TinkerTailor

Part of the trick is finding the poorly listed machines. If it has the model and date on the listing, the person looked it up and knows. They likely will have priced it based on what they found online, ebay pricing that nobody actually paid......With old singers, getting the good deal frequently involves identifying industrial machines in pictures. Some of the industrials look like the size of domestics and can be mistaken. Also, any black singer is a leather machine and an industrial it seems. Don't fall for this one.... Tip: search for "grandpa sewing" "grandfather singer" and such. Grandkids sell off stuff they know nothing about after they inherit it. Frequently they will only list it as a "sewing machine", and post a picture. You don't want gramma Betty's quilting machine, you want grandpa Franks horse stuff sewin machine....

Part of a 1939 photo documentary of a texas boot factory:

There is one thing about hand sharpening that has not been mentioned (enough) is the pressure you use and when. There are 2 ways to control material removal, pressure and grit. Either a lesser grit or a lighter pressure will create a finer grind. Guys who do surface grinding and sharpening on machines get mirror finishes with crazy coarse stones just by varying the pressure. (if you are interested in this: https://www.youtube.com/user/shadonhkw/videos) The particles sharpening stones are made of have sharp corners, and this is what does the cutting. When sharpening, the pressure that you use dictates how far the little corners dig in. More pressure=deeper scratches. Less pressure= shallower. I look at it as a system of define-refine-finish. When starting out with a dull tool, heavily removing material, and I am defining the angle and geometry, I use lots of pressure. I want maximum digging from the particles. I want to feel vibrations of the metal coming off through my fingers. This is the define stage As I get closer to shape, I switch to a medium pressure. I call this refining stage. This keeps the particles from digging in as far. Less material is removed and the scratches are shallower. I am perfecting the geometry and bringing the surfaces smooth, clean, and ready for a polish. I also put in secondary bevels at this stage and get it to a reasonably sharp edge. This is the same effect as going up in grit. In addition, the particles in your slurry will break down smaller over time as you sharpen, adding to the effect. The final stone step for me is the finishing stage, where I polish and sharpen the blade. In this step, very little pressure is used. The blade is floating on the slurry and you can just hear it touch the stone. From there I have a strop stick loaded with some random white rouge I have a bunch of. I think it came in old Tandy kits. I vary the pressure here the same way. I strop it till its awesome and then a couple times more and also before each session, sometimes during. I do this all on the same stone. My grumpy-gramps taught me about pressure on an old Norton. This is how guys can use a brick to make a sharp edge. Pressure control. Angle is one thing, pressure control is the real skill for the expert sharpener. This way is fast once you get good because you are not wasting time switching stones, and removing material unnecessarily slow due to following arbitrary steps. Now the downfall, and the reason why guys use 5 grit sharpening systems: One screw up at the later stages puts you right back at the beginning. One stroke too hard or with the wrong angle and you go back to start. It is pretty hard to put deep scratches, and have to start again, if you are on a 2000 grit diamond stone. If you are new to sharpening and don't know what 20 degrees looks like, get a few grits of stones and work up. As you get better with the pressure control, start to take away stones in the sequence. The reality is, in practice, it is a gradual reduction in pressure not 3 steps. The steps are a mental trick to "Pace the pressure". Also, pressure will need to be adjusted for harder and softer steels. This is also an experience thing. You get a feel for it.

There really is only one hole needed. Sometimes makers will put a second small hole at the end of the slit to clean it up and keep it from tearing. The second one is not necessary. All you do is punch a round hole and then cut the slot with a knife or straight chisel (like a wood chisel). The chisel is nice because you can mark the blade with a sharpie to get all the slots the same length and get the line really straight. Pro tip: use a modeller to make a groove in the leather where the slot part will be and then cut in the bottom of the groove. It helps round the edges into the slot kinda like how a punch rounds over the edge because of the bevel and makes it look neater after. Look up "buttonhole leather punch" on amazon, craftool. They are listed with an image that shows which hole size works for which stud, and approx how long the slot should be. Every time I post a tandy or amazon link on here it messes up because we have stupid redirects to canadian sites....

I think it is called a needle clamp thread guide, however things like this do develop local naming, and end up with more than one. Is it held up under the needle bar with a single screw? If it is held on with a screw, a piece of steel or preferably stainless wire and some needlenose should do ya. Put a loop in one end for the screw to attach it, and use the screw and a washer to hold it down. Bend other end up to look like one in the pictures.

