mikesc

I can't speak for Wiz, or for Bob at Toledo, but that appears to be ( from the description ) the price including table, motor machine, light etc..in other words "ready to sew"and, I would imagine "sewn off" ..meaning tested on a piece of leather ( or pieces of the total weight /thickness that you sew ( the US dealers will let you send them samples of what you are going to sew, then they'll make sure that the machine that they sell to you is set up to sew it )..Bob or Wiz will probably be along to explain..

Just to add..If you go for the Consew that Wiz posted..you'll see at the right hand side of the web page ( or in the pale blue box, as Wiz made the page "responsive" so if you are on a tablet or a phone, look for the pale blue box, it may be lower down the page ) that it comes with either a 2" or a 3" pulley..get the 2"..It will make the machine turn over just that little bit more slowly than the 3" ( easier to control ) and it will give it just a little bit more torque, so it will sew through thicker work just a little more easily..every bit of "slowness" and torque helps

This "User Guide Manual" is for the 211U 566( amongst others )..I have the 21U166A ..To set mine up properly I had to use manuals that were not specifically for that model..This may help.. 211U157A_165A_166A_566A THE MANUAL.pdf

Read old threads in the sewing machine section ..there are 201 ( 's weird, I thought there were more, I read 'em all, and a lot of others from other sections of the site here before making my 1st post ) at the moment..begin at the oldest, work your way forward to present day..you'll learn a lot about which might suit you, and about which would not..( the answers to your questions lie in those old threads ) and which you could afford. Read also Wiz's thread.. http://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/25239-the-type-of-sewing-machine-you-need-to-sew-leather/

@jimi..There is a type of sail called "junk sail" that was not, and still is not usually sewn with a zig-zag stitch but is sewn with one or more passes of lock-stitch which would require a stepped foot to do. A lot of sail making of other types of sail was done with lock-stitch and multiple passes up to WWII. I read a lot of sailmaker's forums in English and French, and have a friend ( mine of information ) who is one the major sailmakers for ocean going races, his loft is around 5 kms from me. Btw..nice clear focused close ups..love 'em.. :))

Yes :) It would make a very interesting read / resource.

However by placing the machine cut-out towards the left-hand side and the belt cut-out in the middle of the table..you are committed to having very little space at the left hand side of the table..that may come back to bite you..One normally leaves the largest part of the table to the side of the machine away from the drive belt..so as to have the maximum flat support area for the work..except when it is a cylinder machine, when , even so the table area to the side of the drive belt is usually smaller than the area to the side of the needle and feed dogs area..

You can get away with ( IME it actually works better than the leather belts on treadle machines ) using the small diameter flexible plastic tube that is sold to get air into fish tanks..or is used in oxygen breathing machines or a "clear fuel line"..you don't need the type with the internal braiding, join it with a staple and melt the ends together with a lighter flame lightly applied...and it is cheap and really easy to find..

I too was intrigued by the disposition.

Another thing that can give you intermittent ( but regular ) changes in the top tension, is dirt in the tension assembly , actually inside the barrel part that the "take up spring" sits into..any speck of dirt there will prevent the spring from compressing properly when it moves ( it should move smoothly in it's "slot"on the side of the tension assembly, no jerkiness at all ) and so the tension every few stitches will not be the same..this is even more evident on a "zig zag" machine, when it happens there the "knots" will be "above" on one end of the stitch, and below or correctly seated on the other.. Had this problem on a singer 20U33 that I picked up a week ago, fixed the problem yesterday when doing an "overall service", ordered new tension assembly ( along with some other stuff ) from College sewing yesterday. re thread spools..if they sit uncovered for a while they get dusty*, the dust can be a little sticky, this will make them unwind with uneven tension, likewise if they have been dropped or stored with pressure on any part of them, always store them upright ( not squashed together ) and covered up from dust and other pollutants.. * To avoid this dust etc, stick a lightweight clear plastic bag with a hole in it at the top over each "cone", feed the thread out to the "eye" in the thread stand , and on down through the "thread path" through this hole..make sure it does not "snag" ..

You might want to retake ( using "flash" ) the two that are blurry..

