Gave up on the antique Singer; bought refurbed Juki!

[horselady21]

So after weeks of fighting the old Singer 31-15 ( that thankfully I only paid $60 for...table, motor and all), I gave up. I spotted Uwe's refurbed Juki , drooled over the video of the LU-563-3 machine, emailed him, talked to him on the phone, and couldn't see a reason not to just do it. And 6 months no interest from Paypal credit just sweetened the deal!

Even better: the Jukii head fit perfectly in the Singer table after I removed the drip pan and moved the knee foot-raising part that is underneath. I never used that anyways so the fact it doesn't work isn't an issue for me. As for the drip pan, I am sure I can either modify one or find a deeper pan.

The pulleys lined up perfectly also, which I had been concerned about! I was thrilled!

I haven't threaded it up and tried it yet but wanted to post pics.

And I can't say enough good about dealing with Uwe! He drove over half way to meet me, answered all my questions, gave me extra bobbins and pieces, sent me links to adjustment videos, and just went way out of his way to make the deal awesome! If you are looking for a refurbed machine, look no further than this man!

 

 

[leecopp]

Well there is no doubt the machine will sew after Uwe went over it.  I used his videos to help get my 111w back on line. 

Have fun.  If you dont have servo motor think about it. I love the way it powers through my stuff. 

Lee in Florida

[horselady21]

Yep, the servo type motor has been on my list since day one....well, right after a machine that works!

[suzelle]

That's a great machine! Congrats! I used one of those a couple of years when I worked for someone else.

So glad that it fit into your existing table. A big time and money saver there. Hey, and you have reverse now too! Yay! Big plus, more time before thread runs out, because that is the "M" bobbin, right?

Anyhow, happy for you!

 

Edit: Wait, no reverse? I don't see a lever. Maybe yours is a bit different than the one I sewed on. That thing thing should sew through thicker stuff like butter. Still a great choice. 

Edited May 23, 2016 by suzelle

[Wizcrafts]

19 minutes ago, suzelle said:

That's a great machine! Congrats! I used one of those a couple of years when I worked for someone else.

So glad that it fit into your existing table. A big time and money saver there. Hey, and you have reverse now too! Yay! Big plus, more time before thread runs out, because that is the "M" bobbin, right?

Anyhow, happy for you!

 

Edit: Wait, no reverse? I don't see a lever. Maybe yours is a bit different than the one I sewed on. That thing thing should sew through thicker stuff like butter. Still a great choice. 

Wrong! The Juki LU machines use a double capacity type LU bobbin, which holds about 25% more thread than an M style bobbin.

[gottaknow]

My Juki LU562 does have reverse and uses a "G" sized bobbins, same as the Singer 111's and 211's. Glad you got a good machine. My 562 gets a lot of binding work in a factory, and we don't sew slow. Uwe really sounds like a good egg. I'd love to have him kick around the factory with me some weekend. You too Wiz. 

Regards, Eric 

[Wizcrafts]

I forgot about the LU-562 being the standard G bobbin. I owned a 563 with the double capacity bobbins. My Singer 139w109 long arm walking foot machine has a Juki hook and uses Juki LU bobbins.

[horselady21]

Yep, no reverse but no big deal to me. I am ecstatic just to have a working machine!

So after getting it asset up last night (the basics), I was happy to successfully adjust the stitch length to what my first project will need. Uwe's video was priceless for this!  My only problem at the moment seems to be that I only have the monster needle that he was using for the very heavy thread in the video (207?) And I am using a #69, sewing layers of coastline, so when I try to sew, no matter the tension setting, the top thread pluckers and pulls the bobbin thread up. Things are a bit better with more layers but I don't have any heavier thread to test my theory. 

But needles are ordered, so what's a few more days? Wish local places sold them.

 

 

[horselady21]

Actually, after thinking about it some more, that didn't sound right. Now I think that the bobbin tension was set pretty loose for the very heavy thread being run when I got it, and the heavy material being demonstrated.

Also, I had the needle in backwards. I had removed it and put it back, obviously wrong way. Hey, it was 4 am!

So tonight I will attempt to adjust the bobbin tension slightly and see where we go from there.

[Wizcrafts]

Adjust the bobbin tension to have a modest steady pull. Not too loose, not too tight. Use the top tension disks to balance the knots. Use the minimum size needle for tighter knots and vice-versa.

[horselady21]

Thanks, Wiz. I studied up on my tension/needle theory yesterday until I thought my brain would explode! It really isn't that difficult a concept when you get right down to it, but to get it to actually happen in the material can sometimes (obviously) be a challenge!

[horselady21]

It worked! I adjusted the bobbin tension exactly one quarter of a turn ,verified it has a tiny bit more of a slight resistance, backed out the upper tension nut all the way then back in halfway, stitched a row, and it was just a tiny but still too tight on top, so I backed off one revolution on the top tension, and it is now perfect! Thanks for the help and encouragement!

