Anne Bonnys Locker

Guys like Bob, Ronnie, Steve and Gregg support the site financially so when somebody asks "where do I get this" it is natural - and welcome - that they let people know what they have although they (mostly) tend to be more circumspect when it comes to touting machines. I doubt the site would be here without their advertising revenue and the place wouldn't be worthwhile without the free advice they give out. Yes, I've said all that before but there are very few websites where people actively do themselves out of potential business on a daily basis.

Clean it. Crap in the bottom end or tension plates will cause all sorts of nastiness. Occasionally the whole tension assembly is too far in which causes the tension to be released when you try to sew anything thicker than two layers of silk. Test this by slowly raising the presser foot and working out where the tension plates start to release.

Love the workshop behind the machine! One member posted a pic a while back of a machine head delivered already mounted on the table. I have a real problem with that method as there are so many things that can go wrong in delivery and even if all goes well the head can be subject to severe shock and vibration in transit. I would talk to the vendor about the hole for the chain. My suspicion is that it was an oversight (AKA shit happens) but most professional dealers prefer to know about such things so that they can improve their internal processes. My preference with table setup is to have as much machine weight as possible over the central pedestal.

I delivered a machine to a customer a while back and to my embarrassment it did much the same thing. It was early evening and the delivery was after a long weekend sales trip so I was very tired. When I got the machine home and looked at it a day later there was a tiny little imperfection in the shuttle hook that I could barely feel. As Sylvia says, look all through the thread path. Some machines that have long been used with bonded nylon may even have a groove worn in one of the thread guides or tension assembly. Take-up lever should be looked at carefully too.

Put them aside. Who knows what other machines might come your way as they have a habit of breeding.

Ugly or purposeful looking? I like to refer to it as 'character'.

The picture Ron has in his profile is what I would go for as the No2 machine. Compound feed and tops out at about 10mm.

The bottom roller feed wheel is still made! Not sure of the quality as I am waiting for some to arrive.

I would probably be looking for something more like a 31-18 roller foot/roller feed and 31k47 walking foot versions as the -20 will not do anything you cannot do with the -15

BTE. Best Thread Ever.

Talk to Bob at Toledo about parts. If you have to replace the needle plate then replace the feed dog as well. If the bobbin will not stay in then the pin it mounts on may be worn - this is a very high mileage machine- so talk to Bob. Do not pay to recondition the motor. Buy a new servo motor.

One of the problems for the first timer is that there are a bunch of machines from different manufacturers that do the same thing. Pfaff and Seiko both build a lovely compound feed cylinder bed that run to about 10mm leather with 138 (207 at a stretch on top) thread and then there are the clones. Work with a dealer that lots of others recommend as a trustworthy dealer will sell you what suits your needs, not what you think you need and then back it to the hilt. Good dealers are not so interested in a one off sale as they are in a relationship that will last for decades and cover your expanding needs.

Ok if you have a Servo motor and can slow down the needle speed.

Love the number of people here who give free advice. Every sewing machine owner needs to be able to make their machine work from base principles as no new mechanics are being trained and all of us need to be able to pass on the simple things that make machines work. Eric, Bob, Ronnie, Steve, Wiz and others have freely given the sort of advice that many others would charge hundreds of dollars for! For any potential purchaser of a leather sewing machine it is well worth looking at how your preferred dealer interacts with customers. On this site we consistently see dealers offering free advice even when people have bought from other dealers. What does that tell you about the actual cost of buying a machine?

When it comes down to commercial work it is always best to spend the money and buy specific machines for each process if you want the best results.

Certainly is a problem! For the machine to be worth anything more than collector value it would have to come with a complete set of production drawings - particularly for the needle. Given time and money anything can be made but we are talking a hell of a lot more money if you have to make a needle without a drawing or at least sample. I still cannot see how it could have been made for sewing the heat ablative tiles! My suspicion is that there must have been some other material under consideration. To sew the tiles you would need to drill holes and for that I would have taken a CNC vertical mill where one head drilled the hole and the second position on the turret was the sewing head. The third position on the turret could have injected whatever compound was necessary to seal the hole. Apart from other problems it still would not solve the issue of the tiles being brittle and being damaged by debris from the three fuel tanks/rockets and adds another variable with the thread being exposed. I would still love to have the bloody thing!

Well it is now Trox! Mike, you are a bad man. Everyone knows that the US government purchase process is strictly monitored and subject to rigorous controls. Yes, I was all but pissing myself laughing while typing that sentence.

You could always just hit them with a bit of "Bead Magic" or the dipping compound used on the handle of electrical pliers. This stuff works well on the 29k feeder foot so cannot see any reason why it would not have the same effect on feed dogs.

I can see a couple of problems with the whole concept: 1/ The tiles are relatively brittle and hitting them with a needle will cause them to shatter. 2/ Sewing involves putting a hole through the heat ablative tiles which is what caused the failure in the first place! Rather than spend a couple of hundred thousand on a pointless machine the job could have been done with a modified numeric control vertical mill to prove or disprove the concept.

I really doubt it.

That baby looks lovely. I often suggest that people get a 15 or 201 purely to get some hours up on a machine before spending the big bucks. It almost impossible to break a 15 and for $10 you should have no fears about pulling it apart putting it back together to learn how it all works.

Need, no. Want, yes. Able to afford? No way in hell.

It is possible to get 15X2 22g leather point needles - I am having some made right now - but a 15 class is going to be working right at its top end with 138 and penetration will be a problem. Bolting on a 150W motor will help but you would be starting to invest money in a machine that will always be very limited.

Rubber coated feed dogs are available in the standard straight sewer style but not sure about the 111 series.

Methinks Bob is being too kind. Many patchers coming out of China right now are nothing but scrap iron.