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Thanks, Richard. I appreciate the feedback. If the deglaze will remove the acrylic finish so the leather can absorb more color/nf oil, then I am in good shape. Thanks again.

Will Fiebings deglazer remove Tandy's Satin Shene and/or Fiebings Resolene?I know it will remove shoe polish, but have never used it to remove a hard finish.This is the first time anyone has not found a belt or holster finish unsatisfactory. Ideas?

I have a client who would like his gun belt darkened a little to match the holster more closely. The identical finishing schedule was used on both pieces -- two coats of Fiebings saddle tan dye; two coats of neatsfoot oil; three coats of Tandy's Satin Shene acrylic topcoat. The leather used was from two lots and absorbed the finish differently and the client was told it might result in slightly different coloration. Ideas about what can be done since the belt is finished with acrylic?

Outstanding! This video also helps with the refurbishing of my 205-374. I am very much looking forward to your video on timing the 205-370. Between you and Allen Burkholder, you have set a new standard for instructional videos for the 205-370! Well done!

Thankfully, we have options that suit our preferences, goals and skill levels. If one's use of older technology makes them feel like Obi-Wan Kenobi using the force to bend the machine to their will, good for them. Glad they take satisfaction in that and feel good about their skills. For those of us who are new to machine stitching and not interested in becoming a Jedi knight of feathering a clutch motor, we are very glad easier (better?) options are there to help us.

Thanks, Art.

Thanks, that is what I suspected but thought I should ask.

Another outstanding video. Thanks.

Uwe, will your new needle platform work with this style of roller guide? On the 205-374 the guide is on the cylinder arm and folds down the side of the arm.

When I get through the expenses of Christmas (lots of grandkids theses days), I will place a few orders based on info given on this forum. Thanks to all who helped. Uwe, still looking forward to your video demonstrating timing the 205-370 -- and any other video you do on the Adler 205-370.

Bob, I appreciate the additional information. Thanks for sharing it here. Hopefully it is helpful to others -- I know it is helpful to me.

Thanks, Glenn. I actually spoke to him last week about his servo. Seems like a good guy. I am of course interested in the practical experience of guys like you on this forum and whether or not there is a particular servo I should buy (or avoid).

Uwe gives great advice, which I take on board. I just set up a wholesale account with Weaver, but as I am new to sewing with a machine and on a limited income, naturally I want to find the best bang for the buck and the best reliability. I am not willing to take a chance on the servos sold on eBay and would rather give my business to someone here in the States and/or on this forum even if their products are from the same Chinese/Taiwan manufacturer. Great help available here and I appreciate all the input and advice. A needle positioner is not important to me at this point, only reliability, slow speed, and a non-stalling system with good power and torque. Thanks again for all the advice.

Uwe, I have removed the Enduro line from consideration due to your comments and that of others. Three phase is also not practical for me. Many thanks for your feedback and suggestions. Has anyone used the 550 watt servo and reducer from Weaver?

Thanks, Uwe, for good info. The FESM550 style 550Watt motor with a 3:1 speed reducer you mention looks to be the same as the 550 watt servo and reducer that Weaver, et al, carry, albeit under a different name and different part numbers. Are they actually the same in quality? I have read everything I can on this forum and it appears to me that most of the 550 watt servo motors from the different vendors are identical, at least in appearance and specs. Do they come from the same factory in China/Taiwan distributed through various suppliers? I don't know, but visually they are identical and the specs are identical. But are they equally reliable? I am still too new to the game to want/need a needle positioning system. I will be happy with a servo that will deliver power and torque without stalling in 1/4" leather at a slow stitch speed. My needs are fairly simple at this point. And my budget is fairly simple as well, lol. Thus my interest in what has worked in the real world of others using the Adler. Thanks again.

