RhodesAveDesigns

Hey, everybody who's written a reply earlier tonight.... I will read through each post later today, so I can post some cognizant replies/ acknowledgements/ etc. Not long after posting earlier (yesterday), I left to drive to the Detroit area to pick up a load of leather ('cause I really do have *it* bad). It was perfectly bad timing, as the east side of the state got hit pretty hard, with quite a bit more snow than originally forecast, and, it seems, not much of a salt or snow plow plan, then the drive home was into a new lake-effect front. So a round trip of about 4 1/2 hrs took nearly twice as long, much of which was truly white-knuckle driving. I'm grateful that both I & my car are still intact, given the number of accidents, slide-offs, etc., I passed (very, very slowly). I swear my life doesn't usually involve nearly this much drama. Quickly, I can add that the machine is "temporarily" mounted on a vintage Singer table (the original, military-issue table "belonging" to a very temperamental Singer 111w153), and is connected to a Family Sew servo I purchased from Cowboy Bob back in September. Ideally a speed-reducer set-up will follow, using my BIL and his access to spare/ "extra" industrial components, 'cause he was pretty shocked when I showed him the retail $$ and the components of a speed-reducer set-up. I may 'never' get the table the machine was originally photographed on, but I already have one of the sort-of-awful green industrial tabletops I can mount it on if needed, when Singer's issues get addressed. At which point, another Family Sew servo would get ordered & installed. The original Singer motor was 220v, so I never had the *fun* of trying to control a vintage clutch motor. - Elizabeth

Sorry for the delay in updating, the wounds on my fingers/hand (dominant) weren't closed enough to use/flex properly. I'm hoping tonight/tomorrow will be better. Gregg, thanks for the info, everything I've seen so far seems pretty good. I do wonder of there isn't a better v-belt set-up, something maybe to provide a bit more tension, but with some give? My BIL can't come take a look for a while, if anyone has used something different/better? - Elizabeth

Sorry for the delay. My cuts were a bit worse than I originally thought, and my blood is pretty thin. All the "excitement" tonight has really stressed my dogs out, they absolutely hate schedule changes, moving furniture, and anything "not right" with me. So I will have to wait to "play" until tomorrow. I have taken a series of pictures, including a full photo, the manufacturer plate, pics of the machine pulley & v-belt, the bobbin case and hook. I created a photo collage, which should have resized the photos. The machine is a gear-driven, compound-feed walking foot with reverse, with a small/ standard bobbin and a vertical hook. All the specs and visuals point to it being a Seiko STH-8BL clone. The previous owner gave it away/ gave up on it (after having acquired it from a local manufacturing company liquidation) because it needed a new v-belt, and he was "stuck" on the idea he needed a very, very narrow v-belt that would fit tight down in the 1/4" pulley groove (such a thing wouldn't have fit very well in the original clutch motor pulley). According to my BIL, such narrow belts exist, but would need to be specially ordered (with accompanying wait time)... and I would potentially need to install a new, narrow pulley on my servo. Which is why, knowing I've seen plenty of pictures of similar machines, which seem to work without crazy complicated setups, I tried the v-belt I already have on my servo, a Mitsubishi v-belt I purchased at Ace Hardware for $7.99. And it seems to work Ok.... Tomorrow I will see about actually sewing with it, as-is. And I will be sure to share the process, and additional questions/ information. After saying a few more prayers of thanks and gratitude.

Sorry, I have to figure out how to resize the pics on my phone/tablet. Anything in particular you would like me to photograph? In case anyone is thinking my life is all rainbows and unicorns, I just finished cleaning up a combination of dog vomit and blood- my dogs ate too much snow during an intense game of herding/chase, & as I cleaned it up, I sliced my hand in 2 places on the edge of their placemat. Hopefully that's all the universe has to offer to restore "balance"... I may not leave the house for a while.

Nice! Bob won't steer you wrong....

