Singer 42-5. Wow!

[Anne Bonnys Locker]

I knew the 42-5 was a real workhorse but recently a customer was in desperate need of a flat bed to sew heavy thread through 8mm of harness leather and I had nothing else on hand. Unbelievably I was punching through this leather with a 24g standard point needle with 345 bonded polyester running as a treadle!

This is not a machine to pass by if you see one!

[CowboyBob]

Yes,they are great machines.I sold one years ago to a place making tow straps & they were sewing a good 3/8 or 12mm thick w/#346 thread.

They are a real tough machine.

[Anne Bonnys Locker]

There very few flat bed machines on the market today that can match these beasts! The ADLER 205 is the only one that comes to mind and it is very expensive.

Luckily I just picked up a 42-4 which is the straight sewer version and I am going to modify the feed dog and fit it with a rubber coated roller foot. Unfortunately the machine has no needle plate but that gives me a reason to custom make a stack for resale.

[foundationapps]

Hello,

Can anyone help with a needle type / size? I have a Singer 42-4 machine that had 1 needle that snapped on a metal ring (bad guiding on my part). After 3 weeks, 4 deliveries of needles not remotely fitting the machine and over 60.00 spent i'm frustrated.

I would like to use #346 thread. I'm sewing through 3-4 layers max of heavy nylon webbing and at times adding a layer of bootweight leather to that nylon webbing. Uncomplicated sewing.

Lost in needle land... very much appreciated.

Respectfully

[CowboyBob]

We always used the 135x17for cloth & webbing,or 135x16D for leather,you might have to drop the needlebar down alittle.

[Cascabel]

I have one of these 42-5's, and I use it for just about everything. Excellent machines within their limits. I use 135x16 and 135x17 needles in mine, depending on the material being sewn. It will handle up to 3/8 of an inch of leather or heavy canvas or webbing with no difficulty. Thicker leather can be handled, if you are careful. I have sewn fine upholstery fabric in various thicknesses also with good results. Of course, you will have to adjust upper tension and sometimes lower tension with a change in thread sizes, but that is expected. I usually use #69 or #138 thread, mostly because that is what I have on hand, and they are good for most of the stuff I do.

I find one of the biggest advantages to these machines is that raising of the foot does not release the upper tension, so if you need to "bump" the knee lifter to climb over a thick seam, you will not create a problem for yourself. I don't know if other machines have this feature or not. Most I have looked at release the upper tension when the foot is raised, either by using the lever or by "pushing the limit" on fabric thickness or climbing over thick seams, which limits the thickness that can be sewn. If something will fit under the foot, it can be sewn with these machines !!

[foundationapps]

Cowboy Bob and Cascabel, Thank you for taking the time to respond. The information will help alot, especially about bumping the foot over seams, I see that a fair amount. Don't know wny I klike doing this stuff, i'm retired military and always modified my gear with a hand awl and have a blast working with these heavy machines. I sewed a piece of kydex as aa stiffener between 2 layers of scuba webbing before the needle blew up on a metal ring. These machines are amazing.

If I may ask one more question. Are there any special maintenance quirks I should know? I oil the oil ports lightly on each use.

Sorry, one more. On adjusting the needle bar up and down. Is the only tension device the finger lock know around the top of the needle bar? Mine won't move, i'm wondering if it's just stuck.

Respectfully,

Foundationapps

[Anne Bonnys Locker]

Glad you have found yourself one of the classic machines.

No need to touch the adjustment at the top of the needle bar.

Do not forget to lift the machine head up and oil the points underneath. With any machine a drop of oil every now and then on any part where metal rubs on metal will make things run smoother and reduce wear.

While you have the head up grab the bars that run along the front and back of the bed and see if they have any transverse movement. The one at the rear is most important as it locates the feed dogs. Undo the nuts at each end then GENTLY tighten the screws until the feed dogs sit in the middle of their slot in the needle plate. Then tighten the nuts up but turn the handwheel to ensure that the machine still turns easily. Position of the front bar is not so critical but not binding up the machine is very important with any adjustment.

Cowboy Bob and Cascabel, Thank you for taking the time to respond. The information will help alot, especially about bumping the foot over seams, I see that a fair amount. Don't know wny I klike doing this stuff, i'm retired military and always modified my gear with a hand awl and have a blast working with these heavy machines. I sewed a piece of kydex as aa stiffener between 2 layers of scuba webbing before the needle blew up on a metal ring. These machines are amazing.

If I may ask one more question. Are there any special maintenance quirks I should know? I oil the oil ports lightly on each use.

Sorry, one more. On adjusting the needle bar up and down. Is the only tension device the finger lock know around the top of the needle bar? Mine won't move, i'm wondering if it's just stuck.

