what class Pfaff 145-H-3 BSN?

[plinkercases]

I am trying to ascertain the actual class of machine (and thus capacity)  I am looking at and the interweb isn't being helpful...

the owner has told me its plate says 145-H-3 and the 3 letter below are BSN. I am  asking for a clear picture of the plate as there are more digits after the H-3 which I don't know... as seen in this picture of the plate from another machine. I think BSN would mean it is a B class..?

The picture of the machine is the actual one I am looking at.

 

[Scoutmom103]

[plinkercases]

Fantastic. I found a post with almost all those codes except the S .... fabric.... so its a pass in this one thanks.

[DonInReno]

Um...Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't the only differences between the fabric and leather models smooth vs grooved walking feet and feed dog/needle plate? 

[Wizcrafts]

17 minutes ago, DonInReno said:

Um...Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't the only differences between the fabric and leather models smooth vs grooved walking feet and feed dog/needle plate? 

No. Cloth walking foot machines usually (but not always) have lighter tension springs and bobbin case springs. The take-up parts may not be as beefy either. Hooks tend to be M or LU style in dedicated leather walking foot machines, which are normally triple/compound feed, rather than dual feed (with teeth) as preferred for transporting cloth.

Reasons why

Cloth sewing is normally done with light weight cotton, polyester, or polycore thread that is thinner and much more fragile than bonded nylon or bonded polyester. The walking foot machines used in garment construction are usually run flat out at about 2500 rpm, or faster. Some have sump pumps with  automatic oilers that need to be run fast. The thinner, fragile threads used in them need to have gentle tension paths and light springs. Sometimes the top thread is run through liquid silicon in a jar on top of the machine. If the work generates too much heat, compressed air tubes may be installed to cool the needles, which may be made with titanium or black Teflon coating.

[Ken Nelson]

Thank you for the information WIZ,  You never cease to amaze me!!

[Uwe]

The Pfaff 145/545 parts manual (PFAFF-145-545.pdf) may contain some clues regarding the specific parts differences between the S and L versions of the Pfaff 145. Personally, I wouldn't necessarily rule out a Pfaff 145 for leather work just because of the "S" in the model descriptor.

 

[plinkercases]

Uwe i did consider but the foot lift is only 11mm based on the codes as far as I can tell and I am looking for more capacity in thickness, needle and thread size as i have a machine for the lighter end of the spectrum.

[Constabulary]

well - on this type of machine with needle system 134-35 or a bit longer 135x17 the 11mm foot lift already is a VERY good score.

Maybe the Cowboy CB341 / Juki 341 type will give you a bit more foot lift but I´m not sure how thick they really can sew as they also have the 135x17 needle system. I think they max out at approx 12mm material thickness.

If you want to sew thicker you will need a much heavier machine approx in the range of a Juki 441 or clone or Cowboy 3500 and similar.

[Wizcrafts]

2 hours ago, plinkercases said:

Uwe i did consider but the foot lift is only 11mm based on the codes as far as I can tell and I am looking for more capacity in thickness, needle and thread size as i have a machine for the lighter end of the spectrum.

Walking foot machines using system 135x16 needles can't sew much over 3/8" (~10 - 11 mm). This limit is imposed by the up/down stroke  of the needle and alternating height of the feet. When you are sewing 3/8 inch (10mm), the feet need to alternate up and down about 1/8 inch (~3mm). In Metric-speak, that's about 13mm. In order to sew thicker than 3/8", you need a Pfaff model that allows for higher alternating (working) lift and longer , System 190 needles. These needles are about 3/16" longer than System 135.