jimi

Well done mechanic, it looks like you just bought it new from the factory! i always wondered about the decals they put on?? in the birth of a sewing machine it looked like gold leaf (well it was in black and white) they used for the decals. but with use,not age they end up silver? so that makes me think they were applied silver then the shellack gave them that gold colour??

Thank you Brian, and you are welcome. yes i agree, they are nice machines. i was hoping to get the rafflenbeul MS200 instead but couldn´t get anybody to arrange the shipping as they are all mainly found in Germany. the only thing i found worn on this one when it came was the tooth of the inside cog that lifts the head up i think it is?? but luckily they thought that one out and i only needed to turn it around 180º as it had the same on the other end, symmetrical! wow that is expensive for the head!! this only cost €120 plus 45 shipping from Germany! never looked but couldn´t one be made up?? oh yes i did wet the leather but not enough, it was really dry that piece and needed more soaking in. they do hide it really good in the leather, the last one i tried with the knife was just great. it sunk it all bellow great. i think it might be a good idea to get a small mill/lathe and make up some good parts for the machines that have problems like this one for parts?? regards jimi.

Check this one out??

i should have wet the leather a bit more but you can see how it makes the channel.

Iam sure you have seen one of these before? thread tensed on spool. thread 1 1/2 times around the solid wheel and the same type shuttle but with a large rebate to let the curved needle pass. here are the two types of feed like rocky said, teeth for rubber and knife for leather. and threads held same as the 45k. and in here would be the small spirit box to heat up the shuttles waxed thread.

You are welcome David. and no the scored 45k68 singer is not my machine, i own a 45k1,21,99 and 92. the measurements in the parts book seem to be pretty close so if you needed to make parts you could get a rough idea of its size. just looked and the bar is half size on this page and measures 143mm long 8mm widest at the back and 5mm at the front where it fits into the square hole, so double that and you should be pretty close. i would try one in cardboard first then grind down your bar to fit. here is the user manual for the 45k flat bed type which might come in handy. if you come across the flat top feed dogs for the 45k89 nº 91576 i think it is, that might give you max feed for your flat plate setup. luckily you are in the UK and 99% of the 45k89´s turn up in the UK so there should be parts flying around there somewhere?? if you need the parts list and numbers let me know david, i can take some shots and upload them also as i saw the copy uploaded before was hard to see in some pages. i am sure when you get the felt or thin leather on the tension assembly and the thread wound on, you will get the tension desired. i will upload a couple of pictures for curiosity´s sake of the frobana setup rockyaussie was talking about, you will see the similitude.

if you look at the first picture above of the rusty one on the table with motor, you can see where it says singer there is a large score. well funny enough this is the same machine, sold on ebay then cleaned up. you can still see the same score where it says singer. the first tension assembly on the wax pot was taken away! then where the roller one was, a new disk type one installed. the flywheel put on back to front!! anyway just for references. that was the other plate which you can see in the parts book. the wax pot looks a bit shallower in the illustration but more or less the same. so i dont know why he took it off, having both tension units present?? as you can see this foot was slanted to match the slant of the needle plate and had one edge as a guide. (the right side) there is no knife here on this one so he either didnt bother making one or didnt know it used one. you can see in the picture that the foot was not used this way, that is why there is a dark line near the stitches. that is from the side guide on the foot, this was designed to be used on the edge of the sole. there is also a small flat type finger? for holding the thread leaving the both hands free. part nº91794 page 1001. you have in it`s place the normal guide plate base used on the 45k21s and so on. if you ever wanted to get hold of a treadle to use this with i would recommend holding on to the flywheel which came with it as these machines have three pullys on them instead of the normal two. so i doubt you would find another one of them around.

Here are some pictures of another 45k68 with a different setup. (sorry,the picture above referring to the flat bar was not a 45K69, it is the same one here)

Maybe you could clamp some weights on the side of the flywheel??

