EMI

You may buy a couple of different colors ( e.g a silver & a darker grey) and mix them to get the right shade. You will need a spray gun to apply it. The difficult part is to match the original factory hammered effect. Each paint ends up with different hammered effect depending on the maker, application method, paint dillution etc. For local touch-ups I've had better results by applying it with a paint brush or sponge in a dabbing fashion. Its still hard to get a 100% match though In the attached photos example of repaint job on a 226R i am working on. You may notice the difference from the original in the close up of thread tension controller mounting hole.

Right. I've also got them from Aliexpress for around $2 a bag of 50 pcs. Even the locally available ones are made in china.

Details of the M3 types of screws I found compatible with my machine (I had to file a bit the heads as they were a bit larger in diameter than the holder's recessed hole).

It's a lovely machine and the twin needle holder gives you more configuration options than the single one. It doesn't worth the trouble to have it replaced for the sake of a couple worn screws ( especially since there is no guarantee that a second hand replacement part wouldn't have worn screws too). My advice is to measure with a caliper the external diameter and the length of your screws and get new matching ones. I've also replaced mine the same way. They were metric with M3 thread and tried different types (with hex socket and torx heads)

For the sake of clarification and without any intention to debate other opinions, please let me just say that my approach in such cases is, if it is there it belongs there for a reason, and in a proper maintenance or restoration work if it is missing it needs to be replaced (especially when it is so easy to be done). Singer’s manual is self explanatory in this respect. However, it is true that this felt has been omitted in later versions of Singer machines and is missing entirely from clone machines (Consew 225, Juki, Seiko etc) and its function can be substituted by regular manual oiling. I don’t know if it was done because they considered it un-necessary or as cost saving measure (steel parts have been also substituted by plastics in newer machines as allegedly superior maintenance and grease free components). The choice of replacing it or not is of course yours. I still believe though that a felt reservoir does provide a more uniform film of oil in such a high-speed rotating critical component and prevents the risk of either running it dry or splashing oil to the needle plate by overoiling it.

Yes it is essential for proper lubrication. However, in lieu of the original you can easily make it yourself from wool felt material.

Thanks for the info. Lack of reverse is not such a big issue. However the "A" class designation (as opposed to BL ones I've seen in photos on the net) is what puzzles me.

I am looking at a Pfaff 34 on sale for 100 euros (body only without motor/table). The sub class appears to be 34 -705/03-AL with roller presser and most probably wheel feed. The machine is advertised as leather working ( shoe uppers and medium weight leather ?) but except from parts list ( ref link below) I didn't manage to find any concrete info on the net or in this site regarding her stitch length, needle system and needle/ thread sizes. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.supsew.com/download/Pfaff/Pfaff%2034.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiFub2vx_zsAhVH9aQKHdD3CasQFjABegQIAhAB&usg=AOvVaw2K_dytlfXdvb4zCPRLTaAu Furthermore the code letters AL are also a bit confusing to me (A= Light materials & L= leather). Does anyone has experience or info on this particular model ? Would you consider it as as a worthy purchase in a supplementary role to a Consew 226 for medium leather and synthetics/faux leather work ? I understand that spare parts may not be widely available ( if needed).

After my unsuccessful attempt to fit DBx1/1738/16x257/287WH needles I’ve tried once more the DBX5-134 needles. Their 2mm nominal diameter shank (actual measured diam. of Schmetz needle 1.94mm) is a very tight fit in holder’s holes, impossible to be inserted by hand and feasible only with a pair of pliers, but it worked. I centered the right needle for single needle sewing. Twin needles may be set up to 6mm apart (i.e. machine’s zig-zag width range). Upon fine tuning of hook timing tests in both single and twin needle modes were done with satisfactory results.

Is it a service or user manual ? I may need all the help I can get with the reassembly and final tuning of my Consew 225R and the US army/navy service manuals are a bit hard to follow.

Congrats, really nice find. For a sister Consew 225R machine I am currently overhauling I found the US Navy Course NAVEDRA 14217 manual very helpful (Link below) https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://keysew.com/Webpages/DemoImages/USNavySinger111WConsew225REPAIR.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjR0bGA0O3sAhXKyIUKHaxQBzMQFjAAegQIARAB&usg=AOvVaw2W219vX6s2_tJX2L_mg6u7 Consew 225, Juki LU562 and Seiko STW8B clones are very similar.The Juki and Seiko parts list manuals helped also alot (very clear illustrations)

Update on the saga of PFAFF's double needle holder needle system. I've tried a few Groz Beckert DBx1/1738/16x257/287WH and DLx1 (same basic dimensions but with shorter shank) needles but none of them found possible to be clamped in the needle holder. It turned out that their shank diameter (measured at 1.55mm) is too small for the clamping range of this holder.

