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Ok Wiz I tried it and I guess the stock spring can be set soft enough for some reason I thought it couldnt and was too stiff but you are right there is a decent range I would say even more than decent. I adjusted a little more than slight turn of the post I went to slack and then came back some. Thanks. I sewed v69 in 4 layers ripstop and 1 layer cordura1000 with a #18 needle and corners are money!

One trick I use in these instances that has worked every time for me is to install a pre wound bobbin. They cant backlash the thread is super tight and almost bound together. I keep some G size v92 black pre wounds handy as backups just because the 1181 auto clone has occasional backlash issues with aluminum bobbins and springs etc. The G work in M cases really well just not full size. edit- If I was trying v69 on any of my triple feed machines I would have to consider that the check spring in the upper tension assembly is way too aggressive at stock setting. I tried the same experiment on a Singer 168g101 this week and with a stock check spring setting (from 138/92) I was not able to just change the upper and lower tension and sew a corner with 18 or 19 needle. Sometimes the lockstitch would even not form in sewing a straight line. Sometimes it would sew straight well but never did a top corner come out it was always pulled out. I quit before major adjustments were to begin and put 138/92 and 22 needle back in.

Maybe you could try a piece of cloth or material as your backlash spring as a test if you really feel its backlash and not a layer of ripstop top or bottom doing it (ripstop sewing is hard to keep knots all dialed tight in thin assemblies). I have about 2 layers of outdoor material superglued in a juki 1181 case I use as a backup to my case for my auto clone to stop backlash as the 3 spring setup I use in the stock case wont sit in the Juki case. I mentioned nylon as IMO the poly sews like crap. Always fraying ends and such seems to unravel etc. Thats just my .02. It could even be why you get these issues. In my bar tack machine the v69 poly is easily frayed on the cut to the point of a near miss tack.

Backlash is the loosening of the bobbin thread inside the case. It usually is an issue on automatic machines that cut the thread. If you are experiencing stitch errors starting a seam on 1541 its user error imo check your technique. Holding tails, top dead center start etc. That machine doesnt do v69 thread without adjustment it likes v92 with a 20 or 21 needle imo. I have the 1181 in direct drive auto clone model and it doesnt like 18 needles and v69 that much either on similar material. I sew that stuff with v92 and a 21 and holes are acceptable but not with a 22 and v138 on top hole too big with thin assemblies i.e. 4 layers outdoor material and 2 layers ripstop liner. edit- I run away from any poly thread like super fast - only bonded nylon in these walking foot machines IMO.

Being in KC I would just call Toledo and speak with the owner directly. Their site has actual pix and videos they made of machine and the price is the best online (2995 and up). The owner posts here and gives the best advice of all the 441 clone sellers IMO. I am a Consew dealer and I would probably buy a retail CB4500 from Bob before I bought a more expensive Consew 756r at wholesale.

If the cam is set wrong the feet go backwards and the feed goes forwards - the wrong way. I have seen it twice and fixed it twice. On a 168g101 the cam was improperly adjusted and left loose. It fell off the saddle it sits and spun loose on shaft. On a 153k103 it wasnt like that just set 150-180 degrees off. Point is that on the 153 someone had also just set the timing marks off to compensate for the improper adjustment up top at the cam. It looked OK except the vibrating presser foot timing was off. This may be the issue or not. I dont think the feed dog fork assembly below can come loose and make the dogs go wrong way but I could be wrong since it does ride on an eccentric dealio on the main shaft. Timing would have to be off to have the feed dog eccentric flipped wrong IMO.

Check page 8 of the manual and see if your relative height of presser feet and timing of vibrating presser foot is correct. That cam inside there (V, Fig 6) is easy to get wrong IMO and if a screw gets loose or someone fiddles with it feet can walk backwards yet everything else appears correct like timing belt and such. 226R-1.pdf (consew.com)

Here is my hook I think i got lucky this 151w is in pristine condition no slop or play and hook looks good. It only took me a couple years to dial it in lol. It was a binding setup that was totally thrashed but machine was still in great shape just needed to replace the binding parts. Now good as new.

