Anne Bonnys Locker

The White and Singer 15 are domestic machines. Anyone who sells them as "industrial strength" is a bullshit artist. They are capable of sewing garment or light upholstery leather and nothing more. I know I just repeated what I previously said - but in harsher terms - but it is a point I want people to see and understand.

Hi Ian, 1/4" with #138 may be a struggle for this machine so practice on scrap first. Use the DPX16 (135X16) needle class in 22g for #138. Singer did make the special 29X4 needle system but the DPX16 will work perfectly and has the advantage of being more readily available and cheaper.

Wiz has posted in the past that you can coat the foot in a liquid rubber compound such as "Tool Magic" which is available in beading shops. I have done this on a patcher I sell which has much worse feet than a 29k and it works well. Normally I point people to the US supplier/sponsors here but I hope nobody minds me flying my own flag. I have feet and other parts for this machine here in Australia Feel free to email me: darren@ablesewing.com.au Moderators feel free to delete if I am breaking any rules.

I would be pulling that bottom end apart and cleaning it out with a toothbrush and kero. The hook surface looks a bit rough in the pic so may need a touch up with 4000 grit wet and dry. Modern threads are much more forgiving than Linen and sometimes minor issues are magnified when using a natural thread so look at the condition of the needle plate hole.

Lovely! Is that one of my bobbin winders? I know I have sent a couple to the US

Thanks for the welcome back but I am often lurking

There is a formula for determining bearing life and it essentially relates to load and speed. If the bearings are of high quality then it is unlikely they will wear quickly. Mostly Igive this warning on Chinese machines.

The 45k25 would have left the factory with a roller foot. You may also need to change the needle plate and feed dog.

A man after my own heart! For $100 it is always a machine you can trade or a spare for parts.

There are some parts available. I have a few needle plates and lots of feed dogs and the GA5 needle clamp will fit. The shuttle is available as a generic Chines part or a high quality Hirose from Japan. Contact Bob at Toledo and I am sure he can help out. These are not machines that wear out easiy.

One thing to be ware of is that oil pump machines are not ideal if used on a continual basis at low speed. OTOH when running at low speed with a servo motor there is much lower load on the bearings. It is one of the many considerations in selecting a machine.

This machine is not obsolete my friend! The GA5-1 is nothing but a 45k21 (the 45k25 fitted with a standard foot) so they are still one of the most widely used machines on the planet for harness leather. The problem could be that the shuttle hook is not close enough to the scarf of the needle. A stiff thread like bonded nylon tends to be more forgiving in this case. This could be due to wear in the hook or wear between the shuttle driver and body of the machine. In the latter case I have only been able to repair it with a piece of shim but others may have a better solution.

Most probable issue is that the whole tension unit is pushed in too far. When the foot lifts the tension is released so you need to position it so that the tension plates do not release until they are well above the normal working height.

I have had several people come to me in the last few months claiming to represent "the largest sewing machine factory in China" - aren't they all? Naturally their Beautimoment or whatever brand is the best ever built and all made in house so if I want to succeed then I must order an FCL of their machines. When they claim they are the only builder of something like the GA3 (18-1) and want twice the going rate for a machine I can buy in small quantities from several suppliers I ask them why. They claim that the other factory stole their design! Piss off and leave me alone is now the standard answer. Even someone like Juki only makes a small percentage of their parts. Any Chinese supplier who claims to make everything and be the "only true manufacturer" of a particular product is full of it

16 or 18's for #69. Yes, top and bottom. Is the machine a straight stitcher or zig-zag?

Maybe two layers of Upholstery or chap leather with #69 thread. Forget the walking foot attachment as it is meant for quilting

Bob, I want to belt the crap out of people who use the term "industrial strength" as it is about as valid as "half pregnant". The Singer 15 is good and the Pfaff 30 is better (just ask Cindy Peters) but they have their limits. A guy rang me two days ago wanting to buy a 20U clone but when I asked the right questions it turned out he just wanted to sew wallet liners with #69 thread and he had a Pfaff 30 in his collection so I told him to use the Pfaff and save his pennies until he wanted a machine for heavier work. Strangely (in the long run) I do a lot of business with people I initially turn away. I like to build a relationship of trust rather than just a commercial relationship!

The 15 class is a good machine - for what it was designed for - and will be ok for wallet liners with No69 thread.

A look on any B2B website shows a huge range of the same machines from different "manufacturers". If you believed the claims then there must be 100 factories building the 441 class alone. Obviously that is BS as there could only be 2 or 3 mostly using parts that come from the same small group of suppliers. Even the castings used by the Japanese and Taiwanese factories probably come from China. In many ways it is like the car industry as everything is outsourced. Why make your own low volume widget when there are other manufacturers with the infrastructure to do it better and cheaper?

To really complicate the issue I would point out that few of these companies make the majority (or even any) of their parts. With many machines there are only one or possibly two companies that make the castings and another couple that machine them. Various stamped, pressed and machined components will be made by many others. In the end it comes down to who specified the parts that went into your machine and, most importantly, who set it up for your requirements. The 441 is not a high volume machine by Chinese standards so the number of people who make the parts is limited but there can still be a huge difference in how the machines are assembled and the quality of bearings and shuttles that are used.

Puritan?

What machine do you have? Many machines have an external reverse lever with adjustment screws and you should have a play with these. Usually the machine manual gives you a guide on this.

Good machine! Watch out for any movement in the needle bar. Adjustment is a simple matter of removing the faceplate and adjusting the piss poor little bracket that holds it in place.

Most industrial sewers use any foot - such as a zipper foot - that will get right up to the edge of what they are sewing. Quite often a standard set of feet is attacked with a bench grinder.

Scratch that - Just found Puritan industries and they still make this monster!