Tigweldor

They are made from chrome steel - that is awful and unthankful hard stuff to engrave. I am experimenting with lasering - allthough a budget friendly CO2 laser will not really work on shiny metal - you need a fibre laser for that (= mucho dinero) - alternative is a black laser engraving paint that washes off with plain water - not cheap either. Like I said - I´m still in the experimental stage on that. But once ready, a customer can send me his design as a file and get whatever motive wanted lasered onto the buckle. Once set up, a custom laser engraving can be done for around 10 to 15 bucks. I will update as soon as I am sure it works out properly. But since I make my main income as a self employed weldor - I do not have to sell at any price (which Amazon will dictate) to pay my rent, put food on the table or enjoy my other hobbies and life in general.

Yup - I do have a patent on these. While they do incorporate a pin to affix the belt, the pin is inside the buckle and will NOT punch holes in your favorite T-shirt as we all may have experienced with the type of hook buckle with the hook facing your belly. The belt is sandwiched by/inside the buckle, which is made from rust free chrome steel. The cover plate is held closed by ball snaps - have worn the prototype for nigh on 15 years now - with no sign of spring fatigue or dropping my pants cause the buckle opened unwanted. All belts come with a stainless steel D-ring - so you can hook your key carabiner on the D-ring and not on a cloth belt loop. I am the only one making this type of buckle - world wide. But I am a craftsman and a lousy seller - so far they have sold solely by word of mouth - which actually turned into a chain reaction. I do not want to sell through Etsy or Hood or Amazon or Ebay - then the item is no longer exclusive. I do have an abundant stock pile of nigh on 1000 buckles. Oh yeah - sale price is 35€ per buckle - 70€ for a complete belt made from 6mm thickness leather. I do need your "circumference" so the belt will sit centered with holes to spare on both sides.

1.) One of the best dissolvers of old hardened grease/oil is carb cleaner - it comes in spray cans and you can spray it in the oiling holes of your sewing machine. It works like a charm, especially if you do not want to tear down the whole machine. 2.)If you use grease on bevel gears, cam wheels and other places, you usually spread/disperse the grease with a stiff bristled paint brush to obtain even coverage. Here is a grease bush holder that costs nothing - made from a container for calcium tabs. Just poke a hole in the lid and your done. The holder in the pic is for aluminum paste lubricant - nasty stuff to wipe of from clothes or hands

Missing a bobbin winder on your 29K - or you don´t have a free wheeling hand wheel and don´t want your machine to go clickety-clack while winding ? An M4 x 20mm bolt, a nut and a cordless drill will make very short work of winding bobbins. You will have to pass the thread through a thread tensioner though. I use this method all the time - the hand wheel on my 29K-33 does not free wheel.

That is one hell of a good price - less than they charge for a single cocktail in a bar here in Germany. Heck, with that price it doesn´t matter that the item comes from Chinesistan. Good deal.

Bought this machine last week in Wuppertal for 55€. The sewing head had not seen oil for a long time - it was seized and had a broken part. So I bought a Singer 29K-51 for 20€ (with table) - although it had a broken off casting lip, where the take up lever for the presser foot mounts. BUT : the entire sewing head from the 29K-51 fits 1:1 onto the Adler 30-7 --- actually, had it not been for the broken casting and the missing lever - I could/would have converted the Adler 30-7 into an Adler 30-70 with the 29K-51 head. The main reason I bought the machine was because it has the larger bobbins - besides that it can´t do more than the 29K-33 that I have mounted on a motorized stand. If you mount the thread spool horizontal - you can use the bobbins with a cone foot - they will not fit the stock spool holder and will also hit the arm if you force them to fit - then they do not turn freely. The only thing I have yet to fix is that the foot take up lever drops down too far and thus blocks the rotation of the sewing head - but in the last pic, I took up all free play by hand - I just have to weld something to the lever end so it does not slide into the slot of the head casting and all will be good.

Like I announced in a different topic - here are some pics. The little alcohol burner has never been lit - nor has the basin near the spool for top thread ever been filled with either gum trag or oil. Comes equipped with a #4 cover plate, a #4 needle and a knife transporter (Risser). I do not make shoes, but the seller did not know what he was selling - advertised it as a cover stitch machine (Kettelmaschine in German) and the price was right. Right now the stitcher has Forellenfaden for top thread (don´t know the English word - a direct translation would be trout thread) - it is a braided thread. I do make leather belts from 6mm leather - but either my Adler 4 or the Adler 5 can handle that much quicker - even with thick thread. But : having is better than wanting --- it will make a good item to trade for a burnisher or something else I may need in the future. Plus : the need for a manual for the Gritzner was the main reason that I registered on this here web site.

