Anne Bonnys Locker

Hi folks, For a number of reasons I finished up with three less than perfect new 2972 clones so I have been rebuilding them. There have been a number of posts on here about problems with these machines so over the next couple of weeks I will do a series of posts on what might need to be done to your machine. As long as nobody has any objections. Please note: This process is one for people who have a machine already. DO NOT buy a clone from an unknown source and hope to make it into a great machine as you may waste your time and money. The only way to get a good machine is to buy one from a good dealer with a known reputation or a second hand machine that originated at same. To really get your machine up to scratch would cost more than buying a good one in the first place. One of the basic problems is that parts are not cleaned properly which leaves metal shavings throughout the machine. Obviously this will shorten its life considerably so fixing it will be the first instalment. I restore vintage machines and it is probably worth noting that I go through a flushing and cleaning process with almost all of my machines to remove built up old oil, fluff and grit.

Hi Aaron, While I am happy to describe one way to do it I cannot really share my pics of the prototypes as they are of a more advanced design (actually simpler) and I do hope to make a dollar or two out of this.

Hi Wiz, Easy way to do it is to use the brake pad off a bicycle and shape it to fit into the belt groove on the band wheel. Make a bracket that can be held in place by the top right frame bolt (you may want to put an equivalent thickness spacer down the bottom bolt) and an arm that drops the brake pad into the belt groove at between 30 and 45 degrees. The arm needs to be on a hinge so it is free floating. When travelling in the correct direction the pad is pushed out of the groove slightly but when you go backwards it will lock in place. Eventually I will crank out a commercial adjustable one to fit both old and new styles of domestic and industrial Singer frames.

That table was nicely formatted last night. grrrr

Hi folks, I've been going through my thread references as the numbering system most used on here doesn't align with what I normally use. My threads are all high tenacity polyester and measured in metric ticket so I have been confused when I see things like #69 to #277. As I am probably not the only on I thought this might help others. A thread number like #69 is actually a ticket size for stranded nylon and the equivalent in the polyester is 40 TKT. To confuse matters further the Indians and Asians refer to this as 210/d3 or 210/3 or 2103 which can also be called 630 as it is 3 strands of 210 weight. Confused yet? This simple table might help: Needle Polyester Nylon Size Ticket Ticket 100/110 40 69 120 30 92-99 140 16 138 160/180 12 207 200 277 230 277-346 250 415 Of course these are only approximate as depending on what you are doing it is possible to use a slightly smaller or larger needle if the thread moves through it readily. Do these numbers tally with what others have found in the real world?

There are a couple of ways to do it. The best I have seen is in an 1880's Wilcox and Gibbs. What I have in mind is something that can be retrofitted to a range of machines.

I've got a variety of wacky things on my list including one way treadle brakes, transverse treadles and an assortment of external hand cranks for a variety of machines but not even I'm crazy enough to try

Hi all, Darren here from sunny Australia. As a kid I lived in the Sydney suburb of Botany, a place redolent with the smell of tanneries so I used to muck around with small leather projects such as key fobs and my own archery accessories. My interest has been drawn back to leather by a strange path. I opened a vintage and antique furniture store and through my partner was drawn into the world of vintage sewing machines. Two years later I started importing a hand crank machine modelled on the old Bradbury shoe patcher. This has led to a lot of enquiries for reasonably priced leather machines - mostly from people who want hand crank or treadle! So now I find my days filled with selling my ABLE 290 and my days off spent experimenting with modern interpretations of hand and treadle driven machines. Naturally this has resparked my interest working with leather so I am now planning a few projects for "trials" purposes on these machines. It is a great thing when you can mix business with pleasure.

"Picked up" You should warn prospective Singer 7 owners that the head alone weighs about 75kg (165lb). If you buy one take some hefty mates with you.

As Wiz suggests, the 29k is a machine that a handy user can muck about with. If you are prepared to do the work yourself you can build up parts or look for a reputable repairer who has good second hand parts available. Plenty of cheap Chinese parts are also out there. They may fit, or may not.

It is unusual for the bearing to "go" completely. The treadle action, just like the machine, needs to be greased and adjusted regularly. The crank bearing can be disassembled using a large pair of circlip pliers, and be easily replaced. Personally I am a treadle and hand-crank fan but if you do motorise this beastie just remember that it is only a low speed machine.

I am working on getting the Singer Phoenix pattern decals. Unfortunately they will not sell me the "SINGER" logo for trademark reasons. Hope to have something to put to market in the next 2-3 months. Darren

The seam is probably hanging up on the needle plate. The advantage of using the machine in hand crank mode is that once the needle is out of the way and the foot starts to "walk" you can slightly lift the job from underneath to help clear the seam. This is a limitation on this style of machine. Darren

The 133 series is a variation on the 132 models. When looking at machines to repair horse rugs I always ask people to consider the nature of the job. Even a horse rug that has been hit with a pressure washer is full of dust and rubbish which is very abrasive and does nasty things to the hook and shuttle assembly. Essentially I suggest that people look at a machine that they would be prepared to scrap after a few years so don't spend $3000 on a 132k6 clone! Darren

The 31 and numerous other machines are still made in India so parts should be no problem. Unfortunately I have found dealing with suppliers on the sub-continent to be problematic.

Thing? Yeah, they are a rough and ready little beastie. The first 100 are all but gone and another 170 are on the way along with a couple of other variations including a post bed and one with a larger shuttle. Mostly I sell them to people to repair horse rugs although a number of leatherworkers are using them. Darren