Davidmadd

Singer 111W155 Fine Tuning Well I've had some success and spent some time checking and adjusting the settings as suggested by Wizcraft. I adjusted the needlebar position to get the correct needle bar height then readjusted the hook timing as it was a few degrees out. I carefully watched the check spring action and made corrections to keep the needle thread away from the point of the needle. I didnt appreciate just what the Bobbin Case Opener function was but now I think I know but it doesn't seem logical, is it possible to be 180 degrees out???? As the hook picks up the thread the case opener moves towards the needle and away from the bobbin case protrusion. The bobbin case doesnt appear to rotate clockwise due to the thread friction as expected so doesn't appear to need a case opener! The hooked thread now moves around the bobbin case and the case opener is now moving back away from the needle (so closing?) and actually abuts the bobbin projection as the hooked thread reaches it. In the initial trials after making all these adjustments the thread was actually catching up on the bobbin case opener and holding it back for a split second or two and when it did release it made quite a loud clacking sound. Now imagine this when the machine is rotating quite fast and it was making quite a noise. Once I spotted it I re adjusted the case opener to leave a gap for the thread and the noise is nowhere near as loud, but I still am not entirely sure the case opener is doing its job. I've never had the bobbin case assembly apart so dont know if it could be be re-assembled incorrectly. Just run some tests and the stitching is good but when I tried on a project I found that for for 5 or 6 stitches there seemed to be too little tension and although stitches were made, they were not correctly formed. So I have two 5/6 stitch lengths of poor stitches which is really annoying and of course I need consistently good stitches. There does seem to be quite a bit of play where the bobbin case sits in its housing so if its assembled incorrectly, it has resulted in a fair bit of wear. I found some very useful info on the internet from :- https://navyaviation.tpub.com/14217/css/Timing-The-111-W-155-Machine-55.htm, this being the US Navy Aviation/Parachute maintenance manual which includes the 111w155 and possibly other Singer info. Easier to read and understand than the Singer manual. So my query is has anyone any experience of the mechanism relating to the Bobbin Case Opener and whether or not it could feasibly be re assembled incorrectly at some point in the past

Many thanks to Wizcraft for his recommendations. I will endeavour to to check out all those points. I have a manual but I think its a user manual, I'll try and find a Service or Adjusters Manual. Also like to thank Wyowally for his additional comments relating to friction... Best Regards David

Hi - I've been using my Singer 111w155 on and off for some time. Generally I use bonded nylon thread 40S, which I think is V 138. I'm trying to use 20S, size 23 needles,. The machine stitches fine through 1 layer, fine with 2 layers coped with 3 but when I try 4 layers the thread starts to unravel, bunches and thats the end of that. I thought the machine would cope with 4.4mm of leather. With no thread it whops its way through no problem but it seems as if the thread is starting to degrade as soon as it hits that 4th layer. I dont have a lower thread guide that attaches to the needle securing screw as it was hitting the upper side of the walking foot, just but enough to want me to remove it (None fitted when I got the machine, new chinese made item newly fitted) so maybe the angle of the upper thread creates undue friction, but why not with one or two layers. I find this baffling. Can anyone shed some light on why the thickness increase messes up the top thread. Could I have too much tension?, although looking at the formed stitches it needs a bit more top tension, so could the lower tension be too tight????? Any help welcomed. Regards David; Plymouth UK

Many thanks Wizcrafts. These are the two manuals that I have already managed to find, but they are not adjusters manuals. Pfaff produced great manuals for some of their later machines but the 341 was not one of them and there is very little info around and indeed the same for spares. It came to me with one presser foot and there are just none available. It uses an Extra High Shank foot. I think it never sold in great numbers and the spares availability seems to support this. In truth I thought I was buying the Pfaff 355 which is a walking foot as well as needle feed and there are plentiful supplies of spares around for that machine. In order to cure the intermittent seizing up I'm afraid I will need to strip it down a lot more but would really like a bit more information on setting it up before I go too deep into the strip down. I note that there is a rocking shaft attached to each end of the feed dog and when the stitch length adjust lever is moved I can see which shaft moves and which way the shaft turns to increase the stitch length so I can work on that aspect to properly set the stitch length, probably by trial and error. But many thanks for your reply and taking the trouble to seek out those elusive manuals, it is much appreciated....