Alright, we all may be witnessing a minor holiday miracle. Managed to get the machine here, and set it on my vintage Singer table. Called my brother-in-law about a belt; the seller was obsessed with it *needing* a belt that fit down in the narrow wheel well and my BIL has a few suggestions. Got it wiped down, dusted, and oiled. Decided "for fun" to try the standard 3L Mitsubishi v-belt I have been using on the Singer (which has issues I will deal with once the semester's over, along with other things, when I have more patience)... and it worked!?!? It's probably not ideal, but there is enough of a fit/grip to *go*. So I now have questions, will have even more questions later, BUT, if I don't go fulfill my doggie-mama walk and play-time obligations (that were missed earlier), my dogs are going to go crazy. (Will post pic later, as it needs to be re-sized).

Has anyone heard of/ used/ owned a "Taking" branded sewing machine? An "Industial Sewing M" was posted locally on Craigslist for very little $$, and it's a 'Taking TK-8BL'. Turns out it was listed because the current owner states they can't find a belt for the machine, and they offered it to me for free (I guess they felt guilty actually taking $$ for something they can't vouch for). As I wanted to move quickly, before they changed their mind, without a truck, I'm getting the head to clean up/ figure out the belt situation. My brother-in-law's company creates individualized assembly-line and automated controls for manufacturers, so he has access to belts and parts not readily available to the rest of us. It looks to me like a Consew 206 or Seiko STH-8BLD clone of sorts; the metal label states the company is/was located in Taiwan. There is very, very little info to be found online, so I'm not sure if these machines are of any quality (I understand there would be no comparison to a Durkopp Adler, Pfaff, or Juki, but "free" is hard to argue with). Hopefully I'm not going to have another very heavy/ bulky paper weight. Two available pics, one the listing close-up, the other a screen clip of the specs from Taking Corp. Any info/ input would be appreciated.

A tongue like that is meant to allow you to easily pull the boots on/off with minimal unlacing, as well as offer better protection from the elements, since the tongue is attached on either side fairly high (acting as the "front" of the boot), and is folded back into itself after attaching/ when worn, if that makes any sense. Many boots designated "waterproof" or "water-resitant" are constructed like this (as opposed to a narrow, freestanding boot/shoe tongue. If you are concerned about the boot being too wide, compare the boot circumference to your leg and/or boots you already own; you can calculate the boot's circumference by adding together the measurement under the curved section of the tongue plus the working area of the side x 2. - Elizabeth

If you, or someone, could share the current web address, I think that would be useful, because the campbell-randall .com address doesn't seem to be working as of now (11/28), using either the Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox browsers. At best, Google could show me an archived webpage.

Yeah! What's method is easier to order, phone or email? - Elizabeth

I think I need a machine sourcing agent, one who lives where it's nice and warm most of the year.... and I'll get a trailer. 'Cause you seem to have a knack for finding things I *need* as well (especially vintage machines that work sonewhat properly from the get-go). Great find. - Elizabeth

Hey- Did you ever get hold of some #22 LR needles? I have a good number of DIA and TRI, but can't find LR in anything larger than a #19 or #20 (#21 or #23 would be OK as well, but insane s&h charges aren't). - Elizabeth

Pick a color that never would have passed standards or consistency.... purple, turquoise or green might be attractive, lol. I know those are my current top contenders in my own machine renovation, but I will probably change my mind 300 more times before spring, as I doubt I will try a repaint inside this winter (by then I hope to have @ least 2 machines ready for new color/topcoat). While I somewhat understand the "purists" standpoint, black was chosen mainly due to manufacturing and economic concerns, and if I am going to do all the reno work myself, I may as well choose a "pretty" color. - Elizabeth

That is really, really cool.... I can see why there was a "need". Good/ bad thing it looks like the machine's last owner (with the barn full if machines he will truly need to sell) in Florida, far, far away from me in Michigan, and my own "needs" for more cool stuff. - Elizabeth

I do "3rd" this recommendation, as well- hadn't initially realized this post included a direct link. Bob will talk through your needs, and help determine the best accessories for you, rather than a predetermined "package". That said, make the best decision for you and your needs. If not Bob, depending on your geographic location, a dealer/ shop dedicated to selling and servicing sewing machines will offer far more valuable customer service in the long run than a generalist leather supplier.