dikman

If you haven't read this yet, it's probably the definitive answer to your question- You could probably pick up a suitable used machine at a good price if you look around, but as Floyd mentioned be wary. Often used machines will need work and/or parts. The Singer 111/211 class, Seiko, Consew, Pfaff are fairly typical of the older models that are around (regardless of country, it seems). There are, of course, more than I have mentioned. You definitely need a walking foot and ideally a servo motor, which will make it much easier to learn to use. Best thing is to try and come up with a list of machines that would be suitable (spending time reading posts here should help) and then start looking. If you find one try and get photos and post on here asking for advice. Oh, and ignore any ads that say "industrial quality, semi-industrial etc" - such machines are invariably domestic machines. It's a big step up to an industrial sewing machine, so don't be discouraged.

I have a 331k4, not sure how different it is to a k5, but I use 16x2 needles, which are easy to get. Can't remember if I had to tweak the needle bar and timing because I had to do a bit of work on it to get it working in the first place!

Just as well you asked first, or you would have been very disappointed if you'd bought it. The little motor on the back is a dead giveaway, it's a domestic. I notice that the seller doesn't actually mention the model number anywhere. Many will advertise them as "industrial quality", "semi-industrial" or "light industrial", all of which are meaningless terms when it comes to sewing machines. As Mike said, they are either domestic or industrial. Full stop. Wiz, we used to refer to that smell as a "dark brown smell", it always seemed apt when something electrical cooked itself.

Well done, sounds like a good buy. The motor "manual" - don't bother searching as I doubt you'll find one, most of these "manuals" seem to be just a few pages of "Chinglish" that usually takes a bit of deciphering. If it's working it will pay to leave the settings alone for now. I use a head magnifier whenever I'm working on a machine (old eyes and it's much better than my glasses!). IF you decide to dismantle anything with small screws be very careful about NOT losing the screws. The fact that you've got it sewing straight off is very good, as Uwe said use it and become familiar with it before trying to make any changes.

Well done. The interaction of the bits can be a bit daunting at first, but once you've worked it out it's a great feeling of achievement!

Definitely not right! As I don't have a 155 I'm reluctant to tell you what to adjust, but besides the external adjusting link the lifting can be affected by some internal adjustments (on the shaft inside the end cover). The outer foot also looks to me like it doesn't have enough lift.I found with my Singers that it took a lot of reading of instructions and adjusting of stuff until I could figure out how to get the feet set to the optimum. The two circled adjustments will affect the height of the feet and the relative movement of them (yours might be slightly different to this). There is a limited amount of adjustment to get the right spot. I'm not saying this is the answer but it's something to keep in mind, seeing that you don't know just who has adjusted what on this machine. I'm wondering if whoever worked on it knew what they were doing?

Just a wee bit hard, then! I reckon you could get away with opening it enough just for the head of the screw to fit flush, and not worry about the rebate for the head to rest on as there should be enough in the rest of the slot for that.

As Uwe said, that servo is probably pretty generic judging by the control box. If it's working and runs for a few minutes then it should be ok. Ideally you would want to get the "handbook/manual" with it so that you know how to adjust the settings if needed. As for power etc. it should be more than adequate for your needs. A quick search doesn't bring up that name, which isn't surprising as if it's an older one that brand name probably doesn't exist anymore.

I think you'll need to use abrasive (stone) bits to open up that hole. Even carbide can have issues if the steel is good stuff that has been hardened properly - which this obviously is.

You must be feeling pretty pleased with yourself . It wouldn't take much to open out that screw hole with a Dremel and a grinding bit.

The decal-setting solutions are used by plastic modellers, if you have any hobby shops nearby that sell plastic model kits they may be able to help. As for cutting a stencil and spraying the name, that would be a lot of work and may not look as neat, particularly on a rough surface.

Looks a lot better than when you got it, Jeff. Nice job.

Ok, thanks Dwight. I still wouldn't mind trying to make one sometime, could be an interesting project.

Do the different tribes have their own pattern? I always thought that the Indians used whatever they could get hold of. Looks like I'm about to learn something new.....

Ballu, be patient regarding replies as you may have to wait overnight for answers due to time differences. I don't know anything about those machines other than a google search, but the Adler is considered a very good machine from what I can find out. Either would be better than what you've got as they're both walking foot. You need to define what you mean by heavy thread? Up to #138 or heavier? If heavier then you will likely need a bigger machine than these.

Have a look at this post - The Consew P1206 mentioned might be worth considering BUT if you want to use heavy thread you will need to go to a much bigger machine. You won't be able to use anything like the Ritza or Tandy thread in such a machine. As northmount said, there is lots of good advice already posted, with many asking similar questions to you.

Is the thread coming off the bobbin in the right direction?

Is holster the right word to use? Certainly be cheap to make, no wet moulding, no stitching, minimal amount of leather required.....

I reckon you've made the right decision, as I said it looks like a nice machine. Let us know how you go with it as it will be useful info for anyone else considering buying one.

Thanks guys. It does use the cylindrical bobbins, so that's one big negative if it doesn't come with extras, and 24 mm (1") of leather is putting it into the realms of the Cowboy 4500, and it definitely is not in that class! That info. I printed comes from a Singer publication relating to the 42 class. Mike, that ismacs listing also says it is for "saddle stitching", whatever that means. I think the reason that the 42-7 isn't in that parts list is because it doesn't have alternating pressers so is different to those other models.The guy wants $400, and it's been listed for a while so I don't think it's going anywhere soon. Based on what Wiz has said unless it was virtually being given away I don't think I'll touch it. Besides, I've just been spending quite a bit recently getting my bike (2005 Bonneville) up to scratch, plus I've just bought an 1866 lever-action rifle (lots of $$$!), so I think maybe I'd better stop looking - unless a machine pops up as too good to resist!!

Just curious. Someone is advertising a Singer 42-7 and claims it can sew two layers of 12mm leather (which I find hard to believe). I can't find out much abut this model, other than Can anyone shed any more light on this one?

I would hazard a guess that tapping into the wood was slightly askew? At least, that's what's happened to me when I've used a similar process.

Sounds like a good deal, I'd say you've done well. They are a nice solid machine. I ended up replacing the handwheel on mine with an 8" pulley, might look funny but it can go slow with lots of torque. Now you just have to buy lots of needles and lots of thread .

Good one. That's what it's all about . As for the "orbital action" I'm sure the leather won't care!

Yeah, looks good, no paint wear on the baseplate that I can see. Slowly rotate the wheel by hand to make sure nothing is binding and everything is moving as it should, if you feel any tightness stop and find out what it is. Remove the bobbin and make sure it's all clean in there. As Constabulary said, get a manual, must have a manual! As to what to avoid - DON'T start loosening screws until you understand what you're doing.