gottaknow

Tom, check your threading with my attached pic from my manual and also on the corrections I made on your picture, if you can understand it. Oh, when you go under your take up spring, pull up on the thread. If it's correct, you'll see the spring go up and down like a shock absorber. Looks to me like the way you've threaded it, you're pulling too much thread into the stitch. From there, go straight up to the upper wide guide, then the take up lever, then back down through the upper wide guide. Then down through the smaller guide. Skip that lower smaller guide on your way up to the take up lever. I know, a bit confsuing. Regards, Eric

It sounds like you need to move your needle bar and your feed dogs foward in order to clear the walking foot. The attached pics show the clamp screws and location of them to make the adjustment. I would start with the feed dog adjustment. Loosen the two clamp screws (16). You can then move your feed dogs foward. After tightening that up, loosen the clamp screw (12) for the needle bar and move it forward to match the feed dog needle hole. Insert a needle and center it in the hole in the feed dogs. This should give you the clearance you need. Hope it helps. After you can sew without interference, we can get it working with your thread. The first thing will be getting a really good stitch with the poly thread you have, then making adjustment for the other you want to use. Regards, Eric

Once your upper and lower shafts are timed. You can check the height of your needle bar as follows: Turn the needle bar all the way down then bring it up 3/32". If the point of your hook isn't close to the needle, now's the time to move it closer to the needle. Using the point of your hook as a reference, the hook point should be about 1/16" above the eye of the needle. I usually move both the needle bar and hook at the same time, but I do this everyday. Move your hook point to be centered on the needle, then adjust the needle bar to get the 1/16" above the eye. Once the needle bar is the correct height and your hook is close by, you can set the distance to the needle as I described earlier. After you get the hook and needle timed, you need to check your latch opener adjustment. It's the flat curve piece in the picture that contacts the bobbin basket. As your hook carries the needle thread around the hook, this latch opener pulls the little tab that fits into the throat plate open to allow the thread to slip through. You want it just enough to allow the thread to pass. If you open the gap too far, you'll bring the tab over and contact the opposite side or your throat plate. I check this setting with fabric as the machine is forming stitches. Regards, Eric

The gear normaly has a timing mark or an "a" or "b" stamped on it, or a line stamped on it. If it's not oriented on the shaft correctly, it changes the timing. If there's NO marks at all on the gear, then it won't matter. You can go by the timing mark shown in your picture and mine. If I have a machine that I've retimed, and there's no mark on the gear, I use a small cold chisel and create a timing mark between the gear and the casting of the machine. The reason being, if someone follows me and rotates that lower gear to the next screw, the timing will be off between the two shafts. For your machine, if your take up lever is up, and your timing mark is lined up on the shaft, you should have those two shafts timed. Again, that's not where you time your hook. Regards, Eric

You have a safety clutch release. It's designed to disengage when your machine is jammed. The timing is primarily the same. Take up lever all the way up there should be a timing mark somewhere on that gear that will line up with the timing mark on the lower shaft, or the casting when the take up lever is all the way up. That's the position you want your belt syncronized between the upper and lower shaft. Eric Oh, and I should mention that's not the position where you time your hook to your needle. That's just the timing between the two shafts.

Ok, here's the first set of pics in order to make sure your shaft timing is correct. The machine shown is a Singer 112, a two needle version of the 111. Pay attention to how the set screws are on the lower belt gear. Orient that gear with the set screw shown. After that, move your take up lever all the way up. If your shafts are timed, the letter "B" mark on the belt gear will line up with the timing mark on the frame of the machine. If not remove the belt, leave the take up lever all the way up, and move and hold the lower gear with the "B" stamped on the gear. Replace the belt in this position. Your final belt timing will have your takeup lever all the way up, the lower "B" mark lined up with the line on the casting, and the arrow on the lower shaft lined up as well. Start with that and I'll follow up with my method of timing these machines. Regards, Eric

No problem Tom. I've got pics to upload for you tonight. Should help you get things going.

