bill2750 Report post Posted January 18, 2015 I have an opportunity to purchase either one of these machines. Unfortunately they are 150 miles apart so I can't compare them side by side. Is there a distinct advantage of one over the other that would help sway my decision. This is assuming that both sew well, and have been maintained. Both have clutch motors. Thank you, Bill Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CowboyBob Report post Posted January 19, 2015 The 111w155 is the newer one & will sew alittle heavier. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wizcrafts Report post Posted January 19, 2015 Also, the 155 has a safety clutch in case you jam thread in the bobbin mechanism. The 103 doesn't have this feature. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bill2750 Report post Posted January 19, 2015 Thank you for the information Bob & Wiz. I probably can't go wrong with either machine. It will boil down to how well they sew and have been maintained I think...price is quite a bit better on the 103 though. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Constabulary Report post Posted January 19, 2015 I´d probably choose the 111w155 because of the safety clutch!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bill2750 Report post Posted January 19, 2015 Well I missed the 111w155 but the 111w103 is still available for $200 with table. The seller says he get a birds nest underneath and has no idea how to fix it. I'm hoping it is just out of adjustment and a good mechanic could get everything in order pretty easy. Being new to this, is there anything that could be terribly wrong and not fixable making it a boat anchor? I'm going to take a look at it and see if there is something obvious. Maybe turn it over by hand to make sure nothing is striking the needle and then try to run it. Any ideas? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Constabulary Report post Posted January 19, 2015 Maybe just a timing or thread tension problem. The Singer 111w series are one of the few older machines you still can get almost every single part for. I´m sure one of the LW member can help you to setup the machine again. $200 is not too bad but I´d try to get a better price -maybe $150 or so. How is the overall condition? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wizcrafts Report post Posted January 19, 2015 Make sure the internal drive belt is not cracked Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bill2750 Report post Posted January 20, 2015 The machine was listed for $300, said he would take $200 over the phone and accepted $150 cash. I don't know what the internal drive belt is, unless it's the same thing as the timing belt. It looks OK. Overall it is in good condition. When cranking over by hand with a doubled thickness of duck fabric, the top thread is catching on something under the needle plate and breaking. If I turn it over by hand without the needle being threaded, there does not seem to be any strikes or unusual noises. I then ran the machine without thread and the clutch motor works fine and the machine seems to operate very well at various speeds. So at this point I don't know anything about this machine or how it works. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I will locate a manual and go from there. So far I feel pretty good about it...time will tell. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wizcrafts Report post Posted January 20, 2015 You are correct. I meant the timing belt. It must be inserted in a specific position relative to the top to bottom shafts for the timing to work. But, it also drives the feed dog and hook, so in a way it's also a drive belt. I am going to repair a 103 this Wednesday. The belt needs to be installed, the timing adjusted, the latch opener adjusted and feet changed to smooth bottom feet. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bill2750 Report post Posted January 24, 2015 I got the machine sewing. I followed directions from Eric in this thread: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=43582&&p=395345&page=12 Thanks everyone for the help. Now I need to slow it down and get different presser feet. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vpd66 Report post Posted January 25, 2015 I bought a right and left zipper foot off ebay for my 111w155 a while ago and had some issues with them fitting properly. The foot that the needle went threw did not ride up high enough on the shaft it mounts to and it was causing too much pressure on the material and it wouldn't feed the material. I compared it to the foot i had and noticed the difference. I had to drill the mounting hole deeper and grind some off the top so it rode up higher on the shaft. Just a little FYI. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Constabulary Report post Posted January 25, 2015 I bought a right and left zipper foot off ebay for my 111w155 a while ago and had some issues with them fitting properly. The foot that the needle went threw did not ride up high enough on the shaft it mounts to and it was causing too much pressure on the material and it wouldn't feed the material. I compared it to the foot i had and noticed the difference. I had to drill the mounting hole deeper and grind some off the top so it rode up higher on the shaft. Just a little FYI. Well - I´m sure that this was not the correct way to solve it. All 111w walking foot machines are using the same feet and there is no need for drilling. The machine was set up with lower foot lift because one of the former owners did not need a high lift. It is a machine setting problem not a pressure foot problem. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vpd66 Report post Posted January 25, 2015 (edited) Then why does it sew perfect with my 1/4" cording foot (the one that came with the machine)? First thing I did was adjust the presser foot pressure, but with the knob turned all the way to the light side it still wouldn't feed. When I compared the cording foot to the zipper foot there was almost 1/8" difference in height. The right hand zipper foot only required a little grinding to work, but the left one was the one that was really long. These zipper feet were from the same manufacturer bought at the same time and were very cheap. I think they were $14.00 shipped to my door. I just figured it was an import quality control thing. Both work perfect now without having to adjust the machine when changing feet. Edited January 25, 2015 by vpd66 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Constabulary Report post Posted January 25, 2015 I would assume that your machine once has been setup for a certain sewing application for the upholstery business. Usually no foot requires drilling or grinding when it is made or meant for a certain machine but everything is fine as long as it it works for you... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vpd66 Report post Posted January 25, 2015 Thats what I thought. I just figured it was poor quality import feet. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
