Adler 467 For Venator

[gottaknow]

oh man - when I see all this it once again confirms my opinion that older machines are often enough the better choice - at least for my purposes.

There's a lot wisdom there, especially for the hobbyist. Automatic oiling systems are great for factories and upholstery shops that sew at higher speed. Used production machines that find their way to the hobbyist can be trouble as far as the oiling systems go. That's why I made the choice to convert the top end to a manually oiled system. If you don't use the machine for 3 months, oil it up and you're good to go. One of my personal machines is a Singer 111 needle feed. All manually oiled. It's been stored for 4 years but I know after a quick oiling, it'd be ready to go.

On another note, here's my shop. There's an outer part where we rebuild machines and do major repairs, and the inner shop where all the tools are. I do have a bench that you can't see behind the tool chest where on occasion I'll work on just a head. We get really busy during the week, so first thing Monday morning, my apprentice gets to clean and put away everything...paying his dues so to speak.

Regards, Eric

[gottaknow]

I've been able to find time to drill holes in the top cover so this machine can be kept oiled. I'll follow up with pictures when I can. I've been spending a fair amount of time in our Seattle factories in the past few weeks. I still need to smooth up the holes and paint them. After that's all done I can put everything back together and do the final sew off. It's been quite the process. Oh, I'll do another oil change too.

Regards, Eric

[venator]

Sorry I dropped off the face of the earth regarding this, I've been a bit overwhelmed by the rest of my life lately.

Thanks again for the work you're putting in on this, it looks like you've made some great progress and your help is still very much appreciated on it.

Also my offer of a free custom shirt for all your help still stands. . .

How's the progress now?

[gottaknow]

Hi stranger. It seems the longer I tinker with your machine, the better it's getting. I'm in our Seattle factory this week, but when I get back I'll post some pics of my latest sewing. It's sewing two ply of 8-9 oz. bridle leather with no skipping or thread breakage. It could really use a new hook, but I'm not sure I'd invest the money in that. As for the oil, the holes are all drilled in the right places and I've oiled it to see if I have dry spots after sewing. Before I send it back, I want to have done enough sewing to give you an accurate, honest evaluation. At this point, I believe the machine is usable and will produce a nice stitch. I've been using T135 bonded nylon top and bottom with a size 22 needle. It seems to like that combination. I put some T208 through it which it didn't like that well. I hope to get you some pics this weekend. I've been traveling every week for the last 6 weeks, mainly training the handful of mechanics we have.

Regards, Eric

[venator]

So we've moved into the new place in Toronto. So when you're ready to send it back let me know and ill fire you the cost and new address.

[gottaknow]

Sounds good. I'll get it crated proper. I need to write some oiling instructions out along with a few other things to help you have an easier time with it including your limitations with thread and leather thickness. It could use a new hook, but I'd only replace it with an original and given the oil issues, I wouldn't invest the cost. It'll still sew plenty and I'll include some samples. Glad you got moved!

Regards, Eric

[venator]

So just to let people know as this has kind of dropped away from consciousness:

I received the machine back in October (I had moved to Toronto from Edmonton across the summer) but only just uncrated it yesterday as I had been in North and South Carolina for a few weeks.

So far the machine is operating significantly better than it ever has, it runs smoothly, it sews well, no longer breaks threads at every reverse etc.

I can't say too much how thrilled I am with all the work that gottaknow put in on my machine, it's been a huge difference and it's made the difference between selling a machine that cost me almost $2k for scrap and being able to use it again.

Thank you so much.

[gottaknow]

You are most welcome.

Regards, Eric

[Darren Brosowski]

I like to think of owning a sewing machine in terms of owning a car.

Learning to use it is equivalent to learning to drive.

Cleaning and oiling is equivalent to washing and polishing a car

Changing needles and knowing when to change a needle is the same as car tyres.

Timing and minor adjustment is comparable to changing oil and oil filter in a car - very simple when clearly explained.

As with cars some owners are happy to pay someone else to do everything for them.

I tend to find that the people who have the least problems are the ones who want to understand how and why the machine works. I know it sounds silly but sewing machines "talk" to you - when things are not quite right they start to sound different - and the experienced user will start to sense when something is not quite right and find the problem before it becomes expensive.

I like going through machines in the forum and hopefully take some of the mystery out of industrial machines. It can be really discouraging and even the cause of some leaving the enjoyment of leather work because of a machine issue. That, and the costs associated with having them adjusted and repaired. I've always believed that most folks can learn their machines well enough to make basic adjustments and troubleshoot problems, not detracting from the hobby or even a small business. Nothing worse than getting half way through a project and having something come up. As I've said before, I make a really good living as a head mechanic in a factory. My only compensation is hoping that I might help some folks solve problems.

A wise man (dad) once told me that if you want to learn something, find someone who does it better and then pay attention. I was so impressed when I first joined the site the level of knowledge that was here and the willingness to help. I've been able to build my leather working skills by reading and practicing. Sewing machines are no different.

Regards, Eric

[Darren Brosowski]

In Australia a dealer selling a used machine must has to warrant that the machine is "fit and proper for the purpose for which it is sold" and here the customer would have the right to demand full refund or replacement.

Mistakes happen and things can go wrong - that is life - but in this case reconditioned appears to mean that they put a new needle in it........

I agree with you, in purchasing a used machine I did not expect to receive a new machine. However the machine was not only sold as used but advertised as "reconditioned", in my mind this was not a reconditioned machine.

When I purchase something as reconditioned I am under the impression that it has been cleaned effectively (clearly this has not due to the corrosion etc) that all parts of it work properly including such items as the lubrication system (clearly not the case) that all parts are correct for the machine (clearly not since at least one part required mechanical modification such as grinding).

While the machine did work when we received it we put less than 5 hours of very very light use on it before we started to have problems, it received less use than I would expect one of Eric's machines to receive in less than 30 minutes of run time before it started to act up.

While I would have no problem if a part had broken, it is used after all and such things cannot be predicted, I have issue with a machine that falls so badly out of alignment that it requires quite a few hours of labour from a skilled mechanic to get it working again. I also take issue with a machine being sold as reconditioned that does not have a functioning lubrication system, or the correct parts.

If I was paying for these repairs I'm sure it would cost me less to simply sell the machine as scrap and purchase a brand new machine in it's place and that is what I find totally unacceptable about the entire situation.

Had I purchased from an individual I would simply say "Caveat emptor" and move on but since this is supposedly a respected retailer that specializes in such things I feel there is a higher standard expected, one they clearly have not met.