Pfaff 1245 vs. Mitsubishi 3300? Which one for what I sew?

[BrownChicken]

I sew 2oz to 6oz max for handbags. I've been happy with my 111w155 but I came into these two machines and only will keep one.  I kind of like how the 3300 is a lighter weight machine it's not compound just walks with the back foot however it seems with my 111w155 it'll be less overlap. 

 

The pfaff 1245 now I just want because the foot clearance is huge lol I really don't know why one may prefer this one over the Mitsubishi 3300 for doing such lightweight work that I do along side of my 111w155

 

i also usually sew 12oz canvas so again just seems like the 3300 has less overlap than the 1245 does

 

 

obvioisly the pfaff is a superior sewing machine but don't get stuck on that :-) . Can you help me decide which works better for the light leather and canvas I sew that will work nicely with my 111w155? 

[BrownChicken]

Or do I sell them both and get a cylinder machine? I spent $500 on both together as a package deal along with a 107w1 I'm trying to kick out to someone who wants one 

[CowboyBob]

Ok,Patricia the 3300 is good on lightweight & thin canvas,it inot good on leather as the feed dogs & feet will mark of course the teeth can be ground off on the feet,but you still have the feed dogs marking the bottom.The Pfaff is a good machine except parts,feets & etc will cost more than 111w,the way the bobbincase is it'll run larger thread easier than the 111w will .

[Uwe]

Personally I'd keep the Pfaff 1245 and sell all the others. I can't think of anything the Singers or Mitsubishi can do that the Pfaff can't. Cheap presser feet are overrated, in my opinion - it's a race to the bottom in terms of quality. 

[BrownChicken]

I could never sell my singer though I put too much blood sweat and tears into it I think that's my problem lol! Oh gosh I realized that totally is the issue here ... I need to either accept my 111w155 as a piece of furniture because this pfaff is like my 111 but on serious steroids. Uwe you contributed to this problem by having some great videos helping me repair it haha

[BrownChicken]

54 minutes ago, CowboyBob said:

Ok,Patricia the 3300 is good on lightweight & thin canvas,it inot good on leather as the feed dogs & feet will mark of course the teeth can be ground off on the feet,but you still have the feed dogs marking the bottom.The Pfaff is a good machine except parts,feets & etc will cost more than 111w,the way the bobbincase is it'll run larger thread easier than the 111w will .

The parts are insanely more expensive reminds me of my BMW.... hmmmmm maybe should I settle on my 111w being an OK machine but sell the 3300 and the 1245 and try to get a cylinder bed machine with a flatbed table attachment to use when needed? 

[Uwe]

My goodness, yes, please do keep that Singer 111W155! Put it in a hermetically sealed glass dome and upgrade your home insurance. I don't think I've ever seen one as pretty as yours. I was expecting the typical, tired old Singer 111W155. I'd be afraid to actually use your museum piece.

Edited November 17, 2017 by Uwe

[BrownChicken]

1 hour ago, Uwe said:

My goodness, yes, please do keep that Singer 111W155! Put it in a hermetically sealed glass dome and upgrade your home insurance. I don't think I've ever seen one as pretty as yours. I was expecting the typical, tired old Singer 111W155. I'd be afraid to actually use your museum piece.

Unfortunately not quite, it was repainted after I fixed the number of issues with it which required me to partially gut it again only to reassemble it all over but it's pretty. It was going to look like a tired old machine but the video you uploaded for the tension release lever replacement thingy started a total overhaul. It's sparkly inside too haha

 

but it is nothing compared to this pfaff. I value both of your opinions highly - if I decide to aim for a cylinder bed machine is there one you'd suggest or I should look out for? I'd probably try to avoid the pfaff brand unless another good deal came my way. I looked up the cost of a new hook alone and my stomach dropped! 

