Need part for Chinese patcher

[drumminor2nd]

