Adler 205-374

[llucas]

I did indeed turn it by hand first to confirm the adjustments and settings. Then I powered it up. This is when I got the inconsistent stitch length and weird reverse stitching. Late afternoon I took Uwe's advice and increased the pressure on the presser foot. That helped clean the stitches up to a more consistent stitch length. It is not perfect yet, but better. I'll increase the pressure more tomorrow and see if it solves the problem. I think I may have inadvertently increased the stitch length at the start by pulling excessively on the tread from the bobbin and top as I began the stitching line. Also, it may be that I was pushing or pulling the material through the stitching process instead of allowing the machine to set the pace. I am definitely paying my stupid tax as a newbie to using sewing machines!

I checked the needle and detected a burr on the spear point. I changed the needle and that seemed to help a little on the fracturing on the backside, but the new needle also developed a burr and the fracturing exposing tiny amounts of raw leather reappeared. Do needles need to be honed?

Here is the second sample from late afternoon for the top side: a little better on consistent stitch length:

Here is the back side, a little better but not great:

This sample is prefinished leather and most of my work is in veg tan which fares a little better. The fracturing of the hole on the backside of the prefinished leather where the needle punches through leaves a lot to be desired. Normally my hand sewn stitches are laid into a grooved stitch line. These samples are not. Is it possible the stitches will improve in appearance when I manage to lay the stitch into a preformed groove?

Edited February 3, 2016 by llucas

[llucas]

I had a moment to work on the Beast again this morning. As Uwe suggested I added more presser foot pressure in the event the leather was slipping in conjunction with the thread tension. That helped. The stitches are more consistent, but not yet perfect. Perhaps more pressure is needed. The backstitching in reverse was the same result, skipping every other hole. And it did not automatically go into the same hole even using the roller guide -- it laid the stitch side-by-side. I talked to Allen at Weaver and he had me do a few tests with the stitch lever vis-a-vis the feed dog while on the phone. He suggested putting a shim behind the upper part of the black rubberized plate behind the stitch lever in the reverse area -- he suggested a shim of 1/16" to 1/8". I have not yet done that, but there is an adjustment plate in that location designed to hold the lever further out -- same as a shim. I adjusted that stop downward to hold the lever off the surface of the plate about 1/8". That helped. It put the stitch back into each hole. However, the stitch in reverse looks good on the top, but the bottom is not clean. It almost looks like a stitch that is out of tension, showing a pull-through. Puzzling. I will go with Allen's suggestion of a shim and see how that develops. Thanks for the help. It is appreciated.

Edited February 3, 2016 by llucas

[llucas]

I discovered the fracturing on the backside of the leather by the needle is not a sewing machine issue. The prefinished leather I obtained from a company that went out of business about six years ago is now dried out. The double layers stitched here are fine on the top stitch, but fractured on the bottom layer, which actually displays another "top". Does anyone know of a conditioner I can put on this prefinished veg tan that will make it supple again and not prone to fracturing where the needle punctures on the back side?

Here is the top side of the same piece showing the stitching as the needle enters. It is acceptable. As it exits on the bottom side, the dry leather finish fractures as it is no longer supple. Hoping to find an answer so I can use this leather. It is otherwise very good stuff.

Edited February 16, 2016 by llucas

[Wizcrafts]

stitching backside 2.JPG

I discovered the fracturing on the backside of the leather by the needle is not a sewing machine issue. The prefinished leather I obtained from a company that went out of business about six years ago is now dried out. The double layers stitched here are fine on the top stitch, but fractured on the bottom layer, which actually displays another "top". Does anyone know of a conditioner I can put on this prefinished veg tan that will make it supple again and not prone to fracturing where the needle punctures on the back side?

stitching topside 2.JPG Here is the top side of the same piece showing the stitching as the needle enters. It is acceptable. As it exits on the bottom side, the dry leather finish fractures as it is no longer supple. Hoping to find an answer so I can use this leather. It is otherwise very good stuff.

Try rubbing in Carnauba Creme. Let it sit for an hour or more, then buff it with wool.