:) No need to ask who you support in the hurling ..eh ;) re machine parts close to you..including servo motors.. www.college-sewing.co.uk/ I have literally just got off the phone with them, ( they are incredibly helpful ) ordered a jack servo motor ( and a whole pile of other bits and pieces for my various machines )..JK511A which would power either of the machines that you have available.. You'd want to take the clutch motor off the one that has it anyway..clutch motors can be controlled to run slow eventually, but if you have trouble keeping a domestic machine to run slowly, you'd frighten yourself, or sew a finger, with a clutch motor , they have a tendency to go away like a horse with a hornet sting on the rear, but servo motors are so much more controllable..and quieter, and much more economical on the electricity.. Me, if they are both in good condition, I'd go for the harness machine, you'll have something few others have, so with all the horses in Ireland, especially around your way ( I'm originally from the Kilkenny / Wexford border area ) you'll not be wanting for work a soon as word gets around that you can fix and make harness.. Don't whatever you do sew horse blankets with the machine, firstly it is a sin ;)and secondly they are always chock full of hairs and crud which will get in the works and cost you time and money to get it all back out of..get another machine later ( any old "junker" will do ) to touch blankets with, better yet, find someone else to do the blankets, take in the "blanket work" , and pass it onto someone who doesn't mind having a machine that looks and smells like bear slept in it.. Wishing you all the luck .. :)

Depends on the diameter of the thread..( thicker thread means less of it can fit on the bobbin ) and the size of your bobbin ( they are not all the same ).. https://www.superiorthreads.com/education/bobbin-capacity/ http://www.kmkfabrics.com/bobbin_education/ Maybe someone here has figures for the commonly used thread sizes in industrials set up for leather and how much of each one can fit into the various industrial size bobbins .. Meanwhile the above links may be of some use to you.. Have a look around this link too http://www.thethreadexchange.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=prewound-bobbin-information and you could try a search using your favourite search engine for.."pre-wound industrial bobbins" some of the suppliers may well say how much thread is on the bobbin, bear in mind that when you wind your own, you'll probably get between 5% to 10% less on yours, because their machines are set up to just wind bobbins.. Then of course there are the machines which use "shuttles" ..

If your bobbin runs out..load a fresh ( with enough* thread on it for what you want to sew ) bobbin ..rethread the needle if it was unthreaded..put the item back under the foot, turn the machine by hand ( by pulling on the machine pulley towards you ..don't hit the pedal with your foot or you'll maybe snag a finger ) lower the needle into the last hole that you made before running out on the previous bobbin, now hold the thread ends as Wiz said above...next press down on the reverse lever and still turning the machine pulley by hand allow the machine to make 3 or 4 stitches backwards over the stitches previously made ( if the machine is adjusted correctly it will "backstitch" perfectly into the holes it made previously while running in a "forward" direction, then remove your hand from the machine pulley, release the reverse lever and ease down on the pedal and continue sewing like nothing had ever happened ;) If you really want to be neat..you can unpick enough of the "run out stitching" and start from the last sewn hole with the new bobbin, leave "long thread tails" ( still need to hold them though ) and then continue..when done you can sew the ends into the holes by hand and tie ( or "melt" ) the thread ends off level with the leather..depends how neat you want to be, some people ( especially those used to hand sewing ) "lock off" all their start and stop points by hand sewing, rather than run the machine backwards over 3 or 4 stitches.. re the belt ..it may be rubbing against the cut out that it should pass through on the table..adjust as per Wiz's instructions if so.. * approximate way to calculate "how much thread will I use"..measure the total seam length you need to sew, multiply by 7 gives you how much thread ( top and bottom combined ) ..actually that is more than you need , but it will save you running out if you use that as a guide..buy more bobbins, one can never have too many..

