Itch Report post Posted September 29, 2013 A couple of guy,s that I know have used these machines for years with good luck so I have been keeping an eye out hunting one for myself..Found it finally at an auction in Chattanooga over the weekend..Makes my life much easier.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tnawrot2 Report post Posted September 29, 2013 You were lucky to find one, have fun using it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Trox Report post Posted September 30, 2013 A couple of guy,s that I know have used these machines for years with good luck so I have been keeping an eye out hunting one for myself..Found it finally at an auction in Chattanooga over the weekend..Makes my life much easier.. Hello Itch, nice find. These are hard to find at an decent price all over the world, where I live I have only seen two for sale in the last ten years. I just bought one of them a couple of days ago. It is not in my shop yet, I hope it will be during this week. It looks just like yours and should work fine. I have not tested it yet but I trust it will. Since I am new to this machine (I suppose you are too) I be happy to share experiences with you. I hope you will do the same. Thank you Tor Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Itch Report post Posted September 30, 2013 My buddy,s are pretty knowledgeable about these machines.I spent the better part of the day cleaning and checking this thing out.I need a few screws that are metric some new sharpening stones.Did get it running and cutting..My wife is German and that is where the machine was made so I am going to have her contact Fortuna to see if we can get a SERVICE MANUAL FOR THE MACHINE OR ANY INFO..I have heard that Weaver leather in Ohio still use these machines so they should have more info on them..Where are you located ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Trox Report post Posted September 30, 2013 My buddy,s are pretty knowledgeable about these machines.I spent the better part of the day cleaning and checking this thing out.I need a few screws that are metric some new sharpening stones.Did get it running and cutting..My wife is German and that is where the machine was made so I am going to have her contact Fortuna to see if we can get a SERVICE MANUAL FOR THE MACHINE OR ANY INFO..I have heard that Weaver leather in Ohio still use these machines so they should have more info on them..Where are you located ? Hello Itch, I am Norwegian living in Oslo (Norway). I do have regular contact with a German company who sells these (used). I know that Dan Naegle in Campbell Randall sell them. I know he refurbish old Fortuna machines like this and sell both German and Italian leather machines. He knows these very well and I am pretty sure he have manuals and part lists for them. I know he have for allot of other German machines and I have seen him selling these before. He can get you the screws too. If not perhaps I can get them for you, I am living in a "metric world" and I use allot of my time refurbish German leather sewing machines. You are lucky having your buddies around you who knows them. I too have friends that knows them, but not living close by. I do not know the number on my machine yet, otherwise I would have asked Fortuna about the same. I cannot find a download section on their web site, however I am sure they will help you if they still have manuals for them. Yes allot of people still uses these old models, I am sure they are good. If there are any standard metric screws you cannot get hold of, do not hesitate to ask me. I will contact you when I get my machine in shop, perhaps it also comes with part list and manuals. Good luck Thanks Tor Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andrew Chee Report post Posted September 30, 2013 Hi Itch, that machine is bottom roller only right? Do you have any feeding problems on it? Any problems with heavier leather? Andrew Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Itch Report post Posted September 30, 2013 Tor Thank you for your offer and will keep it all in mind...Andrew I have only messed with this machine about an hour or so..I did get it working pretty well ,but feel I just need to fine tune it when I get a little more time.Yes it only has a bottom roller but it will eat anything that you feed it when it is set up properly.My buddy runs 12oz bridle and harness that is sometimes very dry..We primarily work with 12 oz latigo and thinner... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Itch Report post Posted October 12, 2013 (edited) A little update as I have the machine running pretty good..Well at the moment as I do not want to jinx myself.. I have learned a lot about what makes this Old Girl Tick..I believe it to be a 1952 model.. If you click on the picture it should open the video of the machine in use.. Edited October 12, 2013 by Itch Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Trox Report post Posted October 12, 2013 Looking good Itch, I cant wait to try out my machine. I hope to get it tomorrow, if not very soon. What is the approx weight of that baby, its allot smaller that todays big machines in size. Thats one thing I like about it, my shop is pretty stuffed as it is. I got to move around stuff to get it in. I also have a friend who have huge experience with these, he had allot of them before. Now he have a modern state of the art machine. His nick is Leather Guru. Thanks for showing Itch and have a nice weekend. Tor Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Itch Report post Posted October 13, 2013 Tor I think that this machine weighs in at about 400 Kilos..If you send me an email to Larryxd@gmail.com I will attempt to send you a manual and parts list in a PDF. format.