Wizcrafts

Originally, the Singer 51 series machines used system 126 or 128 needles. These may be rare and hard to match. It may be simpler to replace the needle bar with a common bar that takes either system DBx1 or 135x16/17 needles. An industrial sewing machine dealer may have a cross reference chart to find a compatible needle or needle bar.

I'd stay away from that Juki 8700 unless you plan to make cloth garments, or work aprons. It is a high speed, flat foot, straight stitch, bottom feed machine with an integral oil pump. The machine is expected to spin at up to 5500 stitches per minute. Simple math says that equals 91 stitches per second! Now, a half decent servo motor should let you sew much slower, probably down to about 5 or 10 stitches per second, depending on its design and the size of the motor pulley. You would still have to run it flat out before you start sewing to distribute the oil to the extremities. Failure to do this may result in a seized machine. You may be able to slow it down more by getting a 2 inch, or smaller motor pulley, and a new v-belt to match the longer path between the top and bottom pulleys. Normally, these high speed machines ship with a 4 inch or larger motor pulley to spin the machine at its rated top speed. You can avoid all this hassle if you buy a walking foot machine that is equipped with an analog servo motor that has a 2 inch or smaller pulley. I have this type of motor on all my walking foot machines and they can easily chug along at 1 or 2 stitches per second.

I was able to equalize the forward and reverse stitch length on my 211g156. I adjusted a cam on the lower shaft, but don't recall which one. But, the maximum length became 5 stitches per inch in both directions. If you have fiddled with the cam that is supposed to balance the forward and reverse and can't get close to 5 to the inch, something else has to be worn out or loose. Check the feed dogs and the fork they mount on. Check the slop on the bottom shaft itself.

The Cowboy Cb2500 is a clone of your 45k25. The only difference is in the presser foot. They do have a roller foot option for it. Aside from that it should be capable of handling the same sizes of thread and thickness under the foot. It also has a reversing stitch length lever, which the Singer 45 never had (to my knowledge - mine did not).

YES!

Here's a parts manual for the Singer 211 series. It shows the parts assembled on the shaft that control the stitch length. 211G165_166_265_266.pdf

Technically, it is a needle deflector. I usually bend them so they only touch the needle if it gets deflected to the right by something I'm sewing. The problem is that I use a variety of needle sizes. So, I can't have the deflector actually touch a #18 needle knowing that I may be installing a #23 needle for the next job. I have to split hairs and set the deflector to just brush a #23 needle, but miss a #18, unless that needle gets deflected hard right by thick seams. The goal is to prevent the hook tip from hitting the needle square on. Obviously, if one rarely changes needle sizes, one can set the deflector to brush that needle aside ever so slightly. There's a lot to be said for keeping separate machines optimized for different sizes of needles and thread.

That's a Singer class 51W tall post bed machine with a roller foot. I haven't seen one with such a tall post before from Singer. How tall is it? I have a 168G that has a 7 inch post and compound feed walking foot drive.

Bring lots of beer and Kielbasa when you go to pick up your machine from your friend!

@Dave84 You are one step above a typical walking foot machine's specs. I would point you towards a Juki LU-1508NH. This is a modified production machine that uses a longer system 190 needle and has the geometry to let the feet raise higher both when lifted and in operation. It is rated to sew 1/2 inch with up to T-210 (#207) thread. This machine sells for well over $3,000. You can also consider a Cowboy CB3200. It is a walking foot machine that sews 1/2 inch with thread sizes 138 through 346. Equipped with a drop down edge guide it will conquer your thick jacket seams without blinking a needle's eye. Plus, it is less expensive than that souped up Juki. This machine is a form of "441" clone that can easily tension heavy thread in the bobbin and on top. One other walking foot machine that I think can accomplish this is the Cobra Class 26. It would need to be setup to use System 190 needles and is rated to use #210 (207) thread, at least on top (calls for a #24 needle). If you don't want to change machines, you'll have to crank down the foot pressure screw the squish the thick seams down to 3/8 inch and attach a drop down edge guide, or buy an edge guide outside foot to keep the stitches in a straight line. Make sure you are using a #23 leather pint needle. I would recommend a tri-point or diamond point in this case.

Bonded nylon is almost always stiffer than bonded polyester thread. Black bonded thread is most always stiffer than other lighter colors. I asked a thread company about this and was told that they first dyed the raw thread dark blue, then black. This is why it was stiffer. That was in the late 1980s. I used to use bonded nylon thread from Weaver. Some of the black spools had the thread coming off like a coil spring! I had to thread it counterclockwise through the top guide posts on machine I ran it through to counteract the twist. While still twisty, their white, chestnut and straw thread wasn't as hard to keep straight. So, to answer your question, yes, you may have to change either the top or bottom thread tensions when switching from nylon to polyester thread, or possibly, from light colors to black thread. I would not change the needle size unless hole size doesn't matter. You might only have to turn the top tension nut 1 turn to get the knots centered. Experiment on scraps first.

