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I’d oil the knee lift bits, they look like they have friction without touching anything. Then adjust the knee pad leg bar position so it’s very close to making contact when it’s in the normal, down position. Currently there’s too much free motion before it touches the lifting mechanism. There’s a block that connects the angled pad leg bar to the horizontal shaft. There are two set screws, the one on the bottom fixes the pad leg bar to the block, and the one on top other fixes the block on the horizontal shaft. You can adjust the position of that block (and thus the pad leg) on the shaft (sliding and rotating.) Rotate the pad leg bar clock-wise on the shaft until it has just a little bit of free motion in the down position. The arrow in the picture points to the location of the set screw you need loosen to make the adjustment. Hold the horizontal bar with your finger or pliers close to the contact position, then rotate the pad leg bar so the part with the pad is vertical. You may wish you had three hands to do this.

It looks like some feed dogs have not changed since the 67/69 model, but the needle plates are new for the 869 model. In general, if two parts have the same part number in different parts lists (e.g. in the 69 parts list AND the 869 parts list) then the parts themselves are identical and interchangeable. When you look at the parts list, many part numbers will show on which model the part was first introduced (and hasn’t changed since.) A part number starting with 0067 was fist used on the 67, a part number starting with 0367 was first used on the 367, etc. Part numbers starting with 9 are not model specific. The Durkopp Adler 869 parts list (https://www.duerkopp-adler.com/fileadmin/dag/Media/Downloads/869/TL_869.pdf) shows available sewing gauge combinations at the end. Some feed dog parts numbers start with 0067 (or 0467), the throat plate numbers all start with 0867. That means the fed dogs will likely fit all models 69 through 869, but the throat plates will likely only fit the 869. Here’s a screen shot of one of the pages from the manual:

It would be nice to share these upgrades, modifications, and tips for all to see.

That slow speed sewing looks very nice! As for your bobbin case opener, there’s a few possibilities as to why it’s wobbly (in order of likelyhood): 1. The hook may not be seated all the way down, allowing the bobbin case opener disc to move vertically a little. 2. The parts may be worn and have too much play 3. Some parts may be incorrect The wobbliness may actually be fine as long as the finger reliably pulls back the bobbin case to the correct position (tab in center of the cutout under throat plate) Seating the hook properly is a relative easy thing to do. The small hook driving gear holds the hook in place rotationally and vertically. If you loosen both set screws on the gear just a little bit, you can move the hook vertically. Make sure the hook is seated all the way down to minimize vertical movement of the opener mechanism. Sometimes the hook gets forced up by thread getting caught under the hook. Even if you remove the thread, the hook may still be riding a little too high afterwards, allowing play in the opener mechanism. You may have to re-time the hook or adjust the needle bar position if the vertical adjustment of the hook was significant.

I would turn the hand wheel to bring the tip of the needle very close to the material without the inner foot touching the material. Then move the stitch length lever until it points exactly where you want the stitch to go and make the stitch.

@PEU Brilliant, love it!

Very cool, congrats! How did you embed the metal rod in the part?

Yup, it sure looks like there’s a burr on the hook or driver that cuts the thread. I’d remove and inspect the hook. Polish any sharp edges smooth or just replace the hook with a new one. It takes just a tiny burr to act like a cutting knife.

Thanks for that clarification, I appreciate it!

When turning the machine backwards with the bobbin cap on and without the throatplate, the bobbin case opener ends up on the wrong side of the bobbin case “triangle”. Then when you change rotation again it catches on the bobbin cap, causing the bind. That’s not a normal operational situation. There may be other things going on, but that bind in the video is quite obvious. That bind situation would never happen during normal operation of the machine with all parts in place. This video was made on a different machine, but the concepts are the same.

The short answer is that there’s nothing wrong with your machine. Don’t turn the machine backwards. Don’t turn the machine much in either direction with the throat plate removed. It’s likely to bind up, especially in reverse because it’s not designed to do that. It’s okay to turn the machine by hand with the throat plate removed while adjusting hook timing, just watch the position of the bobbin case. The tab that’s normally under the throat plate should generally point at the needle when you remove the throat plate, don’t allow it to spin freely. Only turn the machine in the designated direction - meaning the hook will rotate clock-wise. Small adjustments in the reverse direction (counter-clock-wise) are okay, but not a full turn in reverse or more. Bad things will happen.

Can you elaborate on that please? That aluminum burr is new to me, I’ve not come across that type of belt in my online searches. A link to a source would be great.

