leecopp

Hey AlZilla, My bluff is that it is a Wheeler and Wilson Industrial machine, perhaps a #12

Hey Mr David, I have attached a copy of the page from the Seiko STH 8BLD 3 manual previously posted by Gregg at Keystone (MHRIP). My link to the original does not seem to be working. Best of luck. Lee Seiko-sth-8bld-3_Manual-Table-Keystone.pdf

Hey Friends, The one facebook pictures shows the model as a 15NL - A class 15 nostalgia machines (1980s?+). The tells for me are the very good decals and the very new looking treadle cabinet. These machines are still being made but generally not the same build quality as the older "production machines". The treadle cabinet looks very modern and seems to be missing the flip top to cover the drop head. I owned one briefly when I was in my acquisition phase .. I had a tough time getting it to sew and was fortunate that the seller took it back. Perhaps a nice look pretty machine, but I would be surprised if it suited for serious sewing. Happy Days. lee

Hey Mr Pete, A 31-15 is a garment sewing machine. A rugged design allows it to be pushed a bit further including boot top decorations. Max thread size is usually V69 (like jeans topstitching thread). With only an "underfeed" you dont get much help for sticky or stiff material, and not much help with keeping the stacks of material lined up. SO if you have room for more than one machine the 31-15 will be handy for lighter work, but a true walking foot or triple feed might be what you would need for heavier canvas and leather. While I like old Iron, if the budget would allow it, I would skip the 111w family and go for a newer Consew 206RB style for the larger bobbin, ease of stitch length adjustment and reverse. Heavy leather requires a different class of machine entirely. Have lots of fun. Lee in Florida

I like to strip all the pieces off the top of the deck(thread stands, bobbin winders, lights) and slide it top side down into the truck (on a moving blanket. Machine heads ride separately, usually laying on their backs (everything in a low energy state). Good luck with all .. lift with your knees.

Hey Dikman .. That is pretty much it.. I have since found several examples of sewing machine motors being used to power other shop equipment. Happy Day

Looking for info about Consew CSM 1000 servo motor. I would like to mount the motor on top of a table, and remote mount the speed controller under the table .. Can the speed controller be easily moved off the mounting bracket? I sew mostly under foot power, but occasionally use a motor. I have a dual power rig, but want to get rid of the clutch motor and clear up the drive belt congestion. Seems like I have seen comments about this somewhere .. but cannot rediscover. Happy Day Lee "safer at home" in Florida Note: this rig originated when I added treadle power back onto a motorized industrial treadle and noticed there was just enough space to use both.

I am bluffing a Singer 127 - if the bed is about 14.5" , If a bunch smaller then the 128. My Singer database on my android phone say 1948 for JC with no further details. Happy Day Lee

By visual reference it looks like the setup is the same as for the Singer 31-15 which is much more common. There are modern replacements available.

Fwiw, these machines are not very common .. consider it to be the industrial version of the Davis Vertical Feed machines. Great for binding and other multi later construction. Plus side is they can be adjusted to use common needles (135-16 or 135-17), uses same bobbin as singer 31-15 and uses domestic class 15 bobbins. Replacement presser feet are difficult to find as are other parts. Fun / capable machine for hobbyist. It cannot do lightweight garment work. Value is entirely buyer/market driven. Some more information on my web page https://sites.google.com/site/oldironmachines/home/singer-78-1 78-3 is supposed to be rated for heavier work than the 78-1, but a couple tries at comparing part numbers (of course the lists were in different formats) were inconclusive. Happy Day Lee

The crack seem to small for a needle and tight bond.. I been watching the guy on youtube doing guitar repairs and he uses tightbond when he can work it in and CA and activator for fine cracks. I have a picture , but my machine picture used up my quota. Happy Days

Hey Silky, thanks for the pictures. As CD commented I am not a wood guy, usually Restore a Finish is good enough for me, but this one doesnt have much finish to restore. I do have 2 regular 16s and they are nice .. it seems like at least one has the oversized base plate. The 16-188 rides pretty good on my W&W mut treadle. I am tickled that the foot plate has W&W initials in it! I have not decided if the top will go on a treadle or be a Power Stand. 3 unusual things about this machine. 1. Remains of a mashed up lizard under the nose plate.. it was really old and the rig was very dirty. 2. Someone had been using class 66 bobbins in the class 15 style bobbin case. 3. They used a couple bobbin winding pulleys as belt guides. I should have taken a picture, but I was anxious to get out of there (safer at home). I always strip the hardware off the deck and flip it upside down to ride in the van. Easy In, Easy out, stable riding. Happy Day

