Gunnarsson

The Husqvarna 2000 series domestic machines were adjusted for 22 grams tension on the bobbin thread from factory. (Just for reference, not machines for leather obviously.) The pattern cams for those machines happens to weigh about 22 grams, so the manual suggest using one of those hanging from the thread to rough adjust the bobbin tension. A simple method anyone can use without any special tools, just find a suitable weight. 100g = 1N.

I have a few more or less modern scissors made of laminated steel, i.e. the steel right where the cutting edges are is a hardenable steel attached to a different type of steel that will not harden (or harden as much). This allows the manufacturer to leave the edge steel quite hard (and relatively brittle) to give long lasting sharpness, while the softer steel in the rest of the blade gives it ductility so it doesn't break from normal use. The same technique was used in many kinds of cutting tools back in the day when high quality steel was rare and expensive. The cutting edge was expensive hardenable steel, while the rest of the tool was a soft, cheaper steel. Back then it was more of a way to make the tool cheaper, today it's probably way more expensive than monosteel construction but gives some interesting possibilities.

There's a few pictures of someone building the wear back up with silver brazing on Facebook. Not sure if you need to be logged on or member of the right group to see it, but give it a try, interesting pics anyway. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.1612557675430105&type=3 Silver brazing may wear faster than the original steel, but on the other hand when that happens it can just be built back up again when you have the tools for it. Old machines require some maintainance anyway. I know there has been bronze brazing rods meant for wear protection available, i.e. brazing bronze that resists wear very good. Not sure if there's any of that around any more, or if everyone has gone for hardfacing by welding instead. Another minimum wear version could be silver brazing pieces of high speed steel onto the worn area and grinding that to the correct shape. HSS retains it hardness after reaching welding/brazing temperatures, unlike ordinary carbon steel (that may become too hard and brittle, or quite soft, depending on temperature reached and cooldown rate).

I think your numbers may be off. As far as I know the 29-4 wasn't around until the 1890's, and I think the first Singer patcher, the UFA, didn't come out until the late 1870's. Perhaps doesn't make a big difference, it's just very old vs. even older, but if you are selling the 29-4 having the correct data (or at least not include incorrect data) may be the best.

Some heat from a hair dryer is a common trick to loosen sewing machines stuck due to dried up oil, so that and some fresh oil may be a good first step. If there's no change you just dig deeper, if there is change you are on to something.

One method to deal with cracks in spoked cast iron wheels (and many other places) is to preheat the spokes next to the broken one, or similar places. This makes the surrounding structure cool down and shrink along with the repair, avoiding causing tension and new cracks. I've got a few old O/A welding handbooks with pictures showing the basics, if anyone is interested. Another method is to preheat the entire piece. Anyway, cracks on a sewing machine body is hard to deal with, you want to preheat it all but that would force you to disassemble it completely, and repaint. A bigger job than most people want to put into it.

Sailrite made a video showing some of the differences between their machines, and the lookalikes and earlier versions of their own machine. They are speaking of products they sell, so obviously they will say their own stuff is what you should buy, but it is clear that there ARE differences between the expensive and the cheap machines with other names. I wouldn't buy a cheap one and expect something equal to the expensive one. As I see it the portable sailrite machine it in many ways seems very similar to a domestic machine - similar thickness capacity, similar thread size, just add the walking foot. It fits in the gap between a domestic machine and a proper industrial, unfortunately at a price that often makes it more sensible to buy a proper industrial machine. The sailrite lookalikes may be more worth the money as they're much cheaper, but lacking some of the upgrades and updates they may not be as good.

There's plenty of old all metal domestic sewing machines that probably will survive the load of sewing thin leather, but to my knowledge there is no domestic machine with needle feed and/or a real walking foot, they all only use standard bottom feed. For reliable and even feeding when sewing leather you want a compound feed/triple feed (or whatever manufacturers name you use), i.e. a machine where bottom feed dogs, the needle AND the foot feed the material. Many simpler machines often CAN sew fairly heavy materials. For a small oneoff project you may find the issues that comes with that "acceptable", for more serious use you will be tired of it quickly, and the machine may not last very long anyway. You want a machine designed for heavy use all the time, not a domestic machine meant for 99.9% making curtains and pants, and 0.1% heavier work.

Pictures? Every broken screw is a unique case, making different methods most suitable to solve the problem.

Sewing machines like to live in groups. If you get one, more are likely to turn up eventually.

I have no experience wit the machines, but it gives an impression of when the name is supposed to mean one thing, but kind of becomes a joke. You know, like "Honest Harrys used car lot". Seems like low price items of often low quality tends to get these brand names.

