Ole South

As luck would have it... I just got this today.

Just curious: does the "drop motor" SR act as a resonator increasing motor noise by any factor? I've always wondered about that, probably more of a factor with a clutch motor than a servo but still...?

You've got a point Aztec but I don't use my slab as an anvil. I have a piece of 3/8" steel, an arbor press and an ASO* for that. I use it as a leather "machined true surface" and only use mallets < 16oz with it. Once chipped, cracked or damaged I cannot resurface a stone regardless of thickness. Bear-in-mind I built it with weight and functionality in mind. Understanding the scope as well as the limitation of your tool is the beginning of craftsmanship. For anyone building one of these don't try and use too thin a base or too flexible a material for the base as it might flex, Always use it on a flat surface. I believe I sealed and lightly sanded the particle board base before applying the thin-set since it is water based. Trowel the binder (thin-set or epoxy) using a spreader with equally spaced "teeth" so as to get an even thickness of binder as well as leaving space for it to flow. This isn't any different than laying ceramic tile. You just don't have any grout lines to fill. *ASO - Anvil Shaped Object

Nope, no give, no bounce. I tool and skive on it and use it with wet/dry sandpaper for wide blade sharpening. Works good and the price is right. Weighs a fraction of what a 1.5-2" slab would. Initially I planned on putting a Hi-den particle board under a slab but ran across a clearance sale of marble and granite at Home Depot first. I figured I'd try it and if it didn't work out, no harm done. Use thin-set next time T-phant, it's cheap and fun to play with. If you don't have a tile trowel just cut some 1/4" v's in a piece of scrap plastic. The furrows are important. Gave the white one to a friend of mine. Haven't gotten a complaint yet!

I have a list started but no luck finding any feet yet.. Look at the Consew(Seiko) 8021 and 8022 foot set I think you can still get them off ebay.

More than one way to "skin a cat" huh? Am I reading your post correctly?!!? Your Handwheel pulley is 8" now??? Or your clutch pulley? Doing some research on the Singer 78 series and it seems there were about 13 or 14 variations of lifter and feed foot sets but so far I've only found 2 types available. I got a 5/16th's cording/piping set (no p/n) and what appears to be a canvas set (Seiko p/n 8021/8022) with my Consew. Both leave noticeable marks on veg-tan tho the canvas set is considerably lighter. Extrapolating the Singer parts lists; the 78-2/3 was primarily intended as a binder and upholstery machine tho there are fittings for binding leather shoe uppers and binding 2 layers of leather with another thinner piece that speak to us as leather workers.

Still got the stem? A couple of smooth washers and a spring (or a folded piece of leather) will jury-rig a tensioning device for your bobbin winder.

I know this is a "mature" post but I've been intrigued by this concept of Women and their Purses. Over the past year I've been asking various wimmen types... you know... gurls and female human beings about purses. (and yepper... I am a guy) I get the same reply every time. "Oh I'm not really picky" Until you ask the next question... Doesn't matter what the next question is.... An avalanche of preference proceeds. "Pockets, Zippers, inside Zippers, inside pockets, dividers, more inside compartments...." were the most common answers to question #2; no wonder girls can't find anything in their purses in a hurry I did a custom mold for a boutique designer for a wet form purse some time ago and that got me started on the quest for "The Perfect Purse". I drew four basic shapes and began asking women their preference. Not one person picked the most commercially sold shape. That was interesting. Handles vs Straps vs Clutch? Never. Color, material, size? Nope, never the same. I think I do best when I just look at the girl and her style and don't ask too many questions. (we men confuse easily) BUT... I have determined one thing There Is No Perfect Purse!.... except for.... "The one I just wore out" and "The one I'm going to buy next"

