint itself is waterproof . . . so you should work out good there. But the whole thing hinges on how good your laser burner buddy is . . . May God bless, Dwight

I'm not seeing reference to the "-M" part of the 869. Looking in this user manual: https://partner.duerkopp-adler.com/commons/download/public/869/B_869_DE_EN.pdf on page 89 (as viewed from the pdf reader), or page 9 (as viewed in print from the english section) it shows several subclasses and they are all specified with a max needle size of 180. Here is a screenshot: It also says "(depending on E-No.)" but I'm not seeing reference to "E-No" elsewhere in the manual. 🤷‍♀️

Thanks for your input everyone. I won't be making the mittens, just buying them, so I can't help that they are already waterproofed. It's a gift, so I'm hopeful I can get something that will work.

That is an interesting mod.

Good start, it looks like your leather was a little to dry when you were tooling, there are several good posts on here about casing leather for tooling. Keep practicing and in a month look back at this one and compare it to what you are doing then. Todd

Nice. That's a company you keep doing business with.

Looking forward to seeing pictures and videos of your solution! In the past I have 3d printed a motor pulley, but have not done the larger hand wheel pulleys. (My printer can print within a cube 180mm on a side) By the way, I took some of my inspiration from this slick item I found for sale on marketplace: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/678066578496084/ That link will likely go stale soon so I'll post the pictures from the ad here for posterity.

That looks like a serious upgrade to me. Nice job!

As a project for a relative, I made this replacement piece for his binocular Harness. The original is a rubber like material, and a little short for his longer torso. While it isn't perfect, I'm fairly happy with how it turned out.

when spending long hours training outside, I wore a cowboy hat. They are a surprisingly good hat to go sweat outside it. Shouldn't be surprising though. Somehow blocks out all the sky, without limiting vision.

Can you upload the user manual? That hopefully will show us how to set the start speed and the maximum speed. Also it may say what the absolute slowest the start speed can be set to. Once you know how slow the motor can go, you can do the math to figure out what pulleys will get you to your goal of 60 stitches per minute when the motor is at its slowest setting. As others have indicated, smaller motor pulley, larger handwheel pulley, and/or gear reducer in the middle are all options to get you to your goal speed. I also like what @nejcek74 said about a needle positioner giving you "as much time in between [stitches] as you want".

A couple suggestions on the hat clamp, use Neodymium N52 magnets or possibly N42 the others seem too weak, the clasp I am switching to a caribener bigger. Your welcome. I am learning about hats as they are new to me, wore basebll caps all my life. Then had a scare with cancer on the back of my neck and cowboy hats looked like the ticket.

Like friquant said, everything about sewing machines is a compromise, the 160 needle might fit in the needle hole but is likely to be a problem once you add the thickness of the thread. Best way is to try it at the dealers but I would imagine #138/Tex 135 would be the limit. That was good of them to admit they made a mistake and allow an exchange.

my solution for low speeds is a needle positioner, going from up to down and back up with as much time in between as you want. No problems with low speed/power ration and the needle always finish the cycle (locks). For a cheap servo is usually also a cheap needle positioner, sometimes they come included. All you need is half an hour to instal it, even if you get the instructions they are often just for something else :)))))

Hi jrdunn I suspect you are asking "Why power an industrial machine with a domestic motor?" I would say the benefits are: Portability. The motor attaches to the wooden skirt. Now you can pick up the whole machine, skirt, and motor and move it to another place in the house. I could even give the whole thing away as a gift (machine + skirt + motor) and someone could haul it home in the passenger seat of their car. Cost. I paid $20 for the motor and $20 for the pedal. I got the wood for free. I had some PU belt left over from a previous project. Driveability. My girlfriend doesn't stress when driving this machine. Unconventional. Or you might be asking, "Why gear down an industrial machine?" but the answer to that has been gone over LOTS of times so I'll bet you're not asking that. I think it is an obvious boon. 😉 Or you might be asking "Why use plywood and a PU belt as your means of gear reduction"? To that I would say both can be cut to the size you need. Meaning "choose your own gear reduction" and if you don't like it, choose again! (Compare this with the limited choices that you can find pre-built.) Also note that this gear reduction uses a single belt instead of two. Or maybe you're curious how it feels to tug on a plywhood hand wheel? It's actually quite nice. The stock handwheel is spoked and I used to have a reminder taped on the machine "Keep your fingers OUT of the handwheel" for safety. That is no longer an issue.

I do not know specifically. In general, the size of hole in the throat plate / feed dog / center toe seems to be a compromise. Larger means you can accommodate bigger needles and bigger thread without it binding there. I can't say exactly what the downside is. Maybe larger means when you stitch thin goods with a skinny needle, they get sucked down into the hole??

That may be a possibility. Thanks! Gotcha. The genius of the AND...combining ideas for the best. Thanks!

So they agreed to exchange the machine, that is super nice. Im thinking the Adler 869-M is the right machine for me. Can anyone answer me about needle sizes. it seems, (from the manual) that all the feet and throat plates are made for needles 110-140. Does that means a 160 needle would not work? The perfect machine for me, would be able to sew 2-8mm leather. Sew with 20 (Tex 135) to 15 (tex 210) thread. The machine should be able to sew with thread max 10 size from the manual, so why would it not be able to handle larger needles?

One other possibility is to install a smaller pulley on the motor, 45mm is typical. One problem though is the motor shaft on that motor might have a tapered shaft. Tapered pulleys for that are difficult if not impossible to find. The next choice was already mentioned, that being a speed reducer. One other option is going to a larger pulley on the sewing machine. A friend of mine did just that and really liked the reduction in speed. He used just an off the shelf 1/2" bore, 6" pulley that you can find at a good hardware store or order on-line - as long as your machine handwheel shaft is 1/2" that is.

@Tove09Tilda Congratulations, that is SUPER news. I hope that you will be able to find some accomodation near the saddlemaker while doing your internship. Another thing, how did your Y-shaped dog harness turn out? Brgds Jonas

A magnetic hat clamp is a good idea. I may have to make one of that nature. I had a hat rack in my previous truck but my current one has stuff across the headliner that prevents putting a rack in it. Thanks for the idea. The grey hat has a similar visual texture to a buffalo Stetson I have. Thanks for the clarification.