Adler 205-374

[llucas]

I am a hobbiest gun belt and holster maker, but arrived at the place where I needed a sewing machine. After the last gun belt and many hours of hand stitching I swore I would never do another one without being able to machine stitch it.

Totally sick of hand stitching belts, today I picked up an old Adler 205-374 cylinder arm machine that was used by a feedshop to repair saddles. The walking foot lift lever and foot pedal was frozen up. I took the faceplate off, sprayed with chemtool, cleaned it up and lubricated. The walking foot lift lever and pedal now work fine. I threaded it up and tried it, but of course it needs some more work as everything tangled up and ended up in the bobbin area. I will finish cleaning everything up, lube everything and attempt to adjust it. Anyone know where I can find a service manual for this model? Also, assuming it will return to good working condition, was $500 a good price? Apart from being rode hard and put away wet, all the tolerances seem tight. Also, I read on the forum that Weaver has a dvd on operating the Adler 205-370 series. Anyone have a copy they want to sell?

A few more novice questions related to sewing machines: what size thread and needle for gun belts and holsters using this Adler? The gun belts are approximately 1/4" thick of two layers of 8-9 oz leather. Same for the pancake holsters. As a novice I have been hand stitching using waxed thread from tandy. I picked up some 270 nylon thread from a friend, but this seems kind of thin compared to the waxed tandy thread I have been using.

Great forum.

Edited November 13, 2015 by llucas

[Uwe]

You can download PDF versions of the Durkopp Adler 205-370 Owner Manual and the Durkopp Adler 205-370 Service Manual from my website.

I haven't seen the Weaver DVD, but heard comments that it doesn't go into great depth. Reading the manuals will get you started on the right path.

I've used size 415 bonded polyester thread without any trouble using size 27 needles. I made a little sewing demo video using this combination some time ago:

I took the bobbin area apart for a different video on changing out the presser foot:

This machine uses little spacers for different needle sizes to adjust hook-to-needle spacing. Make sure you use the right combination to get good results (e.g. use the "250" spacer for the 250Nm/27 size needle). The spacers are available from Weaver and other retailers here at LW or online.

$500 is a total bargain for that machine if it is serviceable.

I have a few presser feet and accessories for the machine in my ebay store and I'm finalizing work on a flatbed table attachment, just in case you're looking to spend all that money you saved with your initial purchase.

Edited November 13, 2015 by Uwe

[llucas]

Uwe, thanks very much. Very helpful, indeed. I have a question related to your video. The walking feet leave an impression in the leather. Is it possible to adjust the tension on the walking feet to eliminate the impression while still properly feeding the material? I will take a look at your eBay link. The walking foot setup on my machine is, I think, called a harness walking foot.

I should note again that, while mechanically inclined, I am a complete novice about sewing with a machine. And, is there a video or guide to changing the spacers for the different size needles?

Edited November 13, 2015 by llucas

[Uwe]

The presser feet in the belt video have special ridges at the bottom that help press the thread into the leather. The harness feet are skinny and have a very small footprint - they're more likely to leave marks, just like high-heeled shoes on a wood floor. Other feet styles with bigger flat/smooth bottoms are available and yes, you can adjust the foot pressure (see manual for details) to dial in the least amount of pressure that still holds your material securely in place. There'll be a fair amount of trial and error involved to find settings and accessories that work for your specific application.

Edited November 13, 2015 by Uwe

[llucas]

Uwe, again, thanks very much.

[George3]

Are you threading the machine correctly?

Make sure the thread goes through the take up arm, if not it will give you a birds nest underneath.

How do I know this

[llucas]

George, it is entirely possible I have not threaded it properly and that it is tensioned improperly. I ran the thread the way the sewing machine mechanic suggested. I downloaded the manuals Uwe provided plus one from the Duerkopp Addler site. In one of them there was a diagram for threading. I'll double check that, thanks. Eventually I am sure I will figure this stuff out. Right now I feel like a little kid trying to figure out how to drive an earthmover, lol.

[llucas]

Uwe, in your video at 1:37 there are two shims illustrated. In taking apart my 205-374 to give it a through cleaning I discovered I do not have these two shims. in the Adler parts manual these are 205 15 016 0 10, 2mm and 205 15 017 0 10,3mm. Is that a problem? Also, the spacer on my machine is a 230 rather than a 250 and the needle is a 27. Again, is this a problem?

On another topic, I sincerely hope you post a video on how to time the Adler 205-370. I am sure more than myself would love to see that. Your videos are extremely well done.

Edited November 14, 2015 by llucas

[Uwe]

The big C-shaped distance rings in the video are used to adjust hook-to-needle distance. The number of shims required for proper hook-to-needle distance will vary from machine to machine. Your machine may be fine as it is. You may need to add some shims to get the hook-to-needle-distance just right. In hook timing position (needle has risen 4mm from bottom) "the hook should be as close as possible without touching the needle." The distance rings are available from Weaver. You probably only have to do this adjustment once, because it's very unlikely to go out of whack with normal use.

The little spacer shims with the numbers on them are used to adjust needle guard position relative to the needle. The number on the shim corresponds to the needle size in NM (Number Metric). You'll need a full set of these little spacers (also available from Weaver) if you plan to switch needle sizes. The needle guard actually IS supposed to touch the needle without pushing it out of the way. If the needle guard is not touching the needle, it's not protecting the hook. If it's pushing the needle too far away from the hook, it will cause skipped stitches. If you're off by just one size, it's probably not a super big deal or problem.

The Adler 205-370 uses needles up to Singer size 28.

Here's how to match up the sizes (based on Singer info):

Singer size = Number Metric

Singer 23 = 160 NM

Singer 24 = 180 NM

Singer 25 = 200 NM

Singer 26 = 230 NM

Singer 27 = 250 NM

Singer 28 = 280 NM

I do plan on making an Adler 205 use and service video over the next month or two, once I get comfortable making the adjustments myself.

Edited November 14, 2015 by Uwe

[llucas]

Uwe, again great information. Thanks very much. I look forward to your adler video. I downloaded the service manual for the 205-370 and it has the timing instructions. But I have to order a few parts. A couple of distance rings, needle guard spacers for 200, 230 and 250 and 25/200, 26/230 needles (I have an ample supply of 250/27), etc. The screws that holds the outer retention ring for the shuttle/bobbin assembly will need to be replaced. as you look at the cylinder arm there are two screws that hold this assembly in place. the left screw hole is slightly stripped. As the parts are under tension and only these two screws hold it together I must figure out how to repair this to achieve even tension. Tap the hole one size up and use the proper size screw for the new hole (with head size remaining the same)? On this machine the two existing screws are different lengths, but the parts list show them as identical. Also the door on the bobbin/shuttle assembly is missing and needs to be replaced. After all that I have to figure out how to tension the thread and bobbin.

Edited November 16, 2015 by llucas