Cascabel

I suggest after removing the head, remove any thread stand, lights or other parts from the top of the table, then turn it upside down, and slide it down the stairs on it's top. Just get in front of it, and let gravity do the work. Easy one-man job that way !!

As far as negotiating stairs go, if your machine comes in a box, the head and stand will arrive separately if you buy new. Best to leave the pieces in their boxes, and lay the boxes down on their sides, and SLIDE them either up or down the stairs. Open the boxes AFTER getting it up or down. When I took delivery on my Cowboy 4500, I moved it up my stairs by myself as two separate pieces. I had to strap the stand to a hand truck in order to slide it, as it did not come in a box. I just laid the things down, and got behind them and pushed them up the stairs. If going down, just go down the stairs a few of steps ahead of the load, and let it slide down by it's own weight while you control it. I move heavy luggage up or down the same way. Have a friend standing by in case you need a hand, but there is not usually enough room on stairs for two people to work together, so the sliding method seems to me to be the best way to deal with the situation. Just be careful that it doesn't get away from you !! If your machine does not come in boxes, strap the head by itself to a hand truck for ease of handling. If it is a flat-bead machine, simply turn the table upside down after removing any thread stands, or other protuberances, and slide it on it's top.

. Always bear in mind that there is no such thing as an "Industrial Strength" machine, and just because it is made of cast iron, and painted black does not make it a real industrial machine. Many of them are Grandma's old sewing machine that showed up at a yard sale. EBAY and Craigslist sellers lie !! The old domestic machines are excellent within their limitations, but none of them are real "Leather" or "Industrial" machines. A simple way to tell is that if the motor is the size of a man's fist, and attached to the back of the machine, it is a domestic machine. Real industrial machines have a motor the about the size of your head mounted underneath the table. And real industrial machines are NEVER designed to fold down into the cabinet like a domestic. They are much too heavy !!

After I oil my machines, I always place a piece of absorbent fabric under the foot, and lower it on top of the fabric, and in addition, I lower the needle into the piece of fabric to catch any oil that runs down from the needle bar.

Depending on where you live, there may be an industrial machine dealer nearby if you are near a large city. A great many of them have an assortment of old machines available to cannibalize in their storage areas. I am in the Atlanta, Ga. area, and found a couple of very cooperative dealers with available parts. You might have to go on a personal search through their storage area to find what you need, because they often have no idea what machines they have available, and very often nothing is cataloged. One of my dealers had 42-5 bobbins in stock, that I got because I had correct part numbers from on-line catalogs. There is a certain amount of small parts interchangeability, but you will have to determine that for yourself, as there are no cross-reference catalogs that I know of. Once it is up and running, you will find the 42-5 to be an excellent machine. Happy hunting !!

In situations like this, I have always had good luck using the small hexagonal screwdriver bits. You simply turn them with a wrench while pushing them hard into the screw with the handle. You can increase the grip of the screwdriver bit by coating it with valve grinding compound. It makes a huge difference !!. If the situation permits, you can hold the bit hard into the screw using a clamp, instead of the handle and then turn it with a wrench. It only requires a small amount of movement to break it loose. Using the screwdriver handle tends to cause the tip to "walk" out of the slot if not held absolutely straight. You may have to carefully re-cut the slots a bit deeper using a small file or piece of hacksaw blade, if they are badly boogered up. Keep in mind that when buying replacement screws that Singer uses it's own proprietary threads that are non-standard, so you will likely need to get replacements from a Singer supplier, or get a friend to make them for you on a lathe.

I have found that bobbin tension springs are sometimes over-tightened, which actually can cause loss of tension because the "bow" of the spring gets flattened out. Bobbin tension springs should be adjusted in SMALL increments, like a quarter turn at a time. This applies to ALL bobbin tension springs.

I never had an issue with the 42-5 not releasing the tension, and I actually prefer this feature, as it allows sewing of anything I can fit under the foot, and causes no tension issues when climbing over thick seams. I have always just grabbed the thread below the take-up arm, and pulled out a few inches, and then simply removed the item after raising the foot. I also just use ordinary 135x16 and 135x17 needles in mine. I don't know if my machine was adjusted for these common needles by the previous owner or not. but I suspect so, or maybe adjustment was not needed. I was able to get spare bobbins from my local industrial machine supplier, with no problem. I think the bobbins are common to several different machines.

As a point of reference, my 42-5 gets 5 stitches per inch at the longest setting, with no slop at all in the feed dog, so I suspect that is normal for a machine without excessive wear.

Pullers are commonly available at tool rental places. Usually rent for about $5.00. Take a look at what types they have, and pick the one that looks most suitable. Just PAY ATTENTION while using it. Make sure it is starting to move the wheel before applying a lot of force. Pullers are quite capable of breaking things if there is still something holding it !! Look for any kind of end piece on the shaft with a screw driver slot in addition to the set screws before using the puller. I broke a wheel using a puller before I was aware of this. The part appeared to be just the end of the shaft, but was slotted for a screw driver. It was actually a large headed screw to keep the wheel from sliding off.

I have gotten gallon jugs of sewing machine oil on ebay fairly inexpensively.

Always bear in mind that there is no such thing as an "Industrial Strength" machine, and just because it is made of cast iron, and painted black does not make it a real industrial machine. Many of them are Grandma's old sewing machine that showed up at a yard sale. EBAY and Craigslist sellers lie !! The old domestic machines are excellent within their limitations, but none of them are real "Leather" or "Industrial" machines. A simple way to tell is that if the motor is the size of a man's fist, and attached to the back of the machine, it is a domestic machine. Real industrial machines have a motor the about the size of your head mounted underneath the table. And real industrial machines are NEVER designed to fold down into the cabinet like a domestic. They are much too heavy !!

