Pfaff 341 Cylinder Arm Sewing machine Needle bar height

[Davidmadd]

Hi - I recently bought the Pfaff 341 and have since learned that this is quite a rare machine as its a needle feed but without the usual walking foot action.  Being "rare" means there are very few spares for it and limited literature.  I found that the stitch was slightly off inasmuch that the hook often pierced the thread rather than picking it up to create the stitch.  I solved that by dropping the needle bar about 2 mm until it picked up the thread.  This pretty much works but there are still the very occasional missed stitch.  I am trying to find literature that tells me what the designed height of the needle bar is above the table, so that I can time the hook as it should be. 

Does anyone one have an adjusters or a repair manual that lists the correct technical specs for these machines.  I've been searching for a new feed dog for it but this seems to be one of those rare parts that cant be found, especially here in the UK.  So I would very much appreciate any literature to help me adjust it properly and any source for supply of a new or good used feed dog.

Many thank for your help.

David; Plymouth; UK

[kgg]

2 hours ago, Davidmadd said:

Hi - I recently bought the Pfaff 341

Try these:

https://www.manualslib.com/products/Pfaff-341-8830949.html

https://www.supsew.com/download/Pfaff/Pfaff 341, 343, 345, 353; 342, 344, 346, 354 Instruction Manual.pdf

May help

kgg

 

 

[Davidmadd]

Many thanks KGG.  I have already previously downloaded that manual which is the operators manual and unfortunately it doesn't give any critical measurement relating to the height of the needlebar over the bed, but thanks all the same for responding to my plea for help.

Best Regards

David; Plymouth;UK

[trash treasure]

I may be wrong, on this specific machine, but I think you may be looking at the needle bar height (As some specific dimension over the bed), the wrong way.

Needle bar height is adjusted as a function of the basic machine timing - When you time the machine, you set it so that, as the needle bar rises about 2mm or so from the bottom of it's stroke, the the hook will pass roughly through the middle of the needle scarf - This is an approximate description, and the actual numbers will vary in different machines.  But the point is, that you need to set the needle bar in relation to the HOOK, not the machine bed.

[Davidmadd]

Yes OK, good point, but nonetheless I need to have a starting point...I'm trying to work out if it makes any difference adjusting the needle bar height to get the hook timing correct, or if I should adjust the hook position to achieve the same thing.  What prompted the question was that when I first got the machine a couple of weeks back, I tried using a thicker thread, bonded nylon 20s, and I could not get a good stitch.  There were continuous thread loops of a consistent size (about1/4" loop) underneath the material.  By tightening tension I reduced the loop size to about 1/8" and could not tighten the thread tension anymore.  I figured that the take up arm tugged the bottom thread up but it was either doing it at the wrong time or not doing it enough.  Discounted the latter and wondered if by not altering the hook on shaft location to time the hook may have affected the timing of the take up arm in relation to the needle.  However I then used 40s thread and it sewed fine!!! I am disappointed that it doesnt stitch using the heavier thread and in the back of my mind am still wondering if I should go back to basics and set the needle bar in the correct position and re-time the hook ????  Any comments of above theory would be much appreciated.

Regards

David; Plymouth; UK

[trash treasure]

Maybe this can help :

https://uwe.store/blogs/videos/hook-timing-on-consew-225-singer-111w155-juki-562-etc

[Davidmadd]

Well thats a very useful video clip as I have a couple of Singer 111 as well but they are sewing fine at the moment. So thank you for that.  I will use the same principle and measurements for retiming my Pfaff 341 and of course its really tailor made for the Singers should I ever need to re time those machines.

Some years back I bought a Singer 132K6 which was in a totally seized and apparently rusty condition.  I decided to dismantle it completely, against the advice of some I may add, but I went ahead anyway.  Much of the rust was just surface rust or dirt over old oil and grease and when it was totally dismantled, and cleaned, I found nothing that might prevent it working again.  I cleaned the main body and repainted it and.....thats as far as I got....I suddenly became nervous about the reassembly for some reason.  I actually bought another one so that I can use it to see where all the components fit.  But of course assembly is one thing, assembling and ensuring all the relevant parts interact with each other as they should to create stitches is another step, but I am moving starting to re assemble in the near future.

Many thanks for your help and I may send out another plea in the not too distant future when the 132K6 gets under way.

David; Plymouth; UK