Just so everyone is aware, the proper way to size the punch is to have the hole big enough for the shaft of the stud only. Not the head, just the shaft... The slit is just there to allow the head to pass. You want the direction of pull away from the slot, not towards. I also use them with a slightly oversized hole and no slot this way: It is basically 4 studs with a keeper before and after. It allows adjustment very easily and is way lighter than a buckle. That is 8 oz veg strap, stitching is purely decorative. Here is the backside: And here is the strap adjusted 4" longer. You just lift it off the studs, slide it and push it back down. Strap tension and the keepers keep it down on the studs. All the holes for the studs and keepers are the same pattern so the pieces can be moved around for different uses. This is my personal carry bag. I'm going to post a whole thread on this bag It will start with some construction, and new bag photos,. Then will be the photos of the bag after 365 days of abuse using it as a daily cycling commuter bag in the rain of vancouver, on a bike with no fenders. Ill even go get it wet and dirty to prove it. Stay tuned.

Yeah, it is just a thread guide. I have run my machines without in by accident and it seemed to work ok. You may have inconsistent stitches and some skipping, but you will generally have stitches. It's job is to tame some of the waves in the thread created by the takeup lever whipping it up and down, and keep it running straight into the scarf of the needle. On the Pfaff 30, the thread enters this at quite an angle, and it probably is nessecary, specially when going fast. This probably is a part that could easily be adapted from another machine, if it is not available itself. That part missing will not be why the machine is binding, and likely isn't the reason why the bottom thread does not get picked up. Most common reason for binding in a machine is thread, dirt, broken needles etc, caught up in the workings. Number 2 is lack of lube. Number 3 is adjustment. Look for faults in this order. 1 and 2 should really be combined in my opinion. These are not troubleshooting, they are maintenance. A clean up and lube should be done at the onset of ANY problem.

Ralf was making a sarcastic joke, a pretty funny one I might add. You may want to go back to your parts list and check the name of what you are talking about (or post pic) because the needlebar is what the needle mounts into. No needlebar= no place to mount needle. No needle in machine=hand sewing.

It the first pictures i can see bits of red thread in the bobbin area. You need to take out the bobbin, bobbin case and perhaps the hook to look for thread bits behind. The smallest bit in the wrong spot can bind it up. The reason no-one is telling you the solution, is none of us are there, screwdriver in hand looking for the thread. here are some other references: http://leiflabs.blogspot.ca/2010/05/its-juki-disastro.html

Drop of superglue in the hole. Casting your back stitches. Tieing a knot and ditching the end between layers. Wax the thread more near the end. Smaller stitch holes. Any of these methods may work for your situation. All of them is overkill.

an easy bake oven got to 350 with a 100 watt light bulb.

A penny is 3/64 thick which is the same as 3 ounces in leather. 3 pennies thick should be ~9 ounces.

If you can get ahold of a reverse twist drill bit, it will probably spin that screw right out. I always use reverse twist to remove screws because when the bit jams, it loosens the screw. Standard bits tighten it. Also, needle binding screws don't need a whole lot of torque. All they do in most cases is keep the needle from pulling out as it rises. Its not like the set screws under the machine that have to prevent a shaft from turning to keep the machine in time. As a matter of fact, a slot screw driver is almost overkill for these. It is pretty easy to over torque them with a screwdriver. I tend to replace mine with thumbscrews or wingscrews if I can. I can get them more then tight enough by hand, and not nearly tight enough to break it, plus no looking for the tools for a needle change.

So I hope you are not going to cook food in the oven after baking the paint....I would buy an old one just for this purpose.... Or get 2 old crappy ovens, take the doors off, put them on dollies, and push them up face to face. Voila, double powered double sized oven....... As to separating the machine, If you can avoid it, do so. Whatever you do, put away the hammers......... because old cast is brittle.Cast iron machines are usually finished together because the finish hides the seam. It is way easier to sand bondo that cast iron.....The nice smooth finish on old milling machines is frequently on top of a thick coat of bondo sanded smooth..... I am guessing singer did the same, though I haven't stripped one or split it in half. With the time and attention you intend on putting into this finish, I would finish it as one piece. If you gotta build a bigger oven from craigslist crap, do it. All that work will be wasted if the machine join looks like crap because you did it after and touched it up...

If I am correct, The consew 206 RB is a clone of the Seiko 8bl machine, which came first. This chikon machine has 8-bl in the name so it looks like a clone of the seiko, which should be the same as a 206 Rb.........The sewing machine cloning thing is so confusing sometimes......who copied who......

Chikon is Taiwanese and makes Adler, Seiko and Juki clones, as well as others . http://www.chikon.com.tw/product.htm

I would get a small pack of 1/4 and 5/16 and see what works for your particular combination. It sounds like you need just a little longer because of the way you set them, I would bet 1/4 will work fine. If it is too long you may find the snaps don't close properly after they are set, usually a few more wacks will take care of this. Don't try to cut them, it is either a pain in the donkey or looks like donkey waste....

