Some Education Material

[gottaknow]

I have a large collection of educational material for sewing machine mechanics. Singer did a fine job back in the 70's making this information available for training purposes. Somewhere I even have a letter from the old Singer Co. allowing us to freely use the information for non-profit purposes, (training mechanics and such). It's a shame to just let this information sit around collecting dust in my archives. I still refer to things even though I've been a mechanic a long time, I continue to learn. So here is the first file. I hope some here will find it informative and useful.

Regards, Eric

Troubleshooting.pdf

[gottaknow]

And another.

Loopers and hooks.pdf

Last one for now.

Feeding mechanisms.pdf

[RockyAussie]

Thanks very much for the postings Eric. I was just wondering when the next instalment was going to come and presto,,, there it is already.

[Hockeymender]

Thanks Eric!

[garypl]

Thank you Eric - very helpful for a newbie to sewing machines like me

[dikman]

Thank you Eric. This sort of "old" information can be invaluable, and shouldn't be forgotten.

 

[Evo160K]

Thanks for making them available to us, Eric.

[suzelle]

Eric,

This is great stuff, thank you! My machines thank you too!

[gottaknow]

Another decent troubleshooting guide.

 

Troubleshooting2.pdf

[gottaknow]

And some feeding information.

 

Feeding Problems.pdf

[Techsew Ron]

good stuff Eric !

[jimi]

Thanks eric. great info.

[RockyAussie]

8 hours ago, gottaknow said:

Another decent troubleshooting guide.

 

Troubleshooting2.pdf

That is a very good one Eric. I would like to think that this could be a pinned post. As you know how many times almost every week this advice could be referred to here. Regards Brian

[Hockeymender]

This should be pinned. 

[Constabulary]

regarding pinned posts - well, pinned post surely make sense and Erics post with worth to be pinned BUT sooner or later you have a long list of pinned posts on top of the site and the the new posts starts somewhere at the end of the page. That makes not much sense.

What I would suggest is a "Leather Sewing Machine Reference" section for pinned threads and for (if possible) PDF manuals. So the long list of pinned threads are "out of the way" but still present for a quick reference.

Just a suggestion... what do you guys (and Admins) think?

[Northmount]

Here are a couple more files Eric sent me to post as they were too large for his access.

Tom

Compound Feed Machines.pdf

Needle information.pdf

[Wizcrafts]

2 hours ago, Constabulary said:

regarding pinned posts - well, pinned post surely make sense and Erics post with worth to be pinned BUT sooner or later you have a long list of pinned posts on top of the site and the the new posts starts somewhere at the end of the page. That makes not much sense.

What I would suggest is a "Leather Sewing Machine Reference" section for pinned threads and for (if possible) PDF manuals. So the long list of pinned threads are "out of the way" but still present for a quick reference.

Just a suggestion... what do you guys (and Admins) think?

Mods can't alter the folder structure of the forum. We can move posts, merge them, lock them and delete them. But, I like your idea about having a new sub-directory for reference material. I'll toss it around with Johanna when I get time.

[Tejas]

Here is a file that seems about the same as troubleshooting2 but in a different format.

sewing_troubleshooting_chart.pdf

[Gregg From Keystone Sewing]

"Compound Feed Walking Foot Machines" is still sold by Consew Sewing.

I learned;

Feeders with 'two rows' of teeth help prevent the material from slipping laterally.  I thought this was to do with thread clearance.  Now I know.

I first had seen how to open up the thread guard in the Compound Feed book, didn't know it originated in the Singer notes.

[dikman]

Constabulary/Wiz, I reckon a sub-folder (or something similar) is a great idea. It will give a single location where this stuff can be found without cluttering up the main sticky area unnecessarily.

Got my vote.

[RockyAussie]

10 hours ago, Wizcrafts said:

Mods can't alter the folder structure of the forum. We can move posts, merge them, lock them and delete them. But, I like your idea about having a new sub-directory for reference material. I'll toss it around with Johanna when I get time.

I think this would be a very good idea.

[gottaknow]

Here is a step by step guide as to how a lockstitch machine with a horizontal rotary hook forms each stitch. The best way to read this, is if you have a machine with a hook oriented on a horizontal shaft, is to follow along with a machine. This explanation was priceless when I was a new mechanic. I've made all my apprentices remember this cycle and explain it to me on a machine without a book. It takes 3-5 years to train a mechanic to the point where you don't have to babysit them. Even after 3 1/2 years I will make my apprentice sit down on a machine and explain this cycle. It helps with trouble shooting. Even though it was published by Union Special many decades ago, the cycle hasn't changed. It's not something you can just read once and understand it, I remember it taking me a while and seeing it in practice.

A big part of being competent on machine repairs is understanding the why. Many people can make the adjustments, but few really get into it deep enough to understand everything that's happening and why. I've always said I can teach anyone to turn screwdrivers, but if you want to be an accomplished mechanic, you need to learn how to visualize things in your head to the point where it's almost like watching a video. Our human brains are capable of so much more than most people challenge themselves with. Sewing machines definitely force you to learn how to think. I know from spending time on the forum over the years, many hobbyists get frustrated because they just want to do their projects and not fuss with a machine. The best way to be able to do that is to learn your machine(s) and what they're supposed to do. I've know several folks that have given up on the hobby because of industrial machine frustration. I try to remind people that it's complicated! Ok, now I'm rambling. Here's the link.

Regards, Eric

Horizontal hook cycle.pdf

[Northmount]

Some people just don't have the capability of visualizing things in their heads.  For those people that have this capability, it is difficult for them to understand that others don't have it and seem to take forever to understand some of these things.  When I took electronics many years ago, I could visualize how electricity flowed through different devices and its behaviour.  Couldn't understand why others couldn't grasp the concepts.

Then when I used to instruct control systems engineering, I found that students just want to memorize the answers for today's exams, but not to spend time learning the basics so they could then build on that to better understand the next steps.  I have a mantra, If you want to be able to control a process, you have to understand the process before you can control it.  I think this really applies to all types of troubleshooting.  The part of my work over the years that I have enjoyed the most is troubleshooting.  Being able to visualize it in your head, and to at least mentally collect the details of what has happened, or is happening makes the difference in being successful at troubleshooting.

Tom

[SolarLeatherMachines]

It's called the Inverse Dunning-Kruger Effect.  The Dunning Kruger effect is when people don't know how stupid they are.  The INVERSE Dunning Kruger Effect is when people don't realize how GIFTED they are.    It's a very odd, but very real logical trap that the Dunning Kruger Effect is it's OWN opposite.  It's like the absolute value of -1,  or |-1| =1.     

So, the things that many of us take for granted can be baffling to others.  And vise-versa.  

[gottaknow]

Here's a Variostop manual from 1976. Page 2 has all the information to let folks know which motor they have.

Regards, Eric

Variostop.pdf