Contemplating A Puritan Stitcher: Vamping, Staying, Fairstitch ?

[Uwe]

In a moment of weakness I'm contemplating getting a Puritan Stitcher.

The problem of sorts is that I have no idea which exact model I'm actually looking at and the guy selling it doesn't either:

It kind of looks close to this "Vamper" model:

Does anybody know how to positively identify a particular model or where to find the model markings? I'm waiting for some close-up photos of the needle/awl area. The guys says it works "flawlessly". It's a looong drive to go pick it up so I'm trying to do a little sanity check before I committ.

My other concern is that the only real Puritan Stitcher documentation I found was at the Smithsonian (which hasn't figured out how to make a PDF yet.) The manual talks about Vamping, Staying, and Fairstitch - I've never even heard these terms before! Is there a glossary on what these sewing terms mean? I know they're all chain stitch machines, but I don't know these variations on the theme.

There is precious little information available about these machines other than the manual and that glowing Redwing Shoes video which made me want to own one of these machines in the first place.

Can these models really be "easily converted" between 1/2/3 needles modes as the Puritan website states? They say they have all parts in stock and ready to ship - has anybody successfully ordered parts from them?

Is the Ceroxylon liquid lubricant the manual talks about just plain Palm oil/wax or is there a modern-day equivalent available from a vendor? Is that wax pot heated somehow to melt the wax?

Lots of questions, sorry. I hope some sewing machine savant will just know many of the answers and/or have some actual experience with these machines.

[Wizcrafts]

If Puritan says they have parts, they do. As for Ceroxylon, it is clear and has the consistency of thin rubber glue. While wet, Ceroxylon is a lubricant for linen thread. Once it dries it hardens the linen thread, on both sides (since it sews a chain stitch).

Although I kept a quart, I found no other use for Ceroxylon after disposing of my Union Lockstitch machine. It does not get along well with regular eye-needle machines, like my CB4500.

If you don't want it, I might. I'm up in Flint./Burton, not too awful far from you. I would leave it as a single needle post machine and use it to sew sandals, hats, bags and such.

[pcox]

I own a Puritan. they do have parts for most machines, however they didn't have parts for mine. Mine is a very old model that has a spiral scarf on the needle and the shank of the awl and needle are a different size. They first said I was mistaken. Next time I called an older man was there and said I was correct but they no longer serviced that machine.. They did find a few needles and awls for mine and I bought all the needles and some awls.. My machine works perfectly now but I did have to make 2 simple parts my self. I like the machine and use it when I need to. If I can find a newer model that I can afford I will buy it. Vamping etc refers to shoe making processes. I have an original manual copy right 1907. The wax pot is not heated as it uses liquid wax only. If you don't want the machine I would like a shot at it

[Uwe]

Thanks guys! Alas, it seems it wasn't meant to be. We had a deal and shook virtual hands on it, but then he backed out citing family heirloom concerns. Now all I can say is that I came very close to owning one of these beauties at one time.

Just for the archive, here's the close-up of the what appears to be currently single needle, but ready-for-triple-stitch setup.

[Constabulary]

Damn what a nice machine! Too bad you didn´t get it. Yes, the red Wing Video is awesome.

Now you are bitten by the "old cast iron bug" and there is no cure.

[Uwe]

I know it's only a matter of time, now that the thought of owning a Puritan has taken hold in my mind.

[Uwe]

Turns out the "family heirloom concern" was really a mild case of greed. For some reason he had no takers on his initial CL listing and lowered the price. After I agreed to buy it, his wife started googling Puritans (has anything good ever happened after "let me check with my wife"?). He now wants thousands of dollars instead of hundreds for the machine. Oh well . . .

[TinkerTailor]

I had heard from a guy at dayton, here in vancouver, that there are 1,2 and 3 needle machines, the 3 can do 1 but the 1 can't do 3 if that makes sense. I want to say a year or two ago, one was sold by dayton because it was only capable of 1 needle. I would have thought they would keep it for parts, but whatever...

[Wizcrafts]

Turns out the "family heirloom concern" was really a mild case of greed. For some reason he had no takers on his initial CL listing and lowered the price. After I agreed to buy it, his wife started googling Puritans (has anything good ever happened after "let me check with my wife"?). He now wants thousands of dollars instead of hundreds for the machine. Oh well . . .