Here are some manuals covering the Singer 111w155. Perhaps you will find answers to the issues plaguing your machine. Singer-111w155-Parts-List.pdf SINGER-111W152-111W153-111W154-111W155.pdf USNavySinger111WConsew225REPAIR.pdf

I have a Singer 168G101 that has a 7 inch post. There are lots of times I wish it had a taller post.

Do those metal clips mark the leather straps badly? I kind of like the idea.

@RVacc, can you please clarify the total thickness to be sewn? I can't decipher what you typed for layers and thickness per layer. The total thickness will help narrow down the right machine. For instance, if you need to sew 7/16 inch, with number T-135/V-138 or larger thread, using a roller foot cylinder arm machine, this one will meet your needs. You would just need to request that a roller foot be installed in place of the standard flat foot.

There are better brands available to the trade. Look into Superior 6,6 bonded thread from superiorthreads.com, or Amann Strongbond from Wawak.com. I have good success with Cowboy thread from Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines. I also have some Amann Serabond bonded polyester I got from Toledo Industrial. It is softer than most bonded thread. When choosing a bonded thread, if the item is going to be exposed to direct Sunlight and UV radiation, choose bonded polyester. Otherwise, bonded nylon is the norm. It is stronger and is less expensive per pound.

Oh boy; just when I thought there weren't any more machines I would want to own, this comes along!

Normally, I run anything larger than #138 in a Singer 111 series machine, unless it has been expertly modified, or custom adjusted for such large and hard to bend thread. If the #207 thread happens to be softly bonded it might be easier for it to bend to bring up the bobbin thread. I have been able to run #207 in my Singer 168 post machine by moving the hook far enough away from the needle so it doesn't touch it, but just catches the loop as the needle begins its ascent, and retime the hook. Then, I had to fine tune the case opener, increase the foot pressure, loosen the bobbin spring tension and increase the top tension, plus use a #24 needle. When these changes are made the machine no longer sewed as reliably with #69 or 92 thread and a #18 or #19 needle. Also, a G size bobbin doesn't hold very much #207 bonded thread. As for your thread spool problems, all I can advise you is to invest in higher quality thread. Buy from a supplier that offers returns and refunds, or exchanges. I can tell you that some spools of dark brown, blue and black thread are stiffer than lighter colors.

What he said! I see this on one of my machines when I push its thread size limits. Another thing you need to consider is what needle point would work best with a combination of leather and webbing. Normally, when sewing just leather you would use a leather point needle of some shape. However, when sewing cloth or woven synthetic materials, the better shape is a standard round point. The round hole gives more clearance in these materials than a leather point. Plus, a leather point can actually slice the strands apart in webbing and weaken it. A round point simply pushes the strands out of the way.

I'm afraid that only Apple device users can see what you uploaded. I cannot open that filetype on my Windows 10 PC. It would be better if you can save the photo as a standard .jpg filetype and upload it again. It will probably be a smaller file that way.

Remove the throat plate and check if the feed dog screws have come loose.

I have two patchers at this point in time Since these machines are often used to sew embroidered patches onto vests and jackets, and border colors vary, it is common practice to have multiple colors of thread ready to go on the machine's thread stand. My practice is to cut off the existing thread color about 8 inches from the thread stand, then pull the new color up, tie the ends together and pull them through the machine. I cut off above the knot, then thread the needle and sew the next patch with its matching color thread on top. Most of my stands have 4 spool holders. One has 5 and I frequently have to swap out spools to get a best color match. There are various shades of colors used on patches.

Right now (March 9, 2023), my Cowboy, 4 other sewing machines and a Fortuna skiver are 20 miles away, stored in my business partner's workshop in Montrose, Michigan. We have been out of business since December 31, when the building hosting us closed on short notice. Hopefully, we can find a new host soon! I will take photos, and maybe videos, once we get setup in a new building.

Tim, I don't double up through the top thread guide. I set it as low as it will go behind the disks and feed through it, up and inside the top disks, then down through the eyelet over the bottom roller, around ccw 2 turns, then up through the same eyelet and on to the check spring. If that makes the top tension hard to adjust, I don't go through the roller eyelet on the way to the check spring. This would be when I dumb down my machine to sew with thin thread and thin needles into thin material.

If the loose thread and loops are always on the top, assume something is randomly grabbing or hard-twisting the top thread, or the bobbin thread is jumping out of position under its tension spring.