Thanks for the pictures David. yes seems like it has been changed to a general 45k21 type now. this would be the common thing to happen when no more parts were available. the 45k21 still has the dogs and needle plates available ( copy´s) and can still be found around 2nd hand. there were surely more of the common type machines sold. i could be wrong but it dosn´t seem like there is much felt there? another thing that can happen is the disks end up wearing on the flat spot and end up spinning also. if this happens then there is no friction. if your feed dog is working fine then great, you might find a general type dog from the 45k89 might work good also as they were flat and not curved. flat being for their array of flat topped plates they had. what is the number on your foot david?? 90751? 94751? 91751? so were you thinking of sewing soles on this or just general leather stuff?? Yes rocky, it does look similar to the frobana setup ? teeth for the rubber and the knife for the leather. the 45k71 had the two rows of slanted teeth and a small knife in a channel in the middle of the plate. i suppose it must have lifted with the foot each time and probably that is why it had two rows of teeth, to pull it through the leather and make the channel??

There is one on Ebay right now David, you might be able to ask the owner about the size and thickness of the bar?? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Industrial-Architectural-Singer-45k-Sewing-Machine-Can-Deliver-/152515176398?hash=item23829ce7ce:g:MrYAAOSwB-1YpZjC

no problem folker, it is always good to hear peoples opinions. by the way i have the parts book for this machine, how do i get it up in one pdf??

Here is a botch job of the needle plate that would have been on your machine David. this foot would not move the material.. this one did...

it is the wheel folker, not the disks. this class has no disks.

Of course david! that is why there is no part to open the disks!! it should have dawned on me could you do a close up of your needle plate? in the manual it says 1 1/2 times around the wheel. i have seen this on other machines (not 45k´s) that when a wheel is present you have to go around it 1 1/2 times. that gives you more tension. and yes if there is no pressure on the foot then it wont feed properly. i have a 45k21 and like to do the same (try to sew and practice) and depending on your foot and feed dog relation you can find a big difference in stitch length. i think there was also a solution box which you can see in the parts manual which was for the bobbin thread i think. that would be for waxing it as it was wound on the bobbin and then the spirit box was linked to the shuttle area which you heated up to soften the waxed thread for easier sewing. the problem with the old machines is parts, and your machine has a flat plate which is not sold anymore. so if you wanted to get it going well you would have to make a plate up and find some feed dogs or make them also to mach the plate. the good thing is being flat is a lot easier than finding and making a curved one to match. will do some pictures...

Hi David, first you need to send more pictures of the machine if you could? i think on your class the bobbin was tensed on the spool holder with two cones and a spring. similar to a frobana/gritzner sole stitcher machine. then i think your presser foot bar is missing, that is a long flat bar same as the 29k models have. that fits into the square hole under your tension assembly. this machine below is the 45k69. i am not sure why it is not in the parts list, but there was a part "presser bar lifting bracket tension release" that screwed onto the same plate where the bar goes, with two screws, and it held open the tension disks when the foot was raised letting you pull the thread out after sewing to cut. #91592 in this book for the 45k89. the bend in the arm is normal. this was the foot that was used with this needle plate and feed dog. not the #91034 you have on it. by the looks of the decals on your machine might be around 1920´s?? regards jimi.

Yes good restoration job lads, well done. looks very sturdy. good to see it working again. C´mon Folker, silver paint AGAIN!

800kms+800kms to buy a €325 carpet stitcher!! you been eating that psychotropic toast again??

Well i took a holiday to Germany ,France,Holland and picked up the two machines i have. one for €125 and the other €43 and had a good holiday at the same time-. they were both from Germany. and thanks to Evo he has been very kind and sent me a roller foot in exchange for sending him a copy of the treadle part. Thanks Evo if i had room enough i would buy it thats for sure! even just to sell on to someone else. but it is too far away for me just for 1 machine. Oh and i almost forgot, i already took in that 45k92 orphan which i will be getting welded. he will be getting sold as there is no room for him. so another one- no no if anyone is interested in a flat bed,very nice reverse which was the last machines of this class to be made, then let me know. the date is later than the last ones on ismac´s list, so it would be 66 or 67 i suppose.

have a 1 day holiday

Just found this when i was surfing, but you would have to be in Germany or close by maybe? www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-anzeige/antike-singer-naehmaschine-mit-tisch/593931686-240-8985