arz

Here is another place for people in the UK or EU: https://www.metallicelephant.co.uk I have heard very good things about them. They are experts on hot stamping. They also sell one of the best stamping machines you can buy in Europe. Pricy stuff I think... Edit: In Europe (or B2B) it is common not to list prices. It is just the way things are often done.

They made it very quick for us. The pricing page is kinda hidden Here is one of them: http://hexnhitstamps.com/shop/ And another pricing page: http://hexnhit.wixsite.com/hexnhit/how-to-order And Etsy page: https://www.etsy.com/shop/HEXnHIT

I had ours done by Hex N Hit Stamps. Very popular with the makers I follow on Instagram. Not cheap but very good quality and great people to work with. Made with brass, can be cold stamped, heated or used with foil in a machine. They will make any kind of machine holder you want. http://hexnhitstamps.com Their Instagram account.

Welcome to the forum! Very nice work!

I bought parts from college sewing also. However, original Adler parts were much cheaper for me to buy direct through my local Adler dealer. You can also get an account at: khsew for feet etc. Good prices. I am looking for a new needle bar...$$$. I wish I could find a generic one

I agree. I bought a very nice used leather thickness gauge from them. Arrived quick and in good order! I would order from them again....

My Adler is working much better. I "think" I have it adjusted good. For those who may read this here is what I did: 1. I went through the service manual at lest twice adjusting everything according to spec. There we a few settings just a little off. From what I have read things must be set pretty good. 2. The take-up spring I think was the key to my problem of random knots. If it is set to low or too high a knot would form, often after I stopped. 3. Also getting the bobbin wound as perfect as I can. I am still having trouble getting the bobbins to wind perfectly even every time. I hope to get better at this. 4. Using the correct needle size. I found with my Italian vegtan a size 140 LR needle is perfect. With softer leather a 130 or 140 works very good. The 150 needle seemed too large and the knot I think was too lose in the hole. I am using 2-5mm of leather total with Serafil M20 (#135) thread top and in bobbin. I guess you just have to spend hours learning how to adjust these machines (I about gave up!). The local mechanic did not want to mess with it so I just had to learn. After working with it for hours (too many!) I am starting to understand it I "hope" I can now start putting it to good use! I do still have a few problems. My new KH feet are not working well. The needle will not line up with the hole in the center foot. I think the needle hole in my needle bar is "just" a little too large, this allows the needle to move to the left about 1.0-1.5mm when I tighten the screw. Oh well....

We live in Romania. The only place I have ordered tools from in the UK is Abbey England. We really like their brass hardware! We buy tools, hardware, glue etc. from leathercrafttools.com (Japan). Even with import tax (19%), the prices are good. We have been very happy with the quality. We have also bought from, Mando in France, http://www.cuirtextilecrea.com, https://www.decocuir.com, Wuta tools, and from the US (Rocky Mountain leather etc.). Lot's of great places to get leather related items now compared to a few years ago!

Update: I have installed the missing parts and edge guide. But...I am having a lot of trouble getting a consistent stitch. Problem 1). I get it adjusted good and it will stitch for a few cm (inches) and then a knot (most of the time on the bottom) will appear. It seems random. It will happen on a long run, or after I stop, no difference. Softer leather seems to sew much better. English bridle is not bad. But my Italian vegtan...I just cannot get it set right. I have gotten some beautiful stitches, but I cannot trust it to stitch more than a few cm before a knot will form at the bottom (more likely) or top. Problem 2.). If I stitch 2mm of leather, and then get to a part that is 3mm, a knot will show on the top of the 2mm part just before the 3mm part. How do I get consistent tension on multiple thickness? Say only 1--3mm difference between layers? I have tried everything I can think of and have read every post I can find. So....I had a local mechanic look at it and he just said buy a new machine He did not want to play with it. He did say that one of my problems was the bobbin might be spinning when I stop...or....I am losing tension at times. He recommend I put a small piece of fabric behind the bobbin and a drop of oil. I tried that and it made no difference. I could try to find a bobbin case with a break/spring in it.... I am using Serafil M20 (#135) thread. I have tried 130, 140 and 150 LR needles. Here are some things I have tried: 1. Different needle sizes 2. Rethreaded, tried threading through more/less posts (thread is new) 3. Make sure thread cone is thread through center eye above it 4. Playing with bobbin/upper tension 5. Make sure bobbin is wound even, not too tight or lose etc. (might still be a problem) 6. Adjusted reverse stitch length 7. Adjusted take up leaver/spring 8. Smoothed some burrs on the bobbin case, and other parts of the thread path 9. Tried putting a small piece of fabric (from a shirt tag) and a drop of oil behind the bobbing. To stop it from spinning. 10. New, steal bobbins from Collage Sew 11. Removed pin that releases tension when you lift the foot. I release it only by the hand lever. 12. Increase foot tension. It is quite a lot it seems to me. Here's some photos. I can post a video on YouTube later if that will help. Thank you for any help you can give! -Adam Photo above: Top thread is top stitch, next is bottom stitch

Looks nice! A softer leather is easier to work with. We just made a bag from a Sedgwick lacing hide (2.0-2.2mm). It was hard getting the gusset glued in place (it was not turned).