Hi - Hoping for some advice regarding a Pfaff 341. When I recently bought it, it was supposedly working fine and in fairness it did stitch pretty well using lighter threads. 60s.........I noticed that the bobbin area appeared to be heavily contaminated with what looked very much like small paint chippings. I tried to clean it out with everything in situ but there were some I just could not get out. I washed it in paraffin, or kerosene, also used an air line to blow it out but in the end the only way to ensure it was clean was to remove the mechanism in and around the bobbin. This machine is driven by a right angled bevel gear and the drive to the bobbin/hook assembly looked worn but I just could not find a source of supply for replacement items. Nor could I find an adjusters manual for this machine. All I have found is a parts list and a user instruction manual. I cleaned everything out and inspected each part and re-assembled. Somewhere along the line I appeared to have upset the adjustment of the feed dog. This is a needle feed machine but without the walking foot. The machine does stitch but on max stitch length ( should be 4.5mm) it only produces stitches quite a bit smaller, probably about 3mm. When the material is being fed through, instead of being a continuous feed in one direction the fabric seems to start moving backwards in the first instance before being moved forward. I'm trying to sew using Bonded Nylon 40s thread here....Its just not obvious to me which of the screws in that area would be the one to use to overcome this so I'm appealing for help to the community, hoping someone out there may have some experience of this or a similar machine. I think the Pfaff 141 is similar but a flat bed model and not a cylinder arm. So does anyone have knowledge that might help, anyone have an adjusters manual or perhaps point me in the right direction as to where the adjusting mechanism is, Im assuming it needs a collar to be slackened off and a part rotating shaft to be slightly moved but which one???? On the same machine, as I turn it by hand, to try and watch the movement of the feed dog, the hand wheel will suddenly become quite tight...by backing off the handwheel very slightly it then continues to turn smoothly. I just cant ascertain which area is causing the stiffness and it appears to be random. I dont know if it is once again in the area by the bobbin/hook. If it is in the bevel on the other end that drives the hook bevel, or is is in the top of the head by the needlebar or in the mechanism inside the casing by the handwheel....all leaving me somewhat perplexed!!!!!!

Over the years I've been involved with sewing machines, purely as a hobby of course, I have pretty much stumbled from one project to another and one sewing machine to another. These have included a raft of domestic machines and quite a few industrial machines. I have learned a lot and have been grateful for the help of those members who have advised and guided me with the queries I've put to the forum. Typically I've a few machines that now need fairly in depth attention. For instance I have had a Singer 132K6 totally dismantled for the last few 9or more) years. It was totally seized and crusty looking but I slowly dismantle it and cleaned the component parts. I found nothing that would prevent it being re-assembled and got working again. I have painted the body, cleaned all the components and blacked lots of bits ready for the re-assembly and that's as far as I got, but its time to push forward. I did the same with a Singer 29 and recently rebuilt it and its looking good and working fine but the 132 is a different beast altogether. My query here is this:- Does anyone have a basic guide to re-assembling such machines. What I mean is, is there a book or some other literature that lists the things that should happen and in which order they should in relation to each other. For example. The basic function is that a needle falls and rises and the hook catches the thread and makes a stitch. At the same time, or at least a critical time, the feed dogs do their stuff and move the fabric ready for a new stitch. at the same time the walking foot comes down and is synchronised with the presser foot....the stitch length can be altered so a mechanism interfaces with these action, the pick-up arm keeps the thread tensioned a bit using the pick up spring at just the right time etc etc etc, but it would be great to be able to know which bits of the puzzle to start with. I found with the Singer 29K, that I needed to back track and part dismantle this bit or that bit because something else should have been done first. I dont really want to do that with the 132K6 as its a beast of a machine and takes some manhandling. I'm frankly finding that the total rebuild of this machine is a bit daunting and need all the help possible before getting really involved in the rebuild. Can anyone offer advice or help with identifying said literature than can point me in the right direction.??? Many thanks David; Plymouth UK Machines owned:- Singer 132K6; Singer 111W154; Singer 111G155; Singer 29K; Singer 107W1; Singer 31K49; Singer 31K15; Singer 45K68; Singer 51K54; Brother 755; Singer 331K4, a couple more K31 and a host of domestic machines......

