dmar836

I have a newer Juki 1541S and love it - does anything and everything I ask. Also have an older straight stitch Juki and a Singer 111 from the late 40s which has a lot of use (much paint worn off of the bed, etc.). While checking/adjusting these older machines, I measured some of the parts like the needle bar and some of the walking foot parts. They were all nominal .250 or whatever they were to be with little to no slop. For this reason, unless an older model has been aggressively abused, as in visible mechanical damage, there is a lot to just using them. The new, import stuff might work out of the box but... Buying advice: Operate the machine or have all it's features demonstrated. My 111 gave me fits with backlash until I realized it was likely that the pedal was returning to carpet and that was preventing a consistent braking of the clutch motor. Dave

That's a good price. I have one and love it. Can't imagine not having it. I don't sew leather exclusively but it gives me confidence when I do. It's my goto for anything light canvas and thicker. Anything else a domestic could handle. If you love hand sewing and that's really all your projects require, an art in itself, then I agree skip a pricey machine all together. Dave KC

Looking for a keyhole button hole machine. Saw the one listed last month in Spfld, Mo but think I missed out. I am in the Kansas City area. Would also consider a service in the meantime if I didn't have to ship items. Thanks for any tips, Dave

Sorry, Calib, I can't help your issue. I did want to follow up with my old backlash problem. Eric and Keith both mentioned braking with the clutch motor. I have my machines in a room with berber style carpet(horrible carpet decision, BTW). The pedal on the 111W was adjusted from the get-go to rest low on the "hard" carpet and this prevented the braking action. I have since adjusted that and braking certainly helps decrease the backlash. Hope all are well! Dave

Sounds good. I've never attempted to brake with the pedal. Thanks a lot all! Dave

Yes. Just as bad. Dave

Clutch. But remember it happens even when disconnected drive belt and cogged belt between shafts. Mystery!

Thanks Eric. It's not really the bobbin itself that backlashes - though I'm sure that's the correct term that and that I used it incorrectly. It's the whole machine. There is a slight "relaxing" when I stop sewing, even if using the balance wheel by hand, that occurs only at the point that the needle bar is rising and as the top thread loop on the hook is anywhere between about the 10 - 2 o'clock position. It relaxes just a few degrees essentially reversing. Not only can you see the hook move backwards but you can see the rising needle bar reverse directions and go back down for 1/16" to 1/8". The forward pressure is relaxed and that's when lower thread of the loop falls under the hook, snags on the hook body(or falls underneath). While it occurs only at a certain place in the hook formation, attempting to bring the needle up by hand to end a stitch run inevitably means you will wheel past this strange point. It gets you about every time and the only fix I have found is to pass the balance wheel between two hands and never let it go until the needle is up and that stick locked. Not an acceptable fix IMO. It's subtle as there isn't much movement. I have seen people freely manipulate the hand wheel as I can on my other machines without losing the loop and breaking the thread. After starting over so many times with timing, etc. I thought maybe even the belt might have taken a set or that the feed dog was maybe meeting the vibrating foot too soon, etc. Removal of the belt should have stopped either of these but it didn't. There is a stickiness when I manually force the presser bar up. It's not smooth at all and won't return fully to the needle plate without considerable spring presser added. The needle bar wasn't perfectly straight but doesn't stick in the bore like the presser bar. Wondering if during a previous transport it didn't fall over onto something that hit the presser bar area. I assume that bar should move smoothly up and down with the flat pressure spring backed off. I think the PO sold this due to this frustrating issue. Thought we had this one licked, no? Dave

Not sure what some of the above responses were referring to but mine will sew fine with the exception that it wants to backlash just a tad at the end of a run of stitches. If in the right position this allows the hook to "drop" the forming thread loop, which then catches on the bottom of the hook body. Any continuation further turns the hook as it should but this then breaks the loop as it's no longer held by the point. I'm to the point of thinking a bent part is causing the resistance that causes backlash. I removed the needle bar and checked it. It's .006 - .008 out of round. The presser bar also has some resistance and often wont hit the throat plate without significant foot tension dialed in. I might have to replace both the needle and presser bars but spending money on it and risking no change?.... I'm wearing thin with this one. Dave P.S. That's one of the best scans I've seen of that manual. Thanks!

