bikerdaz

Hi all, I've decided to thin the herd a little bit and move on a few of my machines to fund a long arm machine. I have a good singer 211g155 in a table with an almost new servo motor. Looking for £450 for that one, or I can put it in another table with a 1425rpm clutch motor, and knock £100 off the price. There's a really nice singer 132k6 with a recent 1425rpm clutch motor. Had a recent rebuild and professional respray in black with original gold decals. Lovely machine,sews well.I don't want to take any less than £650 for that. There's also a singer 133k8 cylinder arm machine with a 1425rpm motor. Has an unusual crinkle type finish on that one. Excellent machine,Sews well. I need £750 for that one. Also, and I promise...this is the last one! I have a 7 class there in lovely condition. Now I'm not sure if I can barely to part with that one because I love the old girl, but it does take up quite a bit of room. Maybe could be persuaded to let it go....but not sure how much it'd take to convince me:-) Any takers? Kind regards, darren

Also,if the centre foot is the one causing marks,you could remove the foot and take a sander to the teeth and take the sharpness from the teeth. I've done this on a few of my machines with great success. It's trial and error,so just take a bit off at a time and give it a whirl on some scrap material.

Hi. On the top of the machine there is a screw that you need to wind back a few turns. The screw is about midway on the top of the machines arm,and towards the rear. It's a screw that's recessed into the casting.

Hi guys I have 2 of my machines for sale. I have a necchi 902 155, and a singer 31k 47. The necchi is basically a pfaff 145 compound feed walking foot machine. The singer has a similar feed system to the 132k6 only the machine is not quite as tank like! Both machines are in tables with good clutch motors and both have 50mm pulleys for slow, accurate sewing. I'm located in the north east of England. I'm looking for around £250 for the 31k and offers around £ 675 for the necchi. I am open to sensible offers. Cheers guys. Any questions,just ask :-) Pics of the 31k 47

Hey,there is nothing wrong with a bit of friendly banter darren! No bad feelings here at all fella. :-) I think it's just a personal stickler of mine when it comes to chinese stuff. Whilst there are some good chinese products,I just think that China overall is pumping out billions of pounds worth of cheap,nasty,poorly made crap into the world and it's destroying good reputable businesses in its wake. Companies are producing good quality products,as they have been for many years then along comes a Chinese company that clones it and sells it for half the price. And they get away with it because the metal used is just reformed baked bean tins and let's face it,labour is virtually free in China. The end result is a consumer that has to buy twice due to poor manufacturing... This is why the modern world in which we live our lives has become a throw away society.the Chinese couldnt make decent steel if they tried!

'A well cared for modern Chinese machine will easily run for 20 years or more before needing major work as the leather machines we are talking about rarely run at more than a couple of hundred stitches per minute.' As opposed to well cared for singers that are still thumping away 100 years down the line. And singers weren't really extortionately priced. Darren,you keep quoting really expensive machines to suit your argument, but we weren't talking about any of these. Obviously there are machines that have been made that have been ridiculously priced,but you can't compare them to run of the mill stuff. you quote a cowboy 4500,then compare it to a pearson 6. Nobody mentioned pearson machines...We are talking about a 45k here. And even tho 45k parts are getting a bit thin on the ground, I still reckon they'll outlast most modern machines. Don't get me wrong tho,modern machines have their place. But ultimately,they all do the same job. They all create stitches....You say technology has come on,but what exactly does a modern machine do that an old singer doesn't? Not much I'd say... 'Price/quality are no insurance against stupidy' I completely agree with you darren. I service/repair/rebuild machines in my down time. You can advise people to clean/oil machines routinely but you can't make them! It's just frustrating when you try help people that won't help themselves...

I've just stripped and rebuilt my 29k15. The pins knocked out fairly easy,and came out of the front.ie hit them with a punch from the rear of the machine....all pins are still available should you need to replace any. If you do,you'll know when you get them out. Available from college sewing here in the uk. I do intend on doing a complete strip down again as I've just sourced a complete decal set from the states for it,so it will be getting a new paint job:-) Anything you need to know, just ask!

