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Couple questions about thread. My Adler 30-1 now sews like a dream and its time to put it to work. While I was repairing it I read a number of posts attributing various problems to poor quality thread, which makes a lot of sense. I'm planning on using primarily 92 and 138 polyester thread for various leather projects and maybe occasional sewing of canvas, nylon webbing, backpack repair, etc. I figure on using polyester, not that everything I sew will end up outdoors, it just minimizes the types of thread I'd need on hand. A couple of spools will last me for years so its no problem dropping a few more bucks to avoid problems and cover the widest range of possible uses. So then, what brands are the best (or least problematic) thread? Apparently 138 is the heaviest thread a 30-1 can handle, correct? Is using bonded thread important? I assume I need to adjust tension on the shuttle and on the upper thread for different sizes, correct? Maybe easier to have a different shuttle for each size thread, huh? Thanks!

Well, I think I got all my problems resolved. My machine seems to sew quite nicely in a variety of materials. I'm posting this primarily for future readers who may encounter similar problems. I knew absolutely nothing about industrial sewing machines when I ran across this one. My machine was in worse shape than it appeared and evidently had been partially disassembled and put back together incorrectly at some point in its past. It had also been stored in a wet or humid environment. I lucked out because it was basically in good condition with little wear. Had that not been the case I discovered that Adler parts are fantastically expensive and getting this critter operational would have cost far more than its worth. Also, there's precious little factory information available on 30-1 machines. The 30-10 mechanics manual is readily available but its not identical to the 30-1. I've attached a 30-1 parts diagram for reference, originally posted some years back on this site by the now passed fellow from Keystone sewing. It was of great help to me. I was not able to resolve the shuttle carrier positioning problem without cutting and shortening the drive rack by 1/4" and adding an adjustable splice. This was definitely not a good solution but I simply could not figure why it was so far out. The eccentric adjusting bolt in the cam lever didn't have enough of an offset to allow for the amount of adjustment necessary. I understand that new drive racks are now two piece and adjustable. I discovered by watching Youtube videos that with the flywheel on the front it's turned clockwise. My machine sewed but it had to be turned counterclockwise. This was due to the cam/drive pulley being 180 degrees out of position. The manual is a bit confusing because it does reference counterclockwise rotation--but that's with the flywheel mounted on the end of the machine. The machine was pretty stiff and required more force than expected to turn the flywheel. I disassembled the head, cleaned the rust and gunk out of it so all the parts moved much more freely. Lesson learned there is not to cut corners. Take the time and do what needs to be done properly. Just squirting in more WD40 is not adequate! I had considerable difficulty with the timing and dropped stitches. The 30-10 manual addresses this but isn't terribly clear. Maybe the original German is, but the English translation is a little vague. I finally made a temporary throat plate out of clear plastic and then sewed through another thin piece of clear plastic. That way I could see exactly what was going on and line up the shuttle hook with the needle and thread loop. Adjusting the timing requires loosening and turning the shuttle cam on the main shaft. That process is covered in the 30-10 manual. But not mentioned is that if the cam slides back toward the drive pulley it throws the shuttle position out of whack so make sure the bevel gears are fully meshed before retightening the set screws otherwise you'll be chasing your tail. I still have no idea what thread size the screws and bolts are on this machine. Neither my metric nor SAE taps & dies fit. Not sure if they used the Singer screw system or one of their own. I ended up drilling and retapping a few screw holes to accommodate 6-32 and 8-32 screws in non-critical places. Lastly I wish to thank the members that commented and offered advice on my posts. Their help was invaluable. Adler 30-1.pdf

I recently bought an Adler 30-1, one of the green ones, maybe from the '70's. Hasn't been used for 40+ years according to the previous owner who couldn't get it to work. I cannot get the timing set right. The lead edge of the shuttle carrier simply comes short of lining up with the needle slot (per the mechanic's manual) no matter how I set the racks and pinion/drive gear. The adjusting cam in the bell crank eye does not have enough range. It seems like the drive rack is about 1/4" too long, the shuttle drive is an incorrect part, or the bell crank is bent, but there's no evidence of that and its pretty robust, hard to see how that could get bent. Overall the machine is very tight, no slop in the bearings, gears, etc. The mechanics manual I have is for a 30-10 and I think that's different from a 30-1. Does anyone have a 30-1 mechanics manual? Constabulary posted one, along with an owners guide back in 2014 but those links are now dead. I've seen images of shuttle drives that are a full 8 tooth as well as partial 4 tooth ones like mine. Which is correct for a 30-1? Could I have a Singer drive that "fits" but has different shuttle alignment than does an Adler drive? Only fix I can come up with is to fabricate a new adjusting cam that has a greater eccentric throw, and that seems to be a really odd thing to have to do. All suggestions will be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