We're also getting ready to do some turned purses/bags. We have learned that 2mm (5-6oz) Italian vegtan (Tempesti) will not work. It is just too stiff and it wrinkles once you turn it. We're now looking for a tumbled leather around 1.5-1.8mm (about 4oz). Our chrome tanned leather at 1.5mm turns nicely. I would buy Horween chromexcel in 4-5oz if I could. But it is very expensive here in Europe The best option for us is Tempesti Elbamatt which is a waxy pull up leather (vegtan) but not tumbled. I would be curious what leather others use and of what thickness...

Does the Adler 69 have a safety clutch? In the service manual (page 24) it says to check the safety clutch. But it does not state how to do this or where it is. The closest I can find is in the Adler 169 manual. The Adler 167 video/documents did not help. I'm just curious if it has one. And IF it engages, how to disengage it. Thanks!

I was able to get the reverse stitch length very very close. It is stitching good. Getting the thread tension correct was not too bad. Still having fun Now to polish the feet just a little more to help reduce marks on vegtan, wait for my parts to get here, and get busy! My wife is ready for me to sew some of her purse designs

I think with the Jack servo motors, if I add a speed reducer, I will lose needle synchronization. It is not too bad. I will work with it a while and see how it goes.

The speed on my skiving machine is fine. I was talking about the sewing machine, I would like to sew slower. On our skiving machine I have three motors: 1 for the vacuum, 1 clutch motor for the blade (runs all the time), and the Jack servo motor for the feed. Works great!

You are correct, I can kick the heel back and the needle comes to the top position. Thanks for letting me know! I have the same motor (well the 550w version) on my skiving machine. It is a good motor but I wish it was a bit slower. The pedal is very sensitive. I will try putting something under it to help control it. Worse case I can buy a Hosing G60 locally for about 200 euro. I have heard it goes down to 100rpm.

Thanks!

Good to know! At the moment Serafil M20 (#138) with a 140 needle is working nicely. However if I use a harder vegtan or English Bridle...the 150 size might very well be better. I can't find a #23 needle. I think a 150 needle is a #24? My understanding with needles is it depends on the leather and thread combo I use.

Thanks! You might be right about point 3...Hmmm. The lady I bought it from was using up to size M10 on top! I saw her do it. She was using up to 150 needles and it is set for the longer needle (134-35). Probably not a good idea to run such thick threads though. Seems strange but she like it for thicker threads better than her 269... M20 is running good. Clearance in the needle plate, hook etc, are fine to my eye. I think it has to do with how you set a machine up. But I have heard that is as large as you should go. I have no intention of running thicker threads than that. Another thing...I happy with how much thread the bobbin holds. For us making purses/wallets the narrow arm is worth it.

Several I am working at the moment, but can write more details later. I think some of my problems are operator error. I am really new to a sewing machine! I'm using Serafil M20 thread top and bottom and a 134-35 LR 140 needle. Top stitch looks good, knot is showing on bottom. So I think I need more top tension. Other things: 1. Sometimes when I go in reverse and then back to forward stitch the needle will hit the needle plate (broke a needle one time because of this) 2. The needle sometimes pierces the thread (I think I was not holding the thread back tight enough) 3. The reverse stitch length is twice as long as forward. I did find and read the post about adjusting the reverse stitch. Will try to adjust it. 4. I could not pull the thread out once I finished a stitch and lifted the foot. I learned I have to rotate the hand wheel a bit. Also important to make sure the stitch is completed. I do have a needle position servo (Jack JK563-1A). The needle stops in the down position. A few others things. But...most are just things that were my fault and not the machine. I ordered some parts and a drop down guide. We'll get it I will post more questions later if I can't figure it out. Thanks!

Yes it is! It sure opens up the possibilities Thanks! I downloaded and printed all the manuals. Very helpful to have. That is one reason I bought an Adler machine, the support is good!

Yes I understand. As I said in a post above, this photo was taken when I just got the machine (as the previous owner had it), and I rethreaded it as in the video. Thanks! Thanks! That is what I wanted to know. I will order the rest of the parts for that first tension discs.

Thanks! I have watched that video. I think I have it threaded right. I have attached a photo with the tension part I am talking about. In the parts diagram it shows a few more rings (edit: disks) and a spring. I just have one disk (more like a washer). Do I need to have this spring and disks here? I aslo removed the screw just below and left of the part in red. This was preventing the tension from releasing when you lift the foot....not sure why they did that?

Thanks! I think I see what you mean. Are you talking about the tension spring on the far left (the one with the wire loop).? I took these photos as the previous owner had it threaded. When I rethreaded it I put the thread under that spring/wire.

We finally bought a sewing machine! Thanks for all those who have answered my previous questions. Now the fun part, learning how to use it We bought it from a lady who makes purses and wanted more room (she has a Pfaff 1245 and Adler 269-373). We paid 430 Euro ($500) with Jack servo and flat table attachment. She used it with thick threads and the stitches look good. She also gave me the number of her mechanic so he can come adjust it for us. It worked great when I tested it but I am already running into problems...to be expected since this is our first sewing machine. Can anyone tell me if this is a 69-373? The model plate is gone. It seems the the top right tension spring is missing and the tension release is not working. I am trying to get a list of parts to order. If anyone sees some parts missing or set up wrong please let me know, I would appreciate it! I also have some very basic questions, should I post questions here or start a new topic? Thanks!