Hi Digit, Please send link of the VFD that you ordered. Greetings Hans

and please do not take me for a racist. BUT - having lived in the States, I soon found out that they have a name for every nationality. British are Limeys -- French are Frogs -- Germans are Krauts -- Spaniards are Spics -- Chinese are Chinks -- Viatnamese are Gooks -- Mexicans are Wetbacks -- Portuguese are Waps -- the list goes on and on. I never took this serious as I get along with most everybody and never cared being called a Kraut - heck, that word comes from Sauerkraut - which tastes great by the way.

to DavidMM, Are you sure that the serial number of your machine starts with a UY and not just with a Y - here is about the best info on Singer serial numbers and the whereabouts of your machine: https://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/serial-numbers/singer-sewing-machine-serial-number-database.html Greetings Hans

Hi Bob, Again, thanks for uploading the manual. I needed this to confirm exact steps for/on my Adler 30-7 - which is a very close clone of the Singer 29K51-56. Guess a body can argue on who cloned whom - but I bought a 29K51 for parts yesterday and EVERY part of the head matches - and I mean every part except that my 30-7 has the steel pressure bar where as the 29K51 has the internal pressure spring mounted in the head itself. Even the bolt pattern fits identical - I would have mounted the whole head if it had not been for a broken casting lip where the foot take up lever is affixed to. Tried to obtain the announced "I have a service manual for a 30-7" from a fellow "Kraut" - but to no avail, even after sending a PM. Guess he mistook the operating manual with a service manual - cause I wasn`t the only one looking for such info - with no answer upon request. So if anybody is looking to time their Adler 30 - you can follow the steps in the manual linked by Bob. Mucho kudos Greetings Hans

Hi, The old clutch Motors are not bad units. Even if 3 phase, you can run them on single phase power if you use a VFD (Variable frequency device / Frequenzumrichter). Now the VFD units only convert 230Volt single phase to 230 Volt 3-phase - they can NOT convert 230 Volt single phase to 380 Volt 3 phase For that, you have to open the little electrical box on the motor. You will find the 3 connections for the lines coming in (usually numbered R, S, T ) When poled/set up for 380 Volts - you will find that 3 of the other poles are bridged with each other (usually marked U , V, W)) You can remove these bridges and and then bridge each pair of poles individually = R to U , S to V , T to W ) Now you can run the three phase motor on 230 Volt single phase power with a VFD. This is actually the best way to run a 3 phase motor on single phase - plus you can alter some of the characteristics of the motor like : increased starting current - a motor brake for instant stop - top speed by dialing in the frequency. A new VFD costs around 60€ to 100€ on Ebay (ebay.de) - the cheap ones do come from China. I run all my machines on VFD - but I get them used from Kleinanzeigen (craigs list in Germany). The bonus of getting a good used VFD is that the Chinese units have a cooling fan that runs at all times - the better units only start the cooling fan when needed = less noise. Hope to have helped you - if not, I can draw a diagram to boot. Greetings Hans