[llucas]

Thanks, Wiz. I'll give that a try. I just cut out a holster from this leather to experiment with it. After I glue it up I'll try your remedy before I stitch it.

New servo and speed reducer for the Adler 205-374 arrives today! I should be a sewing maniac by the end of the week!

[llucas]

Murphy's law strikes. The servo and speed reducing pulley arrived. However, the servo is designed to hang to the left side -- presumably for a flatbed machine. So, if I hang the motor in the same place as the current clutch motor the dial and activation lever will be on the back side instead of the front side like the clutch motor. It has a reverse switch, so that is not the issue. My clutch motor hangs to the right side. So does the reducer pulley hang underneath the hand wheel of the machine on the front side of the table (as does the current clutch motor) and the servo toward the back of the table, or do I put the servo in the same place as the clutch motor and the pulley toward the back and elongate the slot in the table for the belt, which will then come in from the back side of the table instead of directly below as it is now. Anyone have any photos?

Edited February 17, 2016 by llucas

[Uwe]

That sounds oddly familiar! My switch to a servo motor was a bit of a puzzle as well. When I got my new servo motor and tried to figure out how to mount it, the controls either faced towards the back or they faced forward and were inaccessible directly behind my stand's support column. I made my own speed reducer and a new table top, so this is the setup I ended up with :

Come to think of it (and seeing the commercial speed reducer in one of the pictures), I may have ended up making my own speed reducer because I couldn't figure out an elegant way to use the commercial speed reducer that came with the machine with the new servo motor.

I recommend doing an upside-down trial layout on a piece of wood or a table to figure out how things should line up. You won't be tilting the machine head back, so it doesn't really matter if the speed reducer is directly below the hand wheel or even towards the front a little. The machine is solid, bolted to the table and won't go anywhere. Pick a layout that allows you to reach the motor controls easily and adjust both belt tensions without too many headaches.

Edited February 17, 2016 by Uwe

[llucas]

O.k., the servo and speed reducer are installed! Wow! What a difference! I would say it is down to about two stitches per second pedal to the metal on the lowest setting. I am able to slow it slightly more with the foot pedal, but it is inconsistent. I would like to slow it down a little more. The servo has a three inch pulley -- would a two inch pulley on the servo make any appreciable difference?

Here is a quick sample. Ignore the dark holes where the needle penetrates. I got heavy handed with the oil

Still working on stitch length in reverse and positioning. The first three stitches are ok in reverse, but they get longer after that point. And try as I may otherwise, the stitch in reverse lays beside the primary stitch. Because of the thickness of the thread (347)? Also, I have to rotate the stitch length lever about a dozen times to add a stitch per inch or reduce a stitch per inch. Is that normal? It seems like a lot of rotating the lever for minimal results.

Edited February 18, 2016 by llucas

[Uwe]

Looking pretty good right there.

How about some pictures of your motor and speed reducer installation? I have no idea what model of servo motor, pulley or speed reducer you have. Don't make us guess or pull every single detail out of you.

[llucas]

Looking pretty good right there.

How about some pictures of your motor and speed reducer installation? I have no idea what model of servo motor, pulley or speed reducer you have. Don't make us guess or pull every single detail out of you.

It is a mess in the work area at the moment. I'll clean up a bit and take a few photos of the Beast's new heart.

[llucas]

This has been quite a journey for a sewing machine novice, lol. It is like driving a Ford and changing the oil on occasion to rebuilding a Mercedes Benz.

[llucas]

Looking pretty good right there.

How about some pictures of your motor and speed reducer installation? I have no idea what model of servo motor, pulley or speed reducer you have. Don't make us guess or pull every single detail out of you.

By the way, Uwe, I tried your trick of hooking a 10 oz can to the bobbin string to adjust the tension. It worked like a charm.

[llucas]

Looking pretty good right there.

How about some pictures of your motor and speed reducer installation? I have no idea what model of servo motor, pulley or speed reducer you have. Don't make us guess or pull every single detail out of you.

