Taking TK-8BL Sewing Machine

[RhodesAveDesigns]

Has anyone heard of/ used/ owned a "Taking" branded sewing machine?

An "Industial Sewing M" was posted locally on Craigslist for very little $$, and it's a 'Taking TK-8BL'. Turns out it was listed because the current owner states they can't find a belt for the machine, and they offered it to me for free (I guess they felt guilty actually taking $$ for something they can't vouch for). As I wanted to move quickly, before they changed their mind, without a truck, I'm getting the head to clean up/ figure out the belt situation. My brother-in-law's company creates individualized assembly-line and automated controls for manufacturers, so he has access to belts and parts not readily available to the rest of us. 

It looks to me like a Consew 206 or Seiko STH-8BLD clone of sorts; the metal label states the company is/was located in Taiwan. There is very, very little info to be found online, so I'm not sure if these machines are of any quality (I understand there would be no comparison to a Durkopp Adler, Pfaff, or Juki, but "free" is hard to argue with). Hopefully I'm not going to have another very heavy/ bulky paper weight. 

Two available pics, one the listing close-up, the other a screen clip of the specs from Taking Corp. 

Any info/ input would be appreciated.

 

Edited December 8, 2017 by RhodesAveDesigns
Sp

[Uwe]

Heck, if it's free just get it and report back!  Don't overthink it. It'll be a great machine to learn with no matter what. Chances are good that it's a really nice machine.

I'm voting for the the Taking TK-8BL being a clone of the Seiko STH-8BL:

 

 

 

Edited December 8, 2017 by Uwe

[RhodesAveDesigns]

Alright, we all may be witnessing a minor holiday miracle. 

Managed to get the machine here, and set it on my vintage Singer table. Called my brother-in-law about a belt; the seller was obsessed with it *needing* a belt that fit down in the narrow wheel well and my BIL has a few suggestions. Got it wiped down, dusted, and oiled.  

Decided "for fun" to try the standard 3L Mitsubishi v-belt I have been using on the Singer (which has issues I will deal with once the semester's over,  along with other things, when I have more patience)... and it worked!?!? It's probably not ideal, but there is enough of a fit/grip to *go*. So I now have questions, will have even more questions later, BUT, if I don't go fulfill my doggie-mama walk and play-time obligations (that were missed earlier), my dogs are going to go crazy. 

(Will post pic later, as it needs to be re-sized).

Edited December 9, 2017 by RhodesAveDesigns
Sp

[shoepatcher]

That is a clone of a Consew 206RB or Seiko  STH-8BL.   Parts and the timing belts should be the same.  Send us a few more pics.

glenn

[RhodesAveDesigns]

Sorry, I have to figure out how to resize the pics on my phone/tablet. 

Anything in particular you would like me to photograph? 

In case anyone is thinking my life is all rainbows and unicorns, I just finished cleaning up a combination of dog vomit and blood- my dogs ate too much snow during an intense game of herding/chase, & as I cleaned it up, I sliced my hand in 2 places on the edge of their placemat. Hopefully that's all the universe has to offer to restore "balance"... I may not leave the house for a while. 

[R8R]

15 minutes ago, RhodesAveDesigns said:

 

In case anyone is thinking my life is all rainbows and unicorns, I just finished cleaning up a combination of dog vomit and blood- my dogs ate too much snow during an intense game of herding/chase, & as I cleaned it up, I sliced my hand in 2 places on the edge of their placemat. Hopefully that's all the universe has to offer to restore "balance"... I may not leave the house for a while. 

Ok where is the popcorn, this story is getting good.

[RhodesAveDesigns]

Sorry for the delay. My cuts were a bit worse than I originally thought, and my blood is pretty thin. All the "excitement" tonight has really stressed my dogs out, they absolutely hate schedule changes, moving furniture, and anything "not right" with me. So I will have to wait to "play" until tomorrow. 

I have taken a series of pictures, including a full photo, the manufacturer plate, pics of the machine pulley & v-belt, the bobbin case and hook. I created a photo collage, which should have resized the photos. The machine is a gear-driven, compound-feed walking foot with reverse, with a small/ standard bobbin and a vertical hook. All the specs and visuals point to it being a Seiko STH-8BL clone. 

The previous owner gave it away/ gave up on it (after having acquired it from a local manufacturing company liquidation) because it needed a new v-belt, and he was "stuck" on the idea he needed a very, very narrow v-belt that would fit tight down in the 1/4" pulley groove (such a thing wouldn't have fit very well in the original clutch motor pulley).  According to my BIL, such narrow belts exist, but would need to be specially ordered (with accompanying wait time)... and I would potentially need to install a new, narrow pulley on my servo. Which is why, knowing I've seen plenty of pictures of similar machines, which seem to work without crazy complicated setups, I tried the v-belt I already have on my servo, a Mitsubishi v-belt I purchased at Ace Hardware for $7.99. And it seems to work Ok.... 

Tomorrow I will see about actually sewing with it, as-is. And I will be sure to share the process, and additional questions/ information. After saying a few more prayers of thanks and gratitude. 

[Gregg From Keystone Sewing]

I've seen a few of these, Hoffman Bros. used to bring this machine in as an EA-106, the quality is good.  

[RhodesAveDesigns]

Sorry for the delay in updating, the wounds on my fingers/hand (dominant) weren't closed enough to use/flex properly. I'm hoping tonight/tomorrow will be better. 

Gregg, thanks for the info, everything I've seen so far seems pretty good. 

I do wonder of there isn't a better v-belt set-up, something maybe to provide a bit more tension, but with some give? My BIL can't come take a look for a while, if anyone has used something different/better? 

- Elizabeth

[mikesc]

Try "bungee cord"..the kind with an elasticated centre..wrap some around the two pulleys, so that you have some tension, mark the length that gives you , cut 10% shorter..hand stitch the ends together when they are butted together, avoiding as much as possible any "bump"..it will look messy..it will work..

HTH :)

this "bodge" would never survive being run fast ( due to the difference between the driven side tension, before the machine pulley and the slack side tension, after the machine pulley ), but, as you'll be running it slow..it will work fine for as long as your stitching ( which joins the butt ends ) holds out..like using panty hose in place of a "fan belt" on a car..only this bodge can last for months if you stitch carefully enough through the braid that covers the elastic part of the bungee cord.

The bungee cord should have a diameter which allows it to fit fairly ( doesn't need to reach the bottom completely ) snugly down into the VEE of the machine pulley..but which also fits "reasonably " into the VEE of the drive pulley on the motor..

Edited December 11, 2017 by mikesc