Jump to content

dikman

Members
  • Posts

    4,558
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by dikman

  1. Great job guys, excellent quality .
  2. C'mon, admit it, Uwe, blundering around in the dark is good fun .
  3. Uwe makes a good point. While I admired the great workmanship I didn't pay any attention to the actual stitch lengths. Doing short runs with a machine will be, at times, annoying, and the potential to miss a stitch or otherwise stuff up will increase. Hand stitching gives you absolute control of the work. Plus machines require attention to function at their best (once you get them running properly!!). A machine may be of use with belts, but for the small bits what you're doing now may be the best way.
  4. Nah, that was the Pfaff, it obviously decided not to like me yesterday. I've already checked the timing, but yep, I guess it's time to start double checking everything again. It has to be something relatively simple.
  5. Don't feel bad, I broke two needles in succession yesterday!!
  6. Sorry guys, I was talking about the wrong machine. This is what happens when I try and do more than one thing at a time! The used spool is on the Pfaff - that's been cutting the thread, but I've found a very small nick on the outside of the shuttle assembly which may be the problem. The spool on the Singer is a new, previously unused one and looks good, so I don't think that's the problem - but I won't rule it out just yet. I'll swap spools to prove it. The fact that it works for a while suggests the tensions are reasonably close and everything is working correctly, so why does it suddenly start causing loops? That sort of points to an outside interference, and the spool is the only thing "external" to the operation. Most puzzling.
  7. It's great that it worked first time, makes life a lot easier when you don't have to fault-find. I would think that bobbins would be the best way to go, then you can wind whatever colour/size thread you want. As for the speed, yep, I think most of us newbies (to industrial machines) probably got the same shock the first time that we pressed the pedal with a clutch motor!! I know that some can develop fine control with them, but I decided I wasn't going to waste time and replaced all three of mine with servo motors - so much better for what I want to do. I find that I definitely have to hold both threads tightly when starting, with the Singer 166 it needs to be held for several stitches, but with the Pfaff only for the first couple (I'm beginning to think these machines all have their own individual, and unique, character. If I'm not careful I'll be giving them names soon!).
  8. I've already stripped and cleaned the tension assembly and had the bobbin out to check that area. Last night it occurred to me to that the only thing different is that I'd changed the thread I was using to a different colour. The one I grabbed was an old, part-spool that came with one of the machines and the thread is a little uneven on the spool in places. I didn't think it would make any difference, but from what Wiz said that may be the problem. Once I've re-assembled everything I'll change to a clean spool.
  9. The loops are on the bottom. While it's stitching I've watched the thread path and it's definitely not popping out anywhere. This is why I'm puzzled, it's as if the top thread is getting some excess slack and it's pushing through the leather. I can tell by the sound when it's happening and the takeup spring stops working because there's too much slack building up after the tension disc. But why does it happen after it's already sewn quite a few stitches?
  10. I'll have to ask you chaps, 'cos I'm stumped. My 211G166 has started misbehaving, and is forming loops (of the top thread) on the bottom. (#69 thread, size 18 needle, white on top brown in bobbin). It will stitch ok for 2, 3, 4, 6" and then start making loops. I've played with tension settings on the top and bottom threads, but it didn't help. I stripped and cleaned the thread tensioner and the takeup spring, all appears to be working as it should. I increased the tension and travel on the takeup spring, but it still happens. Seems to me that if the takeup spring is the problem then it should happen all the time. I tried a bigger needle (size 22) but it still happens. Not a good day, I switched to the Pfaff and now that's decided to start being stupid! Any ideas welcome.
  11. You're both close. I threaded the needle right-to-left, it should be left-to-right! Which is what it says in the manual, but of course I didn't read that bit I just looked at the picture!! I put it down to another "senior's moment", I just had it in my mind that's the way it should go. It looked like the hook/shuttle was picking up the thread correctly, but in reality it was putting a twist in the two threads (which I thought I saw but wasn't sure) under the needle plate, and twang! While I feel dumb about it, on the positive side I now understand the machine much better and I know the adjustments are right.
  12. Excellent video, as usual Uwe - but your machines are just far too clean! It's not natural!
  13. Yep, usually called a shoe or boot patcher. As Wiz said, they're designed to get right down into a shoe or boot and the "head" (not sure of the correct term) allows the sewing direction to be easily changed without having to turn the work itself.
