Fortuna Skiving Machine Restoration

[jimi]

6 minutes ago, Danne said:

Found this also. Lower shipping if he can buy in the country where he lives.

I ended up buying some parts from the one in Austria because the one in Spain had me going round and round in circles never giving me a price when i asked him...

[lintonleather]

Thanks guys, I think Im going to go buy a rubber wheel as I hear that's best for fine leather. 

Anyone know if you can get the 50mm to fit in this machine? 

[Northmount]

@lintonleather according to the IP address OP is located in the Nottingham, Nottingham, NG5, United Kingdom  area.

It's a good idea to add your location to your profile so you get help related to your area of the solar system!

Tom

[RockyAussie]

6 hours ago, lintonleather said:

Thanks guys, I think Im going to go buy a rubber wheel as I hear that's best for fine leather. 

Anyone know if you can get the 50mm to fit in this machine? 

50mm will fit and is more useful overall. The rubber wheel is no better than a fine stone wheel on fine leather and as I have found is easily destroyed if it ever gets a adjusted up enough to touch the blade.  A stone feed wheel can be used partly to sharpen a blade when it has a large nick in it as well. The blade will come off with a few taps at the back off the bell after the 4 screws are removed. The tools mentioned with a picture above are not needed as they are for cleaning the sharpening stone and pulling the brass deflector that sits inside the bell etc. Heat will work and the head of the screw is broad enough to use a decent set of vice grips on it if the slot is too damaged.

[jimi]

12 hours ago, lintonleather said:

Anyone know if you can get the 50mm to fit in this machine? 

Like Rocky said a 50mm will fit but you might need to get the work plate for a 50mm feed wheel, (which is on the left side of your feed wheel) yours might be only for the 34mm feed wheel to fit? Maybe a picture or two of your machine would help.

[lintonleather]

Sorry guys had to leave the country for a few days with family. I have received my new sharpening stone and after a quick test its giving off a lot more sparks so fingers crossed this brings the blade back to life. I have contacted Fortuna service agent in the UK and they want £125 before they will discuss prices for their parts etc so am looking into alternative options one of which is a 34mm rubber feed wheel that I have been quoted €77. After seeing a number of 50mm wheels online for sub £20 I am looking for an alternative supplier atm. 

 

I will upload a few photos of the machine and update the thread asap 

[Matt S]

2 hours ago, lintonleather said:

I have contacted Fortuna service agent in the UK and they want £125 before they will discuss prices for their parts etc so am looking into alternative options one of which is a 34mm rubber feed wheel that I have been quoted €77. After seeing a number of 50mm wheels online for sub £20 I am looking for an alternative supplier atm. 

I can believe that. My (very early) Fortuna skiver came with a big pile of paperwork including an invoice from Fortuna/SAS UK. Looks like the previous owner spent more for a couple dozen spare parts than I paid for the entire machine 10 years later -- and I didn't exactly pay beer money.

I've bought generic skiver parts from the usual online suspects and they tend to work, though sometimes need a little fettling. If you can stand the wait for it to arrive on the slow boat from China the savings are significant.

[bermudahwin]

On 4/18/2019 at 12:58 AM, Matt S said:

I can believe that. My (very early) Fortuna skiver came with a big pile of paperwork including an invoice from Fortuna/SAS UK. Looks like the previous owner spent more for a couple dozen spare parts than I paid for the entire machine 10 years later -- and I didn't exactly pay beer money.

I've bought generic skiver parts from the usual online suspects and they tend to work, though sometimes need a little fettling. If you can stand the wait for it to arrive on the slow boat from China the savings are significant.

Not commenting on Fortuna, but on an Italian Bibo machine (not skiving) , same agent was terse, and seemed to want to invoice for the phone call....

[RockyAussie]

8 hours ago, hwinbermuda said:

Not commenting on Fortuna, but on an Italian Bibo machine (not skiving) , same agent was terse, and seemed to want to invoice for the phone call....

It is amazing to think that in the ever decreasing size world and with the internet available to so many now, that the older school places fail to see the need to adapt and compete. I have recently had an electronic folding machine made by OMAC start to fail and although they still sell the same machine with the same model number they can not supply me any of the electronic parts for it as it is now 9 years old. They can supply me with another new one for $12,000 au though!!!! Looks like my old mechanical folder is about to get a revamp with a milled in line marker and some heating system installation. Its already been more reliable anyway and can be seen in use on my youtube channel here

Note that there is some video's there that show some on my Fortuna skiver and some adaptations as well.