Shout out to keelersales for my rad decals though they're beautiful 

[R8R]

3 hours ago, BrownChicken said:

I could never sell my singer though I put too much blood sweat and tears into it I think that's my problem lol! Oh gosh I realized that totally is the issue here ... I need to either accept my 111w155 as a piece of furniture because this pfaff is like my 111 but on serious steroids. Uwe you contributed to this problem by having some great videos helping me repair it haha

You can see the reflection of the decal on the bed in the shiny paint of the arm. That's a crazy nice machine.

[BrownChicken]

22 hours ago, R8R said:

You can see the reflection of the decal on the bed in the shiny paint of the arm. That's a crazy nice machine.

Thank you :-) I painted it with 2k paint it's really sturdy and I put a wild thick clear coat on so if I do scuff it badly I've got enough wiggle room to polish it out haha but I haven't had any scratches yet even sewing with zippers! Though if it's something really rough I will put down a piece of leather haha. Unfortunately it's not original. However you can see why I'm comparing this old thing with a beast pfaff 1245 to figure which to keep lol!

[dikman]

I don't see where the problem is - keep both, of course!

[Uwe]

10 hours ago, BrownChicken said:

2k paint

I'd never even heard of 2K paint before today. Got an early start on meeting my daily learning quota today. Interesting paint - I'll have to give it a try sometime. Downsides are the paint is not cheap at around $20 for one aerosol can, and it's a one-shot deal - once you release the hardener, the clock starts ticking and any unused paint will harden inside the can. 

Your restoration of this Singer 111W155 deserves its own topic. 

Here's a screenshot from the Eastwood Website with a nice glossary that describes the various paint options:

 

 

Edited November 18, 2017 by Uwe

[mikesc]

2K is a single can version of what automotive painters and custom painters know as "2 pack"..the "clear" 2K is an aerosol version of 2 pack clear..Most of this stuff uses an isocyanate ..ioscyanates vapour can seriously harm you, temporarily, long term or even kill you if you breathe them in (..extremely simplified explanation is that when the vapour containing them is inhaled, they then block the oxygen exchange mechanism of your red blood cells that you need to stay alive,symptoms of isocyanate vapour inhalation are, your joints will ache, you'll be short of breath, your breathing will become severely laboured, you may hallucinate, you may lose consciousness and may stop breathing )..these symptoms may start showing upto a few hours after "exposure".. You may have finished painting or applying your clear coat, washed up, eaten a meal or gone out, or fallen asleep..By the time you realise that you have breathed the isocyanate vapour in, you'll already be having some symptoms, which may get worse, much worse..

This stuff must be used with a mask ( cartridge type ) that protects against solvents and vapours..We discussed a 3M mask recently somewhere here that will be suitable..the the "activator" in most of these paints is also highly carcinogenic.

Even spraying this kind of stuff outdoors without a mask is a bad idea..spraying it indoors ( even in an automotive spray paint booth with extraction ) a mask is mandatory..

I used a lot ( hundreds and hundreds of litres ) of this type of paint ( it exists as pigmented 2 pack too ) as both paint and clear and prep fillers when I had my custom painting business, one of the main reasons why I closed that business down was to avoid continuing using these types of paint.

The pigmented 2 pack is used to paint truck chassis, and large objects like cars , boats, planes etc ,truck cabs and trailers ..

The clear 2 pack is what we put over artwork ( custom painting or lettering ) or over metallic paint finishes ( if your vehicle has "metallic "paint the clear 2 pack is what is protecting it ) ..the most hard wearing versions of 2 pack are used on planes ( very high UV exposure ) and boats..Expoxy 2 packs last longer on chassis than isocyanate 2 packs do..Sometimes this stuff ( not the expoxy versions ) is also know as "polyester" 2 pack ( when it will usually have a filler incorporated to surface cover defects )..or as 2 pack polyurethane which is spayed thinner and used as a top coat or a clear protective coat.

Edited November 18, 2017 by mikesc

[mikesc]

is spayed thinner and used as a top coat or a clear protective coat.

should read ..
is sprayed thinner and used as a top coat or a clear protective coat.
my speelchucker underlines everything in English.

ps..I forgot to say ..Very nice restoration there :)
and..
I agree with dikman..:) keep both..
and then get them some company..

