gottaknow

Funny you mention that Wiz. It was my original intention of doing just that. We do most of our leather edge dyeing and beveling with a conveyer system. This was a real rush project, so it required a quick solution. These down jackets and vests will be repeat styles for us, no by next year I'd have time to re-design it. Ideally we should do it in Seattle right after it's die cut. Production costs are pretty low with my primitive set up. The operators got it down to about a minute per piece. I'll post a pic when I get time of the binder detail and the finished product. Regards, Eric

I posted this in the tools forum, and thought I'd share it here. This sheepskin is for hood trim on a few styles of our down jackets and vests. It buttons into the hood brim. The sheepskin is die cut and needed to have the edges trimmed in order to put binding on. I set up a Singer 153K103 with a binding folder that finishes at 1/2". We then put several buttons through the binding using a Brother lockstitch button tacker. The trim is then inserted between two facings on the hood where it can be buttoned into place. My buttonhole machine is and old Reece S2. Our design department basically handed this to me and said "figure it out", which is what I do. Our engineers had no clue how to accomplish trimming these in a timely manner that could be done in production with a piece rate. Total expense using parts I had on hand including the heavy duty Wahl clipper was $150. Build time was about 4 hours. Regards, Eric

Thought I'd share my solution to trimming the edges of sheepskin hood trim for down jackets we're making in the factory. We had about 900 of these to do before the binding could be put on with a Singer 153k. After binding, the trim gets buttons and is fitted into the brim of the hood. That way it's removable. The clipper are heavy duty Wahl, made in the USA. I fashioned a guide out of an old presser foot which follows the edge of the ruler to trim exactly 1/2" of the hair off. The clamp is raised with an air cylinder controlled with a knee switch. The vacuum is routed through a momentary foot switch for hands free operation. We're half way through the 900 with no issues other than keeping the clipper oiled. These are amazing clippers by the way. Regards, Eric

Sounds good. I'll get it crated proper. I need to write some oiling instructions out along with a few other things to help you have an easier time with it including your limitations with thread and leather thickness. It could use a new hook, but I'd only replace it with an original and given the oil issues, I wouldn't invest the cost. It'll still sew plenty and I'll include some samples. Glad you got moved! Regards, Eric

You rock Wiz. Seriously. Regards, Eric

On most classes, Schmetz have longer eyes, making them easier to thread. They also have slightly longer scarfs which allow advancing and retarding timing on lockstitches. I use a fair amount of GrozBeckertt, but on my lockstitch machines I use Schmetz. Regards, Eric

Regardless whether the machine is new or used, the buyer should understand that ALL machines will at some point need to be adjusted, or repaired, have parts changed etc. I have purchased for factory use well over 1,000 machines of all make and class, new and used. My personal expectations are that each and every one of them will have to be worked on at some point. That's what I expect, so when it happens, I don't get upset. People get upset when their expectations are not met. In many cases, they simply expected the machine to be "plug and play". Beware of anyone making a claim that the machine will always work like a charm, they don't. A lot of the time the new owner messes it up themselves. In a factory, I can just walk over, make the adjustment, educate the operator hands on, and be done with it. Not the case for most folks on the forum. In my honest opinion, I'd rather have someone available to talk me through an issue if I knew nothing about machines. At some point, the end user has to assume some responsibility in making sure they're not doing something that causes problems over and over. I don't really have a dog in this fight, but I had some time during lunch. Regards, Eric

Hi folks, I'm wondering what if any tool or machine can be used for removing the hair from the edge of sheepskin so that it can be machine sewn, with or without binding. We're using it on down jackets around the rim of the hood. I'm thinking high quality electric shears with a vacuum attachment. Anyone? Thanks in advance. Regards, Eric

If you've tightened the top tension with no results, and the machine is threaded correctly, the next thing with random looping is the latch opener. The latch opener pulls the small tab on the bobbin basket towards the operator, allowing the needle thread thread to pass and set the stitch. The random nature of your loops is more likely to be the latch opener than the tension. Thread getting caught at any point to the needle will pull up the bobbin thread, not loop the needle thread on the bottom. Old thread can do this as well, but I'm ruling that out because you've tried different thread. If you search this forum for "latch opener" you'll find more info with pictures. I'm sitting in an airport, so I don't have the pics on my laptop. After that, your hook timing could be suspect, but my guess is the latch opener. Have fun! Regards, Eric

Hi stranger. It seems the longer I tinker with your machine, the better it's getting. I'm in our Seattle factory this week, but when I get back I'll post some pics of my latest sewing. It's sewing two ply of 8-9 oz. bridle leather with no skipping or thread breakage. It could really use a new hook, but I'm not sure I'd invest the money in that. As for the oil, the holes are all drilled in the right places and I've oiled it to see if I have dry spots after sewing. Before I send it back, I want to have done enough sewing to give you an accurate, honest evaluation. At this point, I believe the machine is usable and will produce a nice stitch. I've been using T135 bonded nylon top and bottom with a size 22 needle. It seems to like that combination. I put some T208 through it which it didn't like that well. I hope to get you some pics this weekend. I've been traveling every week for the last 6 weeks, mainly training the handful of mechanics we have. Regards, Eric