Well thats a very useful video clip as I have a couple of Singer 111 as well but they are sewing fine at the moment. So thank you for that. I will use the same principle and measurements for retiming my Pfaff 341 and of course its really tailor made for the Singers should I ever need to re time those machines. Some years back I bought a Singer 132K6 which was in a totally seized and apparently rusty condition. I decided to dismantle it completely, against the advice of some I may add, but I went ahead anyway. Much of the rust was just surface rust or dirt over old oil and grease and when it was totally dismantled, and cleaned, I found nothing that might prevent it working again. I cleaned the main body and repainted it and.....thats as far as I got....I suddenly became nervous about the reassembly for some reason. I actually bought another one so that I can use it to see where all the components fit. But of course assembly is one thing, assembling and ensuring all the relevant parts interact with each other as they should to create stitches is another step, but I am moving starting to re assemble in the near future. Many thanks for your help and I may send out another plea in the not too distant future when the 132K6 gets under way. David; Plymouth; UK

Yes OK, good point, but nonetheless I need to have a starting point...I'm trying to work out if it makes any difference adjusting the needle bar height to get the hook timing correct, or if I should adjust the hook position to achieve the same thing. What prompted the question was that when I first got the machine a couple of weeks back, I tried using a thicker thread, bonded nylon 20s, and I could not get a good stitch. There were continuous thread loops of a consistent size (about1/4" loop) underneath the material. By tightening tension I reduced the loop size to about 1/8" and could not tighten the thread tension anymore. I figured that the take up arm tugged the bottom thread up but it was either doing it at the wrong time or not doing it enough. Discounted the latter and wondered if by not altering the hook on shaft location to time the hook may have affected the timing of the take up arm in relation to the needle. However I then used 40s thread and it sewed fine!!! I am disappointed that it doesnt stitch using the heavier thread and in the back of my mind am still wondering if I should go back to basics and set the needle bar in the correct position and re-time the hook ???? Any comments of above theory would be much appreciated. Regards David; Plymouth; UK

That looks an interesting problem. There appears to be a slot in the brass sleeve surrounding the broken bolt. It would be worth trying to unscrew that and see if it brings out the broken item. You could make a wide screwdriver and file out the centre to bridge the broken bolt. Alternatively drill a hole down the centre, or as close to the centre as you can get, and use an "Easyout" to remove it. These are available in sets and consist of a tapered, very course left handed raised spiral. Tap the tool into the hole and unscrew in the usual direction. The raised flutes tend to dig into the sides of the drilled hole gripping the bolt and unscrewing it. Sometimes applying heat would also help the process..... Hope this helps. Regards David; Plymouth; UK

Many thanks KGG. I have already previously downloaded that manual which is the operators manual and unfortunately it doesn't give any critical measurement relating to the height of the needlebar over the bed, but thanks all the same for responding to my plea for help. Best Regards David; Plymouth;UK

Hi - I recently bought the Pfaff 341 and have since learned that this is quite a rare machine as its a needle feed but without the usual walking foot action. Being "rare" means there are very few spares for it and limited literature. I found that the stitch was slightly off inasmuch that the hook often pierced the thread rather than picking it up to create the stitch. I solved that by dropping the needle bar about 2 mm until it picked up the thread. This pretty much works but there are still the very occasional missed stitch. I am trying to find literature that tells me what the designed height of the needle bar is above the table, so that I can time the hook as it should be. Does anyone one have an adjusters or a repair manual that lists the correct technical specs for these machines. I've been searching for a new feed dog for it but this seems to be one of those rare parts that cant be found, especially here in the UK. So I would very much appreciate any literature to help me adjust it properly and any source for supply of a new or good used feed dog. Many thank for your help. David; Plymouth; UK

Thanks Constabulary - I have searched their website and made enquiries by e-mail but no response yet but that was only for the 341 parts. I will also lookout for 141 feet. Much appreciated David

I recently acquired a Pfaff 341 which appears to be in great condition. I'm seeking some spares for it but can find little about this machine on the internet. There appears to be only the one presser foot that is fitted on the machine and no alternative patterns of presser foot available. It seems to be about 1/4" longer than a standard Industrial machine shank. It would benefit from having a replacement feed dog. I also have just the one bobbin so some more would be useful. Can anyone advise of a potential source for replacement parts for this machine (ideally in the UK) and possibly explain why there is so little info available on the net?? Thanks in advance David; Plymouth; UK