After 5 weeks of working from home I was ready for a sewing machine project. Found a local 1922 Singer 16-188 on what could become a nice wood top. Price was $40 so I figured how could I go wrong! The machine was wonderfully dry and dirty , but in a few hours is was up and sewing on my mutt treadle... no problems. I will probably reset the needle bar for 135x17 needles as Bob suggested a couple years ago. The top is about 22" deep, 48" wide and 1.75" inches thick. It got scars .. but hey who doesnt. It is made of 1.75" by 1" (?) wide strips , kinda like a cutting board. It appears as old as the machine and motor. I figure I could do some light sanding and maybe hit it with some poly and it would be a big improvement over the green formica over press board top riding on one of my treadles .. or perhaps even a power stand! I know all of you are better wood workers than me .. I was wondering about the slight separation of the boards at the end.. If I seal it up with poly will that stabilize things ? Do i need to use some CA glue to seep into the cracks? Ignore it as it is non critical". It had been sitting in a workshop for a long time. Thanks for any thoughts. Happy Day Lee

Old Thread .. Old Machine Confirming what CowboyBob was saying , I put 135x17 in my 1922 16-188 and by dropping it down a little in the needle clamp it sewed just fine. I just pulled off the needle plate and could observe the interaction of the hook and the needle skarf. For ke6cvh .. only the needle bar needs adjusting (assuming the machine was already in time). Looking for an adjusters guide and parts list .. any favorites?

It is also pretty easy to convert to a foot actuated lifter .. works better for me on my treadle machine. The pressure on the presser foot is often set quite high to better hold the goods in place while the needle transits forward for the next stitch.

Seiko STH -8BL 3 is posted at http://www.keysew.com/Webpages/Owners&PartsBooks/OwnersBooks/STH-8BLD-3Ownerskeyfoot.pdf (thanks keystone sewing). if you are looking for a older version perhaps look at the Consew 206-RB (various models) and you may find a similar model. I believe that Seiko built the Consews for a while.

Mr dikman must have been peeking in my sewing cave .. I have an old industrial treadle with drop leaves under my 31-15, with the leaves down it is about 10" narrower, A nice feature for me. Looking at my industrial treadle with a modern top it looks like I could chop off 8" and still leave the drawer in place (it has full ball bearing support and actually works well) ! That would be a huge help with crowding on that wall. I use the magic furniture slides under my machines .. things slide pretty well when needed and the tile floor doesnt seem to mind. Nice bit of inspiration.

Hi Guys. I use a home made junk box built powered bobbin winder for all of my bobbins, mostly class 15 and size M . I mostly sew under foot treadle power and like the solid side bobbins so that I can write the thread size on them . I use the tip of a medium large zip tie to act as a wedge if the bobbin is too loose. Thanks for the tip about running the thread through the hole, I will give it a try. I typically wind a bunch of bobbins at a time and store them in a bobbin organizer case . Happy New to All..

Hey Marievee ... I had a couple hundred words written down before it occurred to me ... just see Wizards welcome post at It covers most of the basic questions and give you a leg up in your quest. Have fun. Lee in Florida

The Keystone Sewing Machine Company has a nice on-line Seiko Manual manual .. see page 2 . here is the link ... http://www.keysew.com/Webpages/Owners&PartsBooks/OwnersBooks/STH-8BLD-3Ownerskeyfoot.pdf . Good luck.

I know this is a very old post .. but.. The machine is a Davis "A'" Manufacturing ... the industrial version of the Davis Vertical Feed Domestic Machine. I have some more pictures and links to the manual at my site .. https://sites.google.com/site/oldironmachines/home/davis-manufacturing-a Having Fun in Florida Lee

I keep thinking that it would be fun to mount a similar machine to a medium duty hand truck and have fold down legs for the left side. Roll it to the location, pivot the machine up and pivot the legs down and be ready to go! (this is not my original thought .. I just felt it was cool.)

Yep pretty much the same as the consew unit. Yes the larger handwheel made the difference. It would not treadle with the stock handwheel. You could distinctly feel the cyclic loading and it would bog down the treadle. With the huge rotational mass of the 42-5 handwheel and the larger diameter of the associated pulley, the whole rig works.. I have been using this configuration for a couple years. I sew as a hobby and I am not in a "production" environment. I do not sew leather with this rig but do some heavy canvas work.

I am a sewing machine newbee compared to many here, but in effect it is really not much different than installing a speed reducer. There may be some safety concerns about the unguarded belt drive that a professional might want to distance himself from. But if you can keep your fingers, hair and other bits from getting caught in the drive belt you may do just fine. I have installed the big ol' handwheel from a Singer 42-5 on my Seiko STH 8BLD3 and have the rig powered by a Singer 29 foot treadle. The favorable drive ratios and rotating mass allows this to work great for the heavy canvas work I do. Have some fun Lee in Florida