shoepatcher

gunk, The H2 is for a lighter material. I believe the lift is the same as the H3 but the hole in the feed dog and inside foot was probably smaller to accommodate the smaller needle and lighter thread. The Stitch length should be a maximum of 6mm. How heavy of leather do you want to sew? This 545 is a B class machine meaning the balance wheel may be smaller than on a C or D class. If the hole in the feed dog is too small, it can be enlarged to accommodate a 160 needle t0 180 needle. Needle system would either be 134-35 or a 190. Send us pics of it if you can. glenn

Where you are located would probably determine who you should buy from. Just my 2 cents. glenn

VanRhodes, I have personally had both machines. I had 5 Adler 267-373 machines in Canada at a plant in the late 1980s'. I still have a honey colored 1245. Sewn on both machines extensively. The Pfaff 1245 was smother, would sew heavier and has the best bobbin winder on the marker. Adler bobbin winders on their 267, 268, 269 machines suck! I was always fixing them in Canada. If you want a double needle, look for a used 1246 machine. I believe Miami sewing has a few of them. These were the German machines and are very good. glenn

Ryanmotley, We have 2 of the Adler 269-373 machines in our plant. They are set up with #138 top and bottom and they handle 8 oz. leather with no problem as well as thin materials. They can sew #207 thread. Remember, the 269-373 is the cylinder arm version of the 267-373. Great machine. They are no longer made having been replaced by the 869. Finding used ones can be a problem. I think Miami Sewing in Florida carries some in stock. Juki machine is also good. It would be a the LS-341 or the replacement which is the LS-1341. Both good machines as well. Consew 227 is in the same class as the Adler or Juki although I think the Juki and Adler may sew a little bit heavier. glenn

VanRhodes, The machine I would recommend to anyone that was trying to get a 267-373 would be the Pfaff 1245 which is also the Metro Spezial 1245 and the Mauser Special 1245. All three are now made in the same ultra modern plant in China. Chinese made yes, but plant was set up by Germans, workers were trained by Germans and taught to make it like they did in Germany plus most of the machinery in the plant is German made. Still a pretty good machine. glenn

As Wiz pointed out, Weaver Leather has the really only remaining stock on Genuine DA 205-370's. They have both the 12" and 16" machines as well as 12" used heads available for rebuilding. I know, because they are rebuilding one of our 205-370's for my place of work as we speak. There may be a few dealers in the US or Canada that have one or 2 left in stock but that is not many. I think Miami Sewing and Michael Simard's in Canada still has a few. Because the 969 was delayed for almost 14 months, this problem with the discontinuation of the 205-370 should have happened a year ago. Weaver is currently testing one of the first 969 available and I think they are bringing in a few ECO models for the showroom. Prices for the new 969 ECO which has air lift and a 220 volt direct drive motor standard will be $8,500.00. The other version with toys is over $11,500.00. NOT CHEAP!!!. My advise to anyone looking an original 205-370 is do not wait. They are going fast. Of all the clone 205-370's that I have seen, I think the Cowboy one that Bob Kovar sells is the best. Nice machines. You may want to consider that when looking for a 205. P M me if anyone has further questions. glenn

That machine is probably a little out of time to begin with. and I would also check the needle placement in the feed dog. glenn

davehorseblanket, Off the to[p of my head, I would say a long flatbed like a Singer 144 class in a 20". I have an Adler 205-370 with all the toys, a 335 Pfaff, Adler 767-573 with all the toys, Juki 1508, Pfaff 1295 with toys and a few other machines. After 40+ years of sewing, I found that you must buy a machine based on what you want to sew. No one machine will do everything. That can't be over emphasized. Most of the people on this board who have sewn for any length of time will back me up on that fact. Sewing machines overlap somewhat in what they can sew but all have their limitations. If I was looking for a machine to sew what you do, I would first want to know the following: maximum thicknesses of the item, what it is made out of, i.e. felt, leather etc., how big the items are ( horse blankest can get decent size and hard to fit under a normal size arm), how big a stitch and the type of thread I want to sew with. How much do I want to spend or can afford to spend on a machine? The more info you can provide, the better the chances of getting a machine fit to your specific needs. Example: I once had someone bring me a horse pad made out of 1+" of felt. Could not sew it even it with the 205, just too thick. Had to hand sew it. In this case, there are very few machines capable of sewing it. Weaver Leather makes blanket pads out of very thick felt. They had 2 Adler 205 stretched to 26" or 30" to sew these and that machine is absolutely maxed out sewing it. One reason they have been waiting 13 months for the new 969. I talk to a least a couple of people a month who call me wanting to know what sewing machine they should be looking for. I have them answer all the questions in the above paragraph including budget and then make a recommendation. I hate to see someone buy a machine that will not work for them. Been there, done that! Feel free to email me if I can help you with any additional info. Bob Kovar is a great person since he sells machines and is very knowledgeable on them. I rebuild patchers so I know their limitations and what you are facing. glenn

Tramps, Depending on the thread, a #22 needle is about the smallest needle that will handle #138 thread. We have a 767 Adler here at the plant I work at and we can get #138 to sew on a #22 needle but not always. Depends on the spool of nylon thread. glenn

