Singer 145w204 (a few questions)

[Teradee]

Good morning everyone,

I have a few questions about a 145w204 I recently got running pretty good.  
 

This is a 2 needle machine.  Is it ok to simply remove a needle and only use one needle if I want to see single stitches?  If so, does it matter which side I choose?

Second, this machine is very heavy duty.  It will take needles from 22 to 27.  Would that machine be reasonable to use for slightly more delicate operations (wallet interiors, etc) if I use a small needle and corresponding lighter thread?   Or will it give me problems on the more delicate stuff?  

(I will try it out once I get some smaller needles but thought I’d see if someone had any experience).  

Thanks for considering and I hope everyone is having a good Monday!

- Jason
 

 

Edited August 7, 2023 by Teradee

[CowboyBob]

Yes,you can run it with one needle(sewing with the rightside will work best) for a single stitch BUT you'll still have the wide foot to deal with.We have a customer doing auto upholstery with a 30" single needle 144w & we sold it to them yrs ago & it works great.You just need to adjust the tensions(loosen both the upper & lower) to make it work.

Edited August 7, 2023 by CowboyBob

[Gump]

I have a 145w103 with 3/8 spacing and it works well with left needle and bobbin removed. It will tension 92 thread with no problem, haven't tried lighter, but had no issues going to 210 without touching bobbin tension. You can also raise the needle bar and use 794/7x1/7x3 needles used in 441 machines. There is a better selection of leather points available for the saddle stitchers. The reason for removing left side is due to wind of thread, the rotation of the shuttle will untwist your thread on long runs. Ideally you would have one for the right needle, and the opposite twist for the other needle. But in the usually short runs in leatherwork it doesn't make much difference.

[Teradee]

Thank you fellas!   Great info!

One follow up…how do I raise the needle bar as you suggested?  I can dig in and figure it out, but thought I’d ask for advice (if I need it) before I give it a go. :-)

[Gump]

Open the end plate and lower needle bar until the needle is even with hook. With needle down you can see 2 screws on the upper end of the needle bar, these screws hold the needle bar in place.Loosen screws slightly and needle bar should slide up. Change to longer needle and slide needle bar down until needle is timed with hook.Tighten screws and roll machine over to check timing and see if it picks up a stitch.

[CowboyBob]

Before you do anything take a hacksaw blade & lightly mark @ the bottom of the needle clamp(the part w/2 screws under the faceplate)where the the position is now,then make another mark 7/16" or 11mm lower,this is the difference in length between the two,then you can change it real easy if you want to go back to the shorter needles.

[Teradee]

Slightly different question but I have a second one 44W204 that is a single needle and the needle is hitting the hook when it spins around. Any idea what would cause that?

[Handstitched]

On 8/7/2023 at 9:25 PM, CowboyBob said:

Yes,you can run it with one needle(sewing with the rightside will work best)

 Thats how I run my old Seiko STW , ' formerly' a twin needle . Thankfully I have more than one set of feet . 

HS

[CowboyBob]

12 hours ago, Teradee said:

Slightly different question but I have a second one 44W204 that is a single needle and the needle is hitting the hook when it spins around. Any idea what would cause that?

You can loosen the 2 screws that hold the hook saddle & move it slightly to the right.

[Teradee]

Thanks @CowboyBob.  I stayed up last night and fixed that part and was working on the timing as well.  It's running pretty smoothly, but seems to be slightly binding from time to time as I turn the wheel.  I'm assuming that is also a timing/alignment thing?  I'll be digging in on that later today. 

Jason

[CowboyBob]

3 hours ago, Teradee said:

Thanks @CowboyBob.  I stayed up last night and fixed that part and was working on the timing as well.  It's running pretty smoothly, but seems to be slightly binding from time to time as I turn the wheel.  I'm assuming that is also a timing/alignment thing?  I'll be digging in on that later today. 

Jason

When the outside foot lifts it will feel like a "bind" due to the foot pressure on the foot,lift the foot & turn the machine & see how it feels.

[Wizcrafts]

Try reducing the pressure screw on the presser foot and see if it is easier to turn the balance wheel.

[Teradee]

I will definitely give these a try. The one thing that is odd is that when it catches the hand wheel, turns a little while the machine is not turning, which I assume would be the way it would get out of time quickly if I were using it.

I will try the presser foot pressure and the screw to loosen it up a little bit and see how it goes!

[Wizcrafts]

2 minutes ago, Teradee said:

The one thing that is odd is that when it catches the hand wheel, turns a little while the machine is not turning, which I assume would be the way it would get out of time quickly if I were using it.

Something has come loose on its shaft. Check every setscrew the attaches the balance wheel to the main shaft and onward. There shouldn't be more than a gazillionth of a parsec of free motion.