[YinTx]

35 minutes ago, RockyAussie said:

It is amazing to think that in the ever decreasing size world and with the internet available to so many now, that the older school places fail to see the need to adapt and compete. I have recently had an electronic folding machine made by OMAC start to fail and although they still sell the same machine with the same model number they can not supply me any of the electronic parts for it as it is now 9 years old. They can supply me with another new one for $12,000 au though!!!!

I think you answered the question.  Called Planned Obsolescence.  If they can't fix it, and you can't fix it, you have to buy a new one from them, and they make a lot more $$$!!   Many companies do this, to the detriment of our environment and resources.  But it is their way of adapting and competing.  Imagine if you were still repairing that 60 year old clicker press (or... car), instead of buying a new one because the control board burned out.  How are they ever going to make money selling new ones?  anyhow, I'll turn my rant off now, and step off of the box.

Find some one hanging on to the past with an electronics repair business, they may be able to help.  Maybe not.

YinTx

[RockyAussie]

1 hour ago, YinTx said:

you have to buy a new one from them

NOT true. If the attitude sucks ....I will either make it myself or shop elsewhere. The Italian companies are losing business every day to China and elsewhere. If the Chinese up the translation quality on their manuals then many competing (JOKE) companies will be out of the business. The terrible part about this folding machine is 90% of it is metal with fine engineering and all of that will be now waste. It would be alright if they sold me the $100 worth of electronics for a couple of thousand but the continual environmental disregard is wrong for one in my view. 

 

2 hours ago, YinTx said:

How are they ever going to make money selling new ones?

They won't because the competition will see to that. The only reason to pay more than double the price to them is if you think that the product will give better performance and be backed by proper SERVICE over the years of owning it. I am off the soap box now

[YinTx]

19 hours ago, hwinbermuda said:

Not commenting on Fortuna, but on an Italian Bibo machine (not skiving) , same agent was terse, and seemed to want to invoice for the phone call....

When I worked in another industry, there were some suppliers/contractors that acted the same way.  They didn't get business from me - without the attitude, they would have.  However, I understand that they get tired of spending hours understanding issues and putting together parts lists and quotes only to have the customer take that info to buy cheap products elsewhere.

@RockyAussie my view is very similar to yours,  my post was perhaps filled with too much sarcasm.  The situation irks me.  The "throwaway" society that has been forced upon customers is a worldwide travesty from the exploitation of human labor all the way to waste of resources and pollution of the environment both in the manufacturing process and disposal of the final product,  in my humble opinion.  

Fake peeling leather couches are a fine example.  How many tons of steel and polyester and plastic have made it to land fills because the surface coating only lasts 6 months?  How much energy and oil were expended to mine and refine the raw materials to construct that couch?

Auto makers design for 10 year life.  Engineers are taught how to do that in college.   The design differences between 10 and 50 years is sometimes miniscule.  They are also taught infinite life design, you can imagine how rarely that gets used.

But I risk hijacking the thread, so I'll cool my jets and get some breakfast.  And coffee.   

YinTx

[jimi]

Back in the mid 70´s we were flooded with all of those beautiful reel to reels, receivers, tape decks and amplifiers with lovely brushed aluminium face plates VU meters dancing around to the music and many are still around today and working. I agree many have been repaired but lets say normal repairs like bad caps and transistors after 40+ years of work. But when these companies were competing against each other it was a different attitude all together, they were competing to see who could make the best... not like today... now they are competing to see who is the cheapest...

[LederMaschinist]

If you haven't gotten that clamping screw loose yet, forget all the penetrating oil and heat.  Those sometimes work, but this is the tool you need and it has never failed me.  It's called an impact driver.  You put the proper screwdriver bit in it, put it on the screw and whack it with a mallet.  It simultaneously puts pressure on the screw to keep the bit from slipping, and also turns the screw to loosen it.  This tool will usually loosen the most stubborn screw without even damaging the screw head. You do have to securely hold whatever part it is that you are working on, because it will take the full force from the mallet blow.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TEKTON-2905-8-Inch-Manual-7-Piece/dp/B000NPPATS/
 

Edited July 15, 2019 by LederMaschinist

[latheman]

I am currently putting a Fortuna model G back together. On the main spindle there is a tiny set screw which I believe it was there to keep some type of shim that was used to adjust the bronze collet to set it for main shaft clearance. I have searched 2 or 3 parts books to no avail. Does anyone know what is missing and is it available or can I make it. I think a tapered like gib would  probably  work. This particular machine is from the early 1930's. I hope someone can help me.

Edited February 6, 2021 by latheman
correct some spelling