Edited November 18, 2017 by mikesc

[dikman]

Gentlemen, thank you for a most interesting discourse on 2K paints. Whilst they certainly sound great from a durability perspective, after what mike has said I think I'll be giving them a big miss!

[Uwe]

Thank you @mikesc for that warning. Those isocyanates in 2K paints are a show stopper for me, too.

Edited November 18, 2017 by Uwe

[R8R]

3 hours ago, Uwe said:

Thank you @mikesc for that warning. Those isocyanates in 2K paints are a show stopper for me, too.

22 hours ago, BrownChicken said:

 

Hmm. I'm actually not scared for maybe occasional use. I spent years and years in a screen printing shop - I have a healthy respect but not much fear about coatings and solvents.

[mikesc]

Isocyanates are a whole different ball game compared to the solvents used in screen printing, the stuff used in screen printing ( even screen printing circuit boards ) needs long term exposure to do you harm ( mostly it is carcinogens, with some nasty stuff in the screen preps and washes )..isocyanates can get you on your first exposure if you breath them in..automotive painters and others who use them treat them with a great deal of caution.
I know of two people, within 50kms of my custom shop, who died in their spray booths because their mask cartridges were past their "do not use after"..
I was very ill twice due to defective mask cartridges..never did regain full lung capacity..when the activator is mixed with the polyurethane, what you have is a liquid plastic , it is then sprayed in vapour form ( very fine droplets ) , you breath it in and it goes hard, sets, in your lungs, deep down, it does not come back out, nor does it degrade, about the only thing that does degrade ( after years of exposure to it ) is UV light, and there is not much UV down inside the alveolae in your lungs..there are no "nice" molecules in 2 pack finishes.

[R8R]

By "healthy respect" I meant full tyvek protection, approved and well maintained respirators, proper ventilation, etc etc.

Then again I like it when machines look well used, so maybe I'll stick to a little steel wool and some wax for these old Singers I'm cleaning up here. 

[R8R]

Btw I remember back in the 80's when a common screen print chemical we used for de-hazing was caustic and would burn skin and dissolve eye tissue on contact. So yeah... healthy respect!

[dikman]

Bloody hell, mike, that is scary stuff! I'll definitely be sticking to enamels, acrylics and lacquers! When I was  a wee kiddie (an awful long time ago!) my dad worked at a glass factory, he was also caretaker so I used to wander around the (very large) factory with him. I still remember one room, it had some very large vats in it full of steaming, noxious stuff. The factory did their own silvering of mirrors, which is what the room was for. Very few do silvering anymore, due to the chemicals required, makes me wonder just what was in there when I was wandering about.

Hmmm, might account for the loss of brain cells (along with the alcohol).

[BrownChicken]

Idk I used their mask that's supposed filter out the caustic stuff. I suppose if people use it daily in auto shops I'm good using a mask and doing it outdoors (good luck neighbors) 

 

or in 10 years when I'm dying from lung cancer I'll remember it's because I had to paint my sewing machine Haha The masks say they filter it out though and I was holding my breath really anyways. The machines aren't huge and you put a light coat on and wait 10 minutes. Would take like 30 seconds to apply each coat Lol I smacked it really hard with my scissors sewing yesterday and it didn't even scratch!

[Northmount]

Use respirators with cartridges designed for the stuff you want to filter out.  Some are listed as being for organics.  Cap the cartridges when not in use to extend their life.  If you can smell the stuff you are using through the cartridge, it's past time to replace it.

Another option is to use a hood with a fresh air supply.  For really nasty stuff and for dusty applications, I use a Triton hood like the photo, but hooked up to the exhaust of an old stick vacuum located outside.  There are several manufactures of similar face shields and hoods.  Your shop still needs to be ventilated to remove that noxious stuff.

Tom