Uwe

After fussing with the safety clutch on my Singer 111W155 for two days to get it to work properly, I decided to make a video to share some of the things I learned in the process. I have three similar machines, the Singer 111W155, a Consew 255, and a Tacsew T1563 (which is a Juki 563 clone) All these have similar safety clutches, but they are different in some aspects. Both Juki and Consew are adjustable in how much force it takes to trip the clutch. The Singer 111W155 safety clutch (at least the one I have) is not adjustable and mine takes a LOT of force to trigger it. I thought it was totally seized up but it really just takes a lot of force to trigger. I had removed the Singer safety clutch to clean it properly (overnight oil bath, three rounds in the ultrasonic cleaning spa.) I still could not trigger it inside the machine, but it does trip if I use a pair of pliers. So it works properly, it just takes a lot of force. Remember, don't mess with your timing belt unless you have to. Mine was flexible enough to slide off the cog wheel - yours may not. Don't force it and don't call me if you rip, tear or otherwise ruin your timing belt. Installing a new timing belt is a major pain from what I've heard and I haven't even done it yet. In any case, here's the video on safety clutches:

Thanks for all the positive feedback, guys! I just bought a Juki 563 class machine (a Tacsew T1563) that I'm working on. I'll probably make a stitch length balancing video with that machine over the next month or so (once I figure out how to actually do it). Not sure if the Consew machines have the exact same reverse mechanism, though. The hook is a brand new hook as it arrived in the Hirose box. I had just installed it. I noticed the slight blue color on the tip, too, but I can't say why that is. Perhaps it' s due to a special heat treatment they do to the tip of the hook at the factory. Hirose seems to enjoy a pretty good reputation as a hook maker, so I hope it's okay. Time will tell. The hook was only $35, not a huge investment, and the new hook was big improvement over the old one.

I had noticed that guide in one of other posts. It's a neat and unusual edge guide solution. It seems to me like that style edge guide would not interfere with installing the needle feed platform (I'm pretty sure that it would interfere with installing the flatbed table attachment, however.) But I'm quite certain that you would not be able to USE that style edge guide while the needle feed platform is installed. The guide wouldn't be able to flip up and into position. In order to use an edge guide with the needle feed platform installed you'd need a suspending edge guide that comes down from above (like the KG-867). A suspending style edge guide would work with both the needle feed platform and the flatbed table attachment.

Some machines have parts with numbers stamped/cast right on them. This might be a way to determine brand. Look for parts with numbers on it that are likely original to the machine (not that shuttle race) and compare the numbers to the Adler 20 or Singer 7 parts diagrams. Hopefully, you'll find enough matches to tell you with a degree of confidence whether you have an Adler or Singer (or a mix like 90% Adler with 10% Singer spare parts).

I don't think it matters a great deal exactly which grease you use (oil is a different story). I'm using Tri-Flow brand clear grease which I got on Amazon, mainly because it's all synthetic, clear, and doesn't stain my clothes (Tri-Flow also makes good synthetic oil for sewing machines.) My Chandler/Adler 67 machine had reddish-brown grease packed inside the hook gear casing (you can see it in my Adler 67 hook timing video) Eric (gottaknow), our resident experts who maintains a factory full of machines, uses regular white lithium grease on machines in his factory.

Now that you have the machine in front of you, take a bunch of detailed pictures and post them here, particularly stuff with numbers or other identifying marks on it. I'm still voting for Adler due to the shape of the head. Often parts are interchangeable between brands and models, so they may have installed a Singer race at some point because it was available and cheap. Does this machine really have two needles and shuttles? I think there was a lot of customization going on back then, too. If you owned a factory and needed a few dozen machines to perform a special sewing operation, Singer or Adler would just build a small custom batch for you, a variation based on an existing mainstream model. There's usually no documentation for those custom-built machines. All you can hope for is figuring out what mainstream model it's related to and try to find parts that route.

Well, "Bantam manually operated machine" really narrows it down, doesn't it? Do you have any pictures? Do you have any links to what you saw online that you liked? Personally, I've never even heard of a Bantam machine before. Share with us what you know about it.

Schmetz has a handy needle size chart that shows how Singer needle sizes match up with modern Nm sizes:

Compound feed means the material is moved three ways at the same time: Top Foot + Bottom Feed Dog + Needle The Singer 111W155 has proper compound feed. On the Singer 16-188, only the Top Foot + Bottom feed dog move the material. The needle does not help move the material. The Singer 16-188 takes needles of type 16x63 (fabric) or 16x64 (leather). The needles are available in Europe from CollegeSewing in the U.K. , but the available sizes seem to be limited. The machine can use needles from size 14-25, but I've only seen needles for sale in a few select sizes, up to size 22.

Cylinder arm machines in good working condition tend to command a significantly higher price than similar flatbed machines. If you can get this one going, good for you. Just keep an eye out for when this project machine might become more of a burden than a bargain.

To post pictures of a machine that was pulled from the smoldering remains of a factory fire after they lifted the massive H-beam that had fallen on the machine, click the "More Reply Options" button in the lower right. It will then show you options to upload picture files.

This just gets better with every post. Now I want to see what a machine looks like after surviving an event hot enough to melt the timing belt.

You don't have the old belt anymore to confirm length and tooth count? Now I want to see some picture of how a walking foot machine gets converted to a wheel feed.

So, tew45, is the belt you received 25 3/8" long with 41 teeth or not? If it is the size and tooth count matches the part number you need, but it's four inches too long for your machine, then something else is wrong. Does the belt that's currently in your machine have 41 teeth or not?