Hi Shoepatcher - Thats great, it was such a well defined flat that I thought its feasible that it should be there but now you have confirmed that it should be truly circular I will get a new one and fit that. Hopefully it will restore the stitch length as well. Many thanks for the advice on how to remove and fix as well. Regards David; Plymouth; UK

Thanks Wizcraft for the parts list, great pictures. Interesting that the main bits to cause the thread pitch to vary include the cam rollers. especially No. 1801. When I put this one back into the cam on back of pulley wheel, I noticed it had a pronounced flat at one point on the roller and I dont know if that is a designed feature or in fact a "worn" flat. It could feasibly be a worn spot if the roller had seized on its shat up at one time. Can you advise if it should be there????? As the parts list picture shows just a plain shaft, I assume the shaft is a push fit into the rocking beam end??? Many thanks David

Thanks kgg - I will have a look at that but in the meantime I have managed to get it to stitch. I did get a new presser foot and fitted that, and sure enough it moved the material under the foot, I then threaded it and lo and behold it stitched a piece of leather. Not a brilliant stitch but pretty good for a first attempt. The gauge does move up and down and does make some difference to the stitch length but on the longest stitch setting its only 9 or 10 per inch which seems a bit small to me. I have read that wear takes a toll on the stitch length but not sure which bit wears. So from here on in it will be a bit of fine tuning. Whether or not I actually use it in anger remains to be seen so I will end this topic on a high note and say many thanks for everybody's help and interest and encouragement to get to a successful conclusion. David:Plymouth;UK

Thanks DrmCa...That material, tube and insulating wool, is something I am unfamiliar with but will investigate further. It certainly looks interesting.... The purchase of the new presser foot was from a very well known on-line retailer who offers a one day delivery service on many items. It was only after I saw the delivery forecast that I realised it had to come from China, and will take several weeks no doubt. I have since purchased another one from a UK supplier and it should be with me in a day or two. I have put a shim of metal on top of the shuttle cover plate and with that in place the presser foot does move the material along as it should. I will wait and see how the new presser foot performs with the existing shuttle cover plate and if there is still a problem I will look at getting a new heavy duty thicker plate. In response to kgg's question, there is no facility to lower the presser foot as far as I am aware and I'm not sure what the reference to a gauge is. Is that a feeler gauge put under the presser foot? I can see daylight under the foot which makes me think the presser foot is well worn. It certainly looks it but I will compare with new when that arrives. Once again thanks for all your help. David; Plymouth UK

Hi kgg - I think I've moved along somewhat now. I did check the the shuttle gear action and my gears are a little different that shown with a broader plain end and fewer teeth. I think they are set up correctly. I removed the pin from the large casting on the shaft inside the machine, and the grub screw and turned the casting through 180 degrees. Delighted to say that the tapered pin went in all the way and that seemed to solve the timing as the needle bar now raises as its close to the hook. What I found now was that the presser foot action to move material forward is now 180 degrees out as its happening with the needle bar in the lower position, i.e. with the needle still penetrating the material. I fixed that by loosening four securing screws of the front piece and keeping the vertical slide bar in the same place on the front end, turned the pulley wheel through 180 degrees and then put it all back together. I tried a needle in the needle bar but on the first revolution it broke as it hit the metal shuttle cover. The needle was not laying straight as the small needle clamp was not sitting correctly on the needle bar. The locating spigot on clamp was a couple thou out and would not sit into the corresponding one on the needle bar. I removed that and used a small grinding wheel to remove the problem and now it sits down flat. I have tried placing a bit of material under the presser foot but it is not being moved forward by the presser foot action. It goes through the motions but the material doesnt move. There is a small gap under the presser foot at all times and I dont see any way of lowering it. I've tried turning down the screw on the long spring but that doesn't alter anything and the gap still exists. I have ordered a new presser foot in case the existing one is too badly worn. It doesnt look particularly good so I guess I will need to wait until that arrives from China...... The long spring and the block that sits on it has been a constant issue, as they were missing when I acquired the machine. About 4 years ago when I dismantled it, I asked this forum if anyone could advise me of the dimensions so I could make new, but that didnt prompt any resonse, so I scaled it up from the parts diagram. I made the spring from high tensile steel and was advised by the supplier how I could heat treat it to turn it into a spring. I tried this just recently but in my limited workshop I cannot get the metal hot enough throughout its length to correctly temper the metal. I think I will now try and make one by cutting the shape out of an industrial heavy duty machine hacksaw blade. I did this for a Singer 132K6 that utilises a similar spring and used several blades to build up thickness then encased them inside heat shrink electrical insulation tubing. This kept them together and makes a satisfactory leaf spring as a replacement. Thats about me up to date on this somewhat troublesome 29K4. Regards David; Plymouth; UK

