Darren Brosowski

Standard feet are no issue with them. Many people use them for up to 8mm or so of veg tanned. I make an edge guide that people love for belts etc

No need mate as a small adjustment to the machine is easier than trying to grind every needle

The 132k6 was designed as a heavy upholstery machine to sit above the 111/211 class but only has the alternating presser foot arrangement. Due to the heavy weight of the machine head it is regularly used for heavy webbing and canvas up to 8-10mm Unlike almost all other rotary shuttle machines it can handle up to #345 thread

If it works then no problem. The needle point is pushed further to the left with the round shank so sometimes I need to move the bed - bottom arm - to bring the needle back to the right position. To do that I just loosen off the three bolts underneath, adjust then tighten the bolts up again. I love proving people wrong too and I have sold hundreds of these machines when people in the industry laughed at me!! As they are so solid my warranty rate is virtually zero.

Serious machine sellers would rather point out the limitations of the machine that you think you want. I am an engineer with marketing training and have worked in sales for most of my life and the main thing I have learned is that it costs a lot of money to attract a customer but nothing but honesty to keep them. When someone contacts me about a machine the first question I ask is "what do you want to sew" and we go from there. Guys like Bob and Ronnie have built their business on doing this and that is the model I follow

At this point it is a cast sewing machine body on a pretty base. The sharp eyed amongst you have noticed that all of the internals are sitting in the plastic container. It was a Consew 227r that has serious wear issues in some of the feed and walking foot components as well as a stuffed clutch mechanism. I am converting it to a Seiko CW-1 darning machine where I am making a custom foot lift mechanism.

Steve, I have never seen a Chinese version of the Mitsubishi. The standard name for the 132b2b clone from China is a variation of 253. The version without reverse is called the 1100. I used to import a 132b2b clone called the MT253 but there are numerous variations of the name

That looks like a Cornelli type machine in the background?

Singer did build Industrial versions of the 15 class. The internals of the 15 class are also used on the 16, 17, 18 and 19 class machines which are all "industrial".

Before playing with timing it may simply be that the swing arm - the bit to the left of the triangle in the second still from Uwe is not set to allow your thread thickness through. If the thread does not run through cleanly your stitch will look like crap so just undo the screw and open the gap a bit

Does it look like this? http://www.sewingmachinesaustralia.com.au/shop/buy-spare-parts/protex/protex-ty-twi-2b

The Chinese 253 machines are usually a clone of the 132B6B so to adjust the stitch length you hold down the lever on the front - roughly where Constabulary is pointing to - and turn the hand wheel until the lever clicks into one of the slots on the internal wheel. Keep holding the lever down then turn the handwheel. Cannot remember which but turn the wheel one way and the stitch length increases, turn it the other and it decreases. Watch the feed dog to work out the direction

One of my toys for a darning machine.

Leather point needles are available in 21/130 which at hand crank speed is more than enough for 138/M20 thread. Some of my 29k customers use the 21/130 needles for 138/M20 in their 29k patchers. If you asked I would tell you that the bed of the Chinese patchers is adjustable and you could use the 134 class needle which is readily available in 22/140 leather point. Needle length is the same so no need to adjust the timing.

Hi Axeman, The answer is........ not really. 20oz is about 8mm and that is way more than any patcher can do! There are five different patchers from China starting with the basic one that will do everything a 29k will do, three bigger versions of this machine up to the Chinese 29k variant. The basic model will, depending on the individual machine, punch through 14oz all day long. Generally the Chinese 29k is limited to 10oz but someone like Bob Kovar at Toledo can probably make it sew through thicker material. Then there are the other three machines that use the same system of cam driven arms as the 1860's Wertheim machines. They are bigger, heavier and use bigger needles BUT they are not designed for heavy leather. There are many limitations as they are designed to sew through thick soft material. Save your pennies and buy a CB2500 at the absolute minimum.

Cowboy has a dealer in Australia and we carry a wide range of machines in stock. If we do not have it then we can bring it in for you. Contact Darren Brosowski - ABLE Sewing - on 0415 353 748. We also ship to NZ so email me on darren@ablesewing.com.au

The Consew 227/Seiko CW8 and all horizontal hook machines have the same issue that confounds new owners; When threading up the bottom it is absolutely critical that you get the thread under the tension spring by pulling it firmly to the left and then making sure you have tension. If you fail to do this then you will have exactly the problem that you are experiencing!!

It is most definitely a Singer 15 class as the tension and take up are on the faceplate. The 201 also has a different slide plate.

It is still a lockstitch zig-zag machine but there is a special cover plate that replaces the three used for standard sewing.

You can achieve the same thing using the Singer 20U class machines. There are two positions for the knee bar - one lifts the foot and the other swings the needle bar for embroidery.

Try contacting Meta in Taiwan sales_c@miketony.com.tw for parts and feet. The machine uses the U192/U193 feet and there are many types available Price is dependent on supply and demand so if there are very few machines on the market that may well be a reasonable price.

Not a 31k as the tension is on the face plate and not the front. Body shape is totally wrong for a 31 class.

That machine looks like a Singer 9 which is the Weeler and Wilson 9 that Singer kept building after they bought the company. It was popular because it was a rotary shuttle when Singer built oscillating shuttle machines up until the introduction of the 101/201 class. There was a rotary shuttle 15 class but they are as rare as rocking horse poop.

I generally suggest oiling AFTER you finish sewing for the day then clean it up next time you sew. ALWAYS run a bit of scrap through first. The first thing I do with every old machine is a good clean up to get the built up oil, lint and crap out of the machine. Pull off all of the covers, take out the presser foot bar and needle bar and anything else easy to put back in. If the machine is really cruddy I also remove the two feed dog bars so I can clean out the bearing surfaces. It might seem daunting but start with a Singer 15 class machine and if you can get that working again then you will have no problem with a 16, 17 or 18 class machine as they are essentially the same. Even the 31 is essentially a super heavy 15

I have an S2 sitting around here and it is a lovely piece of engineering. Normally I try to get machines running but the Reece is not something I am willing to spend time on as it is too complicated and there is no market for them!