[Uwe]

I'm glad you got it figured out. Feel free to call me directly if you run into trouble with that machine!

[suzelle]

On 5/23/2016 at 5:20 PM, Wizcrafts said:

Wrong! The Juki LU machines use a double capacity type LU bobbin, which holds about 25% more thread than an M style bobbin.

Okay, I'm sure you are right. Just remember it was big!

[Wizcrafts]

11 hours ago, suzelle said:

Okay, I'm sure you are right. Just remember it was big!

I have a machine that has been retrofitted with a Juki hook, using the large LU bobbins. I also had a machine that used M bobbins, some of which I kept. The M bobbins are smaller and hold less thread.

[horselady21]

18 hours ago, Uwe said:

I'm glad you got it figured out. Feel free to call me directly if you run into trouble with that machine!

Thanks, Uwe! I did get it, and the stitches are beautiful, and I sewed for an hour straight and nothing broke and I was still smiling at the end of it! Such an unusual experience for me! I thought the machine would  be a bit daunting to adjust but your video made it so easy - thank you so much for that. I hope you realize how much you mean to people like me!

[suzelle]

On 5/24/2016 at 8:15 PM, Wizcrafts said:

I have a machine that has been retrofitted with a Juki hook, using the large LU bobbins. I also had a machine that used M bobbins, some of which I kept. The M bobbins are smaller and hold less thread.

Thanks Wiz! I get confused on size of the "M" bobbin vs. the one that is bigger. A friend of mine has so many machines, I sew in her shop sometimes, and help her pattern. She has lots of Juki machines mostly, and a couple Pfaff and Singers, but those don't get used as often as her Juki machines. She seems to have every size bobbin for whatever machine. I would love it if all the machines took the same size bobbin as I seem to spend a lot of time in my own shop sorting things out between bobbins and needles. I have a lot of machines myself. Argh!

I'd also like it if all my machines used the same type of needle. That would be a huge time and money saver, wouldn't it? 

[suzelle]

On 5/22/2016 at 5:37 PM, gottaknow said:

My Juki LU562 does have reverse and uses a "G" sized bobbins, same as the Singer 111's and 211's. Glad you got a good machine. My 562 gets a lot of binding work in a factory, and we don't sew slow. Uwe really sounds like a good egg. I'd love to have him kick around the factory with me some weekend. You too Wiz. 

Regards, Eric 

Eric,

I love to read your posts. I really follow what you say very closely. Thank you for the information you share.

[gottaknow]

42 minutes ago, suzelle said:

Eric,

I love to read your posts. I really follow what you say very closely. Thank you for the information you share.

Thanks Suzelle! Nice to hear someone reads my rambling. I see you're in the Nortwest. If you're ever over by Spokane, the factory is in Post Falls, ID. Give me a heads up and I'll show you around. 

Regards, Eric 

[Wizcrafts]

3 hours ago, suzelle said:

Thanks Wiz! I get confused on size of the "M" bobbin vs. the one that is bigger. A friend of mine has so many machines, I sew in her shop sometimes, and help her pattern. She has lots of Juki machines mostly, and a couple Pfaff and Singers, but those don't get used as often as her Juki machines. She seems to have every size bobbin for whatever machine. I would love it if all the machines took the same size bobbin as I seem to spend a lot of time in my own shop sorting things out between bobbins and needles. I have a lot of machines myself. Argh!

I'd also like it if all my machines used the same type of needle. That would be a huge time and money saver, wouldn't it? 

I placed an M bobbin on top of a Juki LU bobbin to see the difference. It amounts to about 2mm smaller diameter and just about 1mm thinner inside. The LU bobbin probably can hold about 20% more thread.

[suzelle]

On 5/29/2016 at 8:21 AM, gottaknow said:

Thanks Suzelle! Nice to hear someone reads my rambling. I see you're in the Nortwest. If you're ever over by Spokane, the factory is in Post Falls, ID. Give me a heads up and I'll show you around. 

Regards, Eric 

Eric,

Yes, that would be great! We have a daughter who lives in Idaho, but she's in the process of moving back. Sometimes we do get out that way and will certainly take you up on your invitation. We usually go through Idaho on our way to Montana to visit family. Husband is from Montana and we're due for a visit again soon. Hopefully this summer! Thanks so much Eric!

[suzelle]

On 5/29/2016 at 11:08 AM, Wizcrafts said:

I placed an M bobbin on top of a Juki LU bobbin to see the difference. It amounts to about 2mm smaller diameter and just about 1mm thinner inside. The LU bobbin probably can hold about 20% more thread.

20% more is a big difference when you are sewing fast down long sections! Lately I have been winding my own bobbins, I have about a dozen of them and just do a little work ahead of time loading, then I don't have to worry when I am in the middle of a project. Pre-wound bobbins are nice, but I haven't made the investment in those for a while and ran out of the colors I used the most, white and black. Will have to remember to buy more. I think pre-wounds are a little tighter than I can wind them myself and I get a little more mileage out of those, so it seems.