Hi all!
New to this forum, and leatherwork too, but it seems to be an amazing wealth of information! I've dove in headfirst and bought some equipment, namely an Adler 30-10. I was aware of the price of spare parts before I bought it, but it didn't seem to be needing too many at the time of purchase (at least to a newbie), and the action felt tight, and turned smoothly. No play in the presser foot and needle went up and down smoothly as well. And seeing as how these never come up for sale in my neck of the woods I figured why not. I'm decently mechanically inclined so I figure I can handle most operations aside from machining new parts!
So after a thorough cleaning of the exterior and getting to know the various parts I have a few questions that hopefully you guys have answers to:
1. The only way to transport this thing was on its side. Probably not the greatest idea in hindsight but that's how we did it. About a tablespoon or two of a yellowish oil leaked out of the cover plate on the rear. I'm not aware of a reservoir on this beast, so is it alarming to see this happen in such great quantity? When the time comes to lube it up again, what is the best stuff to use, and how liberally should it be applied?
2. I haven't tried to sew yet, but just inspecting the action of the shuttle/carrier. The carrier itself has play to it. Swings back and forth about 1/8" maybe 3/16". Also the shuttle itself is a Singer replacement but it doesn't exactly fit too tight in the carrier. Should I be concerned with this amount of slack? Is there any way to tighten the carrier up? Timing it will be a whole 'nother issue but is there anything to look for that signals "part replacement"? There isn't any visible grooving of the race/wear on the carrier. I suppose sewing with it is the only way to truly know?
3. Which Singer parts can be used to replace parts on a 30-10?
I'm sure I'll have many more questions as I get a few levels deeper into this, but these are the first.
Thanks in advance! Stoked to get this thing running its best!
Cam