Singer 31-20`

[MADMAX22]

I guess I shouldnt say its not worth the $200 they are asking, it all depends on what people are willing to pay and that is a nice looking one. Also what people are intending to use it for. I am just use to seeing them cheaper but they probably arent in as good a shape. 

[Wizcrafts]

If the motor is attached to a bracket on the back and connected by a belt, it is a 15-90. If the machine has a pod motor built into it, it is a 15-91

[machinehead]

19 hours ago, cdthayer said:

I don’t know why, but I don’t care much for any of the 15s for some reason.

 Hey CD, I have a couple of industrial 15 class machines that are really good for light leather. Keep your eyes peeled for them when you see a 15; you might find a gem.

 

 

 

[machinehead]

39 minutes ago, Wizcrafts said:

If the motor is attached to a bracket on the back and connected by a belt, it is a 15-90. If the machine has a pod motor built into it, it is a 15-91

What Wiz said.

[cdthayer]

7 hours ago, machinehead said:

have a couple of industrial 15 class machines that are really good for light leather

I don’t consider any of the 15 machines as industrial, but they’re not bad for really light leather work.  I fixed up my only Singer 15-30 with a handcrank for a friend of mine to use for sewing thin leather wallet interiors, and it works great for that.  I’ve got a bunch of beater 15s on hand, but I don’t ever do anything with them (2 15K80, a 15-88, 2 15-90, and 9 15-91s).  Few if any of them are “pretty”, and the majority of the 15-91s need to be rewired.  I may eventually do something with the 80s and 88 since they have spoked balance wheels on them, but I’ve been into hand or foot-powered machines for the last few years, and don’t want to do the electrical work on the 91s anymore.  This area is saturated with 15-91s and 201-2s (I’ve got 4 of those too), so there isn’t much call for them locally for any kind of sewing.

I see on Craig’s List and eBay a guy down in north Texas converting 15-91 and 201-2 machines into handcranks with his own design of a crank to use for light leather work.  They’re a one-to-one crank ratio per stitch like some folks don’t care for, but for small light leather work, I can see them being very productive machines.  I have several of my machines set up to handcrank on a 1-to-1 ratio, including walking foot machines, and for the mending and repairs that I do, they work just fine.

CD in Oklahoma

 

[Darren Brosowski]

On 27/10/2016 at 10:58 AM, cdthayer said:

I don’t consider any of the 15 machines as industrial, but they’re not bad for really light leather work.  I fixed up my only Singer 15-30 with a handcrank for a friend of mine to use for sewing thin leather wallet interiors, and it works great for that.  I’ve got a bunch of beater 15s on hand, but I don’t ever do anything with them (2 15K80, a 15-88, 2 15-90, and 9 15-91s).  Few if any of them are “pretty”, and the majority of the 15-91s need to be rewired.  I may eventually do something with the 80s and 88 since they have spoked balance wheels on them, but I’ve been into hand or foot-powered machines for the last few years, and don’t want to do the electrical work on the 91s anymore.  This area is saturated with 15-91s and 201-2s (I’ve got 4 of those too), so there isn’t much call for them locally for any kind of sewing.

I see on Craig’s List and eBay a guy down in north Texas converting 15-91 and 201-2 machines into handcranks with his own design of a crank to use for light leather work.  They’re a one-to-one crank ratio per stitch like some folks don’t care for, but for small light leather work, I can see them being very productive machines.  I have several of my machines set up to handcrank on a 1-to-1 ratio, including walking foot machines, and for the mending and repairs that I do, they work just fine.

CD in Oklahoma

 

Singer did build Industrial versions of the 15 class.

The internals of the 15 class are also used on the 16, 17, 18 and 19 class machines which are all "industrial".

[cdthayer]

4 hours ago, Darren Brosowski said:

Singer did build Industrial versions of the 15 class.

Oops!  You are correct.  I should have said “I don’t consider any of my 15 machines as industrial, but they’re not bad for really light leather work.”

Sorry, I was thinking of the common household-use 15s when I made that statement.

CD in Oklahoma

 

[Wizcrafts]

1 hour ago, Sticks said:

Guys quick question,

which belt is better for speed reducer system. V belt cogged or round ? 40mm pulley.

thnx

Cogged, if possible, because of the tiny motor pulley. Definitely use type 3L v-belts rather than round leather, which will tend to slip a lot under load.

[TinkerTailor]

22 hours ago, Wizcrafts said:

Cogged, if possible, because of the tiny motor pulley. Definitely use type 3L v-belts rather than round leather, which will tend to slip a lot under load.

On a side note, If you are stuck with round leather belting due to the machine being set up this way, a bit of pitch or batters rosin applied to it will make a huge difference and won't harm the leather. They used to make belt dressings that were available all over the place that were formulated to condition the leather and increase traction. Pitch and rosin may not work for higher speed or continuously run machines because belt heat will cause it to melt. I have also used beeswax, but it melts and gets slippery at a lower temperature, and sometimes i needed to get tea while the belt cooled if it started to slip.

[photo2u]

 

 

 

 

2

On 10/19/2016 at 9:45 AM, Wizcrafts said:

I use my 31-15 to sew wallet interiors and for all cloth projects (tailoring). I usually use a walking foot machine to sew the back to the interior. My machine can handle #69 bonded nylon, because I clearanced the shuttle driver and shuttle race to do so. Otherwise, it would not clear that size of thread without a slight but noticeable binding and click sound that messed with the stitch quality and dependability.