OK, Thanks kgg-- The LH photo shows the cam Pulley wheel with it "reversed" in this position, as the holes are drilled at a slight angle, the pin is pushing the pulley into the boss of the machine and does not rotate smoothly. You can see the amount the pin sticks out after several light taps with a hammer. In the second photo, in its proper position, you can clearly see the pin fully inserted, the pulley stays square to shaft and rotates smoothly, I have no room for further photos but if necessary can show position of the bobbin and hook. When the pulley is in the first position above, the needle bar starts to rise just before the shuttle hook passes the needle position, which appears to me, to be correct. With the pulley/cam wheel replaced as per in the second photo, the shuttle hook looks to be in the correct position, close to the needle but as I turn the operating handle, the bobbin hook stays in the same place as the needle rises and then starts to turn when the needle is way clear of the bobbin area, which seems wrong. Now please bear in mind that I have never seen this machine operating so struggled in the first instance to know which way to turn the side mounted wheel, and in the end turned clockwise, which moved the pulley wheel as per a conventional sewing machine with the top of the pulley coming towards the operator. When I put it back together I fitted the link that goes inside the back cover plate just wherever it wanted to go. I'm pondering whether this should line up with any marks on the link and the casting. If I disconnected it and then turned the pulley/cam wheel through 180 degrees and refitted it, would that make any difference??? I never disconnected the bottom of the link from the long gear bar so that must be as original. Now one other question if I can push my luck a bit. The small wheel on a lug which sits on the end of the rocking beam, and sits inside the cam groove of the pulley/cam wheel, has a significant flat on it but I dont know if this is by design or wear. Can you please advise if the flat is supposed to be there???? Again, many thanks for your help and opinions.... David

Thanks for your reply kgg... I have just had a go at trying that solution...Whilst it is possible to get the tapered pin into the holes in the "new" position it does not sit right. The pin only goes in so far The timing does look better though....Cant try it properly as the new needle clamp plate does not sit correctly on end of the needle shaft. This is a hardened item and too hard to file so Ill need to heat it to soften if, modify it and then re-harden it......However I find it difficult to accept a solution which seems a bit of a "fudge" as its obvious that the pulley/cam plate wants to sit around the other way where the holes and tapered pin fit nicely. So although it would probably get it working, it doesn't solve the fact that the timing is 180 degrees out......Now the only other bit that came off was the large cam casting that surrounds the main shaft inside the machine. When I came to replace this piece I had to decide which way around that one went. By examining the shaft itself I could clearly see the witness marks left by the locking grub screw so it went back in with the bulk of the casting towards the aforementioned Pulley cam. In this position the tapered pin went in fully and aligned everything beautifully. The the bevel drive pinion also aligned with the front wheel pinion. However I'm sure I have seen a You Tube photo which made me think it should be on the other way around, but then again, I've also seen a photo of it being fitted the way I have it so some help to confirm which is the correct way would be welcomed. It would mean quite a dismantling process to remove this casting and fit it the other way round, then reassemble to see if it worked so I will leave that for a while to see if anyone can confirm which way around it should be fitted.....that will give me time to source a new needle clamp or modify existing one.... David; Plymouth; UK

