Vinculus

So I am looking to get an old Rapid E outsole stitcher from a friend of mine. Problem is, I live in an apartment up a single curved flight of stairs. I don't think there's any way to get enough manpower to lift and carry the whole 620+lb. thing in one single pice up the stairs. My friend tells me it's possible to separate the machine head from the table for easier transport. Has anyone of you ever done this before, how hard is it - and is it worth it at all? I'm basically getting the machine for free since she's having such a hard time selling it, although it's been serviced and adjusted. I currently don't have a three-phase outlet to power the machine, but it will mainly be "in storage" at my place and I'll hand crank it for a while until we move to a bigger place. In the meanwhile I'm used to hand stitching outsoles on my shoes and boots anyway, and this is an investment for the future. Thoughts? Advice? Step-by-step guides? Anything is welcome. The only thing I know is I can't bear the fact that the machine is currently sitting outside under a tarp when winter is coming.

The channel cutting blade cuts at the bottom of the material, correct? I am actually not sure if I'll use it. Countersinking the thread often helps with longevity of the sole stitches, but then again sometimes a good tight stitch countersinks into a rubber sole without any channeling as well. I guess I will give everything a try before settling on anything. My niche customer market should be happy about sample boots at cheaper prices at least, haha. After reading the thread you mentioned I am very surprised to find that they still make these machines in the updated F42 version. Wow.

I got in touch with Power-Shoe.com and they were happy to set me up with the correct thread, so I've sorted that out. I think it's Irish linen, but unsure of the ply number. Hopefully it's pretty thick. I like my stitches to be a little bulky, since I make heritage work boots with double row stitchdown construction. I am going to try various other threads I have as well, just to see if it accepts braided waxed thread, for example. And believe me, I know all about fiddling with tension on machinery such as this. On my Junker SD28 I have added an extra 3 springs to the spool rod where the top thread tension is set to get it tight enough, and removed the bobbin tension adjustment altogether to stitch with thick thread through very thick/compact materials. That's half the fun and all of the frustration with vintage equipment Really looking forward to getting this machine and taking my time to getting comfortable with it. I ordered 20 needles for it, so I can afford a few major screw ups as well, haha.

Thanks for the replies guys, very helpful! I actually found a fully refurbished and working Frobana locally for €600. It comes with 4 extra needles, but I will be sure to pick up some extra 10-packs while stock lasts. With the rise of "slow fashion" it's weird that no one has started making reproduction needles for these types of machines again. Hopefully soon, as the world seems to slowly becoming aware of all the issues with fast fashion and wanting something better. As an aside, what kind of thread can I run this machine with? My Junker und Ruh SD28 handled 0,6, 0,8 and 1mm. waxed braided Ritza Tiger thread like a champ even if it was never designed to do that. But this machine might be different and actually require Z twist thread? I know Göetz in Germany sells Hoogen 20/6 Z twist thread as well as bobbin thread for the Frobana machines, but getting an e-mail reply from them is absolutely impossible, haha.

Nevermind, Andreas from Sieck told me the Frobana and Gritzner machines are the same. Gritzner is the original manufacturer from East Germany, while Frobana was the brand/dealer name in West Germany. Now all I have to do is find one that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

Hey, all. So, after purchasing a completely refurbished Junker und Ruh SD28 for way too much money and eventually coming to the conclusion that it does not work well for my application, I am looking into the "other" tabletop sole stitchers. I make double row stitchdown boots, currently stitched by hand - see here. The first row of stitches secures the upper to the midsole and I need to get right up against the upper while the lasts are still in the boots. Due to the nature of the Junker's presser foot and needle, it mars the uppers significantly and I cannot get into the waist of the boot at all. The Junker doesn't really like stitching through 6 oz. uppers, 11 oz. sole bends and 4 mm. rubber soles either, haha. I imagine it would work much better for welted footwear with a leather sole. Looking at the Frobana and Gritzner machines, these seem to have a different presser foot and needle layout that would allow me to get the job done without damaging my uppers. My question is simple. Are there any significant differences between the Frobana and Gritzner sole stitchers? To me they look identical, but I guess the devil is in the details. I keep seeing Gritzners both in the grayish green color as well as the same red color as the Frobanas. This has lead me (maybe falsely?) to believe that they are one and the same. Could anyone in the know enlighten me on this subject? I can get a semi-clean looking Frobana in working condition for €600 locally. I know that needles are expensive and rare, but I'd wager the needles for the Gritzner as equally as hard to come by? At least the correct thread for the these machines is available through Göetz in Europe. If anyone has a source for the actual machines in Europe, besides Sieck.de, please do tell. Thank you.

I would guess it jams because the point of the regulator screw is supposed to slide against the slanted part of the plate it rests against when you push the lever back up. If it's too long there's not enough give and it just won't budge. I'll try and grind down my home-made screw a little more to match it exactly in length with the original unworn part from the Junker and see how that goes. I do fear that will make it too short though, as the original thumb lock nuts are not the same width on the two machines. That's why I measured the length of the screws in the picture with the ruler resting on the edge of the thumb lock nut. In the picture of the edge of the regulator screw from the back of the machine you can see how far in it will go - the head protrudes a fair bit from the thumb lock nut. The Junker regulator screw will not fit in the Pedersen for some reason. It will only screw in a little before the threads start to resist, and I don't want to force it and strip the threads.

