CowboyBob

That's a good price!They aren't that hard to handle if you take the 4-screws off from under the head & separate the head from the base & carry it in 2-pieces.They should always be transported this way to prevent breakage along with being alot easier to handle.

No,usually 20oz (5/16")is max it will sew with the standard needle that comes with it,go any thicker & the needlebar will hit the top of the foot.

Schmetz has them too & they better quality than Organ.

It's possible you didn't get the outer race that holds the hook on seated all the way into the machine allowing the play.

Some of the 550W come with a 75 mm pulley,there is a 45 mm available that will give you more torque,also if you turn the speed dial down too much it won't have full power.We put the 550w brush style motor w/a reducer on machines that sew over 3/4" of leather & they work great.In the past the brushless type had a higher starting speed & the circuit board would burnout so we gave up on them.They may have been improved by now since I don't see many people having that problem.

Yes,they'll fit the bar.

The 45K never had a walking foot needle feed like the Juki so they will not interchange.The back or outside foot has to be wider for the inside to fit into.

The 269 will sew thicker ,has a higher lift under the foot,will take a larger thread & has a larger bobbin than the 69,but at these prices I would buy them both.

I've used whatever was on hand from a 1/3,1/2,3/4 hp put the smallest pulley on the motor you can find to keep the speed down.

@austinious looks great with the LR needle.

Mike, That machine sure looks good in your shop!I mentioned to do this when your sewing thin leather to get the knot to pull up in the material.

CB227R_Oper.Manual_print_pages_3-13.pdf

We used to paint alot of machines & prepping as Trash Treasures says is very important esp washing off before you paint with alcohol when using the hammertone or you'll get big fish eyes in the paint .After they were done we would put them outside in the hot sun to bake or use a heat lamp on them if you have a garage or shed to bake them in the fumes are terrible.

Yes,shouldn't be a problem.

Looping underneath is almost always either incorrect threading or upper needle thread too loose.Be sure to go around the 2nd tension on the side 1 & 1/2x ,also be sure to run through 2-holes on the spool pin on top.

Nice drawings, do you have anymore?

Are you pushing the plunger all the way down?

College Sewing in the UK should have a complete tension for you.

Your Welcome. It might help you sometimes if you fill out some of your profile so people know where you live.They can recommend a supplier to order from.

This tension post is an old style someone put in it,it's hardened & will never drill,a new complete tension unit is around $8.00 + postage.

On some older Singers there's a tension release on the side,not in the middle,if you look in the hole after you take the tension out can you see the release lever back there? part # 20314 is the old style.

If you need one they are a great machine.

Do you know what might be the reason to instead opt for 135x17 needles? Are they more common/cheaper than 134-35? Yes,the 135x17 are easier to get .Another reason to go to a longer needle is with the slight rise of the needlebar will allow you to sew thicker before the needlebar hits the foot.

Yes,you can turn the bar & the 144W feet will fit.

Like others have said make sure there's no play in any of the parts.Then we used to drill a hole just beyond the bottom of the slot & take a file or grinder & open it up so you have a longer slot & this will make the stitch length longer.