I have a 151w1 and when I wanted to return machine to stock and needed needle plate and feed dogs and the cover plate to the right of the needle plate I called Ralph's in Denver. They bought all the old Singer parts when Singer gave up on repairs back in the day. I paid like 60 for the three parts and found the original feet for about 30 online (cutex sewing supplies ebay). If anyone has the hook assembly for a fair price its Ralph's. I run 135x1 size 16 needles with v46 nylon thread on light layers like ripstop. Its the only machine that doesnt pucker 2 layers of ripstop in my arsenal. Is it a real walker that can handle decent thickness? No not really people modify them all the time to do bigger thread and needles and sew stuff like leather but IMO thats a waste of time the upper thread tensioner is fixed without a moving pin to open and close it so thicker thread up to v92 up top can be used but maxes out the tensioner and makes pulling tails a pita. Needle system can be changed to dbx1 but one has to move hook over and again its a pita feed dog has to be dremeled etc. edit- The bobbin case assembly for a 107w1 does not fit the 151w1 hook assembly or vice versa. I tried it on two 107's just to see. It wont snap in and sit. It is the same bobbin though.

In cases where people are asking wayyyyy high prices, I send similarly ridiculous lowball offers. There are no rules in buying and selling lol.

1957. Mine was a 1965 sold it.

Turn off any auto features like needle position so in the corner you have to do it manually. It could be the positioner goofing up the two corner stitches. Just my .02 I have seen on my machines some issues with positioner in corners occasionally.

How about this manual page 6 and 7: 277ROpMan.pdf (consew.com)

I would bet you have the bobbin thread incorrectly routed watch this video. Doug Glenn of Consew gets the 227 to pick up bobbin thread while sewing the first few stitches. Not what I would do but as you see it does it automatically. Check your hook timing too if hook is off a bit it wont pick up bigger thread. It has to be super close to the scarf like .05" or less. A used machine can easily have the timing a bit retarded or advanced too so check that not just distance to scarf. Doug claims it will sew 207 on top with a 24 needle. I can get my chinese copy to do 138/138 all day with a 23. I generally use a 22 with 138/92 on this G bobbin style machine. Consew Sewing Machine 227R-2 Demo - YouTube

The old Singer home buttonholers have the keyhole templates and make them well on 2 layers of outdoor fabric in my tests. I doubt anyone trying 2 layers of any leather will get them to work. If someone took an old low shank home machine like a singer 15 aluminum or a 66 and put it on a servo and lowered the feed dogs so as not to use the bottom plate, then maybe 2 layers of leather in a keyhole from an old singer home buttonholer could work. Thats a bit of work to just test a theory. In the photo above I am using the longest non-keyhole template- one of about 6-8 that come with buttonholer.

I have a Singer 301a with a slant shank buttonholer. It goes through 2 layers of Cordura1000 or Xpac VX21 with a 135x1 #16 needle and tex45 thread. 4mm of leather would be like 4-6 layers of my material IMO- thicker but about the same punch. I doubt the home setup would do it consistently but one could possibly get it done on a home machine with some fiddling. I am a little reluctant to try to max out my setup to test for you as the 301 loves to jam thread behind the bobbin case if one gets too nutty with the buttonholer lol. All i need is it to go though 2 layers to make buttonholes for webbing or a drink tube to pass through and it does that well. edit- I noticed when I attempt to get the item under the buttonholer that my edges of my dropper post seatbag removable rub protector (which are folded 2 layer corners sewn inside and topstitched) have trouble getting under the buttonholer. There isnt much clearance under the foot on a home machine with buttonholer installed. Way less than a industrial tacker.

So I went back to school on the 153k103. I watched a bunch of Uwe videos and read posts. I was able to do the upper and lower feed adjustments (thanks to Uwe and his consew 227r vid) to center my needle in the feed dog. BUT I still had the play in the lower feed. My little shim was not helping as it was causing binding and not really taking up the play much. So I moved the shim to where I wanted to put it intially (I had my little shim right of the gib but that wasnt my first idea). I superglued a tiny thin piece of aluminum to the angled surface on the feed dog cam (240607) that meets the gib. I was scared to try this before. I filed the shim down after it dried and I greased the whole lower feed assembly instead of oiling. I have zero play in the lower feed assembly now. And no binding at all. I moved my upper gib/slide plate right a bit and my upper feed play is only fore/aft no side to side upper play. The sewing is so clean now and the sound the feed makes is so much better. I can sew fast and the stitches stay consistent. A top mechanic at Ralphs Powersew in Denver advised me not to replace any parts in my 153. He was not keen on any shims either. But shims worked in this instance so I can now make my feed dog cam piece fit with used pieces around it and not bind the machine. I dont think a new part will work in this case I think the shimmed used part is the answer.