Respectfully,

Foundationapps

[Anne Bonnys Locker]

This is both good and bad! Normally the tension release is set so that the tension will not release at the maximum sewing thickness and without this function there is not the warning that you are pushing the machine too hard. The good part of using a 42 class is that I don't think you could break it no matter how much you abuse it and that is not something I would say about most machines.

The 42 class is one of the very few machines where I would say that if you can get the work under the foot and the thread through the needle then it will probably sew it.

I have one of these 42-5's, and I use it for just about everything. Excellent machines within their limits. I use 135x16 and 135x17 needles in mine, depending on the material being sewn. It will handle up to 3/8 of an inch of leather or heavy canvas or webbing with no difficulty. Thicker leather can be handled, if you are careful. I have sewn fine upholstery fabric in various thicknesses also with good results. Of course, you will have to adjust upper tension and sometimes lower tension with a change in thread sizes, but that is expected. I usually use #69 or #138 thread, mostly because that is what I have on hand, and they are good for most of the stuff I do.

I find one of the biggest advantages to these machines is that raising of the foot does not release the upper tension, so if you need to "bump" the knee lifter to climb over a thick seam, you will not create a problem for yourself. I don't know if other machines have this feature or not. Most I have looked at release the upper tension when the foot is raised, either by using the lever or by "pushing the limit" on fabric thickness or climbing over thick seams, which limits the thickness that can be sewn. If something will fit under the foot, it can be sewn with these machines !!

[foundationapps]

Thank you for that, I was wondering about pushing it by assisting under the foot. Was considering a walking foot for this machine, any advantages to that. Any idea what model or one that would work on it? When I first retired from the military, I spent some time sewing for a military gear maker. Those machines were amazing. He was an infantryman that left the military after 8 years and started a company making his own gear. I am not doing that, but I learned alot about technique, not so much the machines. Much appreciated.

[ponypome]

i just scored a 42-4 very cheap,its been sitting for donkey years ,the table is a bit rotten,the machine itself seems to work mechanically,this one has a roller foot on it and the treadle has two belt sizes ,i got the table outside will and will sweep a wood planer over it to see it can be refurnished if not i will take the top of and take it in to local furniture joinery shop and get them to make me one ,i only have one bobbin for it and who knows if i can score another ,there isnt a lot of info on this machine on the internet apart from here ,any advise for this machine i will be grateful for it

[Cascabel]

Bobbins can be had from a decent industrial sewing machine shop. It's a good idea to have several. I believe they are common to several different machines. I have also seen them on ebay. If you go to a shop, bring your original bobbin for comparison, as the shop may not have a parts catalog for these older machines, even though they may have suitable bobbins. As a side note, the 42 class bobbin winder will work nicely to wind 441 bobbins if you also have one of those machines. It is a lot faster than winding bobbins on the 441's winder when they are slowed down by a servo motor.

[ponypome]

• i just had it stitching took me a minute to work out the bobbin and five minutes playing around with the tension its stitching perfect,i just used a needle from my singer 29k13 ,i am very pleased with my 150 nz dollar investment ,can you get a foot to ft on these machines as well??

[Anne Bonnys Locker]

Standard industrial foot for a 42-4 but you may have to drop the presser foot bar slightly for thin materials.

• i just had it stitching took me a minute to work out the bobbin and five minutes playing around with the tension its stitching perfect,i just used a needle from my singer 29k13 ,i am very pleased with my 150 nz dollar investment ,can you get a foot to ft on these machines as well??

[Anne Bonnys Locker]

The 29X3 (and 29X4) needle are identical to the DPX17 (and DPX16) needle except that the latter have a scarf. If, due to wear and poor adjustment, the shuttle is too far away from the needle then the 29 class needle may work better than the DPX17.

[Cascabel]

Another advantage to these 42 Class machines is the large heavy flywheel, which helps it to punch the needle through heavy materials without difficulty.

[Hennessy]

i've owned two 42.5 n i had a good run with both i still own th first ,i purchased in 73.ferdco out in idaho were very helpfull in my getting parts and a manual which is very helpfull. they will sew a belt and liner with easr but 2 layers of skirt is a bit of a shove .

[ponypome]

my 42-4 with the roller wheel sewed 8 layers of webbing ,she has a lot of grunt

[ponypome]

Standard industrial foot for a 42-4 but you may have to drop the presser foot bar slightly for thin materials.

• i just had it stitching took me a minute to work out the bobbin and five minutes playing around with the tension its stitching perfect,i just used a needle from my singer 29k13 ,i am very pleased with my 150 nz dollar investment ,can you get a foot to ft on these machines as well??

hi darren,i haven't been able to find a industrial foot for this machine