Members Davidmadd Posted June 7, 2017 Members Report Posted June 7, 2017 Hi everyone. I recently obtained a Singer 45K68 and have just got to the point of trying it out but I am seeking advice on a couple of things. The first is how to thread it to create top stitch tension. I'll hopefully post a photo or two but in essence this machine does not have the lower tension arrangement. I don't mean its missing, it just seems to never had one fitted in the first place. I have got it to stitch but only by tightening the thread spool down on its sprung hubs but am sure this cannot be the proper means of tensioning it. The second point:- Should the presser foot lifting lever have the the acute bend in it. It doesn't look as its been bent accidentally. I've included a picture of the drive motor. I have spent quite some time trying to develop a means of utilising an old DC Treadmill Motor to drive this and other machines. I'm just about there with it and can start the machine from nil revs to very slow in a controlled manner, bringing it up to speed and slowly back again to suit the stitching being carried out. I've made a rudimentary foot pedal with quite a bit of travel and adjusted the control box so that the max speed is far less than is possible but is fast enough for me. This then gives me the full pedal range to get for o revs to to my chosen max. Just an aside:- I thought it sounded quite a bit noisier than the clutch motors I have been practising with, that is until I removed my hearing aids (I'm of a certain age!) It seems my bionic ears were picking up on the frequency of the motor, having brushes I was getting every crackle and buzz amplified in each ear. It was an easy fix, I just removed them and got the normal hum of a DC motor Quote
Members Darren Brosowski Posted June 8, 2017 Members Report Posted June 8, 2017 If the foot lift lever works then it is OK but to me it looks as if it is in backwards! Quote
Members Constabulary Posted June 8, 2017 Members Report Posted June 8, 2017 (edited) the 45K68 was designed as a sole stitcher machine AKAIK so it may be different to other 45K´s. I actually never have seen one live so I don´t know the difference in particular but when you look at the parts list it may help you. Seems the lever is designed that way have attached the parts list 45K 68 69 71.pdf EDIT: poor quality PDF as I had to compress is the linked one is better: http://hensewfiles.com/PDFs/SINGER 45K68.pdf Edited June 8, 2017 by Constabulary Quote ~ Keep "OLD CAST IRON" alive - it´s worth it ~ Machines in use: - Singer 111G156 - Singer 307G2 - Singer 29K71 - Singer 212G141 - Singer 45D91 - Singer 132K6 - Singer 108W20 - Singer 51WSV2 - Singer 143W2
Members jimi Posted June 8, 2017 Members Report Posted June 8, 2017 (edited) Hi David, first you need to send more pictures of the machine if you could? i think on your class the bobbin was tensed on the spool holder with two cones and a spring. similar to a frobana/gritzner sole stitcher machine. then i think your presser foot bar is missing, that is a long flat bar same as the 29k models have. that fits into the square hole under your tension assembly. this machine below is the 45k69. i am not sure why it is not in the parts list, but there was a part "presser bar lifting bracket tension release" that screwed onto the same plate where the bar goes, with two screws, and it held open the tension disks when the foot was raised letting you pull the thread out after sewing to cut. #91592 in this book for the 45k89. the bend in the arm is normal. this was the foot that was used with this needle plate and feed dog. not the #91034 you have on it. by the looks of the decals on your machine might be around 1920´s?? regards jimi. Edited June 8, 2017 by jimi Quote
Members Davidmadd Posted June 8, 2017 Author Members Report Posted June 8, 2017 Hi Jimi Thank you very much for your response re my 45K68. You are spot on I'm sure. The stitching that I did could only be achieved by tensioning the thread via the reel on the sprung hub as per picture. I noted that the presser bar flat spring was missing and I sent in a previous post to ask for help identifying what it did and, if possible, for any critical dimensions. I didn't get any responses to that one! I do have a Singer 29K4 and this one also has the presser bar flat spring missing. I have bought a length of suitable ground flat bar and will make new springs but may well decide to send it away for tempering once I have shaped them! I see also your comment about a bar which, on lifting the presser bar lever, would separate the tension discs. Now on