This sure looks like an Adler 67 or 167 to me. There should be a type plate on the back of the machine with details and subclass information. In general, they’re very nice, high quality machines made in Germany. We have a bunch topics discussing them here on LW. Do a search on google like this “site:leatherworker.net Adler 67 167” Here’s a leaflet that provides some tech specs for one of the many subclasses: Adler 67-372-373 Brochure.pdf

The first thing I would check is to make sure the safety clutch is properly engaged. You may have to remove the bobbin case or the entire hook to make sure no thread is caught under it. A massive jam like you described can leave bits of thread in many wrong places. Tweezers don’t reach in all the place you need to check. It sounds Iike you’re saying the hook catches the needle thread loop but fails to wrap it around the bobbin case. A short video clip of that happening under slow hand-turning power would be super useful (upload video snippet to YouTube and post a link to it here). A few close-up photos is the second best thing.

Your machine may bind up because the bobbin case opener is not properly adjusted. This videos explains some of the details around that issue. Your “finger” that’s pulling back on the bobbin case looks different than the one in the video, but the concept is the same. On your machine, you can adjust that finger position front-to-back by loosening the screw that holds the finger in place.

Wow, that machine cleaned up really nicely, congrats! I personally really like that look. No need to contemplate repainting anything, I think. Next I would get a nice, new tension unit, which is readily available on Ebay, and other vendors. One exampleexample :

I’d recommend approaching this from a design standpoint. If the machine has a service manual section about adjusting FWD/REV balance, that’s a good sign. That means the engineers actually considered that you might want to adjust that detail and make it easy to do. If the adjustment involves an adjustment screw, that’s going to be a precise adjustment. If you can’t find any instructions in the manuals, then the machine design may not allow (or make it easy) to adjust stitch balance and may not be a good candidate for you. Make sure you track down and read the service manual BEFORE buy a machine. If you can’t find a service manual, I’d say it’s a no-go. Regardless of how precisely you adjust FWD/REV stitch length, it’ll never be a mathematically precise setting in all situations. Factors like material thickness, type, layers, etc. still play a factor. Here’s an example of what to look for. The adjustment section of the Dürkopp Adler M-Type 867 Service Manual shows adjustment steps. It’s one of the best flatbed leather machines I’ve worked with. It might be a candidate worth considering if you can afford it. They run about $5K new. Clones have started to appear as well.

I’d start with a good wipe down with some cleaning oil (I like Marvel Mystery Oil - essentially diesel oil with red dye and perfume) using a soft cloth, a tooth brush, or some other brush with plastic bristles. You may find that much of the rust color wipes off, leaving clean, shiny paint and a dark metal color where paint is missing. It might end up being a pleasing vintage battleship look. The oil then protects the bare metal from rusting again soon. Here’s a pic of the cleaning oil that’s available at most automotive parts stores in the US:

That spring you circled in blue is just there to lift the foot lifter connecting link when you’re sewing, to keep it from bouncing. Your foot pressure spring is a flat blade on the back. The screw above can it can be turned to adjust foot pressure.

Try Hennigan Engineering & Precision. They make beautiful, high-quality parts for the Adler 205-370: https://heprecision.com/shop/ols/search?keywords=205-370&sortOption=descend_by_match

I doubt your Sibyer SB-6180-1 shares many, if any, parts with an Adler 204, Singer 7 class, or Seiko SLH. The resemblance to these machines is just superficial, the details are quite different. I don’t know which machine that Sibyer is based on, sorry. Here’s a pic of the Sibyer SB-6180-1 from the company website: Here’s a picture of a Seiko SLH, which probably weighs twice as much as yours. Pictures often don’t convey a good sense of scale. I think your best (yet slim) hope may be to find a retailer that sells Sibyer machines, and hope they have parts. Or contact Sibyer directly: http://www.sibyer.com , if your Chinese language skills are good. You may be stuck with using the machine as it is, using the parts you have.

“No” is the short answer, I’m afraid. The controller of your servo motor has to support a needle position device, otherwise you can’t use it. If your motor does not have a controller, you’re out of luck in terms of needle position options. Brushed servo motors generally do not have a controller.

I don’t think the feed dog would cause the problems you’re seeing, but it might be nice to have a new matching set. Here’s one option on Ebay that matches your parts diagram. At $18 they’re cheap enough to just give it a try. https://www.ebay.com/itm/144856325255

It may have to do with the design of the hook. If you stop at precisely the wrong moment and turn back just little bit, the thread may fall under the hook and you’re doomed. Here’s a video that shows that problem: A more detailed discussion of the issue can be found here: