Darren Brosowski

For the relatively small numbers that are out there I am constantly astounded by how often users are posting problems with the Tippman machines. On the other hand people are buying machines then adding servo motors and reduction pulleys to get them to run at low speed. To make any speed adjustment you need to lean under the table while the machine is active to press a set of buttons. If you want reliability, simple speed control and two handed control of the work then buy the machine you need and mount it on an industrial treadle base. I have watched Jim Beaton run an Adler 205 clone on a Singer treadle going slower than the best servo motor and then flat out. No playing with buttons - just perfect operator control

Anything made in Germany will have labeling to proudly and loudly announce the fact so no label = made in China. Made in EU could be Poland, Czech republic or elsewhere. Some Adler machines are made in the old Minerva factory in the Czech republic and this is not necessarily a bad thing as the old Minerva machines I have are every bit as good as the Pfaff 30. The Pfaff 30 is about the best straight stitch domestic machine ever built so this is high praise.

The machines I have brought in are brand new and my business partner and I specialise in vintage machines. The Indian 130 has been modified from the original design to do excellent (we hope) free motion embroidery so it has potential if the machine quality is ok. Dozens of companies are importing shit quality plastic domestic sewing machines so why can't I throw a couple of new build cast iron machines into the mix?

I think I have the Frankenstein of all Singer 45k25 Machines. It is about 75% Singer but it also has a bunch of parts from India, China and a couple of my own adaptations. You are probably wondering why but it is an exercise in finding parts to keep these wonderful machines running on for another 100 years.

LOL, I have toys here that Steve wants but he isn't going to get them His Puritan is a toy compared to mine and I have more 16, 17, 18 and 19 class Singers than him. We like annoying each other with our latest toys. Steve and I have different businesses but we both love old machines and for me I love the fact that I am is first port of call for obsolete parts.

There are lots of cars in Europe but you keep importing low tech ones from India and China.

Stuff the lot of you - I've been there twice

In the same shipment I have an Indian 15k (very good), Pfaff 130 style (pretty good) and Singer114 (OK - ish) but the 45 is horrible. They have not even cleaned out the casting sand in the top half of the body!!!!!! They started out with the original Singer tooling but have gone backwards in the last 50 years so I think they will be worse in 20 years time. Some parts are ok and I have ordered a number of parts kits as I can use many parts in my workshop. Unfortunately I cannot put most on the open market as I need to individually fit them to machines. The feed crank and adjustment mech is going into a Singer 45k25 I have here. Have ground all of the nasty sharp bits out of the body and when it is fully cleaned up I will convert it to a darner for horse rugs. The needle plates can be used after some mods so they are also on order. I needed to slow down a GA5 and the balance wheel fits perfectly.

I had high hopes but low expectations of the Singer 45k25 built in India. Up until this the worst machine I have ever had was a Chinese built 15k that looked great but didn't work at all. The 45k sort of works but looks like shit and has so many issues but it qualifies as the worst machine I have ever seen. Yes, there are some parts that can be used to fix a Singer 45k but overall it is horrible. If you see one advertised online then do yourself a favour and ignore it.

Wiz is the man. When setting machines up for customers I tend to start with relatively light tensions and let the customer tighten them up to suit. Apart from getting the threads to "knot" in the center of the work there are variations in appearance that customers want to achieve depending on the work they are doing. Tensions are both simpler and more complicated than what is normally discussed

These machine heads are only worth $50 each so just keep an eye out for a spare at the right price.

If you need a portable machine for canvas or light leatherwork (at a pinch) then the LSZ style is one of the limited types out there but for the same money you could pick up a Consew 206RB or a whole bunch of better second hand cylinder or flat bed machines.

A 29k58 can be fixed. Call Bob Kovar.

The patcher always has a place in the leather shop so never get rid of it.

The 241 was designed as a high speed machine for 3000sm. If you gear it down to 600 or so SPM then there is very little load on the bearings so wear is not an issue.

Every new machine takes time to get used to. If leather sewing was easy then every idiot would be doing it so take it as a win every time you learn something new. It is possible to make custom feed dogs but the investment in tooling is scary.

It annoys everyone else in the industry in Australia but I am self taught and use my training as a design engineer when I set sewing machines up for people. Things like the Singer 16, 17, 18, 19 or even 31/44 class I build special mountings to run them with 180W domestic motors. Something like a 45k needs a 4 pole 550/600W industrial motor with a 30mm ID pulley. A good quality clutch motor can give you good control.

The sailrite is a great machine for sewing light material but it is based on a domestic machine body. For small, light work it is fine but from my own experience with imported machines from Taiwan I really don't see a lot of point for the cost.

The Singer 66 is the most basic machine they made. If you want a Singer machine then I would suggest the model 15. Most Singer domestic machines were pretty ordinary. A great machine for light leather is the PFAFF 30 which is amazingly robust. There are other European machines such as the Minerva which crap all over the Singer domestic machines. They are not true leather machines but a great starter machine and can always be used for wallet liners.

Up to about 4mm a Singer 15 or the Japanese central bobbin machines will sew up to #138 but the ultimate is a Pfaff 30. They are not leather sewing machines but a cheap starter setup and always good for wallet liners. Anything that does a zig-zag is a waste of time for reasons too numerous to mention.

I am never comfortable when people say one machine is all you need. Every serious leather worker has at least three machines but 5 or six is better........

I've only had a couple of 133k machines. The first was a 133k13 darner and currently on the workbench is a 133k12 which is also a darner but uses a simple mechanism on top of the needle bar to lift the presser foot.

The 153W class starts at 153W100 so the 153WSV19 is an oddball design. If the machine was a simple modification they usually used the number that the machine was based on but to confuse the issue there appear to have been different conventions between the W, K and head office variants. SV could be an attachment or could be a basting version and without testing you will not know.

Sounds like something in the mechanism that drives the outer foot has come lose. Rotate the machine by hand and see if you can detect where one of the rotating parts is not driving its appropriate component.

It is a fine line between marking the leather and proper feed. The heat shrink tube - used for electrical connections - is a good solution.