Singermania

HI, its a Chinese clone, as such its a copy of an excellent machine...... Quality is mid range for Chinese, ie better than what they supply to their own people, but not as good as OEM where they make something for say Adler etc. Its economics, expect to pay less than a quality European machine and expect to get less. Will this machine be running nicely in 100 years like a Pearson no 6 or Singer 97-10, probably not.... but if you don't plan on handing it down to your grandchildren it might not matter. Bottom line? its enjoys about the same reputation as the other Chinese machines. Regards Steve

I find one of the most combinations here in Australia for saddlers is..... Pearson no 6, Singer 133K8 or 133K17 and a Singer 29.... this trio of machines seems to come up time and again. The Singer 11 class uses a singer 11 class needle, about 1mm longer than a 794 needle.

Hi Tony, nice to hear from you, and nice to hear of your fun with the press. Regards Steve

Hi All, I would like to announce our latest batch of BUSMC Pearson no 6 rein rounder attachment sets. A joint venture between Trevor and Narelle Barlow and ourselves has produced a minor miracle of re manufacturing (in my modest opinion....wink..). The sets are made of hardened and stainless steel and consist of the left roller guide with cutter and the needle plate with cutter. You still need to have the right hand roller guide. Pls see below some photos of some of the batch. regards Steve

Hi Ralph, its Saturday morning here, nice and sunny. The Singer 11-34 is made in the States and so is available from time to time, there is one on ebay, a Singer 11-20 for $5000, but yes quite rare now. The Singer 133K series were made in Scotland and so I expect that you had another good local machine that would have been in service at that time. In 5 years I've only found 3 Singer 133K8,.... and the two Singer 133K17 long arm versions that I now have are the first I've ever seen let alone owned. They are cylinder arm versions of the Singer 132K6 that is very popular in Australia and England but not that highly thought of in the States. I understand you have a nice collection of machines, I would like to see a photo when you can manage it. I've attached a pic of a Singer 97-10 on its original stand, I wonder would anyone have a few of these old stands for sale. Regards Steve

a few more pics

Thanks for the emails and PMs re selling the Pearson BUSMC no6 machines with the complete heating apparatus. I paid quite a bit to get them and am in no great hurry to part with one, to me they are both priceless as I can't imagine getting another in full kit again. They look quite a sight with the optional table and kerosene lamps sitting on their cast iron brackets. Really appreciate the offers for the machines and am unsure at this point what the next step forward might be. Regards Steve

HI thanks for writing. I am also always learning more about the no 6, very often learning it from posts and other times from the machines when they come with varying and sometimes strange things hanging off them! I learn as I go, Les in England would be the most knowledgeable of all things BUSMC. I find most people love the no 6, however there is no doubt that it has an old look and to people with more modern thinking it can look dated and therefore not going to be as good.... not the case though. Yes you can put a motor on them, I have several stands here with motor brackets and the heavy original BUSMC clutch mechanisms that bolt thru the treadle and yet another that uses the old 'line' clutch from when they were all in a row being run from power either below or from above. Main thing is to make sure the gearing is there for slow running, its too heavy to run fast for very long. Sorry that I can't help you with a treadle, I have a list of people that want them but they are just so difficult to source on there own. Best Regards Steve HI Ralph, no problem getting a wax pot to you, I have a few, its the heating chambers that are hard to find. thanks Les, I think a need a bit more than a no 6 to make me a harness maker..... look forward to seeing that casting enterprise in action.

Hi, yes got the needle, I'm sure I sent you a message, sorry if I forgot, I really did appreciate it, I've been telling everyone just how kind people can be. You probably should have grabbed the riveter, I'd put the value more at around $1200 each, they are massive and not replaceable. I have the same problem with them, one in particular is tremendously heavy. I sure could have used an 11-34 to sew up the arm on a project yesterday! Its an across the arm machine, but yes you could have reached quite deeply into a bag or cylinder with it.

more photos

About every three months I get a new shipment into the museum/showroom, here is the latest, 3x pearson no6, 2x big floor standing riveters, 1x Singer 133K8, 2x Singer 133K17, Champion on treadle, Singer 11-34 and a Randall. .......

you can shorten the needle bar height to take a 794 but then you have a massive machine limited to 1/2"..... better to go to the bigger 7 class needle the 1000. have given up chasing old 97 stock needles and just cut down pearson needles these days, I have heaps of them in all sizes.

