Sunstar km-380 cylinder arm machine

[MG513]

On 10/25/2018 at 9:00 PM, Uwe said:

I don't actually do much sewing beyond testing that a machine works as it should. I generally don't make products with sewing machines, I make products for sewing machines. I'm trying to sell most of my machines once I fix them up, except for a select few "keepers".

The KM380 is actually a nice machine, but parts are getting nearly impossible to find. I eventually scored an OEM feed dog and an arm cover plate. Throat plates are positively impossible to get - I tried for over half a year. I ended up modifying a throat plate made for the Adler 69 to make it work on the KM380, just so I can make the machine functional. The modification was simple enough, grinding out the underside of the throat plate to make room for the swiveling feed arm to also move up and down. 

In my mind, the downsides of the slim arm full motion feed dog machines has nothing to do with the function. The full motion feed dog is definitely a plus in my mind, save for certain binding applications as mentioned in earlier posts. The main problem I see is that these slim arm full feed dog motion machines are so rare that nobody bothers to make parts for them (unless they're current OEM production models.)

 

 

Thx a bunch for that info, really appreciate it. I guess i like the fact that it uses more common feet, unlike the other 335 types

[MG513]

On 10/25/2018 at 6:17 PM, R8R said:

Many (most) narrow cylinder arm machines can be set up to be dedicated synchronized binder machines. The feed dogs operate horizontally only (back and forth) in unison with the inner presser foot and binder attachment.

Most larger cylinder machines operate the same way most flat bed machines do - with elliptical feed dogs. The feed is up/back/down/forward. This is a more aggressive and active feed, but is tricky to make work smoothly with synchronized binding. 

There are some exceptions,  one example is the Juki DSC-246, which can be converted from elliptical feed for general sewing, to horizontal for binding by swapping a few parts when installing the binder features.

Thx again for all the help. I think I remembered another post where u said the binders for the 246 were hard to come by though?? Ive been on so many posts though i really cant keep up. I like the idea of being able to change the feed rather than being stuck with one type of motion. I will look into this machine again and compare it against the 335

[R8R]

1 minute ago, MG513 said:

Thx again for all the help. I think I remembered another post where u said the binders for the 246 were hard to come by though?? 

Binder parts for the 246 are easy enough to get, especially generics What I am discovering now is parts for the 335 are a little less ubiquitous than I'd hoped, and genuine parts are ridiculous.

In the very brief time I had with the Techsew 2600 (246 clone) it sewed and binded ok. It fed a little bit thicker assemblies than the 335. The machine in general though ran like a bucket of rusty bolts. I re-packed it and returned it.

A genuine Juki 246 would be great if I could find a decently priced one, but new they are pretty much over-priced for what they are. I picked up this 335 locally for cheap so it will do for now. I just got done re-timing it for the correct needle (it was badly re-timed for 135x17 needles) and ran some tests on thin leather binding. A few tweaks and should be good. Looks like 92 will be max thread. 

Artisan sells a clone of the older model 335 that they tune to take heavier thread. Worth a look.

[Sonydaze]

I have three KM-590BL Sunstar machines.  They have proven to be reliable, hard working machines.  The KM-590s are made for up to 1/2" thick and will sew it all day long. I think the KM-380 is rated for up to 3/8" thick materials.

@Uwe Mason Sewing in Vancouver imported and sold Sunstar for a bunch of years, they also tend to have a good parts inventory. The guy to talk to there is Marc if you are trying to find something.

https://www.masonsewingmachine.ca/

Edited October 30, 2018 by Sonydaze
edited typo

[dikman]

R8R, I have got my old model 335 to sew with #138 thread, but it's definitely happier with #69. I reckon #92 would be a pretty good compromise and should work ok.

[Greenwood]

Hi Dave

I have a Singer 132K6 that I use for horse blankets and have done so for years.  It is a heavy duty machine with ample room to the right of the needle to pass the heavy blanket material.  I use 92 thread to sew the patches and leg straps.  Unlike my Juki LU563 the Singer has plenty of tolerances in the sewing mechanism to sew blankets.  Even when washed which I insist on, there is always fine sand particles left behind that can play havoc with newer machines.  I clean out the race and shuttle regularly and add fresh oil at the same time. Some might say that the 132 is overkill for horse blankets which it is but having a jump foot and ample room to handle bulky material, I would certainly recommend same or equivalent machine for horse blanket repair.    

Good Luck. Layo