Alexitbe, I found the best lubricate for those areas was STP. It is thicker than oil and thinner than grease. Really works well. The problem with grease is that it will hold dirt and other things that you do not want in the gears and roller cam tracks like metal shavings or broken needles in the gears. glenn

Dwight, Only use pre-lubed nylon thread on the machine as it was not built to use waxed thread. #138 is about the limit you can sew on the is old girl. glenn

RavenAus, Send us some pics of the back of the machine. glenn

Alexitbe, Your 29D60 has two following pinions instead of one following pinion and a short rack gear which is on the 29K60. Timing will be like timing a 29K51 which also had three gears but they were much smaller and had much finer teeth. Only difference I see in your 29D60 vs. 29K60. glenn

Constabulary, I notice that the foot lift lever is the old style on yours? Let me know how it works. I would have thought the foot lift lever would look like one on. a 29-4. Most all the parts on a 29K1 will fit the 29K4, for your info. I think your machine has the newer bobbin winder on it as well. glenn

M, If there is a K in the model number, i.e. 153K104, it was made in Kilbowie. Of that, I am certain. glenn

C, Good find. I know you will check all the running gears. The back and front covers are no problem to replace. Keep us posted. glenn

Alexitbe, Are you able to get any more pics of the machine? glenn

cdthayer, That is correct. Most bobbins on industrial sewing machines should be filled only about 85% of capacity. That is what I have read from a lot of manufacturers over the years. By only filling a bobbin to that amount, you are less likely to overfill the bobbin and cause any tension issues in the bobbin case. glenn

That is the first Singer shoepatcher I have seen with the "D" in the model number and that is almost 40 years working on shoepatchers. I assume the D indicated Deutschland. To my knowledge, the Singer shoepatcher was only made in Elizabethport, NJ; Kilbowie, Scotland; and Japan. Obviously, that is no true. See if you can get more pics of it. If I were you, I would buy for $ 100 Euros if for nothing more, it is rare. I would think all the 29K60 parts should be the same. Any books available with it. glenn

Gunz, Try Pilgrim Shoe in Mass.. They have generic parts for the 29-4 in that Harris , the owner has the parts made in China. glenn

I talked to Allen at Weaver Leather a couple weeks ago. They finally got their first 969 Durkopp/Adler extra heavy duty cylinder arm in. It came in the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Allen has spent the last week and a half setting it up and learning about the machine. This is the classic model meaning it is loaded. They had to modify their pedestal stand to accommodate this beast. The head alone weighs 200lbs! It is a monster! A normal 12" 205-370 weighs about 120lbs. so you do the math. Remember, these are direct drive machines meaning the motor is inside the head. The bobbins are not metal, rather a type of space age plastic material. Durkopp/Adler has a 969-100 machine coming out next June which has a 39.37" throat! This first one is going into their production so they can test this animal. Allen says this thing has tremendous power. He sewed 1" thick of hard leather strips like it was butter. The machine is only 13 months overdue from when Weaver was supposed to get it in (and in mean Oct. 2013). I will try to get you some pics of the machine. Allen says it makes a 16" 205 look small. He is still waiting on the service manual to clarify a few things. I am hoping to get a picture of a 16" 205 next to the 969. They will not be cheap. The Eco model which is the basic machine has air lift standard meaning you have to have an air compressor to run the foot lift and the direct drive in the head is a standard 220v single phase motor, no 110 volt so that would mean a transformer if you do not have a 220 line to set it up on. Adler has spent over 3 years developing this machine. Kind of a cross between the Adler205-370 and the new 869 cylinder arm. We have one of the new 869 cylinders in the factory here and it is a fabulous machine. All in all, no matter the price, Durkopp/Adler has upped the stakes in the heavy duty leather sewing machine industry. This is way above anything anyone else has. glenn

Suellapal, The Pfaff part # for the steel bobbin to fit your Pfaff 9491 is #91-01--79-05/01 aluminum bobbin is #91-010079-05/61 or #91-119308-05) Try any Pfaff industrial dealer. Hope that helps glenn

Muzisch, Starting with the 29k58 series which included the 2K60 and 62, all these machines since then can be rebuilt since they have the replaceable horn. Almost all parts are interchangeable on the 29K58, 62, 70, 71, 73, 171, 173 . Obviously, the big bobbin models 29K60, 72 and 172 have different drive pinions, shuttle carriers, bobbins, hooks. Rebuilding it will be cheaper than a new one. glenn

I would keep the LU563 Juki. Vey good machine, parts readily available, reverse and nice big bobbin. Plus Juki is a major name in sewing and the machine is proven. Is the Chandler and Adler 267 with the chandler name on it? glenn Please send us pics of each machine. glenn

Alexitbe, I have a 29K33 that I am going to rebuild sometime in the future. I can get you a line tracing drawing of the long rack. I will check to see if the short rack is the same one used on a 29-4. The following pinion may or may not be the same as a 29-4. If the 29-4 parts are the same, you can get the short rack and following pinion from Harris at Pilgrim Shoe Company here in the USA. He is the only one that has 29-4 parts. There is another gentleman in Ohio who rebuilds 29-4 machines and he may have these 2 parts . The long rack no one has and I am keeping mine. Best I can do is get you pics and a spec sheet on it. glenn