leftycasey

I was able to remove the flywheel with a gear puller. I should have thought of this. However, the only screw attached to the wheel was the one on the end of the shaft. The shaft did have a key and therefore I will not be able to rotate the wheel to get the foot lift in sync with the needle and feed dog. Since, I have studied this machine for hours and can not find a adjustment on the foot lift timing, I will have to adjust the rest of the timing to the lift. I'm not sure where to begin on that one.

I understand the wheel can't slip because it is so tight on the shaft and I think there is a key in the slot to anchor. I have attached two pictures that I hope will help see the screw you are referring to. I know there has got to be a way to adjust this but I just can't find it. I know the machine was out of timing when I bought it and the seller said that he would fix timing first. I thought that I might have to adjust the rest of the machine to match the timing of the foot lift but this is probably beyond my knowledge. I did notice that the needle, shuttle, and feed dog are in proper timing. The machine feeds the same regardless of leather thickness. I can put thin or thick leather in the machine and it will let the presser foot down half way through the needle/ feed dog travel. (the foot lifts before the needle starts to push the leather and lowers before the travel is completed) Therefore, the foot leaves a mark on the leather where it is pressing down while the leather slides underneath. Thank you Trox with your patience and help.

I can not find any allen screws on the cam or arm that could be adjusted. It appears that everything is pinned with a roll pin. I guess this is to prevent any movement or slippage due to the spring pressure on the foot. There is very little adjustment for the foot bar spring collar on the top. I believe its purpose is just to apply some downward pressure on the pinch cam block so that it will return in its lowest position once the pressure is released by the arm. Trox, I'm not sure which big screw behind the foot bar you are referring to. Sorry that I am not more educated on the parts to be better able to explain. I still think the flywheel has slipped thus causing the timing to be off. It appears that the flywheel has two purposes. It turns the main shaft and it has a groove that controls the pressure applied to the presser foot lift. I have tried to get The flywheel off but it really locked on and I do not want to start hammering on the wheel. I can only find the one screw attaching the flywheel to the end of the shaft. I know there has got to be another one but I just can't find it.

Bob i'm sure you are getting tired of my rookie questions, but I really appreciate the help. I have looked all over that flywheel and cannot find another screw. I know that Ferdco did a lot of modifications to the machine but the flywheel has Adler casted on it. Here is a picture of the Adler 205-64 parts list and it shows the screw at the end of the shaft just like mine. There also appears to be a key that fits into the shafts groove. You mentioned holding the machine somewhere from turning while turning the flywheel. Where is a good place to hold the machine without damaging it? Thanks again.

Ok, I have a Ferdinand Bull that was built off of a Adler 205-64. I bought this used machine and discovered that the presser foot was not working properly (jump foot). In an earlier post, I was asking about adjusting the height of the walk and was given so much helpful information that I was able to fix the lift where it not operates correctly. The only problem I have left to fix is the timing on the presser foot lift. The foot begins to lift off of the leather before the needle begins to move the leather. Therefore, the foot is placed back down on the leather while the needle is still traveling backward with the leather. The presser foot is lifted by a bar connected to a groove in the hand-wheel. I have looked for a place to adjust the bar but the two areas connected (red arrows in the picture) are pinned and do not have a set screw. Therefore, I don't see how I can rotate the position of the rod. However, I thought that I could rotate the hand-wheel on the shaft and that would alter the timing of the presser foot rod. I removed the screw from the hand-wheel and noticed that there is a cutout for a key to prevent the wheel from turning on the shaft. I could not see the key in the groove but the wheel is real thick (55 lbs.) and it might just be to the back. I figured if the key was missing, then the wheel could slip over time and cause the timing to be off. My problem was that I could not remove the hand-wheel and did not want to bang on it with a rubber mallet. Is there a better way to remove or change the timing? Thank you so much for the help. I would just take this machine to a sewing machine repair shop but do not live close to one and it is so heavy to move.

