Anne Bonnys Locker

Are you talking about the gears that drive the shuttle? The only way to get them is a donor machine. Contact Bob at Toledo.

Visited Steve today - Singermania - and I think that I have just seen sewing machine heaven. Where else would you see ten Pearson 6's, Two singer 97-10, two Singer 6's, Singer 8-8, Singer 11, Various Union Lockstitch, a dozen vintage patchers etc, etc. If it wasn't for Elly I would marry him.

The machines are very similar in the top end but a -4 is very different in the bottom end. The good news is that they really only go together one way.....

Two weeks ago I spoke to one of the premier saddlers in Australia and he uses a 45k25 for most of his machine stitching. Sewing is 95% technique and 5% equipment.

Looks like fairly thin upholstery leather. Professional sewers who do bulk work can sew straight seams day in and day out so you probably cannot compete unless you spend $10,000 on a pattern stitching machine.

There are different types of Servo motor so keep in mind that these instructions only apply to one brand.

Most of these tips are relevant to the Highlead machines but with the extra precaution that if the needle bar assembly has any sideways movement you need to remove the faceplate and undo the screw that holds the small bracket in place. Push the bracket against the needle bar assembly and tighten the screw. This will save lots of ongoing problems.

The 96k40 is a machine designed for sewing light garment weight fabric and is pretty ordinary all 'round. The 78-1 is a bit odd as it is needle feed with no feed dogs so not a machine I would touch. a 31 class, or even better, a 42 class is what you want.

Talk to Bob at Toledo as he knows more about these babies than anyone.

Hi Wiz, Bobbins for this are the standard Rotary style which is slightly different to the 15/16 class

The 29X3 (and 29X4) needle are identical to the DPX17 (and DPX16) needle except that the latter have a scarf. If, due to wear and poor adjustment, the shuttle is too far away from the needle then the 29 class needle may work better than the DPX17.

Also usually set up to run at 3000 stitches per minute (ie 50 per second) and harder to control at low speed.

Before the 29k58 all models had three gear wheels which are no longer in production so if you have a broken or worn gear set then you own a 30kg door stop. From the -1 to the k4 there is a leaf spring to provide presser foot tension and this is sometimes missing. Unusually for Singer the same spring was used on the 45k58.

There should be no trouble finding the 15X2 needle. The 66/99 class is not the SInger Iwould select as the 15 class is better. If you are going to use a domestic machine then look for a PFAFF 30.

Everyone here says that servo motors are the ducks guts but I am going to question that - to a point. The problem is that a lot of dealers - mostly the ebay, drop ship type - use the cheapest they can get and these have their own problems. I set up my GA5-1's with 1400 RPM motors and 50mm pulleys but the motors are made in China by a Taiwanese company and these are smoother and more controllable than a cheap servo. These motors are more expensive than a basic servo! OTOH I have used some stunning servo motors. The 1990's Japanese ones are incredible and even the Chinese built "Panasonic" is simple to use and programme. What is my point? If you need a new motor then you should test it out the way you would a machine. Weigh up the difference between performance and price. If the clutch motor is easily controlled then think about the long term cost. A clutch motor uses more power but a servo is more delicate and easily damaged by power surges. Obviously dealer backup and support is also a factor to complicate the choice. A dealer here is unlikely to tell you to piss off if your motor is three days out of warranty and something goes wrong.

OTOH a 29 is something you will want at some stage......

Nice, I have a later machine - probably around 1900 - which some idiot added a motor to so they took an angle grinder to the treadle base.

I suspect it is made in Taiwan as the casting looks a bit neater than the Chinese machine but I could be wrong. Open the rear cover plate and stick your finger in. The Chinese machines usually have bits of swarf (metal shavings) floating around and this suggests nonexistent quality control.

Steve - Singermania - might know a bit about these.

Trying to do business with Indian companies can be interesting........

WOW

Yet to meet any serious leatherworker who has just one machine

Bloody hell Trox, I know that you know more about these babies than I ever will but I have managed to reset the timing on several with nothing more than a couple of screwdrivers. Now I am scared because without this information I have always made them work (even with bottom end gear wear) but now I know that I need special tools I probably won't be able to do it again! The 335 is very similar to some of the Singer machines - it even has the same take up lever guard as the "W" models - and they require nothing special.

LOL I'll disagree with both and stick to the Seiko That's the problem with asking for opinions - you get them