Cumberland Highpower

There's one that keeps hitting me up. Sent at least 3 different solicitations and follow ups....Pretty much the same MO as yours. I just say, yeah thanks I already got in touch, paid for the item and received it. Works great!

When I was a teenager, I made a slicker from a $2 motor/arbor. Took a chain saw and cut a slice off of a piece of firewood, drilled a hole and turned it down on the arbor itself. (Clamped a block of wood to table and used a chisel just like you would on a woodlathe). The wood turned out to be cherry. Held up pretty good. Still have it sitting around somewhere.

I always suspected Bianchi used suede as a liner for another reason. Bianchi bought ALLOT of leather shoulders. (Good price, good yield, not many defects). Shoulder+suede=pretty substantial holster. Suede made it have a finished look at the same time.

It looks like you already unseized your machine? I recently bought a Seiko from Japan that was seized up. It hadn't been used since the year it was made, 1986! Locked up tight, just like you used superglue instead of oil. I used a few drops of PB Blaster (Penetrating oil) on each joint, bearing and oil hole and then sat it up on blocks above a gas freestanding heater in my shop. I left it there a few hours, until it was pretty warm (not hot, just warm enough you'd want to not keep your hand on it for more than a couple seconds). I took it down and everything moved a little. After a couple extra drops, it spun freely. I don't know if you'd really need the heat, but I found it helped allot with the polymerized oil. Looks like a great buy for $20 Euro. I always liked pre Durkopp Adler machines. Really great build quality.

Controlling Multiple Motors with One VFD | Rockwell Automation | US Here's a little primer on the basics With the really cheap VFD's on Amazon/Alibaba and what not, that are pretty small, you'd probably be handicapped right out of the bubble wrap. I don't use a VFD for anything, although I am warming up to the idea. I've got one disc grinder I need to set up that is too far from my 3ph lines. A vfd would be cheaper than wiring/conduit, and it's within 20' of my 220v.

It's kind of novel. I wonder if you can find a ready made one somewhere like that? Maybe with an extension cord already built in? a cord of 20' or so would be a plus, must hobby leather shops here in the US don't have 220v outlets as a standard thing so they maybe just wire up one. If you have lots of 3ph machines, you'd be better off with a rotary phase converter and just wire your shop for 3ph. That's what I have. I can run every piece of machinery in there at once. I have 2 converters, both surplus units from DuPont that cost $200. One is supposed to be a spare, but after 15 years I still don't need it. Some machines can't work properly on a single VFD, for example a machine that has multiple seriously mismatched motor hp ratings or has motors that start and stop independently of each other.

It would run at 2/3 power with the capacitors. Probably not as bad as it sounds, my FAV came straight from Grande Italia this way. I guess FAV didn't find it worthwhile to offer the FAV AV2 with a factory single phase motor at the time.

That was my idea as well Dwight. But, I have to say that's probably a pretty well built quality clutch motor he has there! I have a single phase CM made in Belgium here (3450rpm ) and it's a pretty well built unit. Wish I had more of those. It came on an Adler made in the late 60s so it has some age to it.

I'll give you an honest set of answers. Hobby: It's a great hobby, make all the goodies you and your friends desire. I'd consider a retiree making a few dog collars or chaps or whatever for sale at a flea market a great hobby. Business: RUN, AND RUN AWAY FAST I wish someone had told me that! LOL I've been supporting myself for 20 years doing this. Some good times, some bad. There is a limit to what profit you can make working for yourself. 10 employees, maybe a sunnier day there. It's not a good time either. With the looming import tariffs, costs will be way up. Domestic leathers are likely to be in shorter supply and higher in cost as well (HO for example imports wattle bark from Argentina). Nobody really want's to say it out loud, but nobody has money these days. Festivals and events are packed, but you'll find there's hardly a dime changing hands. In 2 years everything will be better. If I had it all to do over I would have bought a kettle and sold Kettle Corn! Yes, you're for sure wasting time if you dont have a machine or 2. I bought my first Randall in 2005 to fill a holster contract that I won and had no way to fill. (I was not a leatherworker at that time). Either way, it will wear your hands out and your sanity about the same.