(Full disclosure: I know parts for both models' are pretty much discontinued for the most part but this was a foray into what may or may not work ) I just completed partial rebuild of each model, 29-4 circa 1915 and Adler 30-1 circa "who knows"(black paint/cast iron stand, no decals) feed motion area and thought I'd pass on what I found. Stitch length was far from optimal but little or no play in either of the machines' Driving Lever(s) so I felt driver cam was within functional specs. I noticed Kunpeng Sewing(CKPSMS) sells both a Feed Motion Ring (simanco 82053) and Bell Crank Lever (82167) on E-bay. Prices were reasonable so I bought 2 Feed Motion Rings and Bell Crank Levers to see if they would work. Feed Motion Ring The Feed Motion Rings came without cam follower rollers (they now sell them as a set) so I contacted CKPSMS outlining the issue but got no response. A couple of months later I see the roller and stud assembly (ckpsms #1816) listed at a disposable price so I purchased two. These rollers are clearly marked as being 10mm dia O.D., the description and pictures of the assembly are completely accurate. Being lazy, (I prefer to think of this as "Time Efficiency" but....) I mic'd the roller (rather than the Feed Motion Cam Wheel race the roller rides in) from a well-worn 29K-60 sixty-something year old original Feed Motion Ring I'd previously replaced at 9.79mm O.D. thinking 2.0+mm wear was expectable. It's not... at least not for the 29-4 or 30-1. Both races mic out at 9.79-9.80mm. If anyone has a 29K Feed Motion Cam Wheel (p/n 82149) in good shape I'd appreciate the actual race width measurement at the narrowest part for comparison. I'm guessing the original Simanco roller was probably 25/64" O.D. (ish… mebbe??). The problem doesn't end there; the replacement roller stud has a cir-clip retaining ring and receiver machined into it extending the roller shaft by about 1.5mm. This doesn't allow the assembled FMR to seat into head casting. The Simanco FMR's I've seen have either a free floating roller or the stud is peened almost flush to capture the roller. Easy enough to remedy with a grinder once a properly sized roller is procured but the mounting nut on the other side may also have to be ground flush. I had a FMR from another vendor (Pilgrim or Shoe System Plus probably) that I ended up using in the 29-4. The Adler retained its original FMR. (a new Bell Crank Lever removed all apparent slop) Bell Crank Lever The BCL worked in the 29-4 but bound the needle bar in the Adler as it returned. A lot of creative grinding/polishing later and a couple screw fabrications* and the Adler too had longer stitch lengths. Basic mod was to remove the gore (sloping metal casting) transitioning from the lever bar to the ring making it a clean right (90 deg) angle and thinning the outer wall of the lever's needle bar guide ring to allow full angular motion. Net-net... I now have 2 new Feed Motion Ring and roller assy's (un-usable) languishing in my spare parts bin and a spare Bell Crank Lever should I ever need them *in my case the pivot screws from the worn Adler BCL were a different thread than the Kunpeng which appear to be 6-40 ncf.

Brought my 30-1 home this past Thursday. According to the lady I bought it from it had originally been used by a cobbler making orthopedic shoes and the like. The cobbler, in his early nineties and too old to continue his work, sold the machine on to the lady who said she didn't get to working with it and decided to sell it on.... After settling on $200 with me she mentioned she had payed $150. Before buying the machine I looked it over as best as any first time buyer could. I had spent time reading the manual, browsing this forum and other relevant sites on the internet. Machine looked to be complete, movement seemed tight and clean. Machine came with treadle table, some (seemingly original) tools and a collection of threads, bobbins and needles.... really looked like it had just been removed from the old man's shop. Spent the Friday morning (surface) cleaning the machine, acquainting myself with parts and working movement and finally sliding a piece of vegtan on under that walking foot to see just exactly what this baby could do. The machine came ready to go... bobbin loaded and spool of thread on the pin and fed through to the needle. The first few stitches went in seemingly well and I was excited... but then it all went south. The needle and bobbin threads weren't locking in the material. The needle thread was being released on the material and the bobbin thread just kept looping up with each stitch..... according to the manual a case of "excessive needle thread tension". I started tweaking the nut regulating the tension disks. I had noticed that the disks loosen their grip when the sewing foot lifting lever is in the raised position so I made sure to lift the lever before each tweak. Since then I have run through almost all of the thread that came with the machine and all of my scrap leather trying to get a few good stitches from this machine. I have seen the "excessive needle thread tension" and the "insufficient needle thread tension" but and more than five or ten decent stitches in all the yards of thread I have seen pass. My final attempt was to loosen the tension nut as far as I could while keeping thread on the pin (maximal tension) and start sewing to stop every ten or so stitches to raise the sewing foot lifting lever and tighten the nut half a turn (reducing tension) until the max. finger tightness. Logically I have trouble wrapping my head around the concept that tighter disks offer less tension but whatever the case... ain't no good stitches coming out from under that sewing foot any which way. Needle thread catches bobbin thread on every stitch and stitch spacing is fine, everything seems to work but this. Upside is that I now have an intimate knowledge of the machine... I can thread needle and bobbin blindfolded. I can run that treadle as smooth as the best electro-motor. I can dump a load of thread straight and true in holes along the edge of my work and do the same with 90 degree corners and log flowing lines. But now I really want to get to the real work. Help!

in very good shape 100% Original on table