I'm still thinking one of your timing gears for the upper and lower shafts aren't in the right spot in order to use the timing marks between the upper and lower shafts. I'll take pics for you tommorow so you can orient them accordingly. Then you can proceed to do your hook timing. If your feed timing is off, you can't set that either until your top and bottom shafts are coordinated. Once the shafts are timed correctly, you'll achieve all the other settings. Regards, Eric

It's something I've been thinking of for years. A hands on approach as well as some classroom style teaching. It's been a very satisfying career. Aside from the flags, we also make tactical gear, jackets, pants, uniforms etc. Regards, Eric

Nicely done! Regards, Eric

I've been a mechanic since 1980. I was very fortunate that I worked under two masters of the craft. It's not enough to know how to turn a screwdriver. I've fixed many more machines by NOT using a screwdriver. I've apprenticed several mechanics over the years. It takes about 5 years in a factory setting to get someone accomplished. A new mechanic mistake is to always want to tear the machine down to the bearings, when in fact, it's simply threaded wrong. I have over the years wanted to present teaching material in an easy to understand format. With videos, Utube, dvds and such, I think now's the time to start this project while I still can.heh At this point, I'm thinking a series of Utube videos from my factory where all my resource materials and machines are would be a good place to do it. When I have something online, I'll let folks know. Here's a short video about the factory I take care of. Regards, Eric http://youtu.be/qrOxSfFLCZ4

I'll be on the road tommorow looking at some new machines, but I will take some photos for you of the critical timing issues on the 111. I thought I had some pics of everything here on my home computer. It sounds like your timing belt is off a tooth or so. You can't always go by the shaft timing marks since people move those without knowing. Certain screws go into the upper and lower shaft grooves to orient them before you place the timing belt. If that's off, you'll never get the machine to sew correctly. After that, the timing is straight forward and simple. In the mean time, when you do set your hook to your needle, let the hook just barely nick the needle, then use the guard on the hook to move the needle away from the needle. You can do with a flat screwdriver (it's bendy). You need to do this as when sewing thicker fabric, your needle will deflect away from your hook. Without a tiny bit of deflection of the needle to start with, you'll likely get skipped stitches. As the take up lever moves down, it gives your thread slack to travel around the hook. When it rises back up, it helps set the stitch. If at loop taking time by your hook, there's too much slack from your take up lever, your top and bottom shaft timing is off which once corrected you'll be able to set your timing on your hook. Regards, Eric

Thanks Bill. It was a fun vest to make.

I have a Singer 7 at the factory that will sew that. We use it on tactical gear including plastic inserts in deployment packs. Regards, Eric

This is a down vest I made using deerskin and denim. The vest has no collar in order to fit under raingear or another parka. I've made many jackets and vests. This one is special as this was the last deer my dad and I hunted together. It's a basic western design with an upper yoke made from the deerskin. The low fronts and back are good quality demin. Since denim is not downproof, the down is enclosed in 200 count nylon. The fronts and backs are quilted and then the shell is attached inside out. Leave just enough opening on the hem and pull it through then close it with a topstitch. The hand warming pockets are my from Pendleton wool. Regards, Eric

Thanks for that Ed.

Thanks Bob, if you by chance get a line on either one, I'd be interested. Regards, Eric

It seems I've done business with your company in years past. I keep seeing your name here and it sounds familiar. I've worked for several large factories as a head mechanic going back to 1980. Since I'm here and you're here I have a few machines I'd like to locate. The first is a Union Special 56400P. I'm looking for just the head, working or not. The other is a Singer 320W222. It's a long arm version of a 300W needle feed with a puller. Head only would be fine, working or not. It seems I never have time to search during the day and thought I say howdy and see what's out there. Regards, Eric

