dikman

Hooked it up to a motor and tried a run down an old belt with #138 thread - beautiful, didn't miss a beat. Two pieces of scrap veg, just over 1/4" thick, and it treated it like a very thin piece, perfect stitches. I've got no doubt this thing will sew whatever I can fit under the feet. And I reckon it might handle #207, just a pity I haven't got any to try. Me happy , me like . Now I think I know why folks like their Seikos/Consews so much.

Holsters are arguably one of the toughest things to sew, due to thickness, so a slow speed with good torque is needed. I'm puzzled why you can't adjust the speed any slower (my servos can be set to almost a crawl just by themselves). Fit the smallest pulley you can to the motor, generally 2", and a speed reducer will definitely help as it will give more torque at low speed. The big machines have a small pulley on the motor and a (very) large pulley on the head unit. I did this on my Pfaff (fitted an 8" on the head) and it gives excellent slow speed control + torque. Some of the big machines will also have a speed reducer fitted as this combination gives an incredible amount of grunt to let them punch through very thick leather. By all means fit the speed reducer, as it won't do any harm, but you really have to get that servo running slower too.

I'm not familiar with pricing over there, but I'd guess it's at the upper end for a machine like this? Looks pretty good, though, no paint missing from the bed, still has the needle protection bar fitted (I've yet to see a used machine that still has it!) and has a servo, with remote adjuster at the front of the table. I'd guess that having a servo would bump the price up a bit. As it's a company selling it it's probably not going to be a bargain buy, but it still might be a good buy.

Polished huh, who'd a thought. You did a good job on it! Yeah, I think we all kick ourselves at some time over the one that got away. I know I have, that's why the last one I just bought I didn't waste any time, hadn't been up long and once I'd confirmed it was a walking foot I grabbed it. A 1 hour drive across town (before it got too hot, but I still sweated dismantling it) but it was worth it.

I'm not surprised that Kwok Hing didn't understand you as they don't deal in belts. I've bought them from auto parts stores, but the last one I needed was a bit narrower than they stocked and I eventually found some at a bearing (as in ball bearings etc) supply place. As for a sander, you could look at the belt sanders used in woodworking. Some of these have 4" wide belts, a disc on the side for a circular sanding disc and are not that expensive (or too big!). For sanding leather you don't need anything heavy duty. I also use a small sanding drum in a Dremel-type tool for getting into tight corners or just touching something up.

Floyd, that's a pretty snappy photo you posted, looks a bit like it was sprayed with chrome paint. Very smooth!

Looking good so far. Fixed the latch opener, needle bar needed re-adjusting (the needle that was fitted was shorter than the specified needle), both feet needed re-adjusting, the thread friction discs are grooved (not surprising) so I reversed them front-to-back which moved the grooves away from the thread path, and the "biggest" problem, the screw that holds the needle in had one side of the screwdriver slot missing! I couldn't find anything among my supply of screws that matched the thread size (I've got no idea what it is) so as a last resort I silver soldered the busted screw to the head of a larger screw. Not pretty, but it works. It came with welting feet fitted, but fortunately I seem to be accumulating a collection of assorted spare feet so fitted a standard set. Loaded up some #69 thread and handcranked on some scrap leather with no problems. Next thing was to load up some #138 thread, again it didn't miss a beat, basically whatever I could fit under the feet it sewed. Next thing is to hook it up to a motor and see if it will sew a long run.

Logically (!) one would assume that they would be metric, but I too have struggled with screw thread sizes on my various machines. I'm sure that some use a proprietary thing that they make up themselves!!! If all else fails, can you drill and tap the plate for something that you have?

Looks pretty neat, but probably just a re-design of an existing model in order to make it look like something super-dooper. Bear in mind that the problem with an all-in-one unit like that, particularly with push buttons to change settings, is that to actually change anything you have to get down on your knees underneath the unit to get to it! If it has a knob and is underneath at least it will be easier to adjust.

Gregg, are you saying that mine's probably a 3? I've downloaded the manual (from your site ) for the 3 and everything looks the same. The bottom oil tank (that feeds the hook) was empty and all the oil wicks/felt pads were dry so I oiled everything that moved (!) and left it overnight. The woman said that there was a bit of a problem with lower thread tension, but I noticed when dismantling it that a lever/arm next to the hook was poking out at an angle and didn't seem to be doing anything. This, as I found out, is the latch opener, and definitely needs adjustment!! I also suspect that the two feet need re-adjusting, all minor things. Hopefully today I can spend time going over the adjustments. I'm also considering fitting a larger pulley to the head, in place of the handwheel. I did this to my Pfaff and it makes a huge difference to the low speed control and torque, and is much easier than messing around with speed reducers.