Hmmm.... let's see if this adds a pic. Black slab

Well.... the issue wasn't/isn't the pulley I made. It matches the hand-wheel and original Consew flange profile exactly. I think the problem is that since this machine is a clone of a 78-3 that it was probably designed for a round leather belt like the treadle machines (most likely a 5/16ths round belt). Remember the original clutch and motor has no tensioning mechanism on this unit either. A standard 3Lxxx belt rides almost halfway up out of the hand-wheel as well as the SR and/or clutch drive pulley. A segmented (cogged) belt rides slightly lower and handles the tight radii of small pulleys better. I've learned a lot about V-belts this past week. The biggest thing I learned is that we don't have the selection of belting we had 30 years ago! I don't know where the stapled belt stock came from that was fitted on the machine when I bought it from the original owner's grandson but it is definitely 5/16ths / 8mm top 1/4" thick with a 30deg angle(15deg chamfer each side).and fits perfectly (top of belt flush with pulley flanges, circa 1970 maybe??). Results: After installing a speed reducer I got a cogged 3L360 since it doesn't fatten as much going the pulleys as the solid v-belts and rides lower in the pulleys. I re-installed the original 3.5" clutch pulley, re-positioned the clutch and motor assembly and use a vinyl round belt for the bottom end (still not sure where the SR will end up if I get a servo motor) as I can make them up on the fly until everything settles out. I took a suggestion from a forum brother drilled a couple holes and moved the foot pedal linkage to the side of the treadle and I now have a decent top speed and hopefully acceptable low speed/torque punch power. Now if I can just find some presser feet for it.

After wrestling marble slabs around various times I wanted something easier to move but still gave me a true and non-bounce surface. So I picked up a couple 12" x12" x3/8" marble floor tiles on clearance (I could have gotten larger but don't need it). I laminated two bases from 1/2" hi-density particle board (another damage/clearance find) and thin-set the tile atop it. I left an over hang on opposite sided as a grip and edge protection. They've done well over the last year. Each is about a 1/3 the weight of a full slab and is much, much easier to handle. No more smashed fingers or chips off the edges. I store them under my bench on edge. Total cost.... about $7.00 If I can figure out how to upload a pic I'll post it.

For those using singer 66's or 99's invest in an old treadle hand wheel. Ten or 15 bucks, the extra ounces of inertia DOES make a difference while sewing leather! Re:New motors ... they are a nice addition but the foot pedals leave a lot to be desired. Most of the original pedals are single or dual carbon stack varistors. Take them apart, clean each carbon disk or discard it if it's too badly burnt (balance the dual stacks and don't be too picky, the disks don't have to be perfect) Do one stack at a time, there are a TON of disks in each stack. The old pedals are much easier to feather. Lay a paper towel flat on your granite block or any hard true surface, and polish each side of each disk flat on the towel. Keep the disks flat as you'll break more trying to pick them up or turn them over than actually cleaning them. All that being said, I'll second the previous post; 15-91 is my favorite of all these old Singers when doing leather (the 66 or 201 for cloth). The 201 has a better stitch... but imo the 15-91 out performs all the "home" machines across the spectrum of leathers. Another big plus is both the '-91 and the 201 can backtack the same stitch length as forward. Catskin, do you know what other walking foot models have compatable foot sets with your 78? I have a Consew 28 and am having trouble finding a less aggressive foot for leatherwork. All I have is a piping/cording set and a (?)zipper set.

Ooops.... I should have read ALL the links in the preceding posts. JoMama and BDaz have a handle on this motor. XS don't be too intimidated by what you read. These guys have outlined two modifications that will allow you to fine tune your servo motor. One gives greater control limiting the high end speed and the other describes how to control how fast the motor reacts to the foot pedal, with the additional benefit of moving the control up top so it's easier to change! If you're tied into the bike scene I'm sure there's someone locally that can guide you along the way.

Yeah, McM was my first look; unfortunately I was looking for a 5/16 top x 1/4 thick. Those only come in max 20-22" lengths it seems.

If you're going to glue them anyway (excluding gussets which NEVER come out right) cut them a little oversized, glue, then trim to size. Leather distorts as it's cut... even with a head knife or a rotary cutter, not so much, but enough you won't get perfect edges. A belt or disk sander is your friend.... hmmm... you got me thinking.... next project.... Variable Speed Belt and/or Disk Sander for Cheap!!!! Bwahahaaaa

Maybe some of the more experienced guys can chime in here... I'm curious too. Can we modify the opto-interrupter on the FS-550 like the Enduro to gain a longer acceleration ramp?