I've been able to find time to drill holes in the top cover so this machine can be kept oiled. I'll follow up with pictures when I can. I've been spending a fair amount of time in our Seattle factories in the past few weeks. I still need to smooth up the holes and paint them. After that's all done I can put everything back together and do the final sew off. It's been quite the process. Oh, I'll do another oil change too. Regards, Eric

I spent a few days on the one we have in our Seattle luggage factory this week. Not for the faint of heart. Regards, Eric

Thanks Jodi, Information and education are always needed. Even after 35 years of machine repair, I'm still learning. Regards, Eric

There's a lot wisdom there, especially for the hobbyist. Automatic oiling systems are great for factories and upholstery shops that sew at higher speed. Used production machines that find their way to the hobbyist can be trouble as far as the oiling systems go. That's why I made the choice to convert the top end to a manually oiled system. If you don't use the machine for 3 months, oil it up and you're good to go. One of my personal machines is a Singer 111 needle feed. All manually oiled. It's been stored for 4 years but I know after a quick oiling, it'd be ready to go. On another note, here's my shop. There's an outer part where we rebuild machines and do major repairs, and the inner shop where all the tools are. I do have a bench that you can't see behind the tool chest where on occasion I'll work on just a head. We get really busy during the week, so first thing Monday morning, my apprentice gets to clean and put away everything...paying his dues so to speak. Regards, Eric

So today, I mapped out the required locations for oil on the top shaft, and the end of the head where the needle bar resides. I removed most of the wicks that were fed from the failed shaft pump. Because the end of the head was oiled from those wicks, gravity will carry oil back to them. I spent some time thinking about the best way to oil this part of the machine. I kept coming back to something Singer stood by going way back. If you manually oil the critical parts each day you use the machine, there's nothing to fail. It also ensures that if a long time goes between use, gravity won't drain everything and there's no pump to fail or under perform at slow speed. The top cover of this machine lends itself to some strategic small oil holes, painted red. That was Singers universal language for "oil here". It also gives the next owner the ability to oil the machine without an explanation. The return oil wicks will still take care of any over-oiling issues. Sometimes the simplest ways are the best. No covers will have to be removed since the end of the machine will be fed from the top. I also figured out today that the break in the top oiling system, (sight glass area) came before the contamination of the lower oil sump. There is no rust on that end of the machine. If there were, this machine may be a total loss, depending on the extent of the pitting. What's left is drilling and painting the new holes, flushing the lower sump one more time, and more test sewing to make sure things are good still. Oh, I still have to make a new tension unit for the bobbin winder. The bad news is the lower shaft seals will continue to leak and the timing belt worries me because of the oil. It will be up to the owner to try and keep it wiped clean. It would be interesting to price out all the new components to rebuild the oil system the way it once was. I have done that on certain specialty machines, but your average industrial isn't worth the expense or labor. To get this machine back to original would require removing most of the larger shafts. With the pitting, some would have to be replaced. Of course it would be fun, but not cost effective. Regards, Eric

Welcome to the forum! The trick isn't knowing what 2 or 3 simple adjustments to make, the trick is knowing the 40 other adjustments not to make. This particular machine had some serious issues, I've got it sewing, but now the oil system is getting re-done. You can read about the progress in the pinned portion of the forum. I'm on the home stretch. Regards, Eric

The condition you describe is called a "flag" skip. The leather is rising with the needle, not pinching the thread to form a loop for the hook. The easiest way to resolve this without changing the design is to simply hold down the bottom ply of leather as the feet come off the step so it doesn't rise with the needle. You can use about anything from a screwdriver to a pair of tweezers, whatever you have handy. Make the few stitches slowly as you press the bottom ply down until the feet are flat again. Make sure you don't sew over what you use to hold it with. Regards, Eric

It's hard to say Uwe. I've seen it go both ways. It all depends on whether or not the pump loses it's prime after sitting a while. I wish there wasn't any corrosion so I could actually test its output. I do think that any machine with a pump for the top shaft should be run at high speed every so often, like winding a bobbin. It's easy on most machines to simply remove the end cover and check for signs of oil. I would encourage everyone that does hobby sewing with an industrial machine to check this. You should be able to pinch a wick and get oily fingers. If not, I would sure start oiling by hand every place you see a wick and then some. I would venture to say, over a 35 year career that every machine I've seen ruined started with an oil issue. We wouldn't dream of driving our cars without oil. Regards, Eric

