wind power

Hi Folks, After reading to previous Singer 42-5 thread , I remebered a local fellow had one for sale ....this machine has a good size flywheel/handwheel, it has the table, bobbin winder and a few extra bobbins, but before I leap I have a few questions: How thick leather can I realistically sew with it ( hopefully 3/8th of an inch)? Also Bob mentioned with a 135x 17 it was capable on handling 346 nylon.... I just want to make sure that was not a typo! ) Thanks, Gavin

I use a grip hoist which is rated for 7500 lbs 100 foot cable to winch my wind generator tower (75 feet) up like a giant hinge....there are a lot of forces pulling on that grip hoist before th load starts to lighten up at a 45 degree angle and better. The grip hoists comes in various sizes and cable lengths. They move slow! However they can be used for other things

Hi Anne Bonney, Yes it is a great machine and the more I learn about it the more I like to tinker with it....it appears 277 thread was at the extreme end of the specturm for thread size, and since I dont want to wreck my new/old toy, I might need to drop down a thread size, so I'm wondering would the 210/207 thread be a good thread to continualy use on this Singer? Oh, one other question, what is a good machine say under a 1000 bucks which would handle 277, or 350 series thread? Thanks, Gavin

Well, I got the machine timed, at first it was out pretty bad, the eye of the needle had already passed the hook by about 5/15 of an inch when I first started....after setting it to 1/16 above the eye and fiddling around with the upper tension and bobbin tension everything begin to stitich, I then played around with some bonded nylon 207 thread and it gave a good lockstitich in just over 3/8 of leather...it actually measured .400 thich with calipers. Overall the maching was in a neglected shape, it needed a good cleaning; the timing belt broke after I turned it over by hand, it was simply rotted and the wire bonding had frayed....but all the bearing points, linkage and needle and bobbin areas were still in great shape....everything was good and tight.... So since I was just giddy about this Singer 111w155 I tried some bonded nylon 277 thread...after modifying the "heel plate" ( Terminology???) slightly with a diamond needle file I was able to get a good lock stitch with the 277 thread....these two pieces of leather measured just over 1/4 inch thick...actually .260 However using that size "rope" it was approaching the extreme end of tension, but it was a dream with 207 thread. Hopefully these pictures I going to try to attach will show the results of my new toy: bottom stitch 277 thread: top stitch 277 thread: Four layers of leather with 207 thread....I just kept adding layers until I could get any more under the presser foot! Everything was set at the max stitich length of 3-1/2 to the inch and was done with a 135x16 25/200 organ brand needle. After cleaning up about 40 years of neglect , oiling it and resetting the timing I think I will be having some fun with this old Singer 111w155!

Hi Folks, I have a question about the Singer 111W155 I recently bought. The machine appears to be in very good shape, but I had to retime the needle per the web site which pertains to Navy information. However I still have a problem; It jams up tight in the bobbin area after the third stitch....As a side note I do hold the threads tight as I begin the stitching....at this point I still trying to get everything adjusted correctly so I handwheel it, instead of hitting the foot pedal in a mad hatter approach with the clutch motor. Any ideas? Hopefully I can add some more information to this problem soon... Thanks, Gavin

Thanks Bob, I was thinking it was probably some kind of homemade device, but I'am fafr far far from knowlegeble about these things....I was not looking to buy it....I'm still waiting on my 111w155 to come in...UPS says tuesday Thanks for help, Gavin

This might not be the right forum for this, but I tried to match it up as best as possible. However I was checking out the local craigslista nd came across a singer sewing machine possibly a 15 series, ...the handwheel area kinda says no...however what in the world is this attachment....is it homemade, a shang-hied walking foot of some sorts...it appears to be timed with the machine. Curiosity is killing me???? http://greenville.craigslist.org/atq/3037375375.html Thanks Gavin

Cowcamp, Where did you get the handle from? Did you fabricate your own...aluminum disc and a handle? Kayak45, I really like that servo moto that Wiz and others are speaking about...I want to take it slow until I can build up my experience a bit more behind a machine....lol a 11 inch pulley on a servo...that would even be too slow for me....It might be a month or two before the finance minister (aka Wife) will release the funds so I can contact toledo for the motor....until then I could play around with hand-wheeling or a far fetched idea of stepping the pullies up and down. Thniking out loud: The clutch motor runs at 1750 rpm's as someone mentioned...If I have a two inch pulley on the motor side and that huge 11 inch pulley on the driven side.....math says: 2/11= .1818 X 1750 rpm's = 318 rpms...lol still too fast for me! Still thinking out loud: Maybe if I compound a few pulley's Lets take the same set up, a 2 inch on the motor side and the 11 inch on the driven side but also add another two inch pulley on the same shaft as the 11 inch pulley and add another 11 inch pulley on the driven side....lol more math here: 2 inch pulley on motor side divided by the 11 inch pulley = .1818 multiplied by the motor rpm's of 1750 = 318 rpms, however if on the same 11 inch shaft I add another two inch pulley and step up to another 11 inch pulley...I end up with 2/11= .1818 x 318 rpm's... this compounding would give me 57 rpms LOL I'm now below 60 stitches a min...nice, safe, happy zone for me But buying 4 pulleys and shanghi'ing 3 v belts I would have probalby just as much in it as a servo motor...maybe not quite as much but a bit more hassle involved, (not counting the losses of potential torque????) between the compounded pulleys...it might be a self-defeating adventure???? Maybe handwheel is probably the next best thing until I can get a servo motor? All the best, Gavin

Thanks Busted! I downloaded the PDF....that will be real handy! all the best, Gavin

Hi Kayak, Yes They answered my questions and got me thinking even more...thats what always happens when I'm dealing with experts! But Thank God for them! It appears Wizcraft, Northmount and everyone else around here knows their stuff! The information on the servo motor helps a lot. By trade I'm a tool and die maker, so machining a diffrent size pully will be a snap if I need too....I'm no sewing expert by any streatch of the imgination but would like to dabble in sewing leather for hobby basis until I retire and then maybe do some small stuff for a dollar or two when I do retire....about 12 years away....but time flies! Until I can can get my ability to sew a bit better than a piece of leather which looks like it was struck with shotgun pattern, I would like to slow that Singer 111W155 down to about a stitch every 1-2 seconds....would that be asking too much out of a servo and pulley size adjustment? Northmount reccomended I get into toch with Bob at Toledo, which I will do in the near future....pardon my ignorace here once again, but what should I expect to pay for a servo motor which will allow me to sew 1/4 thick leather? Thanks, Gavin

Thanks, The fellow should be throwing the bobbin winder and thread stand in a box....he didnt want to ship freight but was willing to strip all the hardware off the table and ship it.....California to South Carolina I see the servo motor is all the rage here...I'm still trying to grasp why...is it because it can be slowed down and still provide good torque? One other question, what thickness of leather can I realistically expect to sew with it...I'm looking to sew about 1/4 inch thick? Thanks, Gavin

Thanks for the information folks! I will be sticking tight to this thread!

Hi folks, I have been lurking around but this is my first time in the forum. I have a Singer 111W155 coming soon...for all I know it could be a pig in the poke and I hope its not, however I will go through it before I begin trying to sew with it. It will be coming with practically everything except the table...pulleys. belts, foot peda,l knee lift will be included....so my first task will be checking out the sewing machine and then building a table for it and gettting everything set into postion. I have a few questions: Is there a diagram out there which shows the threading up of the machine? Since I like to sew slow, does anyone know by chance if the orginal motor will allow me to sew slow ? (when I say slow ...I'm in the neighborhood of 60 stitiches or less a min) Thanks,