As a whole, Mitsubishi's are decent machines. I just rebuilt a 15 year old 2 needle machine with all the bells and whistles and it's performing well. Their hooks need to be kept oiled, above what the hook oiler provides. (At slow speeds, this is probably a non-issue.) If not, you'll get some binding on the basket (where the bobbin goes) which can break thread and cause other issues. Best check on any machine with verticle hooks is to remove the bobbin and move the basket all around inside the hook. If there's a lot of play, stay away from it. Other than that, they're pretty decent machines. I have about 15 various models and ages of Mitsubishi's and they all still perform well. Regards, Eric

I'd avoid Yamata's all together. Sure, they're ok for putt putt operations but the first thing to go are the needle bar bushings. After that happens, the hook gets taken out and it's downhill from there. They simply don't put enough graphite in their bushings. A lot of the early Japanese machines and the current Chinese machines have the same issues. I have Singers from the 50's and 60's that have been used hard and their bushings are tighter than 5 year old Yamatas. Just because a manufacturer says a machine will sew 5000 spm, doesn't mean they will for very long. I run my Juki 5410's (a Singer 211 clone) at 3800 spm. They run wide open, 8 hours a day. Even at that speed, the hook oiler throws so much oil I've made guards to keep the operators legs dry. Turn the oilers down and the hooks get too warm. I would hesitate to buy anything you can't sit down and sew on first. 30 some years ago, you could find a mechanic from a factory who worked on the side. I still do that after 33 years. Factories are few and far between now. Techs that work on home machines simply haven't been exposed to enough industrials. If you have an experienced leather worker (don't forget about shoe repair shops) or upholstery shop nearby, those folks get pretty good because their living depends on it. Best of luck. Regards, Eric

I have 10 Singer 211G157's that have a factory reverse feed. These are pretty scarce. Regards, Eric

Singer designed the 153 series for factory work. I still use several of them for hemming cuffs on jackets. In the factory, especially on a cuff where the stitch would be next to the skin, we sew around the cuff and simply overlap where we started by about 6-8 stitches. There's no need to backtack, it would slow down the operation. The overlapping tie-in secures the stitch. There's also a modified backtack, (though it doesn't lend itself to leather) where upon reaching the end of a seam, you simply lift the foot slightly, pull back the work about 5 stitiches and sew over the end again. People that do this in production all day long do it faster than a manual backtack. Doing this on leather leaves an open loop of thread that would be unsightly. If there's a stress point, we simply use an automatic bartack machine and do all the stress points on the jacket or pant at one time near the end of the production process. I do have some 211's with a backtack lever, though there weren't very many of them made. I'll see if I can find them on my inventory list. (we have 600 machines). We assemble as much as we can in the factory with chainstitch machines to eliminate bobbin changes and bartack where needed with an automatic. On our tactical gear, we bartack almost all the seams with an automatic. Our workhorse lockstitch machines are Juki 5410's. They are a 211 clone with compound feed. They use an AC servo motor with a programmable console for backtacking and many other features. Underbed trimmers, auto foot lifts, positioners etc. Regards, Eric

Those are nice guides photoshutter. I use them for mounting guides and swing away folders. Really nice that they swing clear without removing and losing your adjustment. There's also a larger version with a solid square plate for mounting heavier folders and such. The three sided ones Wiz spoke of are nice too. Really solid. Regards, Eric

Wiz has some good advice there, so I'll add just a bit. It's very common on those baskets for the tension spring to get fatigued. For that matter, it happens in newer machines as well, more so on machines with vertical hooks like your 211. You can remove the spring by taking out the adjustment screw and then the anchor screw. Gently reshape the spring so it's a tighter "C" shape than when you started. It doesn't take much. You can buy yourself some time as the spring will need to be replaced eventually. I magnetize most of my screwdrivers to hold on to the little devils, and also for restarting them. I have about 60 of those machines in storage, so if you need an uncommon part, let me know. I have an extensive parts inventory. Regards, Eric

Very nice. Regards, Eric