Uwe

I stumbled across an original, vintage manual booklet from 1933 titled "The Regular Lock Stitch Wax Thread Machine Instructions". The machine is more commonly referred to as the Landis #1. Since I couldn't find any PDF versions of this manual online, I scanned it to PDF for fellow LW folks: Landis_1_Manual_1933.pdf I decided to format this PDF for digital viewing only - I added a watermark and disabled printing. High quality printed booklets without watermark ($10) and the original ($50) are for sale, send me a PM if you are interested.

Mike @leathersmyth was kind enough to scan his Puritan documentation. Thank you Mike! I cleaned up and shrunk Mike's Puritan PDF: Puritan-Catalog-Manual-Parts-newer.pdf I also discovered an older version of the Puritan catalog/manual/parts list in my archives. The two catalogs have a decade or two between them and show some common information, but they differ in which machines were in production at the time and some other details, like pricing info for parts. I miss the days when a dozen Puritan needles cost $0.75 ! ($0.75 in 1917 is over $15 in 2017) Here's my older Puritan catalog: Puritan-Catalog-Manual-Parts-older.pdf

Part of the learning process is resolving apparently contradictory information. No doubt @shoepatcher knows his stuff, but I for one am always looking for verifiable facts that support a statement, especially if it contradicts other information. In the grand scheme of things dating a sewing machine is not a super important issue, but since we already started down that rabbit hole, we may as well figure out where it leads. I think we need exhibit A: the close-up photo of the actual serial number and type plate on @chase97's Singer 29K

@leathersmyth I did end up buying a set of ten #2 needles and ten #3 awls directly from Puritan last year (for an eye watering $173.30!) so I'm good for basic testing. My Puritan indeed uses small shank (0.086") needles and awls. 91 pages Puritan manual goodness is definitely worth the effort to produce a state of the art PDF version.

It would be very cool to produce good quality PDF of your Puritan manual. I'd be happy to help you do that. If you don't have a scanner, a series of full resolution photos would be a good starting point. I have software to build a good quality PDF files that is not huge. You can message me here on LW, or email me at uwe@uwe.net - you can email me image files that are too big to post here. I'll upload the finished PDF here.

Not yet, but when I do get her to cooperate I will be sure to let everybody know about it

The control box circuitry usually runs on single phase 220V. It's the motors that are often true 3-phase affairs. There may be a separate type plate on the motor. A four conductor power cord hints very strongly at 3-phase power. Alas, you may be able to run the whole affair on single phase power. On my 3-Phase Durkopp Adler 467 Efka setup all three power wires connect to the motor, but only two of the three power wires continue on to the controller box to supply single phase power. On other machines it is less obvious what's going on. A three phase motor will continue to run just fine with only two power wires connected once it starts rotating (but with a lower horsepower rating.) I just bought a rotary phase converter from a guy who said had it connected to his three-phase Adler 467 sewing machine (same as mine.) One day he forgot to turn on the rotary phase converter before he turned on the machine, and, lo and behold, everything worked just fine without the rotary phase converter turned on. He was lucky in that he had (by chance) the power wires connected just right - the two original incoming single phase power wires have to be the ones that continue on to the controller (you have a one in three chance of getting it right by accident.) The "proper" way to connect three phase equipment to single phase power supply is to use a rotary phase converter. They normally consist of a control box and a special 3-phase generator motor. A two HP rotary phase converter should be fine to run a single sewing machine. They cost about $250-$400. In any case, make sure you are comfortable doing electrical work or get some somebody who is.

The business end of the cylinder arm on your Ferdinand actually looks identical to the Adler 205 design, but it's unclear if Ferdinand modified the hook driver in any way. Your shuttle hook may actually be compatible with the Adler 204/205 shuttle hooks. Chances are good you can find a decent aftermarket shuttle hook, but exactly which one is the right one is still unclear. Aside from the obvious critical dimensions of diameter and thickness of the shuttle hook frame, the other important dimensions are distance from tip to butt of the shuttle hoot, measured along the outer circumference of the hook. The length of the hook tip itself must also be match the original. The bobbin case itself, the tension mechanism and what's going on inside the bobbin case is less critical. The bobbin case tension springs can sometimes be bent a little make it work better. I once removed the spring metal part and bent it slight down in the middle, so it would make better contact with the size 92 thread my customer wanted to work with. The tension spring may also buckle or arch upward in the middle if you tighten it too strong, because once the spring blade rests on the bobbin case body near the tension screw, the mechanics change. That's probably why tension increased when you backed up the tension screw a little from the over-tightened position. (as Bob also just said seconds ago.) One other option is to fill in the worn channel on the bobbin case with silver solder or brass, but that may be a little tricky to get right.

Consew doesn't manufacture anything as far as I know, they just put a Consew badge on things others make for them. Your Ferdco may be made by Seiko, sold as a Consew, then modified by Ferdco. Your best bet may be to find out which OEM manufactured the machine that Ferdco modified. Only then will you be able to find out which parts may or may not be compatible. Pictures always help determine the true ancestry of a machine. Please post some of yours. You'd want to replace the entire shuttle hook, no point in trying to replace just the bobbin case. Have you tried the 441 style shuttle in your Ferdco? Personally I'm betting on a Seiko CH-8B, in which case you'd have to reference the Seiko CH-8B Parts Manual. An original Seiko hook (Part# 28901C) runs about $350. Consew 754R:

I'd recommend making a day trip to College Sewing , just North of Manchester and check out their brand new showroom with demo machines. It's only an hour drive from Liverpool. Talk to them, tell them what you want to sew, bring some materials you want to work with and have them demo a few machines for you. Chances are they'll give you good advice and good service. You're bound to come away with very good idea as to what machine might fit your needs.