Easy to spot the folks who have worked on Adlers :)

Try the car mechanic's trick for locating the precise origin ( or diagnostics ) of engine noises ..get a longish straight blade screwdriver put the tip against various places on the bed or machine casing that you think it might be coming from, put the handle end of the screwdriver against your ear ( so that your ear "cups" it nicely )..the screwdriver shaft will amplify the noises ( like a doctors stethoscope ) ..makes them easier to identify and easier to pinpoint where they are coming from.. It is how a mechanic tracks down which bearing is "knocking" etc.. If you live near a medical supply place, you can actually buy a stethoscope ( I have one ) , you don't have to be a doctor or a vet, they are not expensive ( some are , but the cheap ones work just as well )..they are even better for listening to machinery and diagnostics of "what is that noise" and "where is that noise coming from". Worth checking that any nuts around bushings and bearings are tight..even the slightest play can cause a "squeak" as surfaces that should be "moving as one", instead rub a little..I recently built a speed reducer, mounted it had a "squeak"..turned out I needed to tighten a locking nut just another 1/100 of a turn.."squeak" gone :)

Uwe posted this a while back..not the same machine, but the principle is the same..should give you some ideas .. http://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/68866-show-tell-building-a-shipping-crate-for-an-adler-69/ The table and frame you can spilt down and ship separately.. price to ship ? ..how long is a piece of string ? ..depends from where to where and with which shipping company..

Most sail makers machines ( I have a friend, about 5kms from me, who make sails for the really big yachts and racing yachts and tri-marins etc ) are zig zag (" one step" or "three step" with various feed systems, but not many with true compound feed..What you need is not so much a "normal" sail makers machine as a compound feed ( walking foot and needle feed ) machine..some sail makers use them to make the huge bags that the sails are stored in, or to sew the multi layer reinforcement areas on sails..so you may get lucky.. Smaller sail makers ( people who make or repair the hang glider type "wings", or the sailboard size sails etc ) often have machines that can do both straight and zig zag stitches, but usually these are bottom feed only ( you need "compound feed" )..I just got one of these "straight line and zig zag" machines last weekend..Singer20U33..could be used to sew light weight garment leather, ( I'm wanting it for the Freehand embroidery that it can do ) but no thicker..not bags and belts..it is nowhere near as solid as my Singer 211 or my Juki, or even my 29K51 patcher, but it is way more solid than any domestic machine.. You need a compound machine first for leather, but if during your searches, you come across an industrial zig zag machine, and you've already got your compound feed machine, pick up the zig zag machine too if it isn't to much..avoid Pfaff or Adler, great machines..but spare parts are soooooo expensive for them, so, unless they are in perfect working order with all the feet and attachments that you need, pass those two brands up.. Costume makers and similar is another kind of place you could try for a compound feed machine, theatres ( not the movie type; )..clubs with a lot of dancers, ( some make and repair their own costumes ) places that supply / fix leather goods for horse riding..anyone who works with a lot of canvas, tent materials, places that make beach parasols, or awnings, ( especially the people who make "customized versions" or who make exhibition tents or awnings or beach umbrellas / parasols for hotels etc,they all may have a compound feed machine that they might sell you..any S&M bars or clubs ? do they have all their gear shipped in, or is some made on the Island, if so, they will have a compound feed machine ( or if you are lucky maybe a spare one ) to make the cuffs, clothes and restraints with.. A little "outside the box" thinking in those suggestions, and examples of some of the businesses, etc that I have seen compound feed machines used in.. HTH :) 03.30 here ATM, so I'll look in on the thread later in the day, good luck, others will be along to add their ideas..

Anyone there repairs parachutes or sails ?..( some of them used to use walking foot lock stitchers , not just zig zag machines ) some of the most often referenced manuals for walking foot machines were from the parachute units of the USA military..might be one under a tarp somewhere..I think holsters would be a bit too much for one of the old ones ( thinking Singer111 or Singer 211 ) , But others who have sewn ( or who currently sew ) holsters will be far better than I to advise on machines that can sew the usual holster thickness ( also you'd have more chance finding an old "flat bed" than a cylinder arm machine, and a cylinder arm machine is what most sew holsters on ) ..as to the location, you are very lucky :) Another thought, somebody there must do the repairs on leather jackets, and other leather items, ( I know that people in Hawaii sometimes wear leather, I have seen it on 5-O which we can get in English on French TV ;) they'd normally use a compound feed machine, or "patcher" , the latter is not ideal for what you want, but ...