How many hands tall is that horse you got again? He eats how many bushels a week? He sure tears up the first 4 furlongs, but lags the last 4.........

Ohio travel bag sells line 24 snaps in 11/64" to 25/64" lengths and maybe longer of you look. Tip one is to case the hole with a wet cuetip to soften the leather around the hole and allow it to squish some when you set the snap. This can be done in finished leather but be careful of over casing and leaving a water mark around the snap. A small water mark will be hidden by the snap. Tip two is to modify a set of vise grips/pliers with a hole in one jaw for the post to pass, allowing you to squeeze the fastener together before you set it. If you still have troubles, an arbor press is only a few 20 dollar bills away.

I printed off a chart that has Ounces/Irons/Inches/Millimeters/decimal inch and it is prominently on the wall of my shop for quick reference. They are all over the internet. For measuring skins and other materials, I have a 0-1" Starrett #230 machinists micrometer. I will bring it into the store as well. If am not near the conversion chart, It has a decimal to fractional conversion chart etched into it (although I admit I have most decimals to fractions memorized and don't use it much) All I have to remember is 1/16 inch=1.6mm=4 ounce. If I do it this way, I can switch between units really fast. Like saying to tandy the leather seller, sorry that skin actually measures out to just over 4 oz, nowhere near the 5-6 advertised Being in Canada we desperately want to be metric, but those pesky yankees have to use their inches and pounds. It doesn't help that the entire prairies was gridded out on a 1 mile grid, making every back road placed on even miles, or the odd half. "How far is jacks place?" " Well lets see, there are 3 roads, then they skip one, then there is the access road to the old smith place, and Jacks place is next. So 4'n'half miles." Then you get to the highway and it is 100kms/hr and 21kms to town.......

Considering their use on denim and canvas seems to be common, it probably would work for garment weight leathers. Stiff veg tan? If it works, it may not for long..... One thing to note on using non walking machines for leather, feeding can sometimes be hit and miss due to the leather not sliding well under foot. I imagine this is more of an issue with freehand style machines like this. They make adhesive teflon sheet for this purpose. You can stick it on the foot and the bed of the machine. https://www.college-sewing.co.uk/store/TEF1-305-X-305-X-.50MM-MEDIUM-ADHSIVE-TEFLON-SHEET This is an interesting read on vintage machine and making denim: http://www.heddels.com/2015/02/vintage-sewing-machines-the-complete-guide/

There are so many clones and parts made in taiwan, many of them are better quality than the chinese equivalent. It always surprises me when people who live there have troubles getting a machine.... With the machine you pictured, and i am not a mitsubishi guy. There does seem to be parts available like feet and things, and it likely will sew cotton without too many troubles. Unless you trust the seller and he is willing to stand behind it, I would get a second opinion as to the wear on that machine. It has had the needle plate replaced and has been fully repainted. The model tag was not put back on after repaint. It may have just gotten scratched up in storage, or it may have run tens of millions of miles of thread in a dirty garment factory. It may be in adjustment now and working now, but worn out machines can be a nightmare to tweak into working again if there is a problem. Also, new replacement parts sometimes wont work in a worn out machine because the old parts have worn into each other and the new one doesn't play nice. Finding replacement feet and bobbins are one thing, internal parts may be another story entirely Plus everyone knows that on an old mitsubishi, you have to change the seals on the turbo or it will leak oil into the intake........

Plate buckle, or sometimes referred to as a box-out buckle. Funny you should ask where to get them, I have a long list of bookmarked suppliers and not one of them seems to carry this type of buckle, while they seem to be on half the "dress" belts sold in menswear stores for decades.....Only ones i found are direct shipped from china, and with 1000+ unit minimum order. I guess that is where all those "dress" belts come from..... I would like to know if any suppliers are found as well.

Longview leather sells the Cobra machines, and has thread and needles for leather machines however i would recommend comparison shopping anything they sell. A relative of mine went in for a pack of needles for a small gift for me, and they cost over 40 bux, way more than they are anywhere else. Leightons in Delburne also deals in leather machines, and may be of some use. I will say, i did alot of phoning and comparing and ended up getting a machine shipped from the east. I am very mechanically inclined, and am able to diagnose machine stuff well. If you are not mechanically inclined, it may be a good idea to get close with a dealer near you in case you need the dreaded house call... Btw, there are a couple members on here from cowtown if you look around.

What part of Canada? Techsew is located in Quebec. Shipping is not cheap to the west coast. They have a variety of walking foot machines, most of them have foot pedals and big knobs on the hand controls. Belts, some tack, dog stuff, uphostery, most things really can be sewn on a flatbed machine. Depending on what type of purses and bags you are stitching you may want a cylinder arm to get into the tight spots. Call techsew and talk to them.