Let me tell you a secret Ewe. There be Puritans in Toledo ;-)

[Constabulary]

Uwe - tell them they are nuts, the "real" puritans are quite cheap:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SEWING-MACHINE-73-E-PURITAN-MAID-BAY-STATE-PRODUCTS-METAL-REAL-MACHINE-WORKS-/111796656073?hash=item1a079997c9:g:WCwAAOSw9N1VvUHU

This is a real heavy duty leather stitcher. Look at the mighty foot, must be a needle feed machine, it´s the well know Mod. 73E - I think you agree, right?

And its even portable!!! Maybe the predecessor of the Sailrite LS Hokus Pokus

Edited October 27, 2015 by Constabulary

[Wizcrafts]

Uwe - tell them they are nuts, the "real" puritans are quite cheap:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SEWING-MACHINE-73-E-PURITAN-MAID-BAY-STATE-PRODUCTS-METAL-REAL-MACHINE-WORKS-/111796656073?hash=item1a079997c9:g:WCwAAOSw9N1VvUHU

This is a real heavy duty leather stitcher. Look at the mighty foot, must be a needle feed machine, it´s the well know Mod. 73E - I think you agree, right?

And its even portable!!! Maybe the predecessor of the Sailrite LS Hokus Pokus

I'll bet that the little beast can sew up to 3/4 mm of real leather!

[TinkerTailor]

Buyer: Is it a walking foot?

Seller: Totally . When i move it, i walk it to the new place with my feet......

I'll bet that the little beast can sew up to 3/4 mm of real leather!

What spi do you recommend?

[Constabulary]

I'll bet that the little beast can sew up to 3/4 mm of real leather!

I´m sure it can - look at the mighty "Monster" hand wheel, this thing will punch trough it like butter (even frozen butter). And you can even store your lunch in it - what other machine has a lunch box feature? What a beast!

[Wizcrafts]

I´m sure it can - look at the mighty "Monster" hand wheel, this thing will punch trough it like butter (even frozen butter). And you can even store your lunch in it - what other machine has a lunch box feature? What a beast!

Of course, you are right. All that is missing is a picture of Howdy Doody on the lid. Then it would be a lunch box!

Didi you notice the high tech AC cord and modern 2 prong plug that comes with the machine? I'll bet it could be used to power a doll house. How many sewing machines can do that? Heck, it could even sew the doll clothes.

[Uwe]

Thanks for all the sillyness and comic relief! In an unexpected plot twist, the deal is on again and Karma points may get restored. I'm off to Ohio - wish me luck . . .

[Constabulary]

Again - lucky you! I wish you luck! Looking forward to some nice pictures

[Uwe]

Well, I survived Ohio and I'm happy to announce my new arrival. I'll update with more details and photos in coming days/weeks.

[Uwe]

"This one's different" is my take so far on the Puritan- and I'm sure people still say that about me sometimes, too.

Very few things work the way I expect them to. The handwheel turn away from you, this being a first for me. The chain stitch and needle/awl thing takes a little while to digest. I still haven't figured out how you actually start sewing a stitch with thing (not I have any needles, mind you.) None of the youtube video show this, actually - they're already in the middle of everything. The manual also does not give even a hint. I'm guessing people "just know" or at least used to know these things. Right now I'm leaning towards bringing the needles up and then manually wrapping each thread into the needle hooks and holding on to the thread while I turn to pull down the needles.

I'm still not totally sure which exact model I actually have. I think there's some fluidity since you can change things over from one model to another in the field. Mine appears be "transitioning" - it's mostly a "Three-Row Vamper BX 3/32", with a few mismatched parts. The BX 3/32 should have three stitch rows spaced 3/32" apart (pitch) with small shank needles (.086" shank).

There are five elements that need to have matching pitch:

1. The needle holder below the needle plate

2. Needle brace/castoff holder

3. The needle plate

4. The presser foot

5. The awl holder at the top

They all need to be synchronized with the same pitch of either ALL 3/32", or ALL 1/8" spacing between the three stitching rows.

