needle system question for 111W156 Singer

[bnsmith]

I recently acquired a walking step 111W156, so newbie here.  With the machine I received two sets off needles (pictured).  Can the 111W156 accept both systems (135 X 17 or 134 - 35) with no adjustment ( as from what I can tell there is a ~.9mm difference in length according to spec).

Is there a reason to want to use the 134 system, or would another 135 type work just as well?

Thanks

Brian

 

[Northmount]

14 minutes ago, bnsmith said:

Is there a reason to want to use the 134 system, or would another 135 type work just as well?

The 134-35 LR appears to be a leather needle.  This needle system was made for PFAFF.

You can use the 135-16 leather point instead.  Your choice maybe determined by availability and cost. 

Since he supplied both, appears the machine is happy with either, that's my guess.

[Constabulary]

the 135x16 / 135x17 is slightly longer than 134-35. Depending on how the machine is adjusted it is possible that both needle systems work w/o changing the needle bar height. But I´d recommend the 135x16 / 135x17 needle. Check the manual for the needle bar height and needle Hook timing and set is up as recommend for 135x17 / 135x16 - thats what I would do.

The difference is 0.8mm - see pictures.

Edited Monday at 05:30 PM by Constabulary

[kgg]

32 minutes ago, bnsmith said:

With the machine I received two sets off needles (pictured). 

The correct needle system for the Singer 111W156 is 135 x 16 for leather and 135 x 17 for fabric. The person might have owned a PFAFF machine or purchased them incorrectly or converted the machine to use needle system 134.

I would pull the needle in the machine and see what is actually in the needle bar. Like @Constabulary check the needle bar height and use needle system 135 x16 or 135 x 17.

kgg

[bnsmith]

@Constabulary Thanks for the pics!   I have not seen those particular ones before.   Could you give the link?   Is there one for 135X16?

What does the pale blue diagram indicate?

I get R and L as Right and Left but what does C and P mean?

 

All

Very hard to tell these needles apart, would the R and LR be easier to spot the difference?

Any ideas on the tolerances + - on setting the needle bar height?  .8 mm is not a lot.   Does the bobbin hook pass the centre off the needle cutout?

Finally what size thread is used with these needles, and would there be a source of samples of thread sizes?   I don't have a good mental picture of what the sizes look like in leather yet (my ultimate goal)

 

Thanks

Brian

 

[Constabulary]

The pictures are from the Texi website. I just googled the needle system and checked "Pictures" on Google. You will find similar pictures from DOTEC or Groz Beckert and other manufacturers as well.

0,8mm sounds not much but can make a huge difference when the needle bar height is not set correctly. When not properly set it may cause skipped stitches meaning the hook tip does not catch the top thread loop.

135x17 and 135x16 are the same needle in in their dimensions but have a different needle tip. 135x17 is for fabric / woven materials and 135x16 is for leather.

R + LR are shapes of the needle tip (note "Points" in the above pictures) . R = round tip (point) which mainly is for woven materials LR is a leather tip (point) L= leather R= Right twist. There are many other "Points" depending on what materials you want to sew and what seam appearance you wan to achieve.

Needle systems, sizes and needle points can be very confusing when you are new to the sewing game.

Check this to figure what cutting points for leather are available and how different the seam appearance can be.

https://www.schmetz.com/en/industrial-needles/needle-compass/cutting-points/

Edited Tuesday at 07:54 AM by Constabulary

[kgg]

17 hours ago, bnsmith said:

Finally what size thread is used with these needles,

Your machine should be able to handle up to V138 thread. Here is a good needle to thread chart: https://www.tolindsewmach.com/thread-chart.html

Here is a link to a video that shows a visual comparison of thread.

A couple of notes about the linked video: ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lfMD8WEHoE )

i) the person doing the video really doesn't understand the various thread sizing / labeling of thread.

ii) The white threads he calls it a #40 is V69. By looking at the label it appears to be a Chinese thread and they typically size their thread in the metric sizing and a #40 is the same as V69.

iii) The burgundy thread he calls it a #92 which is V92 and appears correct.

iv) The purple thread he calls it a #135 which appears to be a Tex 135 and that is the same as V138.

v) The red thread he calls it a #138 meaning V138. That is the US standard for thread sizing. The purple and red thread are the same just a different way of indicating it's size on the label.

From what I have seen is the Chinese threads are usually just labeled in the metric size with a "#" while North American threads are label with both the "Tex # XXX" and the US standard "V # XXX".

Do yourself a favor and buy good quality thread not the cheap Chinese stuff and get better results with less frustration.

Thread size V69 ( Tex 70, 40 M, 40, Tkt 40 ) is the largest size most domestic machines can handle and is the crossover size to industrial sewing thread.

Confused yet?

kgg

 

Edited Tuesday at 12:36 PM by kgg