  14. Yep, that's the one I've got. That thread size is probably the optimum for what you want to do - as long as the soles aren't too thick. Mine came with two thread tensioners, as in the link you provided. Don't know why, unless one is a spare, so I took one off. Make a careful note of how the bobbin carrier fits in relation to the needle position, as it's easy to remove it and a pain trying to line it all up again if you don't know how it fits. The bobbin winder on mine was pretty useless, so I made a replacement from bits and pieces that I had. One of the forum members, Darren Brosowki, sells a decent replacement bobbin winder for them (he also sells the machines).
  15. Tag, there's a few posts on the forum about those Chinese shoe patchers (I've got one myself). There are also a few vids on youtube. Probably the best thread to use is a bonded polyester, size #69 (Tex70). The bobbin is too small to use anything heavier. The machine itself can benefit from smoothing down some of the sliding parts and making sure that they're well lubricated. They might look rough, but they're a nice little machine. I see Wiz got in first , I was half-way through typing and the phone rang.....
  16. You did real well with that deal, it looks pretty clean considering its age! Plus all the other bits and pieces AND manuals (I've never seen one for the light, which I have on one of mine), a rarity in itself. I'd be very interested in a good scan of the manual, as it covers the 153 (which I think one of mine is).
  17. Thanks Ralf, even if I can't read the words, there's some great drawings in there. I'll have a closer look later. "Complete" makes sense, as part 9636 would then include the eccentric that fits over the main shaft and the outer race that it rotates in. I can see where slightly different sizes could then vary the max/min stitch lengths available. Which means I'm stuck with a minimum of 6 spi, but it's workable.
  18. Thanks Ralf, I would say that there has to be an adjustment inside somewhere, I just don't see them making separate components for each machine to get the stitch length. Mine, by the way, is labelled 335-17B and underneath that is L (no idea what L means). I've just had a closer look (again) and the only adjustment that I can see anywhere is that eccentric (part #9633). I'm beginning to wonder if they do, in fact, make different size eccentrics to fit on the main shaft to give different stitch lengths. Constabulary/Ralf, what does "vollstg" (part #9636) translate as? Assembly?
  19. Uwe, one of those pots came with my 111WSV77 (appears to be the same as a 111W153). It took me a while to figure out how it was supposed to fit the machine! I gather they normally only came on 155's? Gump, that's a monster motor! I thought their motors normally ran at 1725 rpm, yours must have gobs of torque!!
  20. I'm always learning something new. What Uwe said makes sense, considering that Singer back then was a world-wide conglomerate. It probably made perfect sense to ship parts every which way just to make up machines. The fact that there were different metal threads used by different countries on their nuts and bolts could make such machines "interesting"! I noticed that motor too. My 51W59 came with an original Singer motor, which is big but doesn't appear to be as large as this one! Teched, any chance you could post a couple of photos of the motor?
  21. Power hacksaw blades make pretty good knives (just don't overheat them if shaping with a grinder).
  22. Ok, referring to your first picture - the adjuster lever (9612) is already resting on part 9626 at the bottom of its travel. No plate holding it back. the screw (64) isn't an adjuster, it secures the adjuster lever to part 9606. by carefully grinding the front plate (9626) at the bottom, I managed to lower the adjuster lever just enough to give me 6 spi. Part #9633 is an eccentric that fits on the main shaft, and is held on by two screws at the back. Its position affects the spi. By loosening the screws and shifting it around I can change the spi, but I can't get any better than 6spi. I'm still trying to figure out how moving the lever changes the spi .
  23. Makes sense about the short stitches, being originally a binder. I've already removed the binder parts and replaced the feet and needle plate/feed dog to make it a "conventional" stitcher. It works well, except for the stitch length. I'm about to go out, armed with your first photo, and start poking around in the innards!
  24. Teched, it's extremely difficult to date W series machines (made at Bridgeport, USA) because there doesn't appear to be any surviving records for them. If you can download a manual, and it has a print date, then that's probably about the best you can do. Just enjoy it, knowing that you have a lovely old Singer.
  25. Thanks Constabulary, that could be quite a help as I can't see inside to get a clear picture of what's connected to where. Mine already has full travel on the adjuster (9610). I see there is an adjustment screw, #64, that might have something to do with it (if I'm lucky), but first I have to figure out exactly how it changes the stitch length. A photo -
×
×
  • Create New...