You were absolutely right.

After a more careful re-measurement of the needle holder holes I believe that my previous assessment is wrong, so please disregard my last post above. The two outer holes are 13.5mm apart (a rather big distance for a single bobbin twin needle configuration) and of 1,44mm diameter (too small for any needle shank), so I tend to believe that they are just clamp’s slit termination strain relief holes and not needle sockets. It appears to me that the only needle sockets are the two middle holes, approx. 1.85mm in diameter and of 7.93mm (L) and 8.72mm(R) length.

I’ve checked the manual of PFAFF 130-115 (predecessor of the 138) to find any possible info related to PFAFF’s twin needle holder configuration. As it turned out, the 138-6 twin needle holder seems to be a variation of the 130-115 one with essentially the same features. It is meant to be used as a single, double or triple needles holder with (most probably) 130B system needles. Extracted pages of 130-115 manual hereby attached for easy reference. It appears that round shank 130B needles are used in the outer holes. A single 130B needle or two 130B needles may be inserted in the middle clamp jaws grooves. For very fine cording two special type left and right needles 130BL and 130BR with flattened shank (like the domestic needles) are inserted in the middle clamp jaws grooves as a single needle with the flat surfaces facing each other. I still didn’t manage to find out the purpose of the L & R middle grooves length difference though. My biggest concern now is if the machine could be used with its current needle bar/holder and probably matching DPx1/1738/287 needles for my intended purposes (medium weight fabric & canvas/upholstery works with needles sizes up to 110/18-120/19) or shall I consider modifications to a regular 138-6 needle bar/holder ( assuming availability of necessary replacement parts).

Thanks Constabulary & NylonRigging for your follow up. I wish I knew !! However, I don't see the reason to be made by PFAFF with 4 channels (2 inner & 2 outer) if it was meant to be used only with the outside ones. Things are getting even more confusing from the fact that 3 out of the 4 needle holes are drilled all the way through to the top (with the corresponding needles vertical travel terminating at the holder's recess top flange) while the inner channel of the left block stops short from the top (see attached photos). And while the diameter of the outer holes is approx. 1.62mm the inner ones are approx.1.8mm.

Following the above suggestion I found in another thread here ( link below) that the 1738 system has been also proposed as a potentially successful alternative to the 130B for the PFAFF adjustable needle holder. https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/76473-pfaff-138-help/ So I've ordered some 1738/287/ DBx1 needles to give it a try and see. Their 1.62mm shank might fit properly in the holder's mounting holes. I will revert with the results in due time.

Thanks for the swift response. I am trying to find a way to measure the internal diameter of the holder's holes so I could search for appropriate needles by their diemsions ( shank diameter/length). It appears though that the center hole diameter D1 is larger than the side ones D2.

This is my first post after a couple of years delving into the threads of this forum. First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to this community for the great wealth of knowledge and expertise so generously shared for the benefit of everyone and especially members in need of assistance. I am located in Athens area, Greece and have recently bought a wide (6mm) zig-zag version of the PFAFF 138-6 in very good condition, complete with table and clutch motor, missing only the presser foot knee lifter assembly (my search for replacement parts proved so far unsuccessful). The full class designation details of the machine are 138-6/21 915/02-BS, meaning as per PFAFF coding system that she was configured from the factory for medium weight (B) fabric (S) and with part sets for cording & tween seams (915/2). As such she is fitted with an adjustable tween needle holder, part no. 91-064 652-91 (see attached dwg from parts manual and holder’s close-up photos for better illustration purposes). According to PFAFF’s manual (as explained also in another relevant thread of this forum) she is supposed to be used with 438KK system needles of sizes from 60 to 100 for the “B” type. SCHMETZ catalog indicates 265KK and DPx438KK as 438KK equivalent and differentiate them from the regular 265 and 438 as having shorter shank. Much of my confusion stems from the following contradictory facts: 1. The machine came with a rather faded sticker on her face cover plate indicating what appears to be 134RK system needle (see photo). . The machine came with an assortment of PFAFF system 134 needles of various sizes from 120 to 180 (see photo). Is PFAFF system 134RK the same as regular 134 ? Are 438KK and 134 needles interchangeable? They appear to have the same length of 33.9mm to the needle eye and same 2mm shank diameter. I am not sure about the role of the shank length though. 3. After thorough cleaning, oiling and adjustment of straight stich (“0” zig-zag width) position the machine appears to be sewing happily in all modes (straight & zig-zag) and full stitch range ( stitch lengths & zig-zag width) with the existing 134 needles and V69 thread. Apparently, needle bar length/hook timing has been adjusted for the dimensions of the 134 system needles. However, it appears that the needle is partly grabbed in holder’s center slot between the two L&R adjustable blocks rather than fully inserted in the split hole provided for this purpose (the resulting hole with the L&R blocks matting surfaces in contact is to small for the 2mm needles shank). This kind of needle mounting doesn’t look right from an engineering point of view and frankly speaking I don’t feel very comfortable operating the machine this way. 4. Since both 438KK and 134 system needles have a 2mm shank diameter, incompatible (oversized ?) with the existing smaller mounting holes of the needle holder, what needle system could be more suitable for use in a single (center line) or tween needle (L & R holes) configuration in this holder? Since its the first time I am dealing with a single bobbin- double needle configured machine I have no clue on how to proceed. My intentions are to use her for medium weight fabric and canvas/upholstery work , supplementary to my other two sewing machines (a compound feed Consew 226R and a cylinder arm Adler 69 ) . Any comment/advise on the above will be highly appreciated. Thanks in advance for any possible response.