Just to add to that Gordon, its the home port charges that can catch you unawares, if something is small and can be posted there is no problem. Ideally you need to accumulate a number of items and ship them at once, thereby reducing the costs per item. Sadly last time I did this in the States with a guy called Bill Neel, 501 Maple, Chetopa, Kansas, 67336 he disappeared with my shipment of machines, wont answer emails or the phone. Regards Steve

The first priority is to find a machine that is cheap overseas, ie cheap enough to be worth shipping, second ... the owner must be prepared to crate it in special timber that customs will accept and he must sign the declaration, after that your shipper needs to collect it and ship it to you. I find that I need to add $1600 Austalian to anything I buy in the States, thats 800 to collect and ship and another 800 to clear customs, wharf charges and me driving to get it from the port. Everything is crazy dear here, a towbar for my VW Crafter here is $600 on ebay.... in England you can get one for $180.... that's dollars not pounds.. So everything works pretty much like that. Regards STeve

HI, I dont recall seeing a KSV 2 before, I wonder what the difference it to the standard 45K5?? I wouldn't normally expect the roller foot to mark leather, you should be able to slip it up the shaft if you want to reduce the pressure even more. Yes parts are available, Singer made thousands of 45Ks, I have feet for them, but I'm sure someone in a closer country than Australia will also stock them. People always worry about parts, but really you have to drip this machine on a concrete floor to break it. The machine will run the usual range of needles, if it has something like a nail in now, then change it for something thinner and use light thread. Check the manual, it will tell you. If you don't have a manual then I've attached the general 45k one here.... The needles are 214. 45K operator manual.pdf

I agree with Ralph, frankly I think these machines are worth really really good money, however with cheap clones about at $2700 with good parts availability, that what most people are going for now.

I should have two machines coming with complete heating apparatus, one for my show area and maybe on to sell. They were expensive though so don't know whether anyone would be as silly as me to pay what they cost. Anyone having a machine like this will know its worth and not sell cheaply. Here is a frontal view of one of the machines I'm collectiong tomorrow.

HI Les, yes its beautiful, I have the first arriving tomorrow and there should be a second just as good or better in a few weeks time, both pretty much complete. Otherwise its as you say, various machines with bits and pieces of tubing hanging off them. Thanks for the tip on pinstriping, I'll look it up. Any luck on the shuttle springs? don't forget I also need your address for the needles. regards STeve

thanks mate, I use a brush but its hard to control.. Steve

HI Sheldon, I have a few suppliers in Europe, this machine came from a new source, though I am about to collect from the docks from an older source another with some nice heating apparatus. Grrrrr... I can see that cheeky grin from here, yep you trounced me on the Pilot, but I live to search another day. Whats your tip for painting the gold lettering on the handwheel of the no 6 without plastering it all over the place? Did you see out bushfires in the Blue Mountains on the news?? its pretty bad. We go from floods to draughts to busfires here all in a season. Regards Steve Dont forget Sheldon, you're one of my contacts as you helped me get the Randall and the Pearson no 6 bobbin winder. Regards and thanks STeve

HI Dave and Ralph, Yes you can see the feet move and now the needle feed....hmmm.. interesting shape of the machine, Singer has other machines with narrow throats that will sew belts etc, I wonder what do you think this machine is designed specifically to do as it is so different to its other machines. I like writing into leatherworker and seeing all the different points of view. I also read the leather making forums from time to time too, but don't say anything as I'm not a saddler or learther artisan, just someone that has done repair work in that field. Regards Steve

thanks mate, appreciate that, Steve

HI, can anyone recognize this Singer?.. It stands about 46cm high or about 18 inches. Can't read the model number....

HI Nell, I'll leave the research to you, I'm lucky if I can tie a shoe lace. regards Steve