I have been ill for a few days, but did get some photos of the conversion today.

The drive belt did go straight down and slightly to the left toward the front of the table, although the machine drive belt shroud is designed for the belt to go toward the back of the table -- to the right in this photo. I elongated the slot toward the back of the table. I then placed the speed reducer upside down on top of the table and lined it up with the hand wheel pulley. The motor was placed upside down on the table toward the front and aligned with the small belt to the large pulley on the reducer. After measuring, I simply marked where the bolts were to go -- different from where the old clutch motor hung. Holes were bored and everything was lined up underneath the table and bolted down and tensioned. Works great!

The belt shroud now fits properly, whereas originally the bolts on the left were adjusted to allow the belt to go straight down awkwardly:

The difference in speed and control over the old clutch motor is dramatic. The pulley on the servo is 3". If I put a 50mm pulley on it (slightly less than 2"), will the speed be further reduced?

The bobbin winder was mounted to use the belt in its former configuration. Now that the belt is fully covered by the shroud, I will need to get a sewing machine motor and make a separate bobbin winder.

Thanks for all the help on this rebuild project. Here is the beast. It looks rough but is smooth as butter in its function. Almost time to move it out of the garage where I have been working on it.

Edited February 26, 2016 by llucas

[llucas]

I am thinking about re-laminating the top and refinishing the table base, complete with new foot pedals. Originally this machine had a chain for the presser foot tension release foot pedal. I will restore that to original as well. I am enjoying the project, but now that it is functional it is time to make some belts and holsters. I cut some straps for belts from the double shoulder veg tan today, measured and glued them together. The true test of the sewing machine project is coming soon.

Edited February 26, 2016 by llucas

[llucas]

Another quick question. There is a protrusion on the bottom of the middle presser foot that presses the top stitch into the leather. It leaves a flaw at the beginning of the stitch line where it starts -- a little line. Any problem if I grind this off? I plan to continue using a hand cut grooved stitch line top and bottom to keep the stitches flush and don't need the foot to press the stitch into the leather.

Edited February 26, 2016 by llucas

[Wizcrafts]

Another quick question. There is a protrusion on the bottom of the middle presser foot that presses the top stitch into the leather. It leaves a flaw at the beginning of the stitch line where it starts -- a little line. Any problem if I grind this off? I plan to continue using a hand cut grooved stitch line top and bottom to keep the stitches flush and don't need the foot to press the stitch into the leather.

I did the same thing to a Cobra inside foot I bought. After grinding off the groover tab and buffing it to a high polish, I re-positioned the now shorter inside foot so it meets the leather with the point of the decending needle. All if well when that happens.

[llucas]

Wiz, thanks very much for sharing your experience. Most helpful, indeed. I am probably going to pick up an open-toed presser foot so I can actually see what the needle is doing. It might help as I try to keep the needle in a preformed stitching groove or use the lever to adjust the point of the needle into a corner where I need to change the direction of the stitch. At least, I hope it helps. But the open-toe foot also has that stitch pressing protrusion on the bottom that will need to be ground off. Knowing you have done it successfully encourages me.

Edited February 26, 2016 by llucas

[llucas]

Any insight on changing to a 50mm pulley on the servo instead of the stock 3" pulley? Will it slow the stitching speed further?

[Uwe]

Yes it will slow things down. It's all about the ratios of the pulleys. If you replace the 3" pulley on the motor with one that is about 2", your machine will run at 2/3 of the original speed. This is basic high school geometry stuff. Remember Pi (3.141....)? At 3" diameter pulley will have a circumference of Pi*3"=9.5" so each revolution will move the belt by 9.5 ". A 2" diameter pulley has a circumference of Pi*2"=6.2" so each revolution of that pulley will move the belt 6.3".

