Fortuna Skiving Machine - Help Needed

[Andrew Chee]

The knife shouldn't have any play in it. Is the knife not bolted on to the shaft tightly or is the shaft itself moving? Also, one thing to consider is that when you skive thin leather, the blade should sit closer to the feed wheel while if you skive thick leather, it should sit further back (to the right I guess). This will help in the feeding of the item.

Andrew

[edd]

Thanks Andrew.

Its the shaft that's moving. There's also a tiny bit of movement up & down. Any idea if its possible to adjust it or would the shaft need replacing?

I'll have to contact the supplier to remonstrate

[Ferg]

Shaft may be worn or bearings could be going bad.

This is the biggest problem with the older machines of any kind. Expect a number of things to fix/repair, quite often worth every bit of work but parts for the Fortuna may be costly.

ferg

[edd]

I'm going to find out how much it'd be to replace the main shaft. So much for buying a 'rebuilt' machine.

Still glad I didn't buy a cheaper Chinese copy though

[Ferg]

A really good machine man would find all the little faults. May have been a quick "do-over".

Still a great machine.

ferg

[edd]

Well I've been on to the supplier and they said they'd pick it up and exchange it for another machine they've just had in . They assured me this one is in 'perfect condition'.

I spoke to the UK Fortuna distributor who said that the machines that became available due to factory closures in the nineties and noughties have all found new homes (mainly overseas). A lot of the 'rebuilt' machines doing the rounds are in need of replacement parts and serious repair, that's why they were gotten rid of in the first place.

I was quoted £1100 for a new knife shaft. Worth bearing in mind for anyone tempted by a freshly painted 'refurbished' skiver!

[Ferg]

Gosh! Did I say parts for it may be costly? LOL

ferg

[edd]

Haha I know, I choked when they told me!

[billybopp]

At that price, you've gotta wonder what the shaft is made of. Just sayin'.

Bill

[Dwegan1982]

Hi. I know this is an old thread but I thought this could be a fun post with a happy ending

I a few years bought this exact same machine on ebay(serial numbers and crappy white paint job matched)

It was in the state as described in previous posts and I was a little bummed so i just let it sit a few years on the floor but during covid lockdowns I decided to give it some TLC.

I stripped it down to bare metal and repainted it. Serviced all the bearings or replaced them as needed as well as replacing  most plastic knobs for metal ones.

Its now a lovely flawless running machine that should outlive me.

I attached a photo of its current state.