dikman

Thanks for the reminder JKH, the chap selling them mentioned this but I forgot. I removed the base and rotated it 180* so the switch is still at the front. Now I just have to rig up a guide system to get consistent angles.

Simplest way is to find a large pulley to replace the handwheel, an 8" will give a significant speed reduction (I've done this on three of my machines). There have been a few posts about this method as well as lots about speed reducers.

I have all sorts of gear for sharpening blades - oilstones, Arkansas stones, wet-wheel grinder, belt grinder etc, but while at the annual Adelaide Knife Show a chap was demonstrating the Razor Sharp system. I was quite impressed so bought it. Basically it's two paper wheels with one being coated on the outside with 180 grit and the other (slotted) wheel given a coating of fine rouge.Using them he brought an ordinary kitchen knife to a hair-shaving edge in very little time. I bought the set for a 6" grinder, but because both of my 8" grinders are in use I had to buy a 6" grinder too! I decided to buy the cheapest I could find as I didn't need something with a lot of power for this job - the Ozito is only 150w but has a 3-year warranty so it seemed like the most practical option for $35. It came with two grinding wheels but I reckon it would have been underpowered for anything other than sharpening drill bits! I stripped the wheels and guards off and raised the base to clear the 8" Razor Sharp wheels. It takes a few seconds to come up to speed but is plenty powerful enough for this job as sharpening knives doesn't load down the motor. A quick try and it works well, although like everything there will be a bit of a learning curve. Should be good for my leatherworking tools (and woodworking stuff too).

I thought #3 looked like some sort of 211, but with all that rust on the bases I'd want to check underneath pretty carefully.

You're quite right Brtz, that's what comes of my reading the post too quickly. However, to simply say "it's not working" is fairly meaningless, for anyone to help we need a description what it's not doing (not pivoting, not contacting the lifter etc). A couple of photos will go a long way to providing help.

I don't see why a Singer lift couldn't be adapted as the basic principle is the same.

Yet another way of doing it, nice one Brtz.

Looks good. I like those old stands, they look nice and are very solid. Where did you get the motor? I haven't seen one with such a low profile before (so low that i can't see it!)

No real reason it couldn't be used. It would have to be modified slightly so that the clutch is fully engaged all the time (simpler than rigging up a foot control to give variable speed). The simplest way to fit a wood burnisher would be to drill the mounting hole slightly undersize and then force screw it onto the shaft thread (unless you have the correct size tap for the thread). I did this when I made one for my bench grinder, but you do need a lathe to get it bored accurately.

Very impressive job! I applaud your persistence.I think if I was going to attempt it, however, I would find an old used oven as I don't think baking asphaltum in an oven that is going to be used for food is probably a good idea.

Not much I can add to R8R's answers, he's pretty well got it covered. The Consew is a good choice as it uses common Singer 111-type feet, so easy and cheap to find. It should handle up to #138 thread. Lilly White oil is basically ISO 22 hydraulic oil, another option if you can't find it.

There must be quite a story about how they all came to be there, pity we'll never know.

Is it a new or old model 335? And have you adjusted/changed anything recently?

R8R, I have got my old model 335 to sew with #138 thread, but it's definitely happier with #69. I reckon #92 would be a pretty good compromise and should work ok.

Mais oui, monsieur.

You've got a good eye, Don. When I looked closer the take-up spring looks a bit funny too and, strangely enough, most of the red paint marking oiling points appears to be intact. I suppose if you don't put oil down them then the paint won't be affected! I would say that the needle plate screw isn't original and is just a countersunk screw with a slightly larger head. The other one appears to be slightly domed, whereas this one is flat. And there appears to be another knurled nut just behind the cross-threaded tension nut?

Wiz, I'd say that I've got a greater chance of winning the Lotto than finding something like that here in Oz!

Yeah, it just bugs me that I can only use this thread for handstitching.

On to Version 3. While it would turn over at fairly low speed it didn't matter how I played with the settings the transition from slow to fast (whatever I'd set the max to) was just to quick for my liking. So the only answer was to resurrect one of my reducers and modify it fit this setup. Fortunately I had a few short belts that would work and a goodly assortment of pulleys. It actually works quite well now. From the motor to the reducer gives me a 2.7:1 reduction and from the reducer to the head another 3.9:1. I can now sew at 1 stitch/2.5 secs and changing the max speed is simple, two buttons on the front of the control box if I need a faster top speed. Wonder what I can do next?

My experiences with using wax (beeswax, tallow, candle wax) in shooting and reloading is that once you get wax on something it's almost impossible to remove it completely! So while I'll happily use it to buff leather and seal the edges it isn't going anywhere near my needles!! I'll stick to "conventional" thread.

Matt, it's dry. Maybe it has to be run through a wax or silicone bath while sewing? Too messy to try and I definitely don't want wax gumming things up.

For what it's worth - I have some braided polyester thread (#69) that came from a closing down boot factory. It's beautiful thread, but so far I haven't been able to use it successfully in any of my machines (an assortment of medium-weight upholstery machines). At some point the hook inevitably catches in the braid and I don't know why. I've no idea what machines used it in the factory. By the way, you're not the first person to want to use their hand-stitching thread in a machine and thus far I'm not aware of anyone who has. Maybe you'll be the first?

You have a way with words, Wiz. My latest servo doesn't have the smooth (slow) transition from start to max movement that my others have (different brand). I figure it's probably due to the design in the way it interprets the signal from the Hall Effect sensor, so not much I can do about it (other than mess around with additional pulley reducers). When you try a different brand it's pot luck whether it will perform how you would like it to.

I keep 1/2 dozen spools with the 117 and as they are kept in a small container they keep unwinding! I looked on Thingiverse and found three types of bobbin clip, this one seems the best. Fits Singer 111/211 type bobbins, but will stretch a little to fit some others. They stand upright and I can write the thread size on the clip (so I don't get confused). They work fine in PLA but a springier filament would probably be better (nylon?). Improved_Sewing_Bobbin_Clip.zip

Now that my 111W117 is functional I figured I'd need a guide of some sort for belts etc. As the front plate has a few screw holes already in it (for who-knows-what accessories) I decided it would make sense to use them. I eventually worked out that they were tapped Metric, most surprising for a machine made in the US probably decades ago. This is the result, bearings from a junked hard disc drive, long guide machined from a piece of round hard nylon and assorted scrap. Hopefully it should work.