CowboyBob

you loosen the wing nut & slide the triangle piece towards the center of the machine.This pushes the foot spring up & down. You won't find repair manuals on machines because yrs ago Singer wanted you to call the repairman to fix it & alot of times you almost have to see the machine to know what's wrong with because some thing affect others & it's hard to explain it all.

On the back of the machine on the end of the leaf spring for the foot pressure there's wing nut that goes into a triangle looking piece of metal this controls the foot lifting,the more you push away from the end of the spring the more it should lift up. Bob

If it has the #20-4 on it it's probably an old Adler. I really doubt if you can get many parts for it. The pic is real dark to be able to see much detail on the machine. Bob

Doug,Like Steve said the smooth bottom is best for leather,they also make a zipper foot where the toe is off on the left or right side nthese are used for sewing zippers & for sewing around hardware & next to buckles.There's also cording feet for upholstery too. If you want I can scan some pics of some of them & send them to you. Bob

It looks like it's threaded corectly,do you have the thread pulled down in between the tension discs on the side?It looks like the thread is just setting around the outside if the tension. Bob

It's probably a 111w101 & there another screw on the handwheel under the belt too(that your missing) that you'll need to loosen to get it off. Bob

We have them in both round & leather point. Bob

Yes,it has a walking foot,that has teeth on them that will probably have to be ground down so they don't mark. They quit making this type of machine 20 yrs ago,it used to be popular with upholstery people. I doubt if you'll be able to find much online about it since it's been out of production so long. It also has reverse.Take some laeather & go try it out & see how it sews.

Well it should sew to maybe 16 oz of material,We still stock parts for this machine. Bob

I like your work. Bob

I would never sell one to someone wanting to sew leather. Bob

Yes,the Apex is probably an Adler model#220 that Apex put their name on I've seen & had quite a few over the yaers. Bob

It's a double needle machine,you can takeout one needle & run it on one,but you'll still have a wide foot that can be a problem.Yu should be able to tackle any blankets that come along with it,mosy people I know use a standard 10" machine. Bob

You don't have to have multiple machines....but you'll WANT to. It's not about the machines' capabilities to penetrate leather, so much as it's about the machines' maximum thread sizes and the best match to the machines' designed functions. Very Well Said! Heck you can pickup a small 31-15 Singer for a few $$ & do alot of chaps or anything else with #69 or 92 Bob

As Art says it can be done,but they don't make a leather point needles smaller than a #23,they do go down to a #18 needle you can use but it's a round point & might not look the best in certain leathers,also this needle is 2&3/4" long & when sewing with the #18 you have to be very careful because this needle can bend & break real easy(it's about the same size as the lead in a lead pencil)The smaller machines needles are 1/&3/4" & you can get a leather needle from #25-#14 I'm not trying to say it won't work I just like people to know that it won't work the best do to the needles. Good Luck in your hunt. Bob

Hello Kevin, Yes, your the lucky one!! The first order through the website. And we have evrything in stock too! Thanks, Bob

The rod is the right length because we used to make them out of a nail,if you wanted to you could make a longer one & grind off as needed.

Mark,the bracket the pin pushes on on the back side of the tension unit needs to be bent alittle towards the pin,I do it using 2-scewdrivers put 1 @ the top to hold it while you bend the bottom one out.If you don't understand what I mean you could take the whole tension off & bend it. Bob

That's the main problem which gets easier with time....threading & if it isn't done correct it sure will throw off the tension. Have Fun! Bob

By threading it the way ur arrow is pointing is wrong,because as ur sewing it (the thread) can work it's way out from under the spring. Bob

Read this:http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=25239 Bob

I had one of them yrs ago & forgot where the adjustment is but if you ever come down this way like maybe going to Weavers sale or something bring it along & I'll look at it for you. Bob

The heaviest leather this can cut is chap weight & cut it slowly,if it's jammed to many times you'll have to buy some parts. Bob

Hey Rick, Thanks for noticing.Now all I have to do is get more info on it. Ronnie,Yes,I think Wiz is know a great job too! Twin Oaks ,I'd sure like to talk sometime. Bob

Jim, The reason that anyone would want to use anything different is this motor(w/builtin gear reducer)is it goes down to almost 10 rpm(output speed) & still has torque,top speed is 800,we also have the same motor as you have but since it only goes to 300 rpm this is still to fast for most leather machines,unless they put a speed reducer on it which cost more $$ & is not easy to install for most people. Cheers, Bob