Hi - I'm seeking advice at the end (nearly) of my rebuild of a Singer 29K4 .....I bought it in a seized state and decided to completely rebuild it. I carefully dismantled (several years ago) and cleaned each and every part and repainted the exterior. I have now decided its time to reassemble. This went pretty much as planned. I was aware that many of the pinned components used a taper pin that can only be reassembled one way, and took care to ensure that each pin was inserted in the two component parts from the correct side. All pins went in as they should and the "witness" marks of the additional grub screws were in alignment. When I came to look closely at getting it to actually stitch I found the the timing appeared to be 180 degrees out. The shuttle and hook were totally out as the needle started its lift. My first thought was that I had messed up with the gearing driving the shuttle but after much fiddling it seems it will pretty much only fit one way and was still 180 degrees out. I've searched the web and two You Tube articles stood out. In one of them the owner redrilled and refitted the large casting on the main shaft which gives the motion to the under-beak gears. In the second clip the owner needed to remove the main shaft pulley and move it through 180 degrees and refit it. I've looked closely at mine and can confirm that that the tapered pins are correctly located as is the witness marks on the shaft made by the grub screws so I just cant see how any of these two components can be reversed....Before I start redrilling taper pin holes etc, can anyone out there offer advice on just how I can be 180 degrees out. I'm pretty sure that the machine has seen quite a bit of use although there doesn't appear to be too much wear on the parts...... Many thanks in advance. David ;Plymouth; UK

Fortuna Skiver Spares Search - I now know it to be a 34S-RO - The RO relating to a shute, which I don't have as its head only. Made in 1976 Well many, many thanks to Rocky Aussie for sending me a great manual for this machine. It seems that the local UK rep is a freelance chap and is not an employee of Fortuna. I did contact them and they have been very helpful and sent me a manual as well, but its not as comprehensive as Rocky's inasmuch as there are no part numbers in it to enable me to order the correct parts but I'm thinking OEM parts will be quite expensive. I've had a look on a site called AliExpress and have found some generic parts that look as if they will fit. But having fun finding them again. Its looks like an Amazon type site based in the far east, whether its China or Korea or elsewhere I am not sure but no doubt its created using the home country language. When searching in English I guess I'm searching for the foreign translation and I wasn't getting far looking for skiving or even sciving machine spares. By chance I discovered that using the term Shovelling machine gets me more hits but still haven't found the original spares I spotted a few days ago. Just to ask a question. Fortuna informed me that my machine is designated a "34" which relates to a skiving width of 34mm. Now what dictates the skiving width. Would it relate to knife diameter, size of drive roller, size of presser foot or a combination of all three. Also, in my searching I came across drive wheels made of a polyurethane type compound, as well as the more usual steel ones. Anyone had experience of using these???? They seem a lot cheaper than the steel ones!!! David - Plymouth UK

In trying to track down the necessary spares I contacted the UK Sales rep for Fortuna Sciving Machines. His reply this morning was "interesting", he said I needed to buy a handbook/manual for £50 + Vat and he would happily act as a consultant for £75/hour. Its not the last he will here of this I'm sure........ David Maddison Plymouth UK

I recently bought a SAS Fortuna Sciving Machine that had one or two bits missing so I knew it needed work. I persuaded the seller to cooperate with a courier that I arranged to save me a 400 mile drive. When it arrived, the flimsy packaging was torn and the control frame and drive ball at the end were missing, lost in transit. So now it has a lot more bits missing, so I'm looking for some spares for this machine. Can anybody help. Would obviously prefer it if they are UK based but as the parts aren't that big, shipping (well packaged) might be an option...... Thanks David Maddison - UK - Plymouth

Hi Jimi - I have tried to get a video clip and have hopefully made something that will indicate what is happening even if not best quality. I cant figure out how to attach it so have used a link:- https://photos.app.goo.gl/fdeRZsMGum25Kv286 I cant remove the front cover whilst operating the machine as the mechanism that controls the thread control arms is attached to the inside of the cover. You may be able to see when the cam lifts the feed dog by carefully watching the piece of leather being fed through the machine. In fact the circular plate attached to the front of the upper shaft controls the cam to lift presser feet, the needle position and the thread control arms. They are all controlled from pins on the circular plate and there is no adjustment so in fact all those functions are locked together so cannot get out of sync with each other. There may be a way to alter the position of the circular plate in relation to the bottom shaft but that would then mean that the needle position is wrong but it may be that a slight adjustment to the attachment point inside the column might be able to alter things, if indeed they are deemed to be incorrect, but at the moment, using M20 Bonded nylon, the stitch is looking pretty good. I couldn't get a fourth photo included as these three took up all my allowance. Best Regards David