Scott W

Please tell me you still have this sewing machine!

Trox, Thanks! The machine is a German made Adler. I didn't know the GK 373 was the heaviest sub class, that is good to know. Thanks again.

I have an Adler 67 GK373. I'm using 138 thread top and bottom with 134-35LR size 21 needle. I'm sewing 6-7 oz vegetable tanned leather. Everything works fine until it is time to turn. Normally you would turn the work with the needle down but when I do that the bobbin thread ends up pulling through on the surface. So I have been running a number of tests trying to figure out why this is. It is probably worth mentioning that when I lift my foot there is not an automatic tension release on this machine. It has a thumb tension release lever. So here is what appears to be happening. The feed dog has a groove running in line with the direction of the sewing. It also has serrated teeth on each side of that groove. When I stop with the needle down and release the foot, the leather stays down snug against the feed dog. In fact the feed dog is in its highest position at this point and sets proud of the needle plate. When I turn the leather the bobbin thread hangs up on the feed dog serrations and a little bit gets pulled out of the bobbin, thereby changing the tension on the bottom thread for the next stich. So my work around is to turn work just after the needle has excited the leather. There is tension on the top and bottom, because the stich is being pulled tight. When I lift the foot the leather is a hair breadth above the foot dog because of the tension of the upper and lower threads. And also the thread is directly inline with the feed dog hole, so when I turn the work it doesn't catch. This is slower and my first stitch after the turns varies ever so slightly in length, but I don't get the knot pulling through to the top of the work. So I was wondering, if anybody else has had this problem and if there were different type of feed dogs that I should be looking into? In fact I woul appreciate any suggestion for the type of foot, feed dog, and needle plate I should be using to sew 1/4 inch thick leather for holsters. Thanks.Scott

So last year I bought an Adler 67 GK373. It has a sticker on the front declaring it is a Chandler. I found myself some manuals, cleaned it up, re-timed it, and replaced the clutch motor with a Nick-O Sew variable speed motor and a speed reducer. I sew leather holsters using 6-7 oz vegetable tanned leather. Usually the total thickness I am sewing is 1/4 inch. I use 138 thread top and bottom with 134-35 LR size 21 needle. I have not had any real problems with the exception of turning which I will post on another topic. I have even sewn a few test runs at 3/8 of an inch thick and the machine just jugs along like it was nothing. That is the max the pressure foot will raise. I'm new to machine sewing and I don't have but one industrial sewing machine dealer in my state and they really don't deal in machines that sew anything heavier then upholstery leather, so that haven't been a lot of help when I have questions about the leather I'm sewing. All they keep telling me is that machine was not designed to sew that thick of material and that I am going to ruin it. They would like me to trade it in before it is to late and get a harness machine. They sell a Typical machine, which they say is comparable to an Artisan 3000. So my question is will I really destroy this machine? It seems to be built like a tank and it doesn't groan or appear to be complaining when I ask it to sew through 1/4 of leather. It just walks through it. Even when I hand turn it with its small flywheel, there doesn't appear to be hardly any resistance. I think I would eventually like to get a harness machine, but if I don't exceed 1/4 inch is it really worth doing right now. I'm thinking that so long as I stay below the pressure foot threshold and keep it tuned up I should be ok. And if I decide to sew thicker material on a regular basis I should buy a harness machine and keep my Adler. Does anybody out there have some experience with this machine. Am I sending it to an early grave? Thanks. Scott