Cascabel

I have a 29-4, and it uses standard 135x16 and 135x17 needles quite nicely. I don't know if adjustments were made in order to use these common needles or not. It was set up for them when I got it.

I have fixed stripped holes by welding the damaged hole shut, and re-drilling and tapping new threads. This takes special welding equipment and skill so as not to melt the part. When tapping a blind hole, use a standard tap with a tapered lead section to start with, and then finish with a "bottoming tap" You can make a bottoming tap by carefully grinding the end of a standard tap flat.

I dunno...... They look too even in size,spacing, and depth to be worn areas. Probably milling cuts for some purpose.....

Personally, I like a large wheel. The inertia of a heavy wheel makes for more power to punch the needle through tough materials while going slow.

You might check with industrial machine dealers in your area. Many of them have old machines lying around to salvage parts from. I was able to get the huge wheel from a junk Singer 29 for five bucks. If either you or a friend can do lathe work, it is easy to make the necessary modifications or adapter bushings to make the wheel fit. I put the model 29 wheel on a 42-5 machine that was missing its wheel.

Before I tried an impact driver, I would try using the high quality screwdriver tips that come with magnetic screwdrivers. The best way with a hard to move screw is to hold the tip firmly in the screw head, and turn the tip with a 1/4" wrench. The tips can be ground to properly fit the screw slot if need be. You can usually hold the tip in the screw straight with your fingers without using the handle, if the handle prevents a good straight access to the screw.

If you are mechanically inclined, you can probably bring it back to life, as long as nothing is missing or badly worn out that cannot be found. These are very handy machines for very specific situations. I still use mine a couple of times a year. There is sometimes no substitute for a patcher !! Mine is mounted on an old treadle base, which is not the correct type, but it works well for me. I never actually use the treadle. I find it easier to just stick my finger between the spokes of the hand wheel, and spin it that way, It turns quite easily, as long as you are not running really tough material through it, because the heavy wheel has a lot of inertia. When I first got it, I made a flat table attachment for it because it was the only leather machine I had. It served me well for a few years !!

The 42-5 has a type of walking foot. It is a spring loaded secondary foot that moves with the feed dog, and snaps forward as it raises up to get another "bite" on the fabric. There are two feet that move up and down alternately. One simply moves up and down, and the other which is spring loaded moves back with the feed dog, and snaps forward when it raises up, which happens when the other foot is down. I hope I explained the operation in an understandable fashion !! Take a look at Wizcraft's informative thread at the top of the page about the type of machines to sew leather. It was originally intended to sew various types of thick materials, but works fine for leather. It will sew as much thickness as you can shove under the foot, because the upper tension does not automatically release when the foot is raised to its limit.

Not wanting to hijack this thread, but I have a 42-5 that I use for pretty near everything, including leather up to a maximum of 3/8 of an inch, plus heavy upholstery fabric and canvas. Mine has a clutch motor, which is easy for me to control using a couple of "tecniques".

These manuals are important enough, and scarce enough to warrant printing a hard copy, in addition to keeping it stored on your computer and on a disk. That is what I did !!

You have probably flexed the shuttle spring in the opposite direction by over tightening it, thereby actually loosening the tension. Try backing off on it a half turn at a time to get the tension right. Usually the damage is not permanent when these things are over tightened. This happens frequently in other shuttles by over enthusiastic attempts to adjust them. You also need to be sure you don't forget to pass the thread up through the small hole near the tension spring after you snap it under the spring.

Is this "Bell Crank Lever" the same part that causes loss of stitch length in a 29-4 when worn ? Judging by the photos of the worn one, and the photo of the new one in the College Sewing site, I believe I could repair mine fairly easily if it is similar. I could probably easily build it back up with steel using TIG welding, and re-shape if it is similar. I have not yet disassembled my machine, so I don't know if it is made the same or not. Or is the 29-4 a completely different can of worms ? Mine is still quite usable as is for now, but I may make it a future project.

Here's another possibility about your issue. I'm going to attempt to explain it properly, so please bear with me !! A friend of mine has a 42-5 that had a similar problem with needles getting bent and striking the hook. Upon examination, I found that when the needle was inserted fully into the needle bar, that it actually was being pushed out of vertical alignment by the shape of the slot in the needle bar. For some unknown reason, the slot in his needle bar had a slope in it at the top, which acted like a ramp pushing the needle to one side when the needle was fully inserted. I have no idea if it was a replacement needle bar from a different machine, or why it was made that way. The simple fix was to just insert the needle until it started to push to one side, and tighten the screw. Normally, the needle is supposed to stop against a solid stop at he end of the slot, but his did not have a solid stop at the end. I thought at first his machine was out of time, until I looked closer. These old machines can have a few surprises from many different hands working on them over the years !! I hope this helps......