I have two mounted on the end of my work bench. One has a brass wire wheel on the end and the other,a cloth buffing wheel. All linkages,bolts and attachments on all of my sewing machines are very clean and shiny ;-)

A good friend of mine is THE mg classic car upholstery specialist here in the uk. W m collingburn and his son James make these door cards almost on a daily basis. I can tell you that the machines they use are singer 132k6's. Mike has been using these machines for around 40 years to do this exact task. As for the 111,I'd give it a go but as someone has already pointed out,I'd wear eye safety gear...

This is looking awesome! I'd love to be able to do stuff like this. Great work !:-)

'Everything mechanical is subject to wear' Yes,you are correct. But the amount of wear would be far greater on a machine made from cheap metals and especially so on a machine that has a poor maintenance schedule...

But we aren't talking about vehicles here darren,we are talking about sewing machines. They're a whole different ball game. The only similarity is that they're both mechanical devices. There is another slight similarity tho... Modern cars are designed and built to last 10-15 years and be scrapped. Classic cars were much simpler and made to last. There are still cars driving on our roads that were built in the 20's,30's,40's etc. .. That's almost 100 years! How many ford focuses do you think will be on the roads in 100 years? As for sewing machines,especially vintage singers, yes...They can be expensive to repair and somewhat difficult to source parts. But if they are maintained as per schedule they will still outlast modern machines because the build quality Is far superior to anything modern that I've seen. One of the biggest factors that contribute to older machines' longevity is the quality of the steel from which it's made. British steel is by far the best steel that had ever been made,Barr none...As opposed to the scrap that the Chinese are pumping out which modern machines are made from,there is no comparison. Hence my reasoning behind choosing older singers over modern tin... But hey,I guess we all have our own personal preferences! Nobody is right or wrong...its down to the individual and what works for them.

This is very true darren,but I reckon from a business perspective,it would be a sound investment to buy 'the last machine you'll ever buy'. But...i guess it all just horses for courses. Personally tho,it'd choose an old singer over a modern machine any day :-) slightly off topic tho here guys ;-)

Exactly! It's a throw away society now. Companies don't make things that last because there's no profit in well built! That's just my take on it tho... That 45k of yours, probably one of the best leather working machines you can get! Obviously I'm no expert in this field,but it's a heavy duty machine,very capable and quite versatile in the way of what you can do on it. Just find/make yourself a flatbed table with a cutout and you'll probably find that it'll do almost everything you need it to. Good choice of machine...but that's just my opinion.;-)

I agree..I find these machines fascinating. Especially when you think about the reality of them...machines over a century old and still working as well as the day they were made! Astounding...Personally,I reckon that there is very little machinery produced in the world today that will still be working in a hundred years. Your 45k53, that would be the cylinder bed version?

Ahhh fair comment. Good to hear you have found the problem . I had a similar issue with one of my 132k6's that turned out to be incorrect hook timing. Anyhoo... I'm fairly new to leather work so haven't done a great deal as yet. I've made a few seats from scratch for custom built bikes and re covered the seats in my van. But that's it. I'm more of a machine geek! I love restoring old machines, especially singers,with about 25 resto's under my belt now. My 45k 58 was the last one I done! Currently on a class 7-31 ...

Darren has some great tips there,but I'd like to add a few thoughts if I may. Broken thread issues: check ALL of the thread path for sharp edges due to wear. It could be something so simple as a worn guide that gone sharp. Also,check that the hook timing is correct and the hook and race are in good condition. There should be a reasonable amount of slop,but too much can cause timing issues. As for missing stitches, it kinda ties in with what I've just said about the hook and raceway. My suggestion would be to take the hook out of the machine and check it for wear/scoring of the hook and retainer plate. If all seems ok, refit, then remove the needle plate and check the needle - hook timing. Turn the handwheel till the needle reaches the absolute bottom. Continuing in the same direction (slowly!) Watch as the needle starts it's travel in the upward direction and the hook point will meet the needle. Stop turning and examine where the hook point is in respect to the needle scarf and eye. The hook point should pass roughly midway up the scarf,above the eye. Also the hook point should be around 1.5mm-2mm max away from the needle. You don't want it to contact,but it needs to be close enough to catch the thread. Hope this helps some,and if you need any more guidance with timing and adjustments,just drop me a PM. Let me know how you get on :-)

Hi. I realise that this thread is a bit of an old one,but are these feet still available? Cheers :@) Hi. I realise that this thread is a bit of an old one,but are these feet still available? Cheers :@)