After looking at lots of google images of Seikos, I could only find two of an STH-8BLD, but both had the black stitch adjustment dial like mine, whereas the 8BLD-3 all have a light coloured dial. So I figure mine's an 8BLD. Next question is what's the difference between the D and the D-3? I haven't been able to find a manual for the 8BLD yet.

Thanks for the prices, Darren - I think . Because this is only a hobby for me (and I sell very little, only to fellow shooting club members who ask me to make something for them) I can't even consider one at those prices- unfortunately. It just means I have to handstitch the really thick stuff. Whiz, if you lived closer () we could possibly do a deal on my Singer postbed machine. Ok, a few photos of my latest acquisition. It appears to be in pretty good condition, just needs a bit of fluff cleaned out and oiling. It's a large bobbin (yay) and I got 5 spares with it, a bunch of needles (probably cloth) and some oddments of thread (#69). I also bought some nice imported Irish Tweed from her as I'm thinking it might make a couple of nice rifle bags. So, a question for all you knowledgeable types - how do I figure out what model it is? I can't find any model number, the only thing on it is a serial number - TH 9908501.

Kellen, the pan doesn't have to be anything fancy. I needed one for a table that I modified (existing pan was too short for the new machine) so I used a flat piece of aluminium plate that I happened to have, screwed some timber beading around the edge and then screwed it under the table. I then measured for the lifting rod that goes to the foot pedal and drilled a hole (which I had to make bigger 'cos it was scraping). Works for me, and it was cheap ($0).

Yep, looks pretty much like my old Pfaff 335 (except in better condition). You're also missing the slide-on cover that fits over the hook/bobbin assembly

Once I get it I'll definitely post some piccies. The woman said they hadn't used it much for the last 4 years so probably needs a service, said it worked fine other than a bit of an issue with the lower thread tension. Bob, what I really want/need is a Cowboy, ideally a 4500 but a 3200 would suffice. Unfortunately they're a bit dear new, and the chance of getting one used is nil and buckley's (in other words, none!) so if I see a nice "ordinary" walking foot at a good price I buy it to make myself feel better . My idea is to hopefully set this one up for 138 thread and leave it, so that I don't have to fiddle with my others whenever I change thread size.

Looks like I've just bought another machine (not that I need it). No model number in the advert, blurry photos but it's a Seiko, looks like an 8BLD. I rang the seller and she said there's no model number on it, so I asked if it was a walking foot. She wasn't sure so sent me a photo of the needle/foot area. Definitely a walking foot, so for $150 I said I'd take it!! It was about 6 months old when they bought it, around 1993, so virtually one owner, used for upholstery work (not leather). Now I just have to work out how to pick it up in a couple of days. Don't know where I'm going to put it yet.....

Plus if you get one that is too big (handles very thick leather and thread) it may cause issues if you try to do lighter stuff.

You could always file another flat on the threader shaft to secure it in a different position.

Welcome Lineaus, you've come to the best place to find out about your machine. By the way, I doubt if it's "never been used" as it's extremely unlikely a machine of that age has been sitting somewhere since new and not touched. Anyhow, I suggest you start reading some of the excellent stickies and posts on here as industrial sewing machines have a fairly steep learning curve. The presser feet shouldn't be too hard to find for that model (contact the vendors on this site or try searching ebay). If it has a clutch motor (most likely) then you may want to consider replacing it with a servo motor, it will make it much easier to use. My 211G166 will handle #138 thread, but it requires a bit of tweaking of the hook timing, yours is most likely set for #69 thread I would think. That Lilly White oil should be fine, but don't even think about re-using the oil in the bottom.

Good grief!! At least we only have one "standard" for 3-phase power.

Hotrodseth, you've certainly found the right place for any help you may need getting started. Clutch motors can be scary things for newbies and can take quite a bit to master (I couldn't!). A servo should slow it right down and may be enough by itself, but if you want to make it crawl then you'll probably need a pulley speed reducer setup too. This will also give you more torque at slow speed. If you're any good mechanically you can make your own or just buy one that you can bolt on.

Thanks Uwe, but it's all Greek to me . Looks like toluene and methanol. I was just curious as it took off the outer layer of paint without damaging the original.

Uwe, assuming you didn't buy it new, could the previous owner have done just that - reversed the leads?

Best thing to do is contact one of the forum sponsors, can't go wrong that way. You'll not only get a suitable motor but also help/advice if needed. (You can buy one via ebay etc from China but you're on your own if you have problems - unlikely but not impossible).