Who knows what's going on in warehouses across the country. I'm sure parts get mismarked or put in the wrong bin a lot. Without pictures of what tew45 actually has, I'm just going by information that's available online. Are the parts manual diagrams I linked to for the 153W100 and the 153W104 not correct? Because they surely show different timing belts.

Often the machine itself is cheap, but if it's not local the shipping may be an arm and a leg. We really need to know where you're located at (Tennessee, Tasmania, or Tanzania?) to give more meaningful answers.

The Singer 153 has several sub-models and they use different timing belts. Saying a part fits a Singer 153 model isn't really enough information. You need to know which sub-model they're talking about. According to the Singer Model List, the 153W101 is the same a 153W100 but with alternating presser feet. So the 153W100 should be the right Singer 153 sub-model to choose parts from for everything except the alternating presser foot bits. The parts list reference at UniversalSewing.com has a Parts List for the Singer 153W100 which shows the timing belt as part number 235003 which runs $37 at CollegeSewing.com in the U.K. but is probably available from U.S. vendors as well: The timing belt #224195 you got is the one that goes with the Singer 153W104:

Ouch, sorry to hear about the untimely demise of your hook. I'm not really familiar with the 206RB, and I don't even know if the 206RB's use an identical hook between the various versions RB1-RB5. Chances are you have to go through the hook timing procedure to get things aligned properly after you install the new hook. Personally, I want to see a picture of a broken hook, not to embarrass you, but to learn and see what actually breaks on a hook when it breaks.

Make sure you spend some quality time with the Durkopp Adler 267 Service Manual. The tightness/binding/rubbing may be caused elsewhere in the system, nowhere near the hook or needle. I had one machine where if I set the foot lift to the max, the wing screw was slightly touching the housing, causing a tight spot during the cycle. Sometimes a machine that's been used on one setting for very long time builds up crud or dried oil varnish at the end of rods etc., causing increased friction or apparent binding if you change the settings. Oil every spot that needs oiling. Clean and oil any open moving surfaces that touch. Remove the motor drive belt from the hand wheel and loosen the foot pressure spring all the way for testing - there is some normal increased pressure as you compress the spring up during the cycle. Without spring pressure the handwheel should turn easily without "tight" spots - if not, keep looking. Inspect and clean the gears if needed - perhaps something is stuck in the teeth that gets squeezed with every turn. I'd visually inspect all of the moving parts I can see (top/bottom/inside) as you turn the wheel. Look for things touching that shouldn't. Since the feed mechanism is not quite right and not "centered" properly to give equal forward/backward stitches, that's a good point to start. According to the manual, with the needle in the lowest position and flipping the stitch length lever all the way up and down, there should be NO forward/backward movement of needle/feet/feed-dog. If things move in that needle position your forward/backward stitch length will not match. Page 9 of the service manual has this section on how to adjust: Eventually, you'll want to go methodically through most of the service manual front to back in sequence and check any applicable "rules" of the manual against your actual machine. Adjust things that don't match the rules.

I was being serious. I was focused on the stuff I had actually paid for. I glanced at the other unremarkable black machine and thought "great, another straight stitch racehorse nobody wants". Her son just grabbed the 111 with one hand to put in my car - I watched him while holding my breath afraid he'd drop it or hit my car, as I grabbed the other machine. It was all sitting in the driveway with dark clouds overhead when I got there and it started raining just as I was leaving. I was on a mission. It really was when I got home and unloaded the 16 that I noticed all that stuff going on in the back of it. Congratulations to you, too, for your new arrivals in your shop! We'll be like parents who bond because they had twins at the same time, haha. Perhaps we can share stories and info on the 16s. The 111W155's are well covered, proven and established, but not exactly news. The 16 is indeed new and exciting, at least to me.

The Singer 111W155 is the better leather machine in my mind (mainly because of the proper unison feed and hook system), but the Singer 16-88 is a much better and surprisingly more capable machine than I had expected. I paid no attention to the Singer 16 when I picked up the gear, thinking I was doing the lady a favor by helping de-junk her basement.

Thanks for offering Constabulary! I just looked up a few parts at UniversalSewing.com and to my surpise and delight these parts are in stock and cheap! The race assembly is $26 and a shuttle hook is $3.50 (!!!) . Gotta love Singer when it comes to ancient parts availability and prices. Since key parts are readily available, I think I'll give it a proper once-over. Now I'm more excited about this machine than the Singer 111W155 I bought from the lady!

I took a few more pictures. The Singer 16-88 seems to be the most likely model. Some of the Singer 16-188 pictures I've found date from the 50's. Not sure if the 188 is a follow-up to the 88 or not. It's actually a very interesting machine with an oscillating shuttle. The bobbin is on the small side. I haven't had a chance yet to try it out, but everything is moving quite smoothly. I'll report back once it's operational. Here are a few pictures of the bottom and shuttle area of the machine:

I picked up some machinery from a lady who gave me an extra bonus machine she "had sitting around." It's rather old and the unusual part is the Bottom+Top feed mechanism, which reminds me of a Singer 7 class top feeding mechanism, except this one isn't super-sized like the Class 7's. It has no model identifying marks other than "Singer" script labels. The serial number of G2721050 places it in the year 1913 as a class 16 machine, according to the Singer dating chart . So it's perhaps a Singer 16-141 or 16-188 based on the descriptions in the Singer 16 manual. If any of you Singer vintage experts recognize this machine, I'd appreciate help in identifying the correct model subclass and any additional info you might have. Here are some photos of the machine:

I'm going by the 136W110 parts diagram which surely shows your bobbin case (238304+238305) alongside the 203470 bobbin. Not sure why Singer would put these together if they don't go together. The apparent discrepancy may stem from the fact that Bob is talking about a bobbin with a different part number with two transposed digits("204370" vs "203470")