The 29K and other cobblers may be a bit of a special case, while many of them have been run on a treadle or later by electric motor they have also been hand powered many times. Some people may be happy just using the head loose (or temporarily/permanently attached to any common table or bench), hand cranking it. But I agree, if you are going to pay anywhere near what a working condition machine costs, you need to see that it actually is a working machine, or pay a suitable price for what has to be assumed to be a project in need of much work and parts. And you need to know the limitations of the machine, so you don't spend money on a machine just to find out it can't do any of the jobs you want to do... The 29K can be a great machine, for a few very specific jobs. Few of these jobs are related to leathercraft where you make new items, most are repairs or other work on shoes, biker vests etc.

Do they really make less noise? The Cowboy, sure, but from what I've seen on youtube the Boss/Outlaw seems to make quite a bit of sound when you operate the crank.

Allright, that does make enough sense.

Much better search results. Seems to be listed as a coverstitch machine, not chain stitch. I reacted because I can't figure out what a bottom thread would be doing in what I know as a chain stitch, like this:

The search words may be wrong, there are no exact hits. Image search gave me a bunch of diagrams mostly, not sewing machines, other types of searches gave a few somewhat relevant results.

Chain stitch with both top and bottom thread? How does this work?

Just like most light spray oils WD40 mostly contains something that is/is similar to kerosene, presumably as a thinning agent to make it sprayable and let it soak into tight spaces, a small amount of oil(s), and some of them contains a small amount of acid (presumably to attack rust). Check the MSDS, the contents are no rocket science, it's a little oil mixed with thinner stuff to help the oil get to where you want it. I don't know of any petroleum oils that mixes with water, so all of them could be called water dispersant. Just as all of them lubricates, and all of them burn...

Huge flywheel, I'm assuming this machine is meant for low speed? Wouldn't worry about it. High speed rotation may throw pieces around, at low speed they just tend to fall down - if anything breaks at all, and after a proper repair it shouldn't.

I've worked with chinese scooters. I've seen enough of their low price products to not really want a sewing machine built to the same standards, even if it's a mechanical all metal construction. But sure, if one turns up and the price is right, I would take a closer look at it - at the price they sell for new I wouldn't be interested.

When they come up for sale here in Sweden they tend to either cost 500 or 5000 SEK suprisingly often, occasionally I've seen them up around 10000. The SEK to US dollar exchange rate is 9.37 today, so that roughly translates to 55, 550 and 1100 US dollars now. The $55-group generally contains machines that appear to be coming from grandpas basement/attic when the kids clean it out, covered by a thick layer of dust, some rust, and no one knows anything more than you can see in the pictures of the ad. The $550-group is usually machines in some sort of running condition, sometimes good, sometimes not. A few are from people who don't know what they have, they've just seen others advertised at the price so they try it too. The up to $1100-machines are straight out of a cobblers shop, just replaced by a newer machine. (When those machines are sold by a company the tax situation is different, basically making it 1/5 cheaper for another company to buy it, but not for common people, so the price isn't as high as it may seem for the likely buyers - other cobblers.) I know 29's generally cost less here in Sweden than many other parts of the world. But still, I wouldn't pay anywhere near $550 even for a machine in perfect shape, they're good at what they do but they simply don't do enough to motivate that high price. Especially not being 50+ years old and spare part supply and quality is inconsistent. Double that money (or don't, if you're lucky) and you may have a triple feed industrial machine instead that seems way more useful and worth an investment. For someone with a lot of use for a cobbler style machine it would make sense to pay up for a good one, for a DIYer that may use it a few times a year I don't think it makes sense. Most people could make more useful investments. Stupid money? Well, that all depends on the situation, how good the machine is, how much use you have for it, and if it'll bring in money once you are using it. I paid ~$800 for a welder that probably has paid for itself since and been a great help, I can see paying quite a bit for a good small lathe as it would be very useful (as for making 29K parts perhaps, cutting gears isn't rocket science ), but I'd be crazy to pay a lot for a sewing machine that may see the odd hour of (unpaid) work each year and take up quite a bit of space.

I'll keep that in mind. But as I'm staying in the lowest end of the price range and in my local area I have little hope for having much of a choice, there's not much available. I just like the patchers ability to get into hard to reach spots and sew any direction, would be a nice addition to my domestic machine (for non-leather work), but i don't really need one so I'm not gonna fight people prepared to pay stupid money for one. One will turn up sooner or later, I'm not in a hurry.

All right, thanks! I'm keeping an eye out for a cheap(!) 29 and would be happy with an early one as long as it's complete, but I'm expecting to have to make some new or refurbish worn out parts myself. Not in the mood for buying new replacements just to find out they're (chinese?) low quality parts that don't fit well and need modification, might as well refurbish worn parts or make my own from scratch then. Trying to do the research first so I know what to look for on a machine when I find it.

Are you referring to the gears under the bobbin area only, or something located "earlier" in the timing mechanism? (I'm not familiar with how the "earlier" part of the mechanism is made.)

Any chance the reverse lever has lost a spring or something like that, so it has fallen to reverse position?