@ wintertree - although the thread is a little older. As constab said - the Adler 30-7(0) uses the long 332 LG needle (48,5mm long) Although he gave you the wrong specs. A 332L needle is the short 332 needle for leather (L) as used in the 30-1 and 30-15 The needle you need for leather for your 30-7(0) is called 332 LL LG - very important - the LG stands for Lang (long) the LL for Leder Links (leather left sided slot) For fabric the needle is called 332 LG (without the LL) Make sure when you buy it in a shop to take along a vernier caliper and make sure that the length is 48,5mm Then install the needle in the needle bar, open the cover plate and watch how the hook interacts with the scarf of the needle/thread when you turn the hand wheel. If you have the right length needle and the hook and scarf do not interact as needed - you must take the machine of it´s table/stand and from the underside you will see a coupling at the 90 degree bend of the drive shaft. Inside that coupling is an excentric bushing. You need a 16mm box end wrench and a screw driver to loosen the bushing and then turn it to the point where the hook will meet the middle of the needle scarf when the needle is going up while cranking the hand wheel. This sometimes takes more than one try(and a coffee and smoke of your choice to keep calm). Since the 30 series Adler do not make top speed, it is okay to have the hook meet the scarf in the middle - on very high speed machines you would want the hook slightly above middle - that is what I was told, although I have never sewn on a high speed "thread runner". Also there is a second screw above the one that mounts the needle to the bar - the needle positioning screw. With this screw you can position the needle scarf closer to or farther away from the hook - although side travel here is very limited - but sometimes a "smidge" is all it takes. Also the 30-7(0) is very "finnecky" where it comes to the adjustment of foot pressure AND the little take back spring for the top thread. If those two adjustments are not in perfect harmony - the stitches do not look good. I own a 30-7 and sometimes it is a real PITA to get them both just right, especially if you work on different thickness leather in one project. My Singer 29-33 is more forgiving in that respect - it does not require as much adjustment to produce a proper stitch. The one advantage of the 30-7(0) though is the large bobbin - which can hold about twice the amount of thread as the Singer 29-33 bobbin with 20mm diameter. Although this is comparing apples to oranges - the Singer 29-70/71/72/73 series have the larger bobbin as well. Hope that helps you out Greetings Hans

If you are tight for bucks - don´t hesitate to buy from Alibaba. Where do you think that Tandy/Weaver get most of their stock from ? If you guessed China - you´re right on the button. And yes - the Chinese will add a custom label or stamp onto the product free of charge - naturally depending on the amount of individual articles that you buy. And where do you think that the most wanted and sold smart phone is made ? Yup : the I-phone is made in China for small coin - then sold to suckers world wide with a HUGE profit margin. Another good source is to buy second hand - for a newbie that can sometimes be a gamble as there are quite a lot of con artists out there. And I will not hesitate to say : I have met a lot of them trying to sell sewing machines that they know are defect but then try to bs their way around it. So if you plan on spending a larger amount of cash on a used machine - take somebody with you that owns the same unit and knows of it´s potential maladies/failures. Also : you MUST learn how to sharpen metal tools. The best knife is useless unless sharp -- same goes for edgers, awls, even a sewing needle can have a nick on it´s tip removed and provide further service. Here is another thing : good hard steel will keep an edge longer than softer steel - but it sometimes is a bitch to resharpen. Softer steel will not hold an edge as long - but it will resharpen very quick - I would ever go as far as to say that you can get a sharper edge than with hard steel. To gain customers : get yourself 1000 business cards - and I mean good ones made from heavy paper with an appealing design. This is about the best investment you can make to get others to know that you do leather projects - for about a dime per potential customer. Hang them up on notice boards , leave them in shops with the owners consent, give them to friends, to people at fairs and rodeos. And one more thing : bunker some cash like a thrifty chipmunk for the months of Jan. and Feb. - cash is tight in these months after Chrismas, New Years and all the yearly bills that are due after Jan. 1st And don´t be to proud to work aside in a different job to earn extra cash - even though you are a leather worker but for now you´re changing summer to winter tires (just an example). Good things take time which is something you can´t break over your knee and expect to obtain instant results from that action. Greetings Hans

Hi Dave, Don´t feel bad - you are not alone. Many of us are good craftsmen but utterly fail when it comes to selling yourself or your products. That´s life in reality. On the other hand, I´ld rather be a doer than a talker.

I got the Heinrich Koch for a decent price as it was missing the bobbin winder - which even in Germany are rare as hen´s teeth. So I looked and looked around the German craigs list (Kleinanzeigen) until I found an old Vesta sewing machine for small coin - and told the seller : I just want the bobbin winder but will pay for the whole machine. He agreed as it would save him packaging and it also reduced my shipping costs - actually I did not want to throw the rest of the machine into the scrap. I had to modify the winder as the Vesta bobbins were way longer - plus add a "foot" to the unit which I clamped in a M10 long nut drilled out to 11mm with some set screws to obtain proper height so it can align just right with the drive pulley of the machine - I have yet to mount it to a plate which will be clamped/screwed to the table.