And as a last note it appears that somebody attempted a superficial sloppy spray paint job on machine's body to make it look better than its actual condition (you can see the overspary marks on her needle bar rock frame.

I'm sorry for your misfortune zanfar. It is always discouraging to receive a new purchase in such condition. From what I could see the problem seems to be located on the crooked handwheel and the broken part on the needle driver's arm. It’s hard to understand though how the two damages are related to each other and the alleged transportation impact. Judging from the overall condition of the machine and her components (nicks and bends on her head internal components, bent/broken(?) vibrating presser bar & spring etc.) I am inclined to believe that these were pre-existing damages irrelevant to the transportation (you may have a closer look on the broken pieces mating surfaces. Do they appear as freshly broken metal parts? It’s hard to see in your photo but they appear as old and covered in dust). Attached pls find also copy of a good parts/working machine (under overhaul) for your easy reference). My opinion, however, is that a repair is technically feasible. Despite the wide availability of these machines finding spare parts for major components is always a challenge for such old machines (unless you have access to a donor machine), however you may attempt to repair the existing components. It’s hard to believe that the arm shaft is bent. It has such a short overhang on the handwheel side (see photos below) that most probably it’s the aluminum handwheel that is deformed (difficult to conclude without dismantling it). In any case it can be removed (pulled out from the head side) and straightened. The needle bar connecting link (named needle bar crank rod by Juki) could be either replaced by a new one or in the worst case attempted to be welded/brazed back as original. I am not sure if the same part of Consew 225/226, Juki LU562 or SEIKO STW-8B is fully compatible with Singer (part number in the photos below, dwgs by Consew & Juki for better illustration purposes). In conclusion, and without knowing if you bought the machine in an alleged “working condition” or as a non-operational item for spares, and considering the price you have paid for it, I would demand from the seller return and full refund. This kind of repairs make sense (both in time and expenses) only for really cheap “barn finds” kind of purchases.

For heavily gummed/varnished moving parts soda blasting with a cheap portable sandblasting gun followed by a water pressure washing (for soda powder debris dillution/removal), compressed air drying and final wash with kerosene delivers the best results with spotless shiny parts.

Depending on the amount of accumulated gunk from lint and old dried oil a quick soak in kerosene followed by a light kerosene washing with a typical compressed air car washing gun will do the trick. Bear in mind though that long soak in kerosene supplemented by heavy pressure washing will most probably wash out the grease from the ball bearings and you will need to re-grease them (they are sealed type b.t.w) or even better replace them with new ones, if your are willing to go down the route of a more thorough overhaul.

Juki LU 562-563 is with minor differences (to my opinion improvements, such as e.g better lubrication arrangement etc) almost identical to Seiko STW8B, Consew 225/226 and Singer 111W152 (most propably the parent model) with plenty available documentation on the net (instruction manuals, parts lists and diagrams etc). I have completely overhauled a Consew 226 down to its naked cast body and found the relevant info available in this forum and the US army and US Navy maintenance manuals of outmost assistance with the dismantle. Unfortunately I did not record the process in video (I am planning to do it during the reassembly) however I have documented the disassembly with numerous photos and diagrams. Feel free to ask should you need any assistance.