vortexalternator

Thanks. I was inspired by your post and thought I would pay it forward. I also since installed the adjustable lift height mechanism on the needle bar shaft, and the 155 stitch length disc and eccentric. It now has the full stitch length and the adjustable lift of a 155. It is now a post factory "155U". The lift mechanism was a bit tricky to clock, but I did get it right. The only issue on the lift adj. mech. I had was the adjusting screw hitting a little bump on the casting on the inside when at the highest lift setting. I will grind off a bit of the screw and that should clear it. If anyone plans to do this, check for any bumps in the casting around the arm slot that might interfere with the rotation of the mechanism. It could have been ground off if I had known and I don't really want to take it apart again just for that. Interesting project "unlocking the different levels" to quote video game speak, and an education in manufacturing logic. It sure is nice to have that massive bobbin in there. I have been trying out some 138 nylon thread and so far it works fine.

Just adding this bit of info: The 563 bobbin is a U style. The ebay listing for the hook I got was incorrect and said it was M for some reason.

Big hook 111w155/153 Some of the issues that confused me when researching and planning for this were the discussions around using the stock 111w saddle. There was some doubt as to whether a stock 111w155 or 111w153 saddle could be successfully modified for a large bobbin hook. The short answer is yes, it can. I have no experience with other saddles but I thought I would pass on what I observed with the stock one. The large B1830563BA0 heavy thread hook was almost exactly 0.1" taller when installed in the stock saddle. This means that the two bearing surfaces and the round clearance pocket each have to be machined down the same amount. There are two bearing surfaces and a pocket to clear the nut that holds on the small crank pin. The first surface is where the figure eight lever crank rests. The second bearing surface is where the opening lever arm rests. The pocket to clear the nut is just a round recess. Machining these three areas allows the the hook to sit lower, so that the top of the hook ends up at the same level as the stock one. Both bronze bushings that the hook rides in were in good shape on my machine. If they are worn, this is a good time to replace them.

Thanks for all that info. It was very helpful in my mods. I just upgraded my 111w153 to a large bobbin with a heavy thread B1830563BA0 hook. The hook cost all of $20 including ten bobbins! It's actually a surprisingly high quality, made in Taiwan unit and works perfectly. The machining of the saddle could be done on a decent drill press equipped with a square end mill and either an inexpensive cross slide or a thoughtful reposition-able clamping set up. Just set your depth stop and carefully chain drill 0.1" off of each land. I happen to have a milling machine so it was easy for me. The machining of the case opening lever arm "trough" does expose a set screw (make sure you remove it before you start) but on my saddle, the shaft to bore was such a tight clearance, I didn't move the set screw. I simply carefully tapped the shaft back in. The arm is under so little load, I am confident it will never move. I thought of applying some retaining compound but the risk of getting in the shaft clearance and gluing the arm to the shaft is too great. I also modified this machine in several ways to match the specs of a 111w155 with regards to the lift of the presser foot and the height of the vibrating presser foot. I believe these 111w machines are all basically made from the same casting. If you want to do this, with the exception of the pocket on the main casting, you can replace parts or modify them. The pocket could be milled out with a square end carbide die grinder. This is the parts list and required modifications: Presser bar lifting bracket: I milled the Presser Bar Lifting Bracket "pocket" to match the specs on the 155, which allows the same lift of the 155 if you install or modify the requisite Presser Bar Lifting Bracket. The modification requires machining the top part of the main arm to clear the end of the take up arm shaft. This could be carefully machined with a grinder or a die grinder. Presser bar bushing (lower): The presser bar bushing (lower) can be cut off in place, removed and turned shorter or pressed out and replaced. I estimated that the 155 unit is about 1/4" shorter. This could be done carefully with a hack saw, just make sure to deburr the edges when done. Tension release slide (optional) This can be replaced but the 153 version seems to work regardless. Presser bar lifter (optional) The 153 version also works as-is but the 155 unit will lift the presser bar higher. Is this a lot of work? Not as much as you might think. Most of it is disassembly and re-assembly and if you do a clean up of your machine at the same time, it can even be economical. For those of us with more time than money or who do this as a hobby, it may take less time and money than looking for, buying, shipping and moving a new machine. Next up, installing the adjustable lifting eccentric singer number 240744 or 237196. https://www.bmfwholesale.com/product/eccentric-singer-number-240744-237196/