I set the hook to just bump the needle slightly, then bend the guard on the hook out just enough to deflect the needle clear of the hook. You want the hook as tight as you can get it. When you sew, the needle deflects to the left, more with thicker material. If you have the guard already putting a slight pressure on the needle, the needle will bend less. This prevents skipped stitches and thread breakage. You don't want to sew until you've corrected this, it will kick up a burr on your new hook and you'll have to emery it clean already. Regards, Eric

Ok, so as I covered before, there is a lot of corrosion in the main oil sump. I still don't know how it got there. What I do know, is the majority of the corrosion is within the areas exposed to the oil. The sump itself is covered. Most of the time, you can scrape the rust off. In this machine, the corrosion is of the pitting variety. It's eaten into the metal. The exception to that is the bronze bushings, they of course contain no iron. I drained the oil out of the machine into a glass jar. It was obvious right away that there was water in the sump. Needless to say, the screw type oil pump is not working. The pictures below will show why the pump failed. Since the broken sight glass is part of the oil system, it's done for as well. Today my goal was to see the extent of the damage, test the pump,(failed) and proceed with a new oil system for the top shaft. The pictures below pretty much tell the story. Aside from adding water with the oil, the only other possibility is the vent tube that angles down into the sump. It's about a 5/16" metal tube. The vent tube isn't unique to enclosed oil systems. This one is a very bad design. The entry port is on the back edge of the casting. If a cleaner was used even just a few times on the stand or machine, it would run right down into the sump. A chemical along with the water would explain the high level of corrosion and unusual pitting. The pitting is also on the aluminum, the cast iron, and the hardened steel. I wish I had the history of this machine. A better design would have the vent entry port pointed down under the head. Regards, Eric

Ok, got my traveling out of the way for now, so spending time with the oil system for the top end. So far, I've determined the pump on the bottom shaft that used to supply oil to the top end is corroded and will be of no use. I plugged it with a piece of brazing rod and tucked it out of the way of in the top arm. I have many parts machines in which to harvest oil components from. Wicks, tubes, reservoirs, etc. I have taken a lot of pictures today, and I'll edit and upload them as time permits. I'm thinking the new oil system will be comprised of some oil holes drilled in the top cover, and perhaps a reservoir with a wick system for other components. If this machine has any kind of future, the top shaft and all of it's components need a supply of oil. I love being in my shop at work when nobody is here. This place is using pretty noisy. Rather than work, this is relaxing for me, so don't anyone feel sorry for me...my wife's working all day as it is. I do love what I do. Regards, Eric

Go to any auto parts store and ask for belt dressing. I prefer the stick variety over the spray. It's a lot less messy and lasts a long time. Regards, Eric

Yep, what DC said. It was before they figured out they could stuff the clutch into the motor housing. I have several versions of that on some of my older machines. The Singer design was pretty cool. I have a Singer 7 machine that has a bigger version of that. Not OSHA approved, not even close...heh. Regards, Eric

I totally agree that home users could perhaps benefit from different lubes. They could also benefit from actually using the oil that came with their machine more than once every 5 years. I've used TriFlow on home portables that I get conned into fixing. I can tell if the unit has been oiled, if not I figure some TriFlow can keep the machine looser over time, but I can't prove it or discount it because the builders of the machine want you to use oil, so there's no R&D to look at. The best system for slow machines is the wick. The Singer 211 class has a decent wick system. Your wicks provides oil as the machine needs it, fast or slow. The 211's have a decent size oil well on top of the machine. They do have a little ingenious oil booster that uses the laws of cohesion to make the oil head into the wicks. It simply is a weight on a spring that vibrates with the machine. The oil is pulled up into the gap between the weight and a curved plate. The faster you sew, the more the weight moves and the more oil the wicks get. It's also gravity fed, so there's no mechanical pump that can fail. The only thing I have operators do is put a drop of oil in the bobbin basket race 1 or 2 times a day. It simply makes the hooks last longer. The 211 hook shafts do have a screw type pump milled into them. They do pull oil up to the hook, but it never makes it to the bobbin race. Juki is now using a thin grease on their new lockstitch models in some areas. They are claiming there is less oil in the head, so less oil to clean. Time will tell, the jury will be out for a while. I've got 10 new ones in use, so we'll see. Btw, if that chainstitch machine is even a little out of adjustment, you know it right away.... Regards, Eric

The reason nothing much has evolved in sewing machine lubrication is simple. There's been no demand to justify the R&D expense because what the industry worldwide is using still works. If the industry standard oil can keep this two needle chainstitch running 8 hours a day since 1974, at 3000 stitches per minute then why bother? This machine fells 100 yards of cotton for flag stripes without stopping. It takes less than a minute to change rolls and restart. The machine is a Union Special 56400 P. It is entirely lubricated by a violent splash system that can easily throw oil 3 feet high with the top cover removed. Regards, Eric