left, right side presser feet and center groover for 441

[esantoro]

I just want to get back to stitching my bags and stop all this fiddling with the hardware.

I think I've figured everything out and am no worse for the wear, probably a bit better in the long run.

Another thing I did, because I wasn't thrilled with the stitches with the raised needle plates and the new presser feet, was to reinstall the needle guide. Stitches do seem better with the needle guide installed.

Now bag to a little bag work.

Ed

[esantoro]

Hi Art,

Is there one adjustment screw that will raise or lower the resting height of the inner and outer presser feet in unison, rather than having to adjust them separately? I think that's what you were getting at it your post.

FWIW, I think I now know with conviction how to adjust the height of the inner and outer feet:

1. Suspend both feet with the hand lever. Turn the flywheel so that inner and outer feet are the same height.

2. Loosen the allen head bolt on the left side of the short shaft in back of the head (as if you were sitting in the operating position).

3. Lower the inner foot about 3/16" below the level of the outer foot. Then tighten that same allen head bolt on the left side of the short shaft.

4. Now I just need to find the one adjustment that will raise both of these the same resting distance to or from the needle plate.

As always, thanks so much for your help, Art. For me, anyway, I think it's good to know how to do these things, though I do realize that most people use these machines to do 10 oz or so all day and never seem to need to make these adjustments.

I'll take all the pics necessary to document these procedures, and then this thread cold be a useful resource for adjusting all things related to presser feet.

ed

Hi Ed,

I worry about teaching this stuff without the benefit of proper teaching aids like pointing and talking. Maybe Dave can give you help or you can get an industrial sewing machine guy to explain it to you. That being said, when you start doing stuff like this, you need more than the rudimentary education needed for a machine operator. The walking foot mechanism is a little complicated but they made it as one system to keep cost and space down. There is only one spring to tension both feet and only one adjustment for that tension, there are not two presser foot adjustments (someone asked this earlier, or in another life). Pull off the side cover. The biggest block of metal in there other than the crank end is the thing that helps actuate the presser feet. This block acts as an anchor for the outside presser feet and also applies pressure to the inside presser foot through a lever. This block may have a wheel on it that rides up the back of the case. The lever has a rod that connects it to a adjustable rod end on the walking foot shaft, this is the short outside shaft on a 441. The other end of the short shaft(toward the middle of the machine) has another adjustable rod end that also has an adjustment that is in your picture. This adjustment is for the range of motion of the short shaft that operates the walking feet. Basically this adjustment is for height of lift and not for basic resting height. The further out the adjustment is, the less it will move the short walking foot shaft. The reason for this adjustment is that most of these machines sew one thing all day. Same stuff and same thickness. The machine works more efficiently if the feet move the minimum amount to effectively sew. The real adjustments are in the head and the other end (head cover end) if the short walking foot shaft. The adjustable rod end on the walking foot shaft allows you to set the equilibrium or balance point where both feet are down, but if you don't affect the timing it can be used to adjust the height of the feet to some degree.

Now, until you understand how this system works and relates timing wise to the needle system, hook system, and the needle feed system, you shouldn't be making adjustments to the foot shafts in the head (which are collars in the blocks that lift these shafts). If I were to change these heights, I would probably re time everything. This should not really be necessary to make these kinds of adjustments for a simple foot change, and all the more reason to buy accessory parts from the distributor.

Anyway, pull the side cover off and look really carefully at all that's going on in there, it ain't rocket science, but it is brilliant mechanical engineering, and understanding what is going on will help you understand the other adjustments on the machine.

P.S. Don't forget to put the thread tension release (for upper thread tension) back on the presser foot lift rod when putting the cover back on.

Art

[esantoro]

Hi Art,

This is the very thing giving me difficulty right now, a little piece work here and there on one or two bags, then a long break, a very long break. I don't mind just changing the needle plate,but constantly adjusting bar heights,too, is where I draw the line.

I think I need to adjust my my machine to use just the outer feet and inner groover. I can set the bar for the outer feet easily, but am not sure about how to set the height of the inner foot. According to the manual, it looks easy enough. Am I correct in following the instructions detailed in the attached manual page?

By the way, do you happen to know if Artisans outer feet and double toed foot are the same length from top to bottom? I may just bite the bullet and splurge on some artisan feet if they have some standardization in the length.

Ed

I have put the stop screw back into the clamp, behind the face plate, for the center presser foot, resulting in the center foot resting 1/4" off the needle plate. Now, if I can find my 14mm socket, I will attempt to lower the height of the walking foot as outlined in the manual page attached as a pdf, which is what I think I should have done in the first place.

By any chance can someone tell me if this will simultaneously raise the inner foot and outer foot, or just the inner foot? It is my understanding now that this adjustment is most likely the only one necessary if one runs into a situation where a combination of presser feet and needle plate results in the presser feet not being low enough for a particular application, such as one layer of 5/6 oz chrome tan and the center presser foot's lowest position is 1/4" above the needle plate.

Ed

[esantoro]

I have put the stop screw back into the clamp, behind the face plate, for the center presser foot, resulting in the center foot resting 1/4" off the needle plate. Now, if I can find my 14mm socket, I will attempt to lower the height of the walking foot as outlined in the manual page attached as a pdf, which is what I think I should have done in the first place.

By any chance can someone tell me if this will simultaneously raise the inner foot and outer foot, or just the inner foot? It is my understanding now that this adjustment is most likely the only one necessary if one runs into a situation where a combination of presser feet and needle plate results in the presser feet not being low enough for a particular application, such as one layer of 5/6 oz chrome tan and the center presser foot's lowest position is 1/4" above the needle plate.

Ed

I did it, but I'm not 100 percent certain what that bolt does. One minute I thought it was adjusting only the rise of the outer foot. The next moment it seemed to be adjusting only the inner foot. I once again removed the stop screw for the inner foot, as it was the only way to get the inner foot to apply some presser on one layer of 5/6 oz chrome tan.

If you have one of these 441 machines and are willing, could you post a photo of how this 14mm bolt is adjusted? To the top of the track, or to the bottom. Before I adjusted anything, mine was about 3 mm past center, toward the top of the track.

I think my slotted flat needle plate is the real issue, as it seems to sit lower than the stock needle plate did, maybe about 1/16" to 1/8" lower.

ed