Agreed, WD40 whilst being very widely available isn't as good as it's advertising, ( and the "knock offs" are actually often quite corrosive ! )..ATF is less widely available..the USA has mostly automatic transmissions ( I remember from my visits, a lot of drivers in the USA cannot drive "stick" ) In the UK and many other European countries automatic transmissions are not the most widely available ..less than 10% of cars and light trucks in Europe have automatic transmission, in many countries it is fewer than 5% of cars and light trucks..When I left the UK one could take a driving test on a "stick shift" vehicle, which ( if one passed ) gave one a licence to drive both "stick shift" and "auto", one could also take a driving test in an "auto" vehicle , if one passed the test , one's licence entitled one to drive automatic transmission vehicles only..having that "auto" only licence and driving a "stick shift" ..( or as the UK calls it a "manual gear box" vehicle ), was ( is still ?) a road traffic offence ( unless one is accompanied by a "fully qualified driver" , and displaying "L Plates" ) and can result in loss of points, loss of licence, fines, prison , or combinations of all of those.. TL:DR :) ..means that because there a far fewer "automatic transmission" vehicles in Europe ( and even fewer in many other parts of the world..ATF can be quite hard to find..or expensive..In France some older Citroëns use a similar fluid for the hydraulic ( hydro-elastic ) suspension circuits, makes it easier to get a "substitute" ( the "green" fluid, not the "red" ), but it is still comparatively expensive..diesel ( which is nowhere near as good as a release agent, except when used for "soaking" entire machines ) is much easier to get...But is still dangerous, especially if left on rags or when spills are cleaned up with sawdust or similar ( the resulting "mix" can then spontaneously combust , or even explode when mixed with certain contaminants ) ..Last "auto" I owned was a rover SD1 2600 ( would have preferred another 3500, nice "block" the 3500 ) in 98..If you are using ATF and acetone..wear eye protection ( a tiny splash can blind you ) , and take care..store any clean up rags in a bucket of water ( with water in it, to cover the rags ), and don't let your kids or pets near it.. I seem to remember ( despite not having visited, but from Aussie mates in London when I lived there ) that OZ has a fairly high percentage of "auto" transmissions , ..but I don't remember seeing many in the Mad Max movies :) Vegetable oil and acetone works as well as ATF and acetone, and better than WD40..and is cheaper..details here.. https://www.engineeringforchange.org/how-to-make-penetrating-oil/

I use my own "home mix" ( similar to the ATF Acetone mix )..But..I have a degree in chemistry ( and others in some other subjects )..I don't recommend anyone making their own "home brews" if they are not experienced with the handling of dangerous chemicals..Acetone is very powerful ..( it is a "contact carcinogenic" ), the Acetone vapours are also highly carcinogenic ..it can catch fire very easily ( extremely low "flash point" ), contains a huge amount of energy, can be used either deliberately ( or inadvertently ) to make various explosives in combination with various other "household chemicals" ..Purchase of it is now restricted or banned ( without proof of a very good reason for needing it ) in some countries, particularly in Europe since the events of the past few years and this year in particular.. WD40 is also available " over the counter" in pretty much any country, whereas PB Blaster, liquid wrench, Kano Kroll, and many other similar items are not usually available outside of the USA..I post advice ( if, when I can ) for the benefit of the posters in the thread(s) , but also for those who may be reading this ( now or later ) and other threads and who may not be in the USA, and thus who would not have access to country specific brands..Another example would be the various "belt dressings" which get mentioned by their brand names as the solutions to "problems" or as "aids"..many of these are completely unavailable outside of the USA, but whilst the majority of those reading and posting here are in the USA..many members are not..and many readers / lurkers are probably not ( the people with access to the leatherworker.net site "raw logs" would know the exact numbers/percentages of "hits" from non USA IP addresses )..By all means brand name products are useful to mention, but, please bear in mind that not all of the readers can buy them..and most of the products which contain "volatiles" cannot be shipped internationally except under special circumstances, or at great expense, or only to "distributors".. "Home brews" can 99% of the time be perfectly safe in the hands of someone experienced with the handling of seemingly innocuous ( but actually potentially very dangerous ) chemicals..But who knows the "experience" or technical level of all the readers and posters here.. Hence my warnings in my earlier post about "freeze off" and similar cold release products ( other countries have similar products , with different names )..most of them get down to -30°C or in some cases -50°C..enough to blind or maim if one is not careful.. Btw..I used to be able to get "Snap On" tools here, when I lived near St Tropez the "Snap On" trucks ( the local franchise was owned by an English Guy ) the next dept over, le 13 the franchise was owned by his brother ) used to come around..then they stopped ..We heard they had folded ( the brothers, not Snap On" )..I have a few "Snap On" tools left they are great, the French Garages I know have mostly never heard of them ( unless the owners have been to the USA, one French friend with a speciality Garage goes to the USA every year, buys Mustang cars, and Corvettes, new and old, brings them back , fixes the old ones up , sells them and drives them )..buys his "Snap On" tools in the USA..here the "pro tools" are Facom ..not as good.. :(