I have posted a few inquires about the Adler 205-374 I am rebuilding. The answers and suggestions have been most helpful as I am a complete newbie to sewing leather with a machine. It has been suggested that I replace my clutch motor with a servo and a speed reducer, which I am willing to do as I definitely see the advantage of a slower rate of stitching. Have any of you added a servo and reducer to your Adler 205-374 or your Durkopp Adler 205-370 and what would your recommend from your experience as a leather sewing pro? I want to get it right the first time without wasting time or money (which is in short supply, lol). I would like to get about one stitch per second (roughly) and still have plenty of torque to do the job. Recommendations?

The flat needle plate is an interesting option. As someone new to sewing with a machine and very inexperienced, my question would be could the needle alone easily move 1/4" of leather to keep the stitches even and would that much leather put too much lateral strain on the needle? Most of the product I make is at least 1/4" thick. A few years from now when I have a little experience these questions will not arise. It may not be an issue, but I am very much a novice with sewing machines.

I did contact toledo Bob as you suggested. He referred me to Weaver for presser feet. For what it is worth. I am almost through gathering preliminary information on this subject. The smooth needle plate and feed dog you have on eBay seems to be the smoothest option for prefinished leather. Decisions, decisions.

There is no spring in my machine as illustrated in your video. The parts manual for the 205-374 does not show this spring, although the parts manual for the 205-370 does. I assume it may be desirable but my machine does not call for it. This is an interesting project, thanks for your insight and contribution.

. . . another good product: Chemtool. Spray it on, brush it with a brass brush, lubricate after clean -- Bobs your uncle!

Thanks again for clear, easily understandable information. I would suspect I did not have enough pressure as the stitch length on a test piece changed slightly on a test piece I was stitching. There are a surprising number of variables in obtaining a good stitch on these machines. I am slowly learning and appreciate all the help you and others on this forum provide.

O.k., I read the manual again, watched Uwe's video and adjusted the foot lift on the old 205-374. The marks were eliminated from the top stitch. The height of the presser feet was at 5 mm during the lift cycle, it is now at 10 mm. Much better. It needs some tweeking, however, as now the presser foot lever to lift the presser feet won't lock open. Also, there is another difference from Uwe's video. His presser foot adjustment spring is similar to my own, but it appears the previous owner added a two inch section of spring to increase the pressure on the feet. Here is the extra part that I removed: Question: should I leave this short spring out? The main spring is exactly as the one in Uwe's video. The presser foot adjustment knob on top of the machine is somewhat difficult to adjust. I may need to remove the presser foot rod and get in there with chemtool and a tooth brush to clean the threads better. As a novice I really don't know how much pressure should be adjusted into the mix -- i.e., how tight should the tension be on the presser feet?

By the way, Uwe, are the walking feet in your video original Adler equipment or are they Kwok Hing? They look slightly different from the part numbers at Weaver you provided. Perhaps it is because the photos on the Weaver website are of new product.

Ott was indeed Swiss. As a doctoral student I had to work with Austrian, Swiss, and high and low German. Fortunately in my field, there was a commonality of vocabulary tied to the western tradition in philosophy and theology. A few idiomatic expressions were different. The clinkers were neologisms (new words formed by placing numerous terms into one word) strung together like mother-of-pearl necklaces, lol. Ott, like Barth before him, was an interesting read. Uwe, given your background translating automotive manuals it strikes me you are a good candidate to tackle a project like this. Coupled with your excellent video work I suspect you could sell them easily. Just a thought.

Thanks for that clarification. I thought that was the case, but since the needle does not center perfectly in the transportfuß (which I initially confused with the feed dog), I thought there might be another adjustment. Thanks for the help and clarification. Very helpful, indeed -- and your explanation is much, much clearer that the German version, lol. By the way, if you complete a video for each adjustment possible in the service manual, you should consider selling a full dvd. A picture is sometimes worth far more than a 1,000 words. Coupled with a new translation of the service manual into English, this could be a big winner. Perhaps Weaver and other supply houses and retail outlets would market it. In addition to helping the novice hobbiest (like myself) it might also be helpful to some beginning sewing machine mechanics who are not familiar with Adler. Just a thought.