stitchgearhead

Hello all Sorry, long post. For the gist of it, please skip to the end part. 2 years ago, I was looking for a sewing machine for leather, not very expensive (this is a starting hobby for me), but knew little more than the brands usually mentioned in Google searches: Pfaff, Singer, Durkopp, Juki, etc. Iknew that I should try to get a walking foot machine, if possible, but the very few that I could find were VERY expensive. Being focused on thin leather pieces, I thought I could get by without a walking foot, provided I could sew 2 or 3 layers of soft, thin leather reliably. I then found this Adler 268, twin-needle postbed machine, not too far away, for a price that I could afford. Went there, saw it stitching 3 layers of leather I had with me, and brought it home. It was stitching well, but it was work-dirty, and some pieces had started rusting mildly. I cleaned it as best I could, afraid to disassemble it and upset the mechanisms, and used it like that for a while. I had, of course, problems with it, but they were of my own making, through ignorance. I even set it aside for a time, disgusted (more with myself than the machine) for not knowing what I was doing, and therefore being unable to do what I wanted. I stuck with hand sewing. A few months back I got into a project that could really use long, regular stitches, so I put in the effort to learn what I needed, to be able to use the machine properly. I knew nothing, then, of sewing machines in general, and all the minutia that goes with them: needle sizes vs. thread sizes, hook timings, etc. It worked, mostly thanks to the members of this forum, and the many hours reading here, seeing videos and such, and I am now capable of doing most basic tasks needed to use the machine properly. Amongst these references, I got the User's and Service Manuals for the Durkopp 268. The Service Manual refers to a large number of versions, but I am unable to identify exactly what version is mine. Before you ask, the machine itself is no help: all the "Durkopp" labels are gone, the clutch motor is not original, and even the chrome plate that resides in the rear is blanked off (or has been replaced with a blank plate). I looked at it with a high-power magnifier glass, and there's not a trace of any markings. Usually, the version should be written there...but isn't. So, there we have it: a badly painted, barely maintaned Durkopp Adler 268, postbed twin needle, 8 mm gauge, no walking foot, with no labels or indications of version. How can I find out what version (there are some 30 different versions in the Service Manual...) it is? The Service Manual should help, but it is difficult, for me, to interpret the "Technical Data" table with "Features per version", since I don't know what many of the terms mean. I gather that the versions that have a number in the "Alternating Top Feed Stroke" line are the walking-foot versions, but even that is not certain for me. So, any ideas about what I should do to find out? Any help is appreciated. Daniel

Hello all. New member, just joined, but I have been lurking here for some time, learning and widening my eyes to all the wealth of precious knowledge and skill that exists on this forum. I'm trying to learn leathercraft all by myself, as a hobby, but I do take my hobbies very seriously, so it seemed natural to seek sources of real life, pratical know-how. And they don't get much better than this forum, I think. I'm a machinist by training, if not by trade (I do have 2 small lathes at home, for my hobbies), I do a bit of woodworking, advanced car maintenance, was involved in competitive archery for a few years (half-retired now), and have had the idea of getting started in leathercrafts for some time, but didn't have an opportunity until early 2020 (with the pandemic). Work, family and everything else don't leave me much free time. I have made a few small things, sewing by hand, but nothing worth showing off. I'm mostly interested in soft leather work: car upholstery, decorative items, small pouches, bags, etc. Maybe, in the future (when I'm good enough!) gloves, maybe shoes...but that's a long way away. Anyway, I really wanted to thank members here for the excellent information they have provided me, and everyone else, every day, for the past few months. I have been at it, on and off, for 3 years now, but, in the past 2 months, since discovering this forum, I have progressed more, with your teachings, than in the previous 2 and a half years. So, a very sincere and heartfelt "thank you" from this newbie, who has just begun this road. Daniel .