dikman

It should go under that check spring (wire loop),

Welcome to the forum. It's good that you've given yourself some time to work out what you need. Unfortunately (for you) R8R is right and you'll likely be looking at two machines, given the probable range of materials you want to cover. Saddles are the killer, as, like holsters, you'll probably need something like a 441-type machine. As Wiz has pointed out elsewhere, they can be "dumbed down" to handle lighter stuff but then you'll be spending time readjusting settings when you change material. For the "lighter" stuff probably a medium weight upholstery-type machine - Consew 206 or the newer Consew 1206, for example. Is learning to handstitch the saddles an option? Might be slower but handstitching will give a stronger finish and save buying one machine? Just saw your post, no, you can buy a new 1206 cheaper.

Well done, councilman! Sounds like a real good deal to me. I had the same problem (still have, actually) regarding lack of room. My solution - dismantled my glasshouse, sold it (got more than I paid for it ) and built a small shed in place of it for the sewing machines. Unfortunately, I ran out of room again and now have one in my garage. As for the WSV77, after comparing parts in mine to the 111W15x manuals the best I can figure out is that it appears to be the same as a 111W153. It's definitely not a W155, but I'll be interested in your thoughts after comparing it to the W151.

That should work. The other option is to drill and tap that other one for a second screw, which I've done on a couple of pulleys. I've run a smaller belt like that and so far it's been fine. There is a possibility that it may slip, depending on the fit in the pulley, but so far it hasn't been an issue for me. The alternative is to fit a larger belt, which will then ride a bit higher on the motor pulley but will still work. The only potential issue with a wider belt is that it may be be a bit stiffer. I've done both. This is one I've just finished - As you can see the belt is low in the pulley, but it has driven a size 24 needle through 1/2" of veg without slipping/stalling.

Fitted my (cheap) servo and I must say it works well. I have to set the max speed fairly low otherwise it takes off too quickly for my needs, but it has plenty of grunt. My Organ leatherpoint needles also arrived today, and using the knee lift I can just shove 1/2" of veg under the feet and it handles it easily (#138 thread/size 24 needle). I wanted to use the original Singer pedal ('cos it looks cool) but there were a couple of problems. It was too high to comfortably use the knee lift so I made some brackets and lowered the supporting bar, and because the pivot points are behind the balance point the pedal had a lot of forward weight so I used a piece of elastic strap to take some of the weight. Seems to work ok. I had to open out the hole in the feed dog as there wasn't enough adjustment to centre the needle properly (the 117 doesn't have all the adjustments of the later 111W15x series). I had to make a couple of attempts at this as it was cutting the top thread on the upstroke! A bit more care and lots of polishing fixed that. Next problem was the knot was sitting on the bottom of the leather, I couldn't get enough top tension to pull it up. Replacing the beehive spring on the tensioner with a stiffer spring fixed that (I've no idea where the spare spring came from, but it fitted). I'll leave this set up purely for #138 thread, although I wouldn't be surprised if it could handle #207. Maybe later....

Strange. The only way I can think of for a needle to break like that is if the hook is catching it (I've actually done that, before I understood how to properly adjust things). All my other breakages have been on the downstroke due to needle deflection and hitting the feed dog.

Must be something in the water over there then..... R8R, even though my instructions don't show them, I can cycle through and see the same settings that yours has. The rear connectors are the same, other than the 2-pin on mine is set for an LED. I've got it working but found that to get the slow speed control I want I have to set the max speed low, about 800. Above that it takes off pretty suddenly and doesn't seem to have the slow ramping that my others have. It's rated at 550w (who knows what it actually is) but appears to have plenty of grunt, doesn't have any trouble stitching through 1/2" of veg with #138/size 140 needle.

That is beautiful (and quite elegant)! That stamping must have taken a while.

Ahh, that makes sense. One question solved.Thanks mate.

I've no doubt that the sp-1100 is a good motor, but 1 1/2 hp seems a bit of overkill on the Consew.