my machine there are no tension discs. What looks like a pair of tension discs are actually one solid pulley wheel and the thread wont go down in between them. This was puzzling me as there is an adjusting screw and a tension spring, but I cant understand what it is supposed to do. If I tighten the spring the thread just skids over the surface of the pulley groove and it therefore doesn't provide any tensioning. If there were two tension discs I can understand how the missing bar would work. The answer may well be for me to obtain some of the larger tensioning discs and substitute them for the pulley wheel. I will then try and craft the missing pointed bar! I attach a few more photos. In one of them you will note the gas pipe connection for heating the thread when it was wax coated to make waterproof seams (I think that is what it was for!) I checked the Serial number and this machine was made in 1912! As its been around for so long I'm not surprised that it may have one or two modifications from new. I think the presser foot fitted is possible a bit more versatile than the original. I have set the stitch length to max but it only seems to be about 1/4" long which seems on the small side to me. It will go a lot smaller. Maybe having the presser bar flat spring missing, there is insufficient pressure on the material to move it the full movement of the feed dog. This is the latest of my collection of industrial Singers and probably the last one I will acquire as I'm running out of room. I have a 111W154; a 111G155; two 132k6 although one is totally stripped down and awaits re-assembly. I have a 29K4 in a similar condition. I have two 31K15; one 31K47. A post feed 51W54. Then I have three 201Ks and another 12 or so domestic machines. I spend so much time working on these that I get little time to actually sew anything but have been playing with some leather with a view to making something useful, but I must perfect my sewing skills first. That was the reason for spending some time in developing the DC Motor drive. It will allow me to get a really slow stitch speed. I'm designing tables such that I can swap machines around all driven by the DC motor. I think the 111W154 or the 111G155 are probably the best machines. The 31K47 is also very useful. I have fitted a wheel feed to one of the 31K15s for tight corners and the other one is standard!! Once again many thanks for your very helpful response. Best Regards Quote
Members jimi Posted June 8, 2017 Members Report Posted June 8, 2017 Of course david! that is why there is no part to open the disks!! it should have dawned on me could you do a close up of your needle plate? in the manual it says 1 1/2 times around the wheel. i have seen this on other machines (not 45k´s) that when a wheel is present you have to go around it 1 1/2 times. that gives you more tension. and yes if there is no pressure on the foot then it wont feed properly. i have a 45k21 and like to do the same (try to sew and practice) and depending on your foot and feed dog relation you can find a big difference in stitch length. i think there was also a solution box which you can see in the parts manual which was for the bobbin thread i think. that would be for waxing it as it was wound on the bobbin and then the spirit box was linked to the shuttle area which you heated up to soften the waxed thread for easier sewing. the problem with the old machines is parts, and your machine has a flat plate which is not sold anymore. so if you wanted to get it going well you would have to make a plate up and find some feed dogs or make them also to mach the plate. the good thing is being flat is a lot easier than finding and making a curved one to match. will do some pictures... Quote
Members Constabulary Posted June 8, 2017 Members Report Posted June 8, 2017 (edited) you have to run the thread between the discs not on top of them.... That may help a bit already... Edited June 8, 2017 by Constabulary Quote ~ Keep "OLD CAST IRON" alive - it´s worth it ~ Machines in use: - Singer 111G156 - Singer 307G2 - Singer 29K71 - Singer 212G141 - Singer 45D91 - Singer 132K6 - Singer 108W20 - Singer 51WSV2 - Singer 143W2
Members jimi Posted June 8, 2017 Members Report Posted June 8, 2017 it is the wheel folker, not the disks. this class has no disks. Quote
Members jimi Posted June 8, 2017 Members Report Posted June 8, 2017 (edited) Here is a botch job of the needle plate that would have been on your machine David. this foot would not move the material.. this one did... Edited June 8, 2017 by jimi Quote
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