Uwe

I have a nice original Adler 30-1 and I'm game to meet up in Akron, OH about halfway to your ZIP. I'll send you some pictures later today. Regards, Uwe

The folks a the Leather Machine Company who market the Cobra brand have some odd marketing policy not to make basic information available online. They want you to call them and talk their sales or support people. When you buy one of their machines new or used, you kind of buy into that philosophy. So give them a call - it's what they want.

I made a video on this topic using a Pfaff. The concept is the same for many other machines.

Keystone Sewing in Philadelphia is only about 85 miles from Joppa, MD. You can contact LW member @Gregg From Keystone Sewing to arrange a visit.

Very often the only difference between the leather and fabric versions of a machine are the feed dog, throat plate and presser feet. The leather versions will have smooth surfaces and the fabric version will have teeth or knurled surfaces on those parts. The parts are generally easy to swap out and you can turn most fabric machines into a leather machine by installing parts with smooth surfaces.

In the US, MJ Foley sells them for $166.24 In Europe, College Sewing sells them for 144 EURO

Just some pictures of the original Consew 287 to preserve for posterity here on LW (which hopefully will live longer than that facebook post or facebook itself). It's a nice machine, really. Very likely made by Seiko, and probably worth the asking price.

We'll need that video or at the very least some close-up photos that show how the leather is lifted. It's just a wild goose chase otherwise.

As mentioned earlier, a simple low-profile M5 screw like the one pictured below may be all you need. I order mine from Open Builds (https://openbuildspartstore.com/low-profile-screws-m5-10-pack/) Edit: I just now noticed that you're using the KB-267 adapter bracket. That bracket can be used in four different orientations to provide offset combinations of up/down and left/right. It looks like you have it in the up-left offset position. Try the down-left position instead.

I don't actually do much sewing beyond testing that a machine works as it should. I generally don't make products with sewing machines, I make products for sewing machines. I'm trying to sell most of my machines once I fix them up, except for a select few "keepers". The KM380 is actually a nice machine, but parts are getting nearly impossible to find. I eventually scored an OEM feed dog and an arm cover plate. Throat plates are positively impossible to get - I tried for over half a year. I ended up modifying a throat plate made for the Adler 69 to make it work on the KM380, just so I can make the machine functional. The modification was simple enough, grinding out the underside of the throat plate to make room for the swiveling feed arm to also move up and down. In my mind, the downsides of the slim arm full motion feed dog machines has nothing to do with the function. The full motion feed dog is definitely a plus in my mind, save for certain binding applications as mentioned in earlier posts. The main problem I see is that these slim arm full feed dog motion machines are so rare that nobody bothers to make parts for them (unless they're current OEM production models.)

So which Consew model did you find comparable to the Durkopp Adler 669?

If two mechanics sitting in front of the machine couldn't figure it out, you'll have to give a little more to work with than just text. A close-up video of your hook showing a hand-turned, very slow reverse stitch would be a great start. Prop your smartphone on the machine and lock the focus on the hook. Can you elaborate on what you mean by "press it"?

Here's a link to a US based vendor for a brand new Durkopp Adler 267 for $1,840 with free shipping: https://store.keysew.com/catalog/product/6890ef49ffbd4d54b0f7841c46f156be You're also close to Nick-O-Sew in Herculaneum, just south of St. Louis. Having a local service resource is priceless.

Not sure which side of the pond you're on. Some of the links below may not be local to you. The Adler 267 is a great design and a desirable machine if it's complete and serviceable. Many wear parts are readily available (https://www.college-sewing.co.uk/store/Durkopp-Adler-267-Sewing-Machine-Parts) and not very expensive. Durkopp Adler still sells the DA 267 brand new for around £1390 pounds. The machines are now made in China, but with good quality control that should not really be a problem. A new machine may be a better starting point if you're new to industrial sewing machines. When looking at the used machines, make sure they're complete (take some printed photos for reference), it should turn over smoothly, all levers should work. Check thread tension release when lifting the feet (Tension disk should separate a tiny bit). The needlebar/rockerbar-frame should have very little play when wiggling it. Check the hook for a nice, smooth and pointy tip - if the hook tip is broken or worn flat that's $200 negotiation room right there. If possible, take the belt off the hand wheel, remove the thread and lift the feet. Then give the handwheel a good spin. Nice machines will spin easily and keep spinning for a turn or so after letting go of the handwheel. If it doesn't spin easily, that's negotiating fodder, but may only need oil to resolve. Ideally they can demo the machine sewing. If it doesn't make a stitch, that's worth $200 in adjustment work for negotiating purposes.