Here is a very unique open arm sewing machine - a Heinrich Koch open arm saddler sewing machine built around 1895. There is not one single gear/sprocket on this machine - all action is produced/transmitted via cams, cam wheels and levers. Stich length can be changed directly on the revolving sewing head via thumb screw - in my eyes technically leaps ahead of later built Singer 29Ks and Adler 30s --- on the second pic the thumb screw on the lower head pointing towards the hand wheel I also like the way the machine body is hand painted with tear drop / dragon scales - this was made in the days before they used decals to pretty up sewing machines.

Oh, I forgot : I have also own(ed) several singer 29K - a 29K56 that I sold and a 29K33 that I mounted on a custom stand with a gear reduction motor mounted in such a way that gravity on the motor tightens the belt, but I can raise the motor to eliminate belt tension via a parking brake from an old Hummel walk behind tractor to crank the machine by the hand wheel. The unit also uses a VFD and a foot pedal - it sews real nice. A quick tap on the pedal equals about 1/8 stitch. This is a long arm 29K33 with the larger 20mm bobbins - tomorrow I will buy a Singer 29K56 with a short arm (thought for parts for my Adler 30-7) The last pic is just doodling after a few brews to get my ideas onto paper before I start building - I do this with most of my projects And yes, I know - the bolts are too long - I meant to change that a while ago but they don´t bother me - so I haven´t done it yet - but I promise to better myself . The brass handle to fit a man´s hand I turned on a lathe and polished it - BUT - it is to heavy, so when the machine is not under belt tension it moves the hand wheel until the handle sets at the bottom - very anoying - needs further lightening on the lathe on the handle inside.

other sewing machines : Adler 167 (sold), Kansai Special belt loop sewing machine, Adler 4 flat table walking foot and my newest purchase last week is a Gritzner sole stitching machine with #4 cover plate, a #4 needle and a leather knife transporter. It is in mint shape - the little alcohol burner has never seen use nor has the basin for gum tragacanth/oil for the top thread ever been filled. Bought it off a guy who bought a house that belonged to a deceased cobbler - had to drive 120 klicks (one way) - but it was worth it. I oiled it well and it works like a charm - will post pics after I have made some. If anyone needs needles size #4 or size #5 - I have searched the internet and found a source that sells packs of 10 needles for 92€ - that is less than 10€ per needle. Other sellers want horrendous amounts for that little bent piece of round stock (etsy : 761 PG needle = 27€ PER NEEDLE) If interested, send me a message and I will give you contact data.

well, having been bitten by the bug, my next machine was a Dürkopp 239-3 walking foot needle feed machine - I also run it on the same VFD as the one for the Adler 5 Presser feet can be obtained from ebay/AliBaba for the Juki walking foot machines - they fit well. I like to mount my thread spools horizontal - makes less of a mess with loose threads jamming up under the bottom of the spool. Plus (this may just be my opinion) : if you stand the spool upright and pull of some thread - you have a major coiled thread dangling in mid air. You pull thread of a spool mounted horizontal - the thread does not coil - it comes of straight. I have done this on all my sewing machines.

@ AlZilla, I like the aluminum table top - it is longer than a stock table top and material glides on it well. I keep my machines in my "sewing room" - which is inside the house

The 138 is a pretty good Zig Zag machine - but in thicker leather is lacks power. So I bought an Adler 5 - and manufactured a speed reduction for it. I also use it with a clutch Motor in combo with a VFD All presser feet were polished - as well as the sewing guides I have a second pedal to raise the presser foot - had to make the lever in the back of the machine from an old Pfaff lever though

Hi, When the Corona lock down started in 2020 , I wanted to sew masks for myself, family and friends. Having absolutely no experience in sewing plus not owning a sewing machine - I started from scratch. My first sewing machine was a Pfaff 138-6-U - before I knew it, I owned two of them. One I gave to my sister - the other one I kept for myself after having built the table top from 10mm aluminum and having mounted a VFD to change top motor speed on the old clutch motor. I can also reverse sew with a touch on the second pedal - and of course installed a knee lever. All parts were bought individually.

Hi, I wind the bobbins for my singer 29 with a cordless drill. Just get a bolt that fits the center hole of the bobbin pretty snug, lock the bobbing onto the bolt with a nut (hand tight) and insert the bolt into your drill. You will have to use a thread tension disc set-up of an old bobbin winder - this is a real fast way to wind bobbins - especially if you have a hand wheel that has no provisions to free wheel and you don´t want your machine to go clickety clack while spooling up thread. Hope that helps you out. Greetings from Germany Hans