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Trox Report post Posted October 13, 2013 Hello Itch, thank you for the updates on the Fortuna machine. Your machine does an impressive job, I cant wait to try out my machine. I got to warn you about posting your email address in the open forum. Hacker harvests email addresses and soon you will be bombed with spam and viruses. If you still want to display your email use this format " Larryxd att gmail dot com " . Because the robots/agents they use do not catch this format. Delete or modify your email by editing the post, or talk to Johanna. The forum moderator can also help you. Email sent. thanks Tor Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Itch Report post Posted October 13, 2013 Sent you out 2 PDFs Hope this will help you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rayban Report post Posted October 13, 2013 I want one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Trox Report post Posted October 14, 2013 Sent you out 2 PDFs Hope this will help you. Thanks Itch, I recieved them both, it looks like a very good manual. Tor Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alvhg09 Report post Posted January 5, 2014 Hello Itch, by any chance do you still have the manual and part list? I just got a machine like this but not totally sure how to use it, thanks in advance. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Itch Report post Posted January 6, 2014 Hello Itch, by any chance do you still have the manual and part list? I just got a machine like this but not totally sure how to use it, thanks in advance. Check your email... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andrew Chee Report post Posted February 9, 2014 It's been a while since you originally posted this. Just wanted to find out how the splitter is working for you. I heard that these older bottom feed only splitters are not that good at handling harder veg tan leathers but is good for thinner softer stuff. How is yours working? These bottom feed only splitters tend to be cheaper than top and bottom feed ones so I might be interested in finding one if they can handle the work. Also, if you don't mind me asking, around how much did you end up paying for it? Andrew Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alvhg09 Report post Posted March 19, 2014 Check your email... Hello Itch, i only thanked you via email but not in here so thank you for the file you sent me. I'm back here because i simply can't make the machine to work well, sometimes it does split and the next one it tears all the leather piece, sometimes it split at a certain thickness and without moving anything the next one is splitted differently, so i'm here asking for your help, back then you only sent me one file but when i read again this post you mentioned there are 2 files, any chance the solution might be around there? Or do you have any idea what could be happening? Thanks in advance. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Itch Report post Posted July 1, 2014 Hello Itch, i only thanked you via email but not in here so thank you for the file you sent me. I'm back here because i simply can't make the machine to work well, sometimes it does split and the next one it tears all the leather piece, sometimes it split at a certain thickness and without moving anything the next one is splitted differently, so i'm here asking for your help, back then you only sent me one file but when i read again this post you mentioned there are 2 files, any chance the solution might be around there? Or do you have any idea what could be happening? Thanks in advance. I have sent you my contact info... Give me a call if you still have any questions.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steadybrook Report post Posted February 24, 2015 I have one of these machines and I am having problems with it, I put a new blade on it and sharpened it. But now it eats the leather and it is not right thickness. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steadybrook Report post Posted February 24, 2015 I followed the manual throughout the procedure and double checked all the instructions. What do you mean by the angle and distance from the roller? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steadybrook Report post Posted February 24, 2015 Mine is set at approx. 1mm or 3/64th's between the blade and the feed roller? Should it be more? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Itch Report post Posted February 24, 2015 For the most part the machine runs pretty well but it is a learning curve to set it up to run correctly. If you have the manual read it over and over. I need to put new belt,s on my machine as they slip when I put some old stiff harness through it but it does split evenly.. The stones need to be adjusted correctly to sharpen the blade correctly.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steadybrook Report post Posted February 24, 2015 Thanks, I will try a smaller gap between the bottom of the blade and the feed roller. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steadybrook Report post Posted March 25, 2015 Still have an issue with mine too. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