So I did a little more playing etc on my 153k103 and I am able to get my needle a little better centered in the feed dog/needle plate it sews well makes clean stitches. The outer foot is S31 1/8 cording/piping foot. However it looks different than current S31 offerings it has a larger/thicker right foot than left. So I guess my finicky old machine just likes these style feet which may be very old and hard to find. I get about 5.3mm stitch with this one foot any other foot gives me about 4.3mm at best. edit- Thanks to a member here I get better lift and much higher upper tensioner close point with this zip tie mod. Original tip was for a Singer 44-90 but it works on other machines too.

So I worked on the 153k103 last night. I changed out feed dog and needle plate to a single row set. It works well but only with the old outer presser foot installed. That foot is a 1/6 cording or piping foot and if I swap out to a new foot or a zipper foot my stitch length goes short. I have been able to swap out inner feet from the weird inner cording foot now I have a zipper foot with teeth on the inner foot and it works well. I also tried to adjust the relative height of the vibrating and lifting presser feet. My machine only works well when the inner foot is set all the way up. The original needle plate is two row and is a Singer part ( the feed dog that is two row is a Seiko though). It has been ground down on the underside to get more clearance under the outer foot to sew through thick items say 1/4" or more. When I use the single row setup I get less clearance and the thread tensioner engages at a lower point over the fabric so I cant sew a thick sample I sewed previously with the two row setup. But having said all that the machine actually sews even better than before stitch length is a smidge over 5mm and voila! I am binding again and the stitches look solid and no short stitching with the binder like before. I could lower the current needle plate by filing away underneath like my two row one but the stitching is better so a lowered needle plate may be why I cant bind with that setup. So I have play upper and lower. I have play in a walking linkage part. My needle hits left center in my single row feed dog setup. I cant use any outer feet but one. I cant lower the inner foot one mm. But I can bind and sew topstitch all day so I guess thats a win lol!

Hi I have a few questions about two machines I own: 153k103- I have had this machine for 3 years I got a new cylinder arm that is much better so I went back to tinkering on the 153 to get it working better in hopes of selling it or using it. My issue is play in the lower feed and in the upper feed. The four lower parts that are slightly worn but very functional are 240688, 240607, 240605 and 240608. That is just a guess on what I have learned about the lower front feed mechanism. I have my gib (240608) moved up a bit per instructions to remove play but that doesnt help much it binds feed if moved up too much. So I added a thin aluminum shim to the right of the gib evenly applied it helps the gib take out some play without being moved up too much. Up top I have slight play in the needle bar inner foot bar assembly. My parts 210910 and 202666 are worn IMO but not sure about the whole assembly (240138). I can move gib 202666 over but when i added a split washer to the bushing 210910 it made machine lose stroke etc. I have machine dialed sewing very well feed adjusted perfectly now. The play upper and lower is workable the machine has Seiko two row feed dog and needle plate it works well with those but nothing else too much play in the feed dog with single row setups. i havent tried the single row since i have the machine dialed too afraid to mess up my current setup. My question to the experts is should i buy all these parts and rebuild the machine? I did timing belt and need a few thread guides but it sews like a champ at the moment scared to mess it all up meshing new parts with old. Singer 151w1- This machine is setup to bind only. The feed dog is a special one with tiny teeth on left edge. The needle plate and plate to right of needle plate (224543 and 208570) are machined to fit a binder in the deck so to speak. they are ruined I cant fit a binder in the spot. I can slide a custom binder over from a tapped hole southeast of needle plate and make it work. Its a cylinder arm binding attachment it covers the hole in both plates and doesnt touch the vibrating needle plate. With this setup i can bind well. My question like with the 153 is should i buy new feed dog and plates or just run with my binding setup as is? Unlike the 153 this conversion takes 5 minutes and can be put back in 5 minutes.

I have a new machine, a Seiko cw-8/Consew 227r clone, with the badge New Tech Gc-8b. Its solid and way better than i expected at 1000usd. They go for 1200 at Goldstar Tool. I was hesitant to buy but after trying to get a similar auto cylinder arm direct from China off Alibaba and having zero luck with untrustworthy companies I called goldstar talked directly to the owner David and ordered. It totally blows away my Singer 153k103. And it goes 7.2mm stitch not 5mm like its spec. Thats with 138/92. with 138/138 its 6.2. Binds and sews zipper foot 6.2 with 138/92. My old singer could bind kind of and zipper nada no feet make it work that way really with decent stitch length. Only a 3/4hp servo on the old Singer vs a 1hp on this New Tech machine so thats a difference as new motor has adjustable start speed and acceleration where my older consew csm1001 has no adjustability. It came with a sew off and oiled from factory not dry and binded up etc no issues with slop play etc. I am happy which i never really was with my 55 year old cylinder arm.