Hi,  I am new in this forum and I was looking for ways to make my 31-15 utilize tex 69 thread properly.  I am interested in knowing how to "clearanced the shuttle driver and shuttle race" as you did to your machine?

I welcome any advice,

G.

 

[Wizcrafts]

9 hours ago, photo2u said:

Hi,  I am new in this forum and I was looking for ways to make my 31-15 utilize tex 69 thread properly.  I am interested in knowing how to "clearanced the shuttle driver and shuttle race" as you did to your machine?

I welcome any advice,

G

My Singer 31-15 has a pinned shuttle driver that can't be rotated to adjust timing. When I bought it, the clearance between the ends of the driver and the shuttle was just enough to clear standard cotton or polycore garment sewing thread. This made for excellent results with thin thread, but not with bonded 69. My solution, which was passed along by a friendly industrial sewing machine dealer, was to carefully pry the ends of the shuttle driver out a little. This increases the free space between the driver and the shuttle. I fine tuned the clearance for #69 bonded thread and called it a day.

Because the 31-15s had fixed position shuttle drivers, the only way to time the machine is by moving the needle bar up or down and changing the clearance to the shuttle. Many of these almost 100 year old machines have partially or fully stripped set screws on the needle bar. If you can get the screw to turn it is best to replace it with a new one. Then you can fine tune the needle's eye to hook point very slightly, or even to change needle systems. I set mine to use system DBx1 , also known as; 16x231, 16x257, 1738, or 1515. These are the same needles my serger uses, so I get double duty out of these needles.

Here is a discussion about the Singer 31-15 that I was involved with.

Note, that if you set too much clearance on the shuttle driver, the shuttle action will become sloppy and you'll get unpredictable results.

[photo2u]

3 hours ago, Wizcrafts said:

My Singer 31-15 has a pinned shuttle driver that can't be rotated to adjust timing. When I bought it, the clearance between the ends of the driver and the shuttle was just enough to clear standard cotton or polycore garment sewing thread. This made for excellent results with thin thread, but not with bonded 69. My solution, which was passed along by a friendly industrial sewing machine dealer, was to carefully pry the ends of the shuttle driver out a little. This increases the free space between the driver and the shuttle. I fine tuned the clearance for #69 bonded thread and called it a day.

Because the 31-15s had fixed position shuttle drivers, the only way to time the machine is by moving the needle bar up or down and changing the clearance to the shuttle. Many of these almost 100 year old machines have partially or fully stripped set screws on the needle bar. If you can get the screw to turn it is best to replace it with a new one. Then you can fine tune the needle's eye to hook point very slightly, or even to change needle systems. I set mine to use system DBx1 , also known as; 16x231, 16x257, 1738, or 1515. These are the same needles my serger uses, so I get double duty out of these needles.

Here is a discussion about the Singer 31-15 that I was involved with.

Note, that if you set too much clearance on the shuttle driver, the shuttle action will become sloppy and you'll get unpredictable results.

Thank you so very much for helping me out.  I am new at this as I just got into sewing.

I was reading your instructions and I truly do not know the areas you are referring too.  I am including an image to confirm if my understanding is correct.

I welcome any input!

 

Edited October 28, 2019 by photo2u

[photo2u]

3 hours ago, photo2u said:

Thank you so very much for helping me out.  I am new at this as I just got into sewing.

I was reading your instructions and I truly do not know the areas you are referring too.  I am including an image to confirm if my understanding is correct.

I welcome any input!

 

Is this the area where the "prying" is needed? Please advise!

 

[Wizcrafts]

3 hours ago, photo2u said:

Is this the area where the "prying" is needed? Please advise!

 

Yes, that's the shuttle driver. I think I see a crew on your shuttle driver. If so, unscrew it/them and remove the driver. Insert it in a vise and carefully bend one of the arms out slightly. Reinstall it and see if there is more clearance for the top thread. Also, polish the trailing end where the thread exits.

[photo2u]

15 hours ago, Wizcrafts said:

Yes, that's the shuttle driver. I think I see a crew on your shuttle driver. If so, unscrew it/them and remove the driver. Insert it in a vise and carefully bend one of the arms out slightly. Reinstall it and see if there is more clearance for the top thread. Also, polish the trailing end where the thread exits.

Thanks for getting back to me and helping me out with your sage advice.  You are a fountain of info and I am absorbing it!   I took out the shuttle driver.  I clean and polish it the best I could.  I was wondering how much I should carefully bend one of the arms?  I was thinking about 1.5mm? or less?  

Also, you mentioned "polishing the trailing end where the thread exits" is that in the stainless steel Shuttle Hook?

Thank you!

 

 

 

[Wizcrafts]

6 hours ago, photo2u said:

Also, you mentioned "polishing the trailing end where the thread exits" is that in the stainless steel Shuttle Hook?

No. I was referring to the driver. Polish the end where the top thread exits.

If your hook has burrs, polish it to a shine.

[photo2u]

On 10/29/2019 at 5:46 PM, Wizcrafts said:

No. I was referring to the driver. Polish the end where the top thread exits.

If your hook has burrs, polish it to a shine.

Great!  I buff the driver as good as it can be.  Thanks for the info.  Finally, could you please let me know how about how little a should pry the end of the driver's?  1 or 2 millimeters?

 

Edited October 31, 2019 by photo2u

[Wizcrafts]

8 hours ago, photo2u said:

Great!  I buff the driver as good as it can be.  Thanks for the info.  Finally, could you please let me know how about how little a should pry the end of the driver's?  1 or 2 millimeters?

 

Trial and error. Keep in mind that if you ever-flex the driver it may break. So, source a replacement just in case.