Adler 467 For Venator

[gottaknow]

Received the Adler 467 from Venator today and started my trouble shooting process. I can see why it's breaking thread. The hook timing is advanced too far and there is a bind in the needle bar assembly that causes the entire unit to deflect away from the hook. This not only messes up the timing, but also causes the thread to abrade on the left side of the feed dog hole.

This machine is also extremely dry. All of the oil wicks are bone dry. I've soaked everything in the mean time. There was plenty of oil in the reservoir, and when I get it sewing I'll trouble shoot the oil problem. The machine itself is in good shape overall. I see no reason why it won't sew good after I resolve the binding issue and the oil.

My one comment about the Adler machines and I guess Pfaff as well is they use more moving parts to accomplish the same thing that other manufacturers do with less. Just more stuff to take apart I guess. I've attached a few pictures and will post more as I proceed.

Regards, Eric

[amuckart]

Thank you very much for sharing this.

[venator]

Thank you very much for all of this. Please ensure you let us know where you think the problems originated, myself or before I recieved it. I have no issues owning up to any mistakes I've made, I hope everyone else involved feels the same.

[Constabulary]

My one comment about the Adler machines and I guess Pfaff as well is they use more moving parts to accomplish the same thing that other manufacturers do with less. Just more stuff to take apart I guess. I've attached a few pictures and will post more as I proceed.

Thats exactly what I discovered whern I was working on a Pfaff 145. Much much more parts a (extra roller for the footlifter f.i.). Thats why I like the much simpler Singer 111w and older Duerkopp (not Duerkopp-Adler) 239 and 241 machines so much - they are much easier to work with.

[Gregg From Keystone Sewing]

Leather worker.net shows up big again, nice to see people eager to help each other out.

[TZBrown]

Thank you very much for sharing this.

I also am looking forward to the diagnosis

Love your pictures, great depth of field for close ups

[gottaknow]

Before I adjusted the timing and other more common settings, I wanted to get rid of the bind that was moving the needle bar sideways right before loop taking time. I traced it through the seemingly miles of connecting rods and linkages in this machine. (kidding, kinda). It was primarily two things. I had suspected the needle bar connecting link because I noticed screwdriver marks on it. One of the things I do when I don't know the history of a machine is to follow the trail of worn screws and marks like I found on the connecting arm. This gives me a place to start as far those that may have come before me.

I loosened the two clamp screws (shown in the picture) and gently tapped it with a plastic mallet. Connecting arms on bearings have a sweet spot where the run the best. Most of the time, the machine will actually set itself, which it did. I then simply tightened the clamp screws.

There was still a bind in the take up arm which I could actually see. The threaded bolt was tightened all the way instead of just being snugged up to center the arm. The locknut prevents the bolt from getting out of adjustment. Cranking it all the way down was incorrect. I loosened the locknut, backed off the bolt a bit and then locked it in place with the nut. A simple fix.

These two things eliminated the binding to my satisfaction. As the oil works its way around, the machine should loosen more. The specific bind I felt yesterday is gone. What I'm still feeling is a general lack of oil and should remedy itself. More to follow.

Regards, Eric

[gottaknow]

After taking care of the binding issue, I began to look at the common settings. I always start by checking the thread paths. It doesn't matter how well you can time and set a machine if you've got one or more components compromising your thread. I always check everywhere the thread runs.

In this case, I knew from the video I had watched on this machine that something was shredding the thread. It was easy to identify two main things. The hook timing and setting to the needle as was shown in a previous photo, and today I discovered the bottom edge of the feed dog hole was like a razor in places. It's simple to test as the picture I've attached shows. I placed the feed dogs in the vice and "flossed" the hole with some thread. You can see the results with just a few passes of the thread. The other picture shows my remedy using emery cord. I was able to smooth the hole with good results and further testing left my thread intact.

On lockstitch machines, the needle thread moves back and forth about 60 times for each stitch formed. These movements are very small, but a sharp edge can really tear up your thread.

I reset the hook timing as the picture shows. I used a 2mm needle bar rise and retarded the hook quite a bit. I can now turn the machine over by hand and I'm comfortable with the timing. I do suspect that the hook in this machine is not an original Adler hook. I have some reasons to believe that, but I need to spend more time with it. The next step is to put the head in one of my tables and put some power to it. That will allow me to fine tune the settings and take care of the oil issue.

Regards, Eric

[billybopp]

When I used to fix mainframe computers for a living, we had a name for following the worn screws, marks, cleared dust and such. But it's mixed company on here, so I won't repeat it. It is a great way to find some of a machine's history, tho.

Bill

[TinkerTailor]

Do you think the gunk and oil issues caused the mistime? Also, could the wrong oil in the past clog the oil passages?