nascenta

You could use a shoe patcher (singer 29 or adler 30). They have a 360 rotatable foot dog so you can change direction without taking the bag off the machine. Check youtube

I'm a newbie and i think that this tip is going to save me lots of aggrevation. Thank you!

Here are some of the specs.

So I opted for a used cylinder arm machine. I've been told (in this forum) that if you build a table to go around the arm that you get the best of both worlds (flat table and cylinder arm in one machine). I bought it at auction for $500 cnd and have cleaned it, oiled it and it sews wonderfully. Check it out. I felt that the compact walking foot clones were not as good as sailrite's and that full size walking foot machines represented better value given my budget. I got this Machine for 1/3 the cost of a new sailrite (after 5 months of research and shopping). Thank you, posters, for your input.

I started this thread to find out how to check out a used machine. Let me tell you what happened. I went to an auction on Saturday of the assets of a hunter's gear company that went bankrupt. They had over a dozen machines, sergers, embroidery machines, bar tacking machines, flat bed walking foot and presser foot machines and one cylinder arm Sunstar machine (km-380bl) which I thought was just what I was looking for. I opened up the bobbin case and the cover where the needle bar resides, checked for play in the flywheel. Everything was smooth and clean. I decided that i would buy it. Happily, one of the bidders was very friendly (as most sewers seem to be) and she introduced me to her sewing machine technician who was also there. He gave it the once over too. He said that it was a better machine than the techsew ck-563 that I had been considering. He also said not to pay over $800 cnd for it. I ended up getting it for $500. I've cleaned and oiled it and it is wonderful. Surprisingly, the clutch motor allows me to go very slowly so i won't need a servo until it dies. Thank you everyone for your posts. I hope that this thread becomes a useful resource for others trying to buy good used machines.

My wife has kicked me off of her Bernina. I sew bags and camping stuff out of canvas, cordura, nylon and leather. It's a hobby. I am looking at a techsew clone of the Juki lu-563. I wonder if I am being wise. This is the issue: I can also buy a brand new sailrite clone with zigzag and servo motor, branded as Reliable Barricuda here in Canada with a 3 year warranty for $650 cnd and free shipping. (The techsew is $700 and local) That's a pretty good value but, but, but... Any thoughts? What would you recommend, a new compact walking foot or used full-sized?

Thank you for the link, Tejas.

Sorry, wizcraft. It is a techsew ck-563. I'm going to try to post a picture of it.

Just to give some closure to this, i took my screwdriver, some leather to sew and a flashlight to check out this 31-47. It was 1-1/2 hours away. The seller didn't even have thread to demonstrate with! He did have some full bobbins though, so i put one up top and tried it out.The leather drive belt immediately broke. The seller really turned me off at that point. I offered him $200, He wanted $300 and wouldn't budge, so I left. At any rate, this thread helped me to feel prepared. I'll be looking at a techsew 563 on Saturday. Hopefully that "test drive" will go better. Thank you, everyone, for your input.

Thank you for that Sonydaze. Does it matter what oil you use to lub these things? What do you use?

This is great information! Thank you very much, all of you. This is exactly what I am after. I recall that someone in the forum has talked about the clearance height of the foot lowering over time (or maybe is was the needle bar) as something wears. Is this an issue? Wizcraft, those parts that were worn that you mentioned, would they have made themselves known if you had actually sewed with the motor? If you do a visual on the parts what do the worn ones look like compared to healthy ones?

I've searched for a while now and can't find much of a checklist of things that you want to look for when checking out an industrial sewing machine. If there is one please post a link. I'm looking beyond just having proper thread tension on a sample I sew on the machine; things that might indicate parts that need replacing. For example: play in the presser foot height once it is up. Stitch length that doesn't vary very much. How to check the effective range of the tension adjuster? Greater than expected resistance in the mechanism by hand rotating the flywheel. Do you try to inspect the shuttle hook, or other components? What do you look for? In other words, I am asking if there exists a list of these useful tests and the desired result or the probable diagnosis if the machine fails the test. Am I making sense? This weekend I am going to be purchasing, maybe, my first industrial sewing machine and I want to make a wise, informed decision. I am aware that some of these 'tests' might be model specific, given weaknesses in design, etc. I am looking at a Singer 31-47 made in 1943. Any insights or direction would be appreciated. Thanks.

Hi all. I've arrived at the same place in my research. I'm going to do what dikman has suggested. I am buying an old singer 31-47 as my straight stitcher (picking it up Saturday for $300 cnd) and then acquire a cylinder arm when i can afford it. There is a pfaff 335 in my area that has tempted me but at $1900 cnd, I can't swing it! The driver for these purchases is a wife who is tired of me testing the limits of her beloved Bernina 801 and a small budget. PS. This forum has great people. Thank you one and all. Your posts have been a godsend for my decision making.

I agree. Thanks. The singer is a 31-47. Sorry about that.

Good to know. I've never used a post bed and it sounds like a table attachment with one is not as functional as a cylinder arm. Since this will be my first industrial type machine I've decided to get the singer 31k57 since it is only $300 and it works fine. It's a start. I looked at a grey Pfaff 335 last week but the guy wanted $1900 cnd for it. I can't justify that kind of money right now. Thanks for your input.