Darren Brosowski

The shuttle on the 144 class is not going to handle anything heavier than #345 and that is pushing it. At most I would run 207 through them on a regular basis and 277 on top. Unfortunately the industry is dominated by dealers full of bullshit who know nothing about true heavy sewing. There are a small number of specialists who know what they are talking about and they are pretty much all sponsors on this page. Talk to them before wasting your money on a machine that will not do the job.

Don't panic. Once you master tensions all will be good. Have you gone back to the shop that sold it to you?

There is also some experimentation involved as the needle/thread size charts are generally for high speed sewing. Depending on thread type, speed, needle quality and experience it is sometimes possible to go one needle size down. Not always and it can even be inconsistent through one piece of leather. Just something else to confuse you with

The spring and adjustment mechanism are very hard to find. I have just bought some spring steel and will be making the flat spring soon. I also make a simplified version of the lift adjustor. Obviously they will be expensive as they are hand made. keep an eye on my ebay page http://stores.ebay.com.au/Able-Sewing?_rdc=1

Hi Mick, A lot also depends on thread size as the lighter machines are generally not great at much over M20 (138) on the bottom end. As you also mentioned on fb wanting to to heavier material at times there probably isn't a "one size fits all" solution

I have a special needle made in China that is almost the same as the 97-10 needle but there are three issues 1/ It is 2mm shorter so the needle bar needs to be adjusted 2/ It is only available in cloth point 3/ They are only available in Nm250 Price is $AU15 per pack of ten so less than $US12 + postage. Contact me on darren@ablesewing.com.au

There are two types of bobbin winder used on the 99k and the older, most common type will not work with most of the spoked balance wheels available as there is not enough adjustment. The simplest fix - if you have this problem is to remove the adjustment screw in the guard, swing the bobbin winder into a working position and mark a new hole. Take the guard off and drill and tap a 3/16" hole. As there is no boss in this position you will need a couple of washers behind the sector arm to support it.

Move the motor all the way up and the measure the belt length with a piece of string. I have about 10 sizes of belt Darren Goulburn NSW 0415 353 748

18g leather needles should be pretty common.

One of the things I do is make a bobbin winder out of Singer 15k parts from China. It is mounted on a bracket - with the original spring - so it can be mounted to the far right and run against the hand wheel all of the time.

Schmetz are the best you can get. GB, Organ, Dotec and TNC are a pretty good second level. Orange from Korea on a good day. There are plenty of others but it can depend on needle class and type of sewing.

Serafil is not as strong as bonded Nylon but has a better feel and inherent UV resistance. I believe that it was designed for sail making and is used in many technical applications. Alll threads are a compromise but I believe it is the best for leather work

LOL Bob, unlike some sellers I have never pretended that the thing is anything other than crude and rude.

Best three threads in order - Serafil, serafil, serafil

The machine I think you are talking about is based on the Wertheim, Claase etc 1860's machines. They are crude but with the right set up can work very well. Primarily they are made for the third world market where they want a simple machine that is portable, can take all sorts of abuse and uses readily available needles. The ABLE290 is what I call the machine and I offer a proper manual as well as a bobbin winder that actually works.

There are a couple of simple problems that many people overlook. If the thread catches up in the upper thread path then it will do two things; fail to form a loop, and pull the needle away from the hook 1/ check the top - pre tension and see of the thread has worn a groove into it. If so then unscrew it and put it back in with a thin washer behind it. This will provide a fresh face for the thread to run over without binding. 2/ Pull apart the main tension and look at the discs. The metal surfaces need to be shiny and may need a polish with fine steal wool. The felt washers need to be oiled. New replacements are available on ebay. 3/ The wear in the take up spring can catch the thread which will cause problems. New spring sets are available on ebay. 4/ The take up lever has an inner wear ring. If there is wear in the ring then you undo the small screw and turn it around to give the thread a clean face. If there is a lot of slop on the bottom end the try turning the inner shuttle race ring around. If both sides are worn then new ones are available on ebay. Important note: when I say these parts are available on ebay I am probably the only supplier offering them. You can also contact suppliers such as Toledo, Cobra or Techsew

Long arm 441's are too awkward but anything else can be hand cranked! Not as good as a treadle but a good way to go and they can always be put on a table later on

Hi all, That is my machine on eBay Australia. Obviously if you are going to run the machine one handed you need a roller guide and I supply that with the machine.

Have you contacted the supplier? If not then you are acting in poor faith. Every supplier here knows that there can be variations from one batch of product to the next and we are not able to test every item. Unless customers let us know there is a problem then we keep shipping them. If the supplier does not respond to the issue then change suppliers.

If you want to buy a 29 direct from China then just go down to the nearest casino as you have more chance of coming out ahead

Seiko still builds the 153 and 158 class as the LSC and LSW so parts will be around for a while The Consew 227R (a Seiko) is still in production and the same machine as the original Singer

If you need new bits I can help as I have been sourcing new parts from all over the world. http://stores.ebay.com.au/Able-Sewing/Singer-45K-/_i.html?_fsub=4575201015&_sid=47422815&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322

Looks like a GA5 and for that price I would buy one from a known dealer. With a roller foot and some fiddling around it can sew 3/4" but it is not something any of us here would suggest trying at home...........

Seiko CW-8B is essentially the cylinder bed version of the 206RB and has more flexibility. Talk to the dealers about your needs

Knowing Singer I would never say that a particular model number is imossible.