Very interesting. There are definite similarities. Although my instructions stop at 22, I think it continues to step past there so I'll have to do a bit of experimenting. P11, speed lock, has me intrigued (?). This seems to add credence to the idea that many of them may use the same circuit board and just disable the features not needed. Mine doesn't have any markings to indicate brand so it's presumably just a generic unit supplied to various companies, the build quality, while ok, is definitely not up the the standard of my other servos (made by Lishui).

My servo arrived unexpectedly this morning (the tracking still showed it in transit "somewhere"!). I was concentrating working on a trigger in the shed when he came in, gave me a helluva fright!! Anyhow, for what it's worth these are the "instructions" that came with mine. Looks like I can reverse the motor just by pushing one button (dumb idea!) and turn a LED on /off. I'll have to see what sort of voltage that connector is putting out. They must use gorillas on their production line judging by how tight the mounting screws were!!

Sounds like you found someone to fix it who knows what they're doing.

Man, the planets really aligned for you!! That is a good buy, as JLS said should handle up to #138 thread/23 needle. For what you paid for the Rex I'd keep it (if you've got the room). Now just try and stop looking for bargains!

My latest servo (overdue delivery but hopefully any day now) has a 4-button control unit. It's a long shot, but I'll try and see if there's any correlation to yours.

I found, much to my annoyance, that many of the options/settings on my two-button servo were disabled. No idea why.

I suggest you start a separate thread asking for info on the feet it uses. If you're lucky they might be the same as one of the Singer models.

Not really big enough, in my opinion, particularly if you're going to try and get a clutch motor to crawl. I tried various combinations of speed reduction, using a clutch motor, when I got my first machine but I could not get it to go slow enough (or control it!). So I bought a servo and made a speed reducer - much better. I didn't hesitate when I bought a couple more machines and ordered servos straight away. By all means try it with the clutch motor, but don't expect to to be able to sew stitch-by-stitch.

By George, I think he's got it! Looks good.

Those "crucial parts" aren't necessary to run the machine, they're simply there to meet the manufacturer's legal safety obligations. Unless you're really concerned (or paranoid about safety) I wouldn't worry about them. Maybe you could try a rag dampened with WD40 to clean it? Personally, I'd try and clean as much from the bobbin case as possible without dismantling it - unless you're very mechanically minded and know what you're doing! As for the feet, you could grind them flat or try filling the grooves with JBWeld. Kwok Hing is one supplier of feet for some Pfaff machines. Sewing speed, perhaps consider fitting a speed reducer?

My suggestion is to try it first with the stock handwheel/pulley. If you find it's not slow enough then either fit a speed reducer (commercial or make your own) or a 7"-8" pulley on the head. The main thing is to measure the shaft and find one to match that diameter, usually 1/2" but measure it with a set of calipers to be sure.

To go "superslow" you'll still need a reducer or the larger pulley on the head unit. That setup BattleAx made will work with a servo too, of course. Just an idea of what can be done. By the way, it's the middle of the day here on the bottom of the world, how come all you chaps are still awake?

You can replace the clutch motor pulley with a smaller one - but it still won't step slowly like you want. You're right, first thing to do is get a servo. As you say, the machine cost so little that another $100 is nothing. You should be able to find a 2" pulley on ebay, as bikermutt said.

Great deal for $50!!!! That servo should be fine, but if you want to go real slow you'll need to fit a speed reducer of some sort. The servo probably has a 3" pulley so replace that with a 2". Best thing to do is try it first with the servo and see if it works ok for you. Belt size, that will probably be a bit of trial and error to get the right size. I set mine up and then wrapped a piece of rope around the pulleys and tied it off with cable ties, this gave me a pretty good idea of what size I needed. I'm not familiar with the machine but I would say it's designed to use #69 thread with a size 16 or 18 needle. It may handle #138 thread, which will need size 22/23 needle. I'm sure someone will join in who knows more about the machine. Oil. Normally you'd only put a drop or two down those holes every few hours of use, but you'll need to check the machine and see if there's any oil on the moving parts first. Depending what was used before it could be a bit gummed up.

Actually, they will work in leather (although if it's too thick or hard they may stick coming out!) and should work in lighter garment leather, but in general you'll want leather point needles, particularly for veg tan. It's always handy to have an assortment of needle types though, just in case.