Adler 467 For Venator

[venator]

I'm happy to do all of the things you've mentioned, this machine unfortunately suffered the car equivalent of a timing belt break with an interference design engine resulting in bent valves and scored pistons and a mis-aligned cam. It needed a real mechanic. . .

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.

[TinkerTailor]

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.

When i train bike mechanics, I try to train them about this, though it is one of the hardest skills to teach.

Machines talk and your ears are huge part of diagnosis.

When building bike wheels, It is not about having tight spokes, its about balance. They all have to be the same tension, and then they balance the load and result in a straight wheel. There are 2 ways to do it, The modern way with a tensiometer guage and a dial indicator wheel truing stand, or the old way where you pluck the spokes one at a time and listen, then tension them so they sound the same. If they sound the same, they will have the same tension. Truing wheels, your thumb is an amazing pressure sensor, if you place your thumb lightly against the sidewall while holding the frame and spinning the wheel, you will feel the wobble quite readily.

Guys who work the old way can fix a wheel anywhere anytime with a slot screwdriver or a spoke wrench, I carry a 3way spoke wrench as a keychain.

Guys who do it the modern gauge way are screwed outside of the shop.

To diagnose, I can spin a wheel and put a pencil into the spokes, and listen. I know instantly the condition of the wheel. I also hear broken spokes as the customer is rolling the bike in the door. I also put one end of a wrench on the axle nut, and cup my hand around the other against my ear to use it like a stethoscope and listen to the bearings while they are spinning. This method works really good to pinpoint a problem in a complex machine. Screwdrivers without modern rubbery handles work too.

I use the guitar tuning analogy:

You can tune the guitar by ear, matching one string to the next or you can use an electric tuner to do it. Both will put the guitar in tune.

However, with one method, 2 problems arise. How do you tune with no batteries? Can you hear it go out of tune while playing?

Edited January 15, 2016 by TinkerTailor

[Darren Brosowski]

LOL Mate,

I was complimenting Eric on sharing his knowledge and hope you don't think I was having a go at you.

If that 467 was offered to me I would not have touched it as, to extend your metaphor, I think it rolled off a cliff, crashed and burned!!

I'm happy to do all of the things you've mentioned, this machine unfortunately suffered the car equivalent of a timing belt break with an interference design engine resulting in bent valves and scored pistons and a mis-aligned cam. It needed a real mechanic. . .

[gottaknow]

I just read through this thread again and was pleased to see all the pictures back! It didn't make a lot of sense without them.

Regards, Eric

[Haderimouve]

Hi everybody !

Thank you very much Eric for all these information about the Adler 467-373 because ... I just bought one !

I have other machines ; among them, a Bernina 217N, a PFAFF 335H3 and a PFAFF 545H3 as well as a 546H3 . All these machines are perfect for my hobby activity and very easy to lubricate and take care of . I just realized that the ADLER 467 is a factory machine usually working 8 hours per day at high speed ... All the contrary of what I'm doing with my sewing machines !

Hope I will find a solution for my new machine lubrification !

 

Edited February 28, 2017 by Haderimouve

[Uwe]

The oil pump system on my Adler 467 appears to work just fine, even at slow speeds. The oil drips from the little brass tube inside the head a little slower when I sew at slow, count-along speeds, but oil does flow and drip every few seconds. At least on my machine I think the 467 pump oiling system would be just fine for sewing at slow to moderate speeds, really. It won't hurt to do the occasional high speed bobbin wind or empty run. 

[Haderimouve]

Uwe, nice to hear your diagnosis : My machine has no corrosion and seem to be well lubricated at even slow speed as well ... I will have a control to that in the next weeks. The truth is that the machine is running very smoothly, I'm very pleased with it.

Even if I'm usually using a separate electric bobbin winder, I will use the "in case" 467 bobbin winder to let the machine run to high speed !

[Mark842]

Wow, great info Eric! Thanks for posting all this. I've looked at some of this stuff over the years but have frankly been too intimidated to mess with some of it. Having it explained with pic's makes it seem less daunting.

Mark

[patineto]

Eric Admirable sense of pride in your workmanship, plus congratulations for the spirit of sharing..

Many moons ago, working on a bicycle shop, my manager use to say "Lets make every $300 bike, perform like a $3000 bike"

Sure pipe dream, but many times with a little more care and a file and a drill and a few other little tools) you can make them perform two-three steps up on the line up (for a time since the parts are just not as well made and will wear out faster, flex a little here and there, etc..)

 

I any case I salute you because you take you work as serious as a NASA project director,  just the way it got to be..

 

Ricky..

 

 

[nylonRigging]

This is a great read on this Thread, well worth the time to take and go threw . 'competent' sew tech.  like ( Eric ) are harder to find now days ( never met him ) .
Reading this thread makes me feel SOooooooo Grateful to know a couple techs formal trained by years of machine industrial sew repair, that I can get my machines to when I have been pushed to my limit on sew machine repair knowledge .
Up here in NW. Oregon, years ago it was a sew mecca at one time especially outdoor/sporting . Now, 'Real Techs'  are slimmer pickings, I  know 2 that will do mobile, and one that I can drive over and drop off a machine . But I can imagine that it would really suck and be stressful to say the least if you lived in area that had No competent sew repair locally that you could count on when there is trouble that you cant find answer or fix for .
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