I tried it on my Juki LS-341 and it unfortunately did not quite fit - mounting slot on the back does not line up with the threaded hole and the angle of the rear arm is different. I don't have a Juki LS1341 to test with. @R8R, @TheRuggedProject: For 1" tape folder options, I have the KHF2S 26mm ($45) and the KHF66 1" ($59) versions on hand. Compared to the CW-8, the KHF2S and KHF66 tape folders are quite a bit larger and have a different mounting scheme. They might work, especially if you make a custom bracket. They definitely do fit the Pfaff 335 binder bracket. These are well made tape folders and I've heard good feedback from folks who bought them. Here are some photos for comparison:

The cheapest and perfectly adequate option is a "Family Sew" style servo motor. They're available for around $120-$150 under various model names (e.g. Family FESM-550S) from many vendors, including some that advertise in the banner ads here. It's usually a direct swap for the clutch motor and easy to install. You may need a new, different size belt, but you won't know exactly what size until you install the new motor. Try to get a 50mm pulley (search for "SM50 pulley") with it for best low speed control. You may also want to remove the cork brake pad. The motor looks like this: The SM50 pulley kit looks like this:

The 3/4" tape folder itself is a CW8 model and has a 7.5mm (19/64" or 19oz.) wide throat and accepts up to 2mm (5/64" or 5oz.) thick tape material.

The KHF48C binder kit from Kwok Hing fits my Singer 153W102 perfectly. I bought the kit for testing to see which of my large diameter cylinder arm machines it would actually fit. It has a 3/4" tape folder, is unused and can be yours for $70.

The machine is sold.

That's a great idea @Darren Brosowski and a simple "hack" of sorts. Those Pfaff 335 binder brackets are on Ebay for $30 or less, certainly cheap enough to experiment with.

Can you please scan the Bauer manual to PDF and post it here? A series of photos would work, too. We can help make the PDF.

The Adler 467-FA373 uses internal air cylinders to actuate levers for functions like reverse, foot lift, walking height, and thread trimming. The buttons you press (or the Efka controller) send electric signals to open or close air valves that supply compressed air to the cylinders to do the work. I used a CAT- 4610AC-B compressor from California air tools which works great and doesn't wake up the neighbors when it kicks in. Some machines (e.g. the Durkopp Adler 1183i) use electric solenoids instead of air cylinders to move levers and don't require an air line.

Here's the Patent US822337 about the thread controlling device:

Just a screenshot and the images from that CL ad referenced above, just to preserve it for posterity here on LW. Love that pedal drive!

The guy in that Craigslist posting above says he has a manual for it. What are the chances of him being willing to scan it to PDF for the greater good?

That is some machine, wow! Unfortunately that threading video appears to be the only bit of documentation available online. I did find an Advertisement for an earlier version of the machine on the last page of the 1909 issue of "Harness" (the thread tension mechanism is a little different - it only has one tension disc). Sometimes patent application drawings and descriptions can be helpful. With a needle that long, there's going to a minimum thickness that makes sense and likely will only be manufactured in a limited size range. Do you know what system needle you have in your machine right now? If not, can you take some measurement like diameter of butt, butt to top of the eye of needle distance, and overall length (ideally in mm). It may narrow down the possible needle system choices. There's only a handful of needle systems that are that long. I was organizing a few parts bins yesterday and came across a few Landis (I think) parts. The bobbins sure look a lot like the Bauer bobbins, but the shuttle boats are quite different, at least in the thread tension mechanism.

Well, if it works then $1,000 is a good deal compared a new one at $2,300 right? It may still be worth $1,000 five years from now if you take care of it. Having access to a machine like that for five years for free is a good deal, most people would agree. It's really one of many copies of the Singer 29K class of machines, not sure exactly which sub-class, likely a 29K72 or something like that. Do a general (or LW specific) search for "Singer 29K" and you'll be overwhelmed with demos, opinions and testimonials about that class of machine. You will find almost nothing for "Cowboy 29", because for every Cowboy 29, there are hundreds if not thousands of Singer 29K machines out there. Tired old Singer 29K originals can be found less than $1,000, but that doesn't means those machines are a better deal.

I've never even heard of that brand. Can you please post some pictures? You may know more about the machine than most people on this forum.

The Adler 104-64 has bottom+needle feed and is designed for the heavy duty range with needle size range 160-230 and thread size range Tex 207-348. You can go one size beyond the top and bottom of that range, but after that it gets dicey. Here's the PDF brochure for Adler 104-64: Leaflet_Adler_Class_104-64.pdf . Overall a desirable machine, at least in my book. No one machine does everything perfectly. If you get a smaller sibling like an Adler 169, Juki LU-563 or similar to keep this one company, they will cover a very large range of applications between the two of them.