Almost two years since last post. How did everyone come out? I did get a 1541S and the 111W has sat. I threaded the 111W the other day and remembered that backlashing issue was never entirely solved. Rereading my posts, I thought I had it licked. I can't remember that happening. Update: The feeling when sewing is that at a certain place as the needle begins to ascend a let off of power(hand or motor) will cause the needle to reverse direction just a bit - just when in a certain place in the cycle. This causes slack on the forming loop which is not yet all the way around the hook. This slack causes the lower thread of the loop to drop down and catch under the hook. I have timed and retimed, checked shaft screw detents, etc. I think this is the same issue TSquared was having. That resistance point causing the backlash remains - even without the belt on. Today I noticed that the lift linkage entering the back of the machine is touching the presser bar when at full throw. Adjusting the presser-lifting crank screw has now allowed it to stop short of hitting the presser bar. I have yet to read a starting point for this linkage setup. Nonetheless the resistance there is gone even at full lift eccentric adjustment. Now I need to figure out how to adjust the lift of the presser bar. I either have it not touching the throat plate or it's touching and has zero lift movement when sewing. The vibrating foot will now lift about 1/2" to the 1/8" or so of the presser. Unfortunately, I still have backlash. Smoother but the needle bar still wants to fall back down about 1/8" when power is let off. My wife wants me to sell it as I really don't "need" it but it would be a great second or third operation machine and I know it can be fixed. Hope all are doing well! Dave Kansas City

Hmmm. Great ideas. I'll give those a shot! Thanks. Dave

So still working better. It still will drop the top thread down around the hook body if tension is relaxed too much when the needle is on the way up. Any way to add tension to the top thread(as it's traveling around the hook)? It is really only as I'm under hand power and allow it to backlash a bit - the needle might actually move less than 1/16". I just retarded the timing a bit and that seems to have helped the backlash issue when the needle is close to the material. I also increased the take up spring tension but I still need the thread to stay on the hook in that first 90 degrees or so if the hook is allowed to backlash just a tad. As is, it will relax on the hook and fall down around the notch in the hook body and I end up with an extra loop of top thread. It then either binds and breaks the thread or lays this extra loop in with the bottom thread. I'm considering a 1541S as I foresee that I'm about to take on more jobs but I hate to retire this great machine. Dave

Well, for some reason my needle bar was off. I set it multiple times with the instructions for those without marks on the bar. Today I took a chance and overlooked minor scoring that I had always confused with the marks and set it on what I could now wee - two marks! One would think results would be the same but it was not for me. Can't explain that as it should result in the same settings. Then of course I had to reset the timing and hook clearance. Then had to lower the hook a tad as the top thread was catching on the bottom of my new needle plate. For the first time, it knocked out the rows on four bills without a skipped stitch! I didn't notice that tendancy to backlash and tangle when stopping either. I think my assumption was right. With such a fundamental adjustment off the "top settings"(needle) and "bottom settings"(feed) were working against each other with a bit of overlap so that foot pressure was actually creating resistence for the needle bar as it was descending. Huge sigh! Dave

Tom, Great news - another one saved! Hope all goes well with the travels. Eric, Awesome that American made clothes are beign made. It's discouraging somethimes but your company sounds great! And those machines sound wonderful. I would love a buttonholer but they are quite violent. Love them! Doing some ball cap bills today with wool on one side and cotton twill on the other with .125 cardboard between. Skips a stitch or two randomly and that won't do. Thin Sulky 50wt thread and an 18 needle. I'll need to experiment some. Dave

Hmmm. Two and a half months later I'm wondering if Tom ever got his machine going? Dave