I did a little digging in some old manuals. I believe the timing adjustment for the 42-5 is nearly identical to the way it is done on the 16 class machines. Use this link : http://parts.singerco.com/IPinstManuals/16-133_CLASS_16.pdf Under "Instructions for Adjusters and Machinists", the illustration looks very similar to what you have on the 42-5, except that the 16 class machines use a different bobbin set up. There is a similar adjustment collar on the needle bar, and an access hole to reach the screw in the head casting as shown in the instructions. This will probably work for you.

I use a 42-5 all the time. Excellent machines !! Yours definitely looks like it needs a proper oiling. I have never had to do a timing adjustment on mine, but I believe it is under the end cover on the needle bar area. Mine is set up for the commonly available 135 series needles. There are a lot of things that need oiling under that end cover if you have not yet discovered them. You need to remove the cover to get at them properly. Be sure the needle is properly seated in the needle bar, and facing the right way. The long groove goes to your left. There are lots of oiling points of these old machines. Be sure to oil the main shaft where it rotates, and the crank pin accessible through the removable round plate on the main casting. Tip the machine back, and move the wheel and oil any pivot points and sliding parts. You will need to leave a rag under the foot after you finish to catch any excess oil that drains from the parts under the end cover area after you finish. Be sure to use a proper sewing machine oil, or a light machine oil. Do NOT use WD-40, or any thing like "3 in one" oil or anything similar, as they are much too thin to do any good.

Interesting !!! I am much more familiar with the large converters used with heavy shop machines like lathes.

I realize that this is a long shot, but does anybody have an old Universal Model KNB domestic machine lying around ? I broke the bobbin winder on mine, and would like to replace it. I use this machine quite a lot for everything EXCEPT leather and canvas quite frequently. I know aftermarket bobbin winders are available, and I can wind them on one of my other machines, but this one has been my friend of many years, and I would like to fix it with an original part. The machine was a popular Japanese make back in the 50's and 60's, so parts would be kinda scarce.

As stated on the decal, this is REBUILT by Consew. It is actually a SINGER 17-16. Manuals are available on line. http://parts.singerco.com/IPinstManuals/17.pdf

I suggest caution. Most of the screws in these old Singers use Singer proprietary thread sizes, rather than anything standard. You don't want to booger up the threaded hole by forcing a wrong screw into the hole. You might be better off cutting the head off the existing screw, and then cutting a screwdriver slot in the remaining stub. Alternatively, if you have a repair shop in your area that deals with older Singer industrial machines, you might want to check and see if they have a set screw in the correct size and thread in their small parts bins. I use a 42-5 myself. EXCELLENT machines !!

Looks to me to be in complete enough condition to be worth giving it a try. Bring a couple of needles and some thread with you, along with a piece of leather, and get familiar with the threading procedure. It may be an undiscovered treasure !!

I have a clutch motor on my Singer 42-5. I find it easy to slip the clutch as needed, and if I need to slow it down further, I can apply my hand to the flywheel and make enough of a drag to slow it down even more. The flywheel on these 42-5's is quite large, and makes this a good option when needed. Probably not an option on the more modern machines with smaller flywheels, however. The large heavy wheel also enables it to easily punch the needle through heavy leather when running slow. Great machine !!!

First off, Do NOT place any faith at all in any ad that says a machine is "industrial strength". There is no such thing !! It is either an industrial machine, or it is not. Just because a machine is made of cast iron and painted black does not make it industrial. Easiest way for a novice to tell is if the motor is about the size of a man's fist and mounted on the back of the machine, it is a domestic machine, and not an industrial type. Real industrial machines have a motor about the size of your head mounted underneath the table. The next thing to consider is if it is a walking foot machine or not. Another consideration is that many industrial machines for sale on ebay are actually high speed machines for use in clothing factories, and entirely unsuitable for leather sewing. Check on this forum before spending your hard-earned cash !!.

Another way to slow things down, and make it more controllable, (which only applies to the old machines with the huge flywheels) is in addition to going to a smaller pulley, is to use your right hand as a brake to slow it down while slipping the clutch. This takes a bit of practice, but works well. You just apply a bit of "drag" to the wheel to keep it from getting away from you. I don't really understand why they did away with the big flywheels at all !! They allow for much better control, and easier hand-wheeling when needed, and the added inertia makes for easier penetration of heavy materials.