kgg

It all depends on what you plan to sew with it but the Adler 541 is a post bed machine that I think would be more for glove making, upholstery weight sewing, installing patches on coats or other hard to reach areas. I have seen a post bed turned into a flat bed with a home made table top to have more versatilely. kgg

Damn nice job, great restoration. This proves that one person's garbage can be another's treasure. kgg

Without a machine the time it would take to make an article will be greatly increased (time is money) and the cost of the equipment probably shouldn't be costed over one or several jobs but of 20 plus years of jobs. The equipment cost then becomes extremely low. Buy new or good used once, Cry Once. No one is ever going to beat the prices of articles from Mexico, China or India based on price, it needs to be done on producing superior longer lasting quality, and custom work that people can use, abuse and appreciate for years not days. With China even if the material cost of an article was the same, wages are really, really low and a lot of the machines are made there probably at a tenth of what the same or similar machine cost in North America. I voted "Yes".

Have you check inside the front cover to see what is releasing the tension on the discs or tried to recreate the problem while videoing the internal workings with the front cover off. kgg

Is it that the thread can't seat deeply between the to discs or was this a user threading error, knee lift bump? What I see is that by making your change it is only offering a little extra friction in the thread path rather then thread tension and may be ok for one thickness but not another. What I would check by lifting up on the foot tension lifter or knee lift to release the tension between the two discs and check to see if the disc can be separated easily. If they don't separated easily then back off the tension nut to reduce the tension on the the tensioner spring. If they are easily separated then pull the thread from both sides of the tensioner at the same time and see if the thread now seats between the discs rather then just riding on the cupped edges. If the tread rides out again do the same thing again and adjust the tension on the discs tighter by screwing the thumb nut in. kgg

I think you have answered your own question. I would go with my gut. If your not getting a good feeling about this possible working relationship this early on, it ain't going to get any better. Don't walk away, Run away. Did you get paid for your work or was it a gift? kgg

That is back to basics, simple but ever so ingenious. kgg

Uwe that pan seems to fit pretty nicely. Was the shipping expensive to get it over from China. kgg

Hi HardenGoods, I am surprised that there is no oil wicks, oil pump, gear grease. Maybe it doesn't need them. In the last photo it looks like you are holding a small oil pan what is it for? Is here any obvious slop in the shafts, gears etc. How does the needle end of the cylinder arm look any obvious rubbing? kgg

Near the end of the short video to me it sounds like a gear that is not catching properly and giving that inconsistent cycling over spin noise. Is there any visible metal filings in the base, filter screen, oil feel gritty? kgg

Before I purchased the Juki 1541S I did some comparative shopping of walking foot machines and found the same thing with the Techsew flat-bed sounding off, couldn't quite put a finger what vs the Juki sounding, feeling smooth more like a Singer. When spending $200 I can put up with some things, over $2,000 I want it to look good, feel great and run properly right out of the box. kgg

Hi HardenGoods, What machine are you thinking about and let us know how you found him to deal with. kgg

I can not say enough good things about Chris at Japan Sewing Machine. He is excellent to deal with no BS or up sell. When I purchased my Juki 1541S he gave me options like Juki 1541 vs 1541S vs his own brand Kobi. Spend the time with the wife and me, querried what we were doing and wanted the machine to do, had the machine setup for a test run using the thickest stuff we could bring. When it was said and done we walked out with a NEW Juki 1541S, table, servo motor, electric rotary cutter for thick stuff, 1 3/4" binding attachment and a couple of other items for at least $1000 CA cheaper then anyone else could or would supply in Ontario or Quebec. It was worth the 4 hour trip.

All I can offer is that if a cylinder bed machine is what you will do the majority of your work on then invest in a flat-bed conversion top to convert the machine into a flat bed when needed for the other items. If you have dealers close by bring a sample of your work / material and see how they compare. kgg

Nice set-up, I think you will find the swing away binder a useful attachment. I use a 1 3/4" plain edge binder with a swing away attachment similar to the one in the photo on my flat bed, it works great. What I found was that it really didn't like double fold binding tape. Since I do like the clean edge look of double fold binding tape what I done was slightly bend open the entrance and exist slots to accept the thicker binding tape. With making that slight tweet there was no noticeable effect on using plain edge binding tape after. kgg

Did you make a decision between which of the two machines would be your best choice? kgg

There were sewing machines from Landis International out of Quebec that were labelled "Supreme". There has been a couple advertised on Kijiji for about $1000 being modelled 335's. kgg

What I liked most was the DIY sewing guide which I am going to make for my machine as I think it will provide additional help when sewing long wide items that start out dangling over the edge of the table. kgg

Out of curiosity what are you going to be using the machine mostly for? kgg

Assuming both machines are in equally good shape the Pfaff is going to cost more (clutch motor, installation time and future servo motor). Unless you are use too clutch motors remember they can be most unforgiving when it comes to speed control. There is nothing worst then having a momentary concentration lapse or a foot twitch and having your work ruined. For that reason alone I would probably consider the Alder over the Pfaff and besides it is ready to sew. Whether either machine is the right machine is going to depend on budget (I think the price is a little high for either) and what you are mostly going to be using it for (upholstery or holsters and availability / cost of what attachments you may need). I will leave the sewing capabilities of the machines to more experienced people. kgg

I would first remove the needle, bobbin and bobbin case then cycle the machine by hand and see if the noise is still there. If there is no noise replace the needle with a new one and a different bobbin. If there is a noise I would as brmax suggested, remove the drive belt and tilt the machine back. I would look and feel around for something amiss (thread, loss screw, etc ) as you turn the wheel. If the noise returns when you replace the needle, bobbin and bobbin case then maybe the hook timing is slightly off if the bobbin case is in good shape. If you figure it is a timing problem do a google search for Consew 206rb-1 manual pdf. It will outline how to re adjust the hook timing. kgg

I know this maybe of no real help but I read your nameplate as a 335 model H3 and being of subclass 044 /003. kgg

The bonded v69 nylon thread is going to be stronger. I would try V69 bonded nylon and see if you like the how it works with a # 18 needle. Also if you use a #18 size needle it will take v92 thread, stronger again. kgg

I think since the machine is England it looks like some form of a Necchi 902-155. kgg

Hi Raksha, The info I have to offer is your machine was built in 1952 and seems to be in fairly good shape. To determine what parts are missing I would suggest you down load the instruction manual file for the 99k ( www.singerco.com/uploads/download/451_99.pdf ). The class 99 came in three versions of operation, electric motor, hand crank and treadle and the only real difference I can think of between the 99 and 99k is one you had to fool around with trying to get the bobbin out and the other had a push ejector. Later versions had reverse with an easier way of setting your stitch length rather the tightening or loosing the silver knob above the Singer name plate. From the pictures you seem to be missing the needle, presser foot and the pin post for holding the thread on top of the machine. Once you review the instruction manual you will know what parts are missing and probably be able get them at you local sewing repair shop. Once you get it sewing I would convert this machine to electric or at least treadle that way you can use both hands to guide your work. I think it will do fine for sewing soft goat leather but if you like working with leather or other fabrics you will soon move up to some form of walking foot machine. Also you are going to be normally limited to V69 thread or smaller but I have on occasion pushed V92 through without any problems. kgg