Ah, right - sorry for the misunderstanding. Yes, this gap comes to a complete close with the lever and needle all the way up. Not sure if I want to grind down any non-replacable parts of the machine yet, I'll keep that in mind as a last resort!

The one on the left is actually a new original part from the other (Junker) machine, the one on the right is the new one I made for the Pedersen. It doesn't really matter that I made it slightly longer, because I can't screw it all the way in anyway - the machine just jams in that case. The thumbscrews are slightly different lengths as well, so making the screws themselves identical won't help. Rolf Saile, who has a bunch of these and refurbs and resells them, had much to comment about what is wrong with my Pedersen. Unfortunately he doesn't speak English, so the language barrier is pretty tough. If anyone on here feels like translating for me, it would be much appreciated. His quotes are in italic. deine vilhelmpetersen hoogen 308 hatt viele problehme. video 1 ganz hinten wo deine hand ist zum halten ist die kleine silberplatte an diesem halter ist eine scharze kleine schraube diese mus ca 2 bis 3 millimeter über dem schwarzen teil raus schauen.... von hinten die konter Mutter lösen und dann die schraube etwas raus drehen ,,,,, dan die konter mutter wieder befestigen... ich denke es müste deinem problehm helfen.. I understood this part and followed his advice. It did not make any difference in regards to the stitch length. sonst sind viele teile verbraucht oder nicht orginal.. vorne, bei deiner stichplatte ist das loch sehr gross einfach verbraucht... dein presser fuss hatt unten keine nassen oder druck teile zähne mehr.. This also makes some sense. The presser foot does have plenty teeth though, but it does indeed not have enough presser force to go all the way down anymore. Not an issue when stitching thicker materials, which get adequate pressure from the foot as-is. deine stichstellschraube ist nicht mehr orginal, ich würde die spitze die kugel besser schleifen oder polieren. deine halb mond platte in der hebelarm mechanik ist sehr verbraucht... I am going to guess this "half moon" plate is where the main issue lies in terms of the stitch length, as that is what appears to move the needle arm from right to left. auf der rechten seite hinten am hebel rm ist eine schlitz schraube die sehr tief im hebel sitzt die solte circa 5 millimeter drausen sein.. This part I do not completely understand. wenn die maschine richtig näht was bei dehn sehr verschlissenen defekten teilen eigentlich noch gut aussehen tut.. würde ich etliche teile normall zerlegen und reinigen und fetten und ölen. vileicht würde dir presluft schon helfen dìe gröbsten teile zu reinigen.. versuche dein glück du kanst dich gerne wieder melden. ich habe von den alten schwarzen petersen auch noch 3 stück und eine modernere von den jüngeren maschinen in hammerschlag braun wie fast neu. und circa 18 stück junker und ruh..

I have a gap there, but I'm not sure if it's wide enough. I've been in touch with the Rolf guy who fixes and sells these on eBay, so hopefully he can help me. I recorded a few videos to show how the machine operates from various angles, not sure if it helps. http://gfycat.com/ElegantHandyGordonsetter http://gfycat.com/QuestionableHonorableCattle http://gfycat.com/WellinformedAbsoluteAzurevasesponge http://gfycat.com/BoringBitesizedFawn http://gfycat.com/ShorttermDetailedAmericanpainthorse Here is the stitch length regulator from the back of the machine when the lever and needle is all the down into the needle plate: And here is the new stitch length regulator I made side-by-side with an original unworn one I have in the other machine:

Okay, so I made the new stitch length regulator. It did not make any difference, as it only seems to affect how far left the needle travels. I'm at a loss here now, as I can't figure out why the needle won't return all the way to the right. Here is a short video showing how the needle currently moves: http://gfycat.com/EllipticalColorlessBergerpicard This is getting dangerously close to entering the boat anchor category.

It's at the starting point, as the needle does travel all the way to the left. I'll make a new regulator when I find some time. Reckon I can just find a wingnut screw with the same thread, cut it to length and grind off the thread at the end with a bench grinder to make the tip roughly the same shape as the original one I have in the other machine that is not worn.

I think I might have found the problem. The leading edge of the stitch length regulator screw is worn down, so it's not going to push the needle arm as far right as it's supposed to. Guess it's easy enough to find a matching screw since I have one that is not worn down to compare the length to. However, after I was fiddling with the machine for a while, it won't even stitch anymore. It's not picking up the bobbin thread. No idea what I might have done to cause this. Hnnnng.

It actually seems like the needle does not travel to the extreme right on the Pedersen. Junker: Pedersen: The "disc" on the regulator is indeed backed all the way unto the thumb nut and the thumb nut screwed clockwise as far as it goes, I have cleaned it to make sure there's no crap there. This is a bit of a mystery really.