I am curious, are clutch motors an easy thing to find in Belgium? If they are, why not just change it to something single phase? I've probably purchased maybe 20 machines so far that were set up for 3ph clutch motors, and on almost every one of those, I swapped the 3ph motor for a single phase. Used Clutch motors here are usually $20-50. In the US that makes them cheaper on the used market than a good VFD, and you don't have to do any work around other than a little with the wiring. Most motors like that are designed for delta on the lower and Wye on the higher voltages. You're not planning to install on 380v are you? I'm guessing not? Your VFD will wire up as a delta 220v. Every 3phase machine I have that didn't get converted by a motor swap is run off of a rotary phase converter, wired delta. Everything from Clickers, to Band Skivers, Belt cutting machines, CNC stitchers, bell skivers, etc. Often several at once. You could also just add a capacitor to your motor and effectively convert it to run on single phase, but it's been a long time since I've done that so you'll have to research.. Some factory built machines come like that, for example my FAV bell skiver has a 3ph motor with a run and start capacitor added to make it "insta" single phase). There are ready made static converters that do the same thing, they're just a box with capcitors and your motor would run at 2/3 power once it starts up. Static converters seem to be fading away with the VFD being around.

Sure it can be fixed. Can you post some details like Wiz asked? You "May just be able to use it as it is...Maybe forever? Or maybe not? If it looks like it's holding pretty well, you can just cut a small relief in the cracked areas and work in JB weld, grind flush and repaint the machine. Nobody will ever know. Check to see if it works freely w/o any binding or misalignment before doing anything. Are you certain it's a crack? Some machines are made from more than one piece and bolted together. (Like my Seiko TE6). It has 2 pieces that are bolted together and finished smooth on the exterior, but "look" like a fine crack. Is it a hairline crack or a crack that allows some daylight? If he's a welder by trade there is little doubt he can fit it. Cast iron you have is best brazed. Probably in 'stitches" to keep anything from warping or cracking further. It can be welded also, but I'm not sure I would do it on a sewing machine.

Is there any resource anyone can share regarding the templates or cutouts in industrial sewing machine table tops? Surely it's not a closely guarded trade secret? Looking for factory drawings/etc. I have a couple Consews, but nothing for any Jukis or Adlers....

I think they're all pretty much of the same overall specs. I feel like the -3 meant it was the "improved quality" China produced version.

I have one of those and I never use it to speak of. they're ok for some uses. They're made from a sewing machine servo motor and have an adapter to allow the use of Galli burnisher wheels made in Italy. the wheels they use are the best part. There are lots of wheels made by Galli, everything from grinding and shaping wheels, to wheels embedded with diamonds (no joke) to plain old leather and canvas flap types. I have a FCE burnisher and I can swap wheels, hot wax to grinding, etc. The worst part of those machines is that because they're made out of a low cost servo, they have no torque and at low RPMs pretty much give up. When I need to do belt tips or whatever flat work needs burnished I use the DC burnisher that's on the front of my FCE. It's about the same concept, only a better execution. gallispa.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GALLI_2022_ACCESSORI.pdf

On a small machine like that, you are better off using a box speed reducer. The one thing I don't like about belt reducers or jackshafts is that it creates drag/resistance when you want to finesse the handwheel. You're correct about the belt alignment and engagement of the clutch. you should try to have the belt as straight and square as possible when the load is applied. Being a real low horsepower outfit, it's not really critical like you might think though. Really no reason why you can't master a 206rb with a standard clutch motor (provided it's a 1725rpm motor) with a small pulley. With a little practice you'll both speed up your pace of work and at the same time learn to slow the machine down with light feathering of the clutch.