Looks like you got yourself a nice machine there! Those motors usually have a simple speed dial knob. Try turning it down, but not all the way. It may improve low speed control and starting speed. The brake pad on those motors is annoying and replaceable/removable. Personally I hate those brake pads and I remove them. I thinks it's dangerous to depress the pedal just so without starting the motor while you're doing detail work and have your fingers near the needle. The machine will stop just fine without the brake pad. Aftermarket feet for the Pfaff 1245 are readily available, I have a few left in my online store. You can also order them directly from Kwok Hing. The knurled foot you have is probably fine for automotive leather, and definitely good for vinyl. The hook on this Pfaff series can be removed without changing the hook timing, which is a really nice feature to have. The hook design is almost identical to the Adler 167 series. You shouldn't be afraid to remove the hook when you need to do a proper cleaning, at least not on this machine. Who really wants to take a machine to a mechanic everytime thread gets stuck under the hook? I made a video on how to remove the hook on an Adler 167. The Pfaff 1245 steps will be nearly identical. I don't have a full video of the Pfaff hook removal but I have a video snippet for the last few steps on a Pfaff 145, just to show how similar the hook designs are.

I managed to make my DA 205-370 sew reliably using size 90 Kevlar thread sewing a 2mm thick leather binding tape (1mm thick tape folded once). It also stepped from sewing just the tape up to the 10-14mm thick stack of material for actual binding and then back down to only the tape, all without adjustments. It wasn't easy but that's my real world experience of lower sewing limit and stepping up/down limit of the Durkopp Adler 205-370. I think there's really a fair amount of capability overlap instead of a gap between the Juki 2810 and the DA 205-370.

My large format printer is back in business and I printed a few Landis manual booklets.

The best heavy duty synchronized binder machine with a cylinder arm and enough "oomph" I've seen is the Durkopp Adler 205-370. Kwok Hing still makes the 205 binder kit consisting of a KH205 binder and a KH205B support sheet (each around $100) and you can buy it directly from http://khsew.com Durkopp Adler stopped making the 205 a decade ago, but clone manufacturers still make and sell the DA 205-370 design. Cowboy 205-370 is one example for around $3,500. Some 205 clones lack the access hole on top of the arm that you need to install the binder. Here's a video of the Cowboy 205 binder setup: I made an installation video for the 205 binder kit some time ago: Here's my binding demo video with various materials:

Ouch. Sounds very much like a dead Juki to me. At the very least it will never be the same again. Who knows what got bent out of spec as the main shaft got forced sideways.

Check your entire upper thread path starting from the thread spool. Upper thread path issues can cause all manner of problems, including the symptoms you describe. Watch how thread unwinds from the spool as you sew (keep your fingers away from the needle!) You may find it snagging or jerking for some reason. The thread guide hole in the thread stand must be directly above the spool. Some threads are springy and fall off the spool and then get caught under the spool - a thread net may eliminate that issue. Here's a ten year old topic with more details on that:

My big Xerox printer that I use to make the booklets is out of service at the moment. I hope to get it going again shortly and print more manuals.

Can you elaborate on that? Your check spring does not move at all when the thread wraps around the hook now? What adjustments did you make to the tension unit?

Make sure you actually read the manual for this machine. I'm not sure what manuals come with the Cobra 26, but it's a clone of the Juki LS-341. Here's the manual for the Juki LS-341 (Juki LS-341N InstructionManual.pdf), which nicely explains correct needle orientation, proper thread path and a whole bunch of other things you cannot afford to ignore.

On the 441 class of machines, the manual foot lift lever operates by means of a small eccentric cam inside the head that lifts the presser feet. The size of that lifting cam determines how high it can lift the feet. There's nothing to adjust here. Your only real option to achieve maximum foot lift is to use the foot lift linkages on the back that normally is operated via foot pedal and chain. That's how most people operate the foot lift linkage. If you're unable to install or use a pedal for some reason, perhaps you can install a secondary custom manual lever that operates the linkages. The Artisan desktop version uses a secondary manual lever like this: Here's another manually operated concept:

Edit: I just realized you're in Australia - some of the sources mentioned below may not be the best choice for you. There may be resources in Australia, but I'm not familiar with them. You can order the take-up lever Part No. 167-00-016-0 from MJ Foley (http://www.mjfoleyco.com/) for around $87 plus shipping for a generic part. OEM part is not listed at MJ Foley. If you need OEM parts you'll need to call DAP North America in Georgia (https://www.dapamerica.com/) - they can order parts if they still exist. Replacing the take-up lever is doable, but not exactly trivial. In order to get access to remove the take-up lever, you'll have to remove many of the parts shown to the left of the take-up lever in the parts diagram ( Adler 169-373 Parts Diagram.pdf) If you pay a skilled mechanic to do it, the repair may end up costing more than what you paid for the whole machine in first place. Perhaps not what you want to hear - sorry!