Thanks Sark & Wiz, exactly the info I was lacking. I do short /intricate/stop-start runs (bags/purses etc...) do you think a servo will provide enough low end torque through 4-6oz leather? (chrome/veg). I've used sewing machines all my life but sewing leather brings a whole new dimension to the craft.

Thanks for the quick reply Wiz. I picked up spare 46" from a local shop (Marked China EW V-Belt M-46). It fits fine in the new clutch pulley I bought from them but that pulley is 3/4" bore. I was impatient so I turned a smaller clutch pulley out of Maple yesterday. I don't want to shorten the working belt (I already took ~1/2" out to take up stretch) in case I needed to go back to the 3 1/2 OD Consew pulley. 3L belts must be 30deg chamfer like the old belt? The M-46 is definately 40deg and rides halfway up out of the pulleys, it would probably work but... Do replacement servo-motors come fitted with a pulley?

I just picked up a lightly used, early 70's Consew model 28 (Seiko Oem). Sews great. Seems to have the original Code 12 stand and all the paperwork. It's got a clutch with a 1/3 hp Westinghouse motor but no belt tension mechanism. Here is the problem... the belt. 5/16" (8mm) top, 1/4"(~6-7mm) thick 46" long for the stock pulleys. I've made a smaller pulley (1 3/4 OD,1/2" bore) to reduce top speed but can't find a drive belt long enough. The one that came with it is stapled like a treadle belt; I'm guessing for obvious reasons..., no other way to tension. I've fabricated a temporary belt from paracord and clear 5/16ths vinyl tubing to test. Probably don't really need the paracord core as the vinyl doesn't seem to stretch excessively but I'll need a more permanent solution. Any ideas where I can get a replacement belt? With the new pulley I'm looking at ~42" length. Does the Singer 78 use a similar belt? As an aside: this machine has been stored for at least 15-20 years. While sewing it's really hard to feather the clutch to maintain a steady 20spm without holding the hand wheel. Do I need to disassemble and clean the clutch plate or just practice more? If I install a servo motor then I'm still going to have a belt issue as a standard belt (M-4x) rides extremely high in the handwheel and I'm assuming most modern servo's are going to have 3/8" or 1/2" wide pulleys with a 3/4" bore. Thanks.

Why not cut brass tubing (you can get really small diameter stuff at the Hobby Lobby type shops) and use your snap setter to flare the ends. I know this is really old school but... Btw, brass holds tighter than aluminum for me in this type of situation,

Re: Edge Guide/Seaming Guide for the straight stitch machines. I use a hardwood block (closed grain, unvarnished) of maple or such and a rare earth magnet or two salvaged from an old hard drive set flush into the bottom. A thin piece of soft tacky self-stick vinyl (a friend is a sign maker) keeps the diy guide from drifting. It's not really necessary with the approx 1 1/4 x 1/2 inch magnets from the average 3.5" computer hard drive (you'll find 2 in there) but the vinyl also protects the machine's finish if you're worried about things like that. There are also threaded holes in most old Singers for a slotted "T" guide you can secure with a thumb screw like an inverted router guide. I've not used one yet but you can find them amongst the misc. accessories on Ebay or in your local Singer repair guy's junkbox. I stole the magnetic block idea from a Sailrite video. Cost = about 20 min cutting the magnet's inset (ie.$0.00 vs the $25.00 5 1/2" Sailrite Mag Guide). Make sure you use one or more ceramic or rare earth magnets to get the holding power you'll need. It's a cheap and effective way to guide those long straps and edges on a fixed presser foot machine. (Round or taper the end of the guide for any inside curves you may have to sew)

Skive the gusset overlap and corners. Check out Nigel Armitage's " Make your own messenger bag" on youtube. About minute 7:49