machinehead

Do a search for Moser Leather Co. and when you are on their website click on their price list. Read their story and maybe you will find info helpful to your search.

Maybe when the thread jam happened the safety clutch disengaged. Its purpose is to disengage when there is stress on the hook so as to prevent damage to the machine. To see if this is what happened, go into the link for adjusters that amuckart provided and scroll down until you see info about the safety clutch. It will be a fairly easy diagnosis and if that is what is going on with your machine the safety clutch should be easy for you to engage again. What size needle and thread are you using?

Yes, the stitch length is adjustable up to 1/4" and it would be worth the price for the treadle alone. To me a " cool boat anchor " is not a slur at all. Kinda like calling a tall guy "Shorty" . Even a piece of crap machine can have good parts left. With a little TLC this machine might stitch great. Although I love the smell of a new machine, I enjoy the old machine's too. I would grab this machine in a heart beat. If you do get it, be sure and let us know if it turns out to be an amazing machine.

Some helpful links for you to browse are http://www.henderson...ual.asp?page=72, http://www.goldbergs...om/needles.html, http://www.ismacs.ne...asses-1-99.html and http://webcache.goog...=www.google.com One cool boat anchor I think.

It is for stitching the soles on shoes, up to 5/8" thick. It uses a 214x40 needle.

This looks like a 97 Class Singer. Not many were manufactured and parts could be hard to come by. Bob (sewmun) could give you a bit of advice on that I think. For some info the Smithsonian has the following: http://www.sil.si.ed...ages/image1.htm

There was a sewing machine long ago that was a lockstitch machine that used a full spool of thread in a canister in place of a bobbin. It probably was first manufactured in the late 1800's and lasted into the early 1900's. Named National Two Spool and also Eldredge Two Spool.

You have probably checked to see if the thread is tangled around something along its path from the spool to the needle with no burrs on any of the contact points including the needle itself. Are the felt pads in place on the tension assembly? Is the needle set all the way up in the bar and lined up correctly? Does the thread pass through all of the guides and does it go down through the needle foot before being put through the eye from left to right? What type and weight of leather are you stitching? You might try spraying some silicone lube on a rag and rubbing some of the thread to see if that helps. What size needle and thread are you using? Are you still using the thread that was wound on the bobbin at the factory? Is it wound uniformly? Do you have the bobbin inserted into shuttle in the proper direction? Set your presser foot tension so that the leather doesn't lift up as you stitch. Stick with it as there is a learning curve; but you will get there. My apologies Denster. Didn't mean to horn in on your excellent reply.

Domed zinc plated buckle blanks to fit up to 1 3/4" belts. Approximately 2 3/8" by 3 3/8" long with post/pin and swivel bail. One dozen for $17.00 including shipping to ContInental U. S. A. Money Order or PayPal please.

We have all been the victim of poor customer service a time or two, so if we are laughing hopefully it is with you and not at you. Just remember that there are many folks on this forum who have been there and done that and are more than willing to give you the benefit of their experience.

Great info. Thank You.

When I picked my name for this forum I thought that someone might connect it with the band. Although I am aware of Machinehead; I cut my teeth on the bands of the late sixties and into the seventies. The ones still performing are just short of the old folks home now I think. Don't know how THEY got so old.

I really like your crisp,modern style. You are really carving out your own niche and dyeing it too. Great work!

It is possible that the pedals were removed when the machine was moved to keep from damaging them. At over 500 pounds this is a beast. No power? No go on this one.

Some parts are still available. Make sure the bobbin case and bobbins are with the machine. Treadle is ill advised. The machine uses linen cord thread. There should be a motor and clutch assembly on the machine with two foot pedals. You can stitch 5/8 " thick soles.

This machine is an American Straight Needle machine. It is used to sew soles on shoes with the shoe right side up as opposed to a curved needle machine where you hold the shoe sole side up to stitch. This American is a needle and awl machine whereby the awl pierces the leather and the needle comes through after it. Knife makers have used the machine to stitch sheaths. With a three inch throat it is limited to such projects; but it is a good machine to learn on in part because it is not really fast. The hand wheel rotates away from you. If the seller has any needles,awls, or parts grab them as well as the manual. Originally hot wax was used in a pot to wax the thread, but you can use liquid lube instead. Hope this helps.

Yes, they make a chainstitch, but it is called a "double locked chainstitch" as it uses a needle thread and a looper thread intertwined in such a way as to not unravel as easily as a single thread chainstitch. Type 401 stitch I believe.

Union Special manufactured a great variety of machines designed to perform specific steps in the stitching of shoe uppers.

Let's start by identifying the needle system and size and also the size of thread you are using. Did they come with the machine?

Google Airbrush City Inc. I personally have never dealt with them, but when they sold on ebay they had over 14000 transactions with a very high positive record. Prices are good and there is quite a bit of info on their site. Hope this helps.

Would it be possible for you to take some of the leather that you normally sew and try out the machines? If both machines are in good condition, I might go with the 153, but that is probably due to the fact that I own one and my personal bias is showing. Plus, you could use the extra money for a gear reduction servo motor. One thing to check on the 153 is the stitch length regulator. Changing the stitch length is accomplished by turning a knob in the center of the hand wheel. A spindle moves the mechanism to change the stitch. Sometimes this doesn't work or the stitch may be locked at a certain length, especially if the machine was used in a factory. You can still change the stitch length by two screws which are easily accessible under the access plate on top of the machine near the hand wheel.

A lot depends on what type of projects you will be sewing and the amount you can spend on the machine.

Your machine is intended to sew leather shoes so originally it called for needles with a leather cutting point. The 16x95 needles are the same length from the end of shank to the eye as the two systems called for so you should be able to use them to get it sewing with the possible exception if there is a substantial difference in the scarf { the indentation near the eye on the opposite side from the needle's long groove}. This is where the hook passes the needle and the loop is formed and picked up by the point of the hook. Since you found the 16x95 needles with the machine, it probably means that at some point the previous owner sewed with them. They are a ball point needle for fabric,but on thin leather using several stitches per inch they wouldn't cause the leather to split between the stitches.