Interesting...... I have a 42-5. It doesn't have one of these, and I wonder why it would need any kind of a hold-down. Any guesses ?

Very often, I have seen descriptions of how to orient the needle describing that the "scarf" should be facing a certain direction. This can be confusing, and a great many novices are not sure what that means. A better and more easily understood description would be that the thread should enter the needle from the side of the needle with the long groove. This is a true description no matter which sewing machine you are using, be it industrial or domestic. This even holds true for the hand sewing awls.

On a large heavy item like this, shipping cost can be either a deal maker or a deal breaker. I got my Cowboy from Toledo shipped to the local freight terminal, and picked it up myself. Considerably cheaper than home delivery.

Best to print out hard copies of these !!

All is well, I figured it out !!

I realize that this is not a subject for this forum, but I have not had any luck in my web searches. I need to find out how to assemble the bobbin winder on my Universal Model KNB machine. The original winder was broken, and I was finally able to obtain replacement parts for it. I have all of the parts, but not a clue as to how to assemble them. There are a couple of springs, and a few other bits and pieces. Can anybody point me in the right direction for assembly instructions ? It is likely similar to other brands of domestic machines. I'm sure it's not particularly difficult, because there are not many parts involved. I just don't know where to begin.

Ya done good getting a 42-5 !! I have one with the original clutch motor. I think mine was made in the 1940's, as it has a modern type V-belt. It is my favorite of all my machines, and gets lots of use. Heavy canvas, garment type leather, upholstery fabrics, all sew exceedingly well on it. I only use my Cowboy for VERY heavy work. My 42-5 will sew anything I can squeeze under the foot, up to almost a half inch thickness. I can feather the clutch to go very slow, and if need be, I can slow it down even more by riding the huge wheel with my hand sort of like a brake. It also will wind a Cowboy bobbin quickly, which beats using the Cowboy bobbin winder.

Not sure regarding Pfaff machines, but Singer uses their own proprietary threads, which are non-standard. You may be dealing with a similar situation with your Pfaff. I have custom made screws for singer machines on my lathe, so you may want to try to find somebody in your area with a screw-cutting lathe to make what you need if you cannot order from a Pfaff distributor. Don't try to force a standard screw to work, as you can damage the threaded holes beyond repair.

When I got my Cowboy 4500, I went to pick it up at my local freight terminal with my pick-up truck. I had brought my own tie-downs. They loaded it for me with a fork lift, and tied it down. When I got home, I unfastened the stand from the pallet, and had a neighbor help me get it and the boxed machine down on to the ground, and brought both pieces in my front door with a hand truck. It had to go upstairs, so my neighbor and I brought up the stand one step at a time. Once we got it upstairs, I installed the casters, and stood it up, and rolled it out of the way. I was not planning to operate the machine while standing up, so I lowered the stand all the way down before installing the machine. The machine itself was left in the box, and I laid it down, and slid it up the stairs by my self. It went up fairly easily. I opened the box after getting it upstairs, and cut the corners of the box to lay the sides down to make things easier. Then I opened the foam packaging, and lifted the machine out, and up onto the stand with my neighbor helping to steady it. With the stand all the way down, it only had to go about waist-high, so it was an easy lift. REMEMBER TO LOCK THE CASTERS WHILE DOING THIS SO THAT THE STAND DOES NOT MOVE WHILE SETTING THE MACHINE IN PLACE , AND HAVE THE BOLTS AND WASHERS READY !!! The machine is then easily slid into position, and the bolts installed at this point. I then rolled the whole thing into my sewing room, and fired 'er up !! Heavy, but not a bad job with a bit of planning, and an extra pair of hands.

I never use the treadle on mine. i find it easier to control by just sticking my finger between the spokes of the handwheel, and spinning it that way. The heavy wheel has enough inertia to punch through most of what I ask it to work on. I have heavier machines for my tougher work.

One thing to check is correct bobbin threading. After passing under the spring on the bobbin case, the thread must pass up through the hole in the edge of the bobbin case, or it will not be picked up.

A shame you got tricked into spending good money on a old domestic machine. Always bear in mind that there is no such thing as an "Industrial Strength" machine, and just because it is made of cast iron, and painted black does not make it a real industrial machine. Many of them are Grandma's old sewing machine that showed up at a yard sale. EBAY and Craigslist sellers lie !! The old domestic machines are excellent within their limitations, but none of them are real "Leather" or "Industrial" machines. A simple way to tell is that if the motor is the size of a man's fist, and attached to the back of the machine, it is a domestic machine. Real industrial machines have a motor the about the size of your head mounted underneath the table. And real industrial machines are NEVER designed to fold down into the cabinet like a domestic. They are much too heavy for that, however they can be tilted back to expose the underside for lubrication and maintenance. Another consideration is that the thickness a machine can handle is dictated by the fact that MOST, but NOT ALL machines release the thread tension as the foot rises either by the thickness of the material being sewn, or when climbing over a thick section like a seam. This can cause skipped stitches and a host of other problems, such as tangles on the back side. This applies to both domestic and industrial models. This is a feature of the design of most machines, allowing easy removal of the work from under the foot when raising the foot manually when done sewing. Some machines, like my Singer 42-5 can sew as much thickness as you can jam under the foot, as it does not have this tension release feature. Give Wizcrafts excellent postings about the kind of machines you need to sew leather a read......

Well done, Suh !!! My Cowboy sits beside my Singer 42-5, so I just wind the Cowboy bobbins on the 42-5 winder. Like you, I dislike the ones that wind as you sew.