Darren Brosowski

Not sure what I was smoking when I read your post The 25k class is probably the most popular leather machine ever built

Servo motor is always an option. Steve (Singermania) and I stock them - I am in NSW. Most people do piping with a left toe zipper foot which is also a good foot for most work

Very sure. Have 30 motors coming soon. These prices are Aussie dollars

Some GA5 parts fit the 45k. The GA5 bottom end is actually closer to a 105 than a 45k as are a number of top end parts

Some very early class 4 machines are a dead ringer for the 45k and I suspect that ADLER may have license built them then made their own improvements. This is pure speculation

I will have 550W and 800W servos in stock soon. The 800W have NPS but run without it - many won't $450 plus postage from Australia for the 800W Also have speed reducers at $295 Can probably knock a dollar or two off for the pair

LOL - pull of the NPS if it will let you

I have stock of shuttles, needle bars, needle clamps, feed dogs, roller feet, shuttle races and a lot of other 45k parts.

Not sure where you got the idea that this is a sole stitcher. Official Singer description is here: http://www.parts.singerco.com/IPpartCharts/45K56_89.pdf

If you want a cylinder bed machine then something along the lines of a Seiko CW-8B or Pfaff 335 clone is excellent. Both are compound feed and very common

Need pictures! Ismacs only list the 25- class and most use the 24X1 needle which is very short. "-", "W" or "K" classes are not always the same machines. As an example the 99k is a domestic while the 99W is a bar tacker

There are always ways and means to make a machine foot lift higher but the important thing is the foot lift during operation.I have figured out how to get a 441 to work up to 1" but it is only going to stress the machine so I am not going to do it unless a customer signs a waiver releasing me from all obligation. Toledo quote 3/4" to 7/8" for the 441 and I suspect that at 7/8" you need to have at least some compressible material.

Hard to tell but think that there is no top tension. Grab the thread to the left of the needle - it should be hard to pull through with the foot down on the work.

Interesting. Did not know that Yamaha built them but compare them to pictures of other machines until you find something that looks similar. A 150/180W domestic motor will run them if you are not going to run it 8 hours per day

Over the last couple of years my business partner and I have imported both Indian and Chinese versions of the Singer 15. The Chinese version has reverse and a knob on the bed to drop the feed dogs. It looks great but is complete and utter shite. Despite replacing numerous parts and 12 hours of work it was never going to run. The Indian version is closer to the original Singer machine but still had numerous problems. I replaced the shuttle with a Taiwanese version and cleaned up a number of parts which got it working. Unfortunately the footlift lever is badly made so that it does not relieve the tension when the foot is lifted.

Just contact Bob Kovar at Toledo Industrial Sewing. These are off the shelf parts

It is possible to get the 441 to sew through over an inch of hard leather but you will be straining the machine frame beyond what it was designed for. The Singer 97-10 will sew through 1" all day long but it is a short arm that weighs almost as much as a 441 so it has the structural rigidity to handle it.

The GA5 owes more to the the ADLER 4 class than the 45k but they are very close.

The GA5 is a pretty good machine when it is set up correctly but at this price on ebay you are wasting your money. There is no reverse and the dealer is unknown to you.

I have been known on a number of sites to make a stand about these old motors. On old motors the insulation breaks down for a number of reasons. If you want to keep the old motor the please use a GFCI or RCD to ensure your safety

The most important thing with anything you buy - including a leather sewing machine - is the support provided by the dealer. All of the dealers on this site have scores of customers who will recommend them and that is more important than any claim about the parts that go into their machines. Realistically the only major improvement that could be made to a 441 is to throw the shuttle away and replace it with the Hirose version from Japan

An oscillating shuttle machine as simple as the 45k is a great place to start learning. If you can rip one apart and get it together then the next step is a 441

Steve, I am a mechanical engineer with experience in design and production. In my early years in the engineering industry I was heavily involved in the design and manufacture of fire fighting equipment for offshore oil platforms and other critical applications. The Chinese tried to copy us but could not work with the materials we used such as 316L. China works on large quantities so I find it hard to believe that for the 441 - which has a market of less than 2000 units per year - that there is more than one manufacturer of any one component. For the price of the machine FOB there is likely to be only one producer of any one component or it would not be worth setting up the machine to produce. The two conrods between top and bottom are forged and the tooling cost is enormous. What tests did you do on these parts?

Not sure where you got this information but the GA5 owes more to ADLER than Singer. The Singer 45k and ADLER 4 are two of the most commonly used leather machines over the last 100 years and were never intended for cloth. Many saddlers swear by these machines and with the correct set up and proper operation will sew leather without leaving marks.

Steve, The GA441 is a very low volume machine by Chinese standards and I find it hard to believe that there is more than one supplier for any of the components. I am a mechanical engineer and have extensive knowledge of production systems. If anyone was serious about making their 441 better then they would throw the shuttle in the bin and replace it with a Japanese Hirose version.