Ok, I have a Ferdinand Bull that was built off of a Adler 205-64. I bought this used machine and discovered that the presser foot was not working properly (jump foot). In an earlier post, I was asking about adjusting the height of the walk and was given so much helpful information that I was able to fix the lift where it not operates correctly. The only problem I have left to fix is the timing on the presser foot lift. The foot begins to lift off of the leather before the needle begins to move the leather. Therefore, the foot is placed back down on the leather while the needle is still traveling backward with the leather. The presser foot is lifted by a bar connected to a groove in the hand-wheel. I have looked for a place to adjust the bar but the two area connected (red arrows in the picture) are pinned and do not have a set screw. Therefore, I don't see how I can rotate the position of the rod. However, I thought that I could rotate the hand-wheel on the shaft and that would alter the timing of the presser foot rod. I removed the screw from the hand-wheel and noticed that there is a cutout for a key to prevent the wheel from turning on the shaft. I could not see the key in the groove but the wheel is real thick (55 lbs.) and it might just be to the back. I figured if the key was missing, then the wheel could slip over time and cause the timing to be off. My problem was that I could not remove the hand-wheel and did not want to bang on it with a rubber mallet. Is there a better way to remove or change the timing? Thank you so much for the help. I would just take this machine to a sewing machine repair shop but do not live close to one and it is so heavy to move.

Thank you so much for all of the help everyone has given me. Now I realize how the machine works and the purpose of the components on the machine and it all makes sense to me. I think I have it working just like it should.

Bob your the best. I did what you said and cleaned the oil off and the lift works at all thickness of leather. That fixed that problem. Here I go with another picture! I don't think the timing is correct and I promise this will be my last question. Am I correct that the presser foot lift needs to initiate at the exact moment the needle starts to move the leather (jump foot /needle feed). As it is now, the presser foot begins to lift half way through the needle movement. I guess I can adjust it with the set screw "B" because "A" is pinned.

Here is the picture of the backside. I measured the max foot lift at 25mm so it does have a 1inch lift. Here is a picture taken with 5/8" leather under the foot. Here is a picture of the roller cam at its highest point and the most lift on the foot. Here is the cam position when the needle is at its lowest point. Bob you were exactly correct about the lifting block pinching the pressure bar. I did not realize this until I put something thick under the foot and it lifted the collar off of the block on top. The pinch is accomplished with the bar that connects to the lifting block. I do have quite a bit of oil on that bar and will clean it well. Thank you again I hope I am not wasting your time. I think by getting the lever to pinch sooner I will get more travel but I'm not sure if the timing is correct with the cam and needle position.

Bob, I can tell that you are really knowledgable about these machines and I am definitely not. I wish I could pay you for your advice. I can not find a pinch clamp (maybe I am looking in the wrong place) but I think the adjustment or clamp will be located in the box attached to the machine. It has a grease fitting attached to the box so it can't have a pinch clamp would it???? I need to just take it off of the machine and look at it closer.

Sorry I noticed that I attached the same photo twice. This is the photo showing the slack in the lift. This should have been the second photo attached.

I am amazed and so grateful how helpful everyone is on this forum. I think I understand what you are saying about how the lever pinches the pressure bar but I think this set up works differently. There is a collar with a set screw on the top with the spring and it allows the lifting block to push the bar up when it makes contact. It appears that when the lifting block starts to move, the pressure bar responds instantly. The problem that I see is that the lifting bar does not have enough travel. I noticed that there is some slack in the lever connecting the lifting block which is probably the reason for the reduced travel. I have attached a photo to show the space between the rocker once the slack is taken up. After studying it and losing a lot of sleep over, I think I need to figure out how to take the slack or extra travel out of the lifting lever. I realized that I attached the same picture twice. The correct photo is in the next reply.

Thank you for any help you can give me. I have attached two pictures of the sewing machine. The first has an arrow to the adjusting nut (disc) that is to be turned in order to adjust height. The second shows an arrow (labeled A) to the roller arm that pushes the pin up and thus lifts the presser foot. Please let me know if you need any other pictures. This really is a nice machine. I'm not sure what modifications Ferdco put into the machine but it has a 55 pound hand wheel for extra power. I have tried thicker leather in the machine and the presser foot does not lift high enough to release the pressure. I guess the only option is to adjust the phillips screw labeled "B" and raise the presser foot according to the thickness of the leather each time. However, the manual claims it steps up and down various thickness without adjustment. Thank you so much for any help you can give.

I recently purchased a Ferdinand Bull which is just a modified Adler 205-64 sewing machine. This is a jump foot sticher which means the presser foot lifts, removing all pressure and allows the needle to feed the material. Some of the machine features listed in the instruction manual are: sews up to 1" of leather and as light as 4 oz. leather. Steps up and down various thickness without adjustment Roller tension that self adjusts for various thread weight My problem is when I adjust the lifter adjusting nut clockwise to increase the walk to the maximum walk, the presser foot lifts only enough to clear about 7 oz leather. Is there another adjustment I need to make in order to increase the lift? How does the manual claim that it can step up and down various thickness leather without adjustment if it does not remove the pressure on thicker leather? Thank you so much for any help you can give me.