WD40 onto each screw ( between the head and the hole that the screw sits in ) wait 24 hours then use "Locking pliers", "mole grips" (mole wrench) or "vise-grips"* to lock around the screw head ( preferably with their teeth in the direction of the shaft of the screws ) and unscrew..really stubborn screws also succumb to a quick spray with "bolt freeze spray" ( also called "freeze off" or "freeze and release" ) just before they are unscrewed..use it precisely on the screw , it will cool down the screw so much that it will shrink a tiny amount in relation to the hole it is in, and thus unscrew easier with the mole grips ..Even works with screws that have had "thread lock resin" on them for a long time..such as the screws that hold the discs on Harley wheels.. Replacement screws for Singers..lots of places do them..someone in the USA will be better able to advise you of the nearest supplier to you than I am..I just ordered some ( and some other stuff ) from College Sewing in the UK for a Singer 20U33 ( "bight amplitude regulating plate thumbscrew"..one was missing ) that I picked up on Saturday last.. Someone here will probably have a link to an actual parts list for your machine, or even one they can post, which will get you the precise part number to search for.. HTH :) * various names for the same tool..here in France they are called "Vice Etau"..pronounced "veese ay toe" ..in case you ever need to buy one here :) ps .."freeze off" can give you a "cold burn" ( frost bite ) ..keep it away from your eyes, face, fingers and children..

Add or convert a post bed to a rotatable post machine..? ( which would get you halfway there )...I cannot see it being possible without access to an engineering shop..That said..even if you can find the "horn", from looking at the diagram of the "post part" of the post bed that you have, with some cutting and brazing/welding, and some bearings you could make the post able to rotate, but the , in my view, insurmountable problem would be that the point of the hook would not always be in line with the needle in order to make a stitch.

Knots on the bottom..( top thread showing on the bottom, but not so bad as to be "bird's nesting" ? ) Normally you would not touch the bottom tension until you have tried adjusting the top tension..So..Firstly, get your bottom tension back to "normal"..So that the thread doesn't bind or pull back at you when you pull on it when it is on a bobbin inn the bobbin case..it also does not want to be too loose when you pull.. Then look at the thread path of the top thread, anything broken, anything loose ?..Without putting the thread through the needle eye does the thread have tension on it when it is threaded correctly on the thread path ,..if yes..tighten the thread tension discs 1/4 turn ..and try to sew with the needle threaded and the bobbin in place in the case..if OK..then great..if not tighten the top thread tension discs ( and only touch the top thread tension, leave the bobbin tension alone if it is OK ) another 1/4 turn ..test again..repeat until it is OK.. Most tension problems are not from bottom tension, but are from the "balance" between top and bottom tension..usually you rebalance by adjusting the top tension.. You are sewing chrome tan ? What thickness is it ( each layer ) ( in mm ) and what is the middle reinforcement layer made from ? and how thick is it, what is the total thickness of the "sandwich" ? do you have enough pressure on the foot ?

I'd be tempted to rig up something using a chain drive and gears , pedals etc from a bicycle..I think you'd get more control and power for less "effort" like that..could be a fun project ..could even add wheels and go mobile :)..and..add a basket for the dog, and a cooler for the pork chop and a few beers..:)..The Australian version would require a built on BBQ..