Owner & Service Manual For Durkopp Adler 204/205-370

[Uwe]

Congratulations on your new arrival - you got yourself a great machine for a bargain price!

The bobbin spin direction is like this (from manual):

Here's a quick little video on how to release the bobbin in a Durkopp Adler 204/205 sewing machine:

I'll be working on a series of videos for this machine over the next week or so.

A nice threading diagram is in the manual:

Edited November 23, 2015 by Uwe

[gt2ride]

Thanks Uwe

That is just what I needed. The man I bought the machine got it along with 16 other sewing machines form the prison here in Leavenworth.

there is a 30-10 adler but the bobbin and hook is gone. Would that be hard to find and cost a bunch?

cant say enough good things about you

gt

[TinkerTailor]

Thanks Uwe

That is just what I needed. The man I bought the machine got it along with 16 other sewing machines form the prison here in Leavenworth.

there is a 30-10 adler but the bobbin and hook is gone. Would that be hard to find and cost a bunch?

cant say enough good things about you

gt

The bobbin and hook are gone on former prison machines????? I wonder how many prison weapons those made.

[TinkerTailor]

I'm still a bit surprised and shocked that I could fix all my problems in less than 4 hours, with literally zero knowledge of how a sewing machine works, when the folks at Michel Simard spent 14 hours before dropping the ball on me.

However, I'm really happy that it all worked out fine, and now I can enjoy my super 205 !

Thanks again for your helpful comments and suggestions, and have a great weekend !

Danny

Edit: The text below is meant to be more of a general guide and less a comment on your situation. Your situation sounds like it may have additional aspects to consider regarding your machines oem setup and service provided.

If you are planning on keeping this machine and using it for a long time, learning its internal subtleties is a great idea.

Machines should come timed right, but sometimes shipping can cause issues. Its always faster if you can fix things yourself. My machine had an small issue when i used the hand lift but not when i used the pedal lift. A mechanically inept person would have been totally perplexed by it. Even in photos and over the phone, it was difficult to covey to the place i got it from. I figured it out with a single washer as a spacer. Could have cost them alot to get the issue taken care of if the machine needed a house call from a local mechanic or if it needed to be shipped back across the continent.....Both of which would probably take a week or more to resolve.....

Instead because I can sew as well as fix things, I was sewing in 2 hours, and it cost everybody 25 cents for a washer.

Sometimes I wonder if industrial sewing places are standoffish because of 2 reasons,

First is that they charge for service and training. Yes you bought the machine, but every man hour that goes in takes away from the bottom line.

Second, which relates to the first: Most all places that buy these machines have sewers that just jam material under feet all day long and a mechanic who sets up the machine. They also buy more than 1 at a time. The mechanic should know how to set it up and generally would not need instruction. Service/training costs get spread over all the machines the factory bought, not just one. As a home user, you should be both mechanic and sewer, or know someone who is, and works for apple pie..... Supporting the mechanical blunders and learning curve of every home user can get really costly really fast, as opposed to supporting a professional mechanic with training that bought 6 machines.

This is the difference between retail and wholesale in most markets. Everything is cheaper wholesale, but you don't get to ask questions, just send in the list of part numbers and we will get it to you. Industrial sewing machines are only purchased wholesale really as there is an almost non-existant retail market..

The leather machine guys are playing in this game and marking up their accessories to cover the service they provide to the retail user in the wholesale market essentially.

Some of these companies are small. If you take up their time with an issue due to your mistakes or inexperience, and they help you, finish the phone call with an order for a spool of thread or a couple of packs of needles or something. The token sale says alot and helps them give you the service. Plus you need needles and thread anyways.

Never forget that the right hand washes the left. Pretty hard to wash your hand if you only have 1.

Edited November 23, 2015 by TinkerTailor

[shoepatcher]

gt2ride,

A generic hook and bobbin for a small bobbin Singer 29K patcher will work in a 30-10 Adler machine. You can find them on Ebay.

glenn