dikman

I was about to ask the same thing re-price. Looks like it might be pretty good for holsters/gunbelts, given the thread size. The only real issue with mine is the presser foot, the teeth on it are pretty vicious!!! I had intended making a new foot, but not long after buying it the electric machines came along () so they've kept me rather busy. Still, it is rather tempting.....

346? I reckon that's pretty impressive! I just found their website and they have a couple of interesting machines, also down the bottom of the page it says Paypal.

Hockeymender, much like my experience with the smaller version, I spent a fair bit of time smoothing some of the castings (sliding parts) and generally did a bit of tidying up and modifying slightly, but it's a pretty solid little machine overall. What size thread did you get up to on yours?

From the sound of it you've removed the necessary screws. My Singers have two set screws recessed into the pulley grooves, it seems to be a fairly common method used by Singer. One of my wheels was also pretty tight, and took a fair bit of force from the puller to break it free. If the screws have been over-tightened they can cause a slight flaring on the shaft, which can jam things a bit. If you use heat don't worry about damaging the shaft, it will take a lot more heat than you can likely generate to do that, just be careful of the bearings behind the wheel, as mentioned only heat the wheel.

Olie, I have several old machines, all of which have required varying degrees of work and parts to get working. I have probably been lucky in that none of them have required junking. Unless you're mechanically inclined, and enjoy the challenge of keeping a (probably) very old machine going then I would advise caution if considering a used machine. At the price you're talking about you'd be far better off buying new (or almost new) from a reputable dealer. It could save you a lot of grief.

I too bought a plasma cutter some time ago. There are many for sale on ebay, locally and direct from China. I ended up buying one from a company in another state, turns out the owner went to the trouble of finding a factory in China who could build to his specs and had excellent QC. He regularly visits to follow up production. I found that the power cord was too short for my needs (I suggested to the seller that they consider making them longer) so opened it up to change the cord. I was pleasantly surprised at the build quality, it was very well put together. As Mike SC said, they can make excellent gear.

Hi Jennifer, there is a sticky at the top by Wiz that is an excellent introduction/explanation about industrial leather machines. There is a lot to digest, and it's a steep learning curve (well, it was for me) but it could help you figure out what will suit you best and hopefully keep you from buying the wrong thing. (Be aware that many advertise machines as "industrial" when in reality they are far from it). As Uwe said it sounds like a compound feed cylinder arm might be the best option - but just how thick do you want to sew?

For what it's worth, I bought a replacement hook for my Singer 331K4, the hook was obviously not original but was the correct replacement part and was bought from a reputable company. It would not work and was so tight at one point in the rotation that it was scary! I eventually worked out that I had to grind out metal from beneath the hook itself, in the "web" below the hook. Then it worked. Just pointing out that even though a part is "made" for a machine they can still cause problems with these old machines., so assume nothing!

I note that Cowboy Bob's instructions above state that the default (as shipped) direction for the motor is reverse - as the two gentlemen on here appear to have confirmed.

You want bonded polyester thread. Most common size is #69 but it may go to #138 if you're lucky. Anything larger than that needs a heavy duty machine.

"E = reverse, P = Normal". Should be obvious to anyone, perfectly logical - NOT!

2" should be fine, I wouldn't bother trying to get a smaller one 'cos it won't be much smaller!

If you want to sew as slow as possible then always fit the smallest you can, as mike said. With the reducer that you already have fitted, however, even a 3" should still be fine.

A bit strange that they don't accept credit cards or Paypal, probably the two most common methods of payment on the 'net. They would be doing themselves out of a bit of business, I reckon. Pity, as it looks like it might go through holster thickness! It looks like a bigger/heftier version of mine (mine takes domestic-type needles and the bobbin is pretty small so not much good for heavier thread).

Sandy, that photo is the only one I could find that had a decent view of the thread path.I realise it's different in the base to yours, but I'm assuming they made variations of the machine for different uses? As for the 17 being the long arm version of the 8, I'm only repeating what I came across in my searching. I couldn't find a manual or parts list for the 8, and only a parts list for the 17 (at Hendersonsewing.com). Can you post a closeup photo of the area around the tensioner assembly? It's intriguing as it's different to my machines.. Judging by the lack of responses there doesn't seem to be much info around about the 17.

I was wondering about that bit myself, but looking at the photos I don't see any other way of threading it. I found a parts list for your machine, but no manual. I did find, however, that it's the long-arm version of the 133K8, and Constabulary mentioned in an older post that he had a manual for it. Send him a PM to see if it's still available. I just found this image of a 133K8, which shows the threading. You may be right about the angle of the thread, this one appears to have an arm of some kind extending above the tensioner. Will have to compare the parts lists to make any sense of it.

Well, based on other machines I have the threading looks right to me?

Yes, I found an edge guide to be indispensable on anything longer than a couple of inches!! Actually, I reckon it looks good (bottom too) and once it's dyed and finished off it'll probably look even better!

I don't know anything about the 1245, but Pfaff parts can be expensive and may not be as readily available as the Consew's.

Sark is correct, that plate should be sitting flat against the arm. Yes, that part you're pointing to is the hook and it should NOT touch the needle at any time. It looks like the shuttle assembly needs to be adjusted to the right. That is also most likely the explanation for your top thread catching. As Uwe said, best thing is to have someone who knows what they're doing look at it.

That is one neat looking foot, Uwe!

I have three servos (from China) and the control housing is the same shape as SARK9's (top photo), only difference I can see is the markings on the two buttons. I also bought a needle positioner but don't use it. For high speed stitching it's probably quite useful, but because I run at very slow speed I found it was more trouble than it was worth. With mine there are two main settings that can be adjusted (internally), start speed and max speed.

lb, as has been said many times, lots of people advertise a machine as being able to sew leather, and technically they are probably correct - but it's the type of leather that's important here (as well as the needle size and thread size). When you come across a machine that you're interested in, do a google search on the model number first and if it's a domestic machine then give it a miss (regardless of what the vendor may be claiming).

Yep. My first machine, a Singer, came with a Singer clutch motor. Judging by the wiring, switch and overall look of it it is OLD! As long as the insulation doesn't break down I reckon it will keep working for a long time yet.

Looks to be in very good condition. Good deal at that price, I reckon. Got any specs on it - thread size, needle size etc? (Just curious).