Mine has everything 3/32" pitch, except the needle holder which has a pitch of 1/8". This combination will never sew three rows of stitching, but it'll sew a single center row of stitching just fine, apparently, which is how the machine has been used for a while.

I tried to order some needles and awls today and called Puritan (how much could they possibly be, right?) Nice fella answered and he had a few questions that had me take the digital caliper to the machine afterwards.

So it turns out that needles are $8.25 EACH and awls are $8.60 EACH, with a minimum purchase of ten needles/awls. So I'll be out around $170 just to get a single pair of needle and awl into this machine (center row) just to see if it will make a stitch. I'll have to get a new needle holder with the right pitch to attempt triple-row stitches. I'm almost afraid to ask how much a needle holder is. Like I said, this one's different.

Does anybody by chance know if these needles and awls are unique to Puritan, or if I can substitute other needle/awl brands (e.g. Campbell Randall)?

If this post seems to lack organization and direction, that's because I have none when it comes to this machine. I don't even know what my next step should be right now. I'm gonna let it simmer for a few days before tackle it again. I also need to sell a couple swing-down guides and presser feet on ebay so I can afford to buy needles and awls, haha!

[Wizcrafts]

I felt the same as you the day I brought my first Union Lockstitch machine home. It did have one needle and awl and one bobbin. There was nothing else. No manual, threading rod, 4-sided wrenches, thread, et al. All this came together in one day when I was pointed to a particular harness maker who had one in a corner, with everything I needed.

I am confident that you will find somebody, possibly Amish or Mennonite, who knows this particular Puritan setup.

[TinkerTailor]

"This one's different" is my take so far on the Puritan- and I'm sure people still say that about me sometimes, too.

Very few things work the way I expect them to. The handwheel turn away from you, this being a first for me.

White rotary treadle machines rotate away from you. Sometimes i just about put my shoulder out when i absentmindedly try to handwheel the wrong way on my techsew to start the stitch the way i do every time on my treadle not a hard push, just a gentle help to start the stitch,....Those servo motors do not need a push........especially the wrong way. They kick back...lol

Edited November 3, 2015 by TinkerTailor

[pcox]

I'll check to see if I have any needles and awls for your machine. Do you know what size you need. Shank diameter is important if you can get it. To start sewing on mine put the work under the foot hold the thread to the left rear engage the clutch. Br sure to have at least 8 inches of thread tail pulled out.

[Uwe]

Thanks for offering to check your stash, pcox.

My Puritan's needle/awl shank size is 0.086".

The one awl I have is 1-7/16" long.

I measured how deep the needle and awl are seated inside their holders, and the closest distance between top and bottom holder during the cycle.

Per the manual, there should be a gap of 1/16" between awl and needle at this timing point. I calculated how long the needle should be based on this info.

So, if I did my calculations right, the needle should be close to 1.97" long and have a 0.086" shank. Any "size" will be fine for testing, I eventually plan to sew with about 207 size thread.

Here's a little scale drawing I made to help me figure this out:

I do really like the concept of needle/awl machines, so I'm gonna try hard to make this one work. Less sure about the chain stitch yet, I tend to lean towards lockstitch machines.

Edited November 3, 2015 by Uwe

[Uwe]

So while I'm waiting to get my hands on some needles and awls I decided to make a new throat plate for my Puritan. The original showed a fair amount of battle scars and the little blade inserts needed to be replaced.

It turns out the WaterJet at my TechShop can do incredibly detailed work with great precision on its huge 6'x10' work table, cutting the three 0.07" wide slots quite nicely. The new throat plate made from 304 stainless steel should last a while. I'm also guessing that the cost of the replacement inserts of the original is higher than my entire throat plate. I'll find out this week when they get back to me a with a quote for several Puritan parts.

[TinkerTailor]

It looks awesome, and should serve the machine well for years. It reminds me of the old guy who does not stop smiling cause he just got new teeth. The only thing is, my ocd can't handle the phillips.......Can't wait to see it stitch

[Anti19]

Hello Uwe! 

Do you have any news to share of your affair with a puritan? Your thread describe pretty much exactly my journey with my stitcher (a low post XL)! Have you figure out a way to make it work?