Takk for linken Tor! I'm actually Norwegian, I just live in Finland. It's too bad the 68 manual is just available in German, as my middle school German is a bit rusty, haha. I've become very acquainted with the speed of the Jack motor now and don't really feel like I need to reduce the speed any further. Certainly wouldn't want to screw up anything because of too much torque either, so I think I'll just keep everything as-is for now. Thank you for the suggestions though, I will keep those in mind if I want to upgrade in the future!

A while ago I acquired two Junker & Ruh SD28 outsole stitchers. I first bought one refurbished actual Junker & Ruh from eBay Germany that came with lots of misc. accessories; and then discovered a Pedersen model 308 locally that I also went and got for €200. I wasn't sure what state the Pedersen it was in, but figured I'd use it for spare parts. As it turns out, they are both in great shape and fully operable! The screw that holds the rod the top thread spool sits on was broken on the Pedersen and I couldn't adjust the tension, but after I drilled it out and rethreaded the hole it's all good. Here they are. Now, I have one issue. The Pedersen's max stitch length is considerably shorter than that of the Junker. In the following picture the top row of stitching is the Pedersen and the bottom row is the Junker: Since I have two of these it doesn't really matter that much, but it would be nice to be able to for example have two different thread colors or thread thicknesses on hand without having to fiddle with the top and bottom tension on one single machine every time I want to use a different thread. The Pedersen also makes slightly nicer stitches, so it would be cool to have it be able to match the Junker also in terms of stitch length. Does anyone know what might cause this? Any parts I should inspect for wear? And yes, I have of course tried using the stitch length adjustment screw to no avail, haha. Also, does anyone have a needle plate for a size 7/8 needle they want to trade for one of the size 5/6 plates I have? I run size 7 needles and 1 mm. Tiger thread, so I really don't have much use for a 5/6 plate. Would also be interested in a stitching plate with the raised lip for stitching soles.

dikman, that doesn't sound right - is there slack in the needle bar or something? I've only broken one single needle since getting this machine three months ago, which to be honest is above all expectation. I'm currently running a size 90/14 needle with #69 nylon thread. From what I've read, the needle should actually be too small to handle that thread, but it works really well. The Adler is probably just such a stubborn old beast

That is correct! You can always crawl at this minimum speed no matter what you have the maximum speed set to as well, which is nice. Don't know if it's the same with other motors.

For reference, I recorded a quick video to show the absolute slowest I can go with the Jack motor fitted with a 40 mm. pulley. Sometimes I wish I could go even slower, but it's entirely possible to work the foot pedal to do one stitch at the time. I find that's better than rotating the balance wheel manually when sewing around tight corners, as the SPI somehow tends to not match up with the rest when hand cranking the machine.

Thanks, I got in touch with him. He still has sz. 5 needles. Even if I plan on mainly using the machine with thicker thread than what the sz. 5 needles can handle, I should probably get some. All sizes below 7 are becoming more and more scarce...

Yeah, google translate tells me it has been repainted two years ago and had a major overhaul in general. Hopefully that means it'll last me a very long time with my moderate use on a few pairs of shoes per month! I should probably get a few more needles. There are only size 7 and 8s for sale on eBay currently. Do you (or anyone else) know if Henry Veerhoven still stocks needles for these?

Duly noted! I actually just caved and bought this one. It comes with extra spools, needles and misc. accessories - and has been serviced, so it seemed like as good a purchase as any.

That's great news! Your thread on this matter and all the posts here couldn't have come at a better time. And so begins the search for a machine in working order... Thankfully they aren't that rare here in Europe, but people have started charging upwards of $500 for them on Ebay. When they do pop up locally, they usually sell for a couple hundred.

Like the title says, I'm looking for a working Junker & Ruh SD28 or Pedersen #308 sole stitcher. Preferably in the EU, so shipping won't cost an arm and a leg and I won't have to deal with import duties. I've seen a couple of nice ones on eBay recently, but they have been priced pretty high. When they do pop up locally, they usually go for €150-200, but the ones on eBay are like €700. I would prefer something closer to the former. I do have a line to a guy who repairs these, so if there is something minor wrong with a machine you have for sale, I might still be interested. I am located in Finland.

Do you think 1mm. Tiger thread would work with a larger needle, say 7-8? I'm doing the exact same as you used to do at the moment: stitchdown construction shoes with 5-6oz. uppers folded out over a 9oz. sole bend midsole. It's taking me freaking ages to do the hand sewing, and I've been looking into getting hold of an old Junker & Ruh SD28 or Pedersen #308. Like you, I only make a few pairs a month, so it won't see too much heavy use. One thing I wonder, is if the machine would be able to stitch through an additional 3mm. rubber outsole. I do my shoes Viberg style, where the first line of stitchdown only goes through the upper and midsole, and the outer row of stitchdown goes through the upper, midsole and Dainite rubber outsole. The outer row is what takes the most time, since I can't use a sewing awl inside the waists of the shoes and have to saddle stitch the last 20 stitches with curved needles. That alone takes like 40 minutes per shoe. It would be amazing if the Junker would be able to handle that job. Thoughts?