Edited February 26, 2016 by Uwe

[llucas]

So I would get roughly another 33% reduction? I'll take it! Even that much as a novice will help me immensely with control -- and hopefully a better product for clients. Thanks very much, Uwe. I have found all your advice very helpful. I'll order the 50mm pulley tomorrow. Math was never my strong suit -- I was a history, philosophy, linguistics guy, lol. And here I am at this stage in my life needing math more than philosophy. Life is filled with irony. But sewing that slow I can still meditate on the implications of Kierkegaard, Gadamer and Heidegger for Western culture as I sew, lol. Thanks very much.

Edited February 26, 2016 by llucas

[llucas]

The 50mm pulley is ordered from Weaver, as is an open-toe center presser foot. When it arrives I will grind off the stitch-pressing ridge on the bottom of the foot and polish it. I also bought a sewing machine motor and pedal to make a dedicated bobbin winder (since the adler bobbin winder will no longer work on my modified machine). I sewed my first project on the machine today -- a holster for the Walther PPK/S. It is not finished (clean-up, sanding and finishing of belt slots; burnishing of edges, dyeing of edges left to do), but it is stitched and formed (as much as is possible) to the pistol. You can see the machine is still a little too fast for my lack of skill. I missed the stitch groove in a few areas as I was trying to follow the curve and hit the stitch groove without using the edge guide. I discovered free-handing is not easy for a beginner:

This is the first thing I have stitched using the Beast, other than scraps and samples. By the end of next week with the additional parts I should see an improvement. This holster is not good enough to sell as it was only an experiment using some old leather I acquired, but it will hold my Walther just fine.

This photo is also a sample of some prefinished leather I bought from a company that closed six years ago. It will not mold with any detail like veg tan, so I am assuming it is not veg tan. It will shape generically to the gun, but with no detail. It heavily resisted water when I soaked it to mold it. I am assuming it is either bridle leather or chrome tanned. How can one tell the difference?

Edited February 28, 2016 by llucas

[llucas]

The experiment above can be contrasted with this:

I have a ways to go using the Beast to stitch my work. I am thinking at least six to seven stitches per inch using the Beast, not five per inch.

Edited February 28, 2016 by llucas

[llucas]

"This photo is also a sample of some prefinished leather I bought from a company that closed six years ago. It will not mold with any detail like veg tan, so I am assuming it is not veg tan. It will shape generically to the gun, but with no detail. It heavily resisted water when I soaked it to mold it. I am assuming it is either bridle leather or chrome tanned. How can one tell the difference?"

I have since learned that this leather is Wickett-Craig English Bridle. Who knew? I suspect it will be great for belts, not so much for holsters that need to be molded. As it is from a leather company that closed six years ago, I have discovered that it needs a little conditioning to restore 100% usability. Part of the learning curve for a sewing machine newbie.

The new parts for the Beast are scheduled to arrive tomorrow. Slower speed and I will be able to see the needle via the open-toe center presser foot. One baby step at a time.

Edited March 2, 2016 by llucas

[llucas]

The pulley and open-toe center presser foot arrived, but unfortunately, the pulley was the wrong size. Waiting now for the new 50mm pulley to slow the machine even further.

On a related topic and in keeping with my noobie status using a sewing machine, I found this video on YouTube:

I found the instruction helpful, especially the focus on the needle going just past bottom dead center; lifting the presser feet and turning the corner with the needle plunged in the leather so as to avoid skipping the stitch. But there is a problem. The video illustrates the Cobra class 4 which apparently has the needle on the down stroke piercing the leather just before the center presser foot comes down for the backstroke of the cycle. On my Adler 205-374 the needle touches the leather about the same time as the presser foot, which is different from the Cobra 4. This raises a question: is there an analogous process for the Adler 205 series? I watched one video, but it showed lifting the foot and re-positioning the leather, dropping the foot after repositioning and continuing. I tried this, but it resulted in a slightly different stitch length. Sorry for the noob question, but I am very much a novice. A few times I have thought I should return to hand-stitching. But then I remember how long that takes.

Edited March 5, 2016 by llucas

[llucas]

Any advice on turning corners or direction with the Adler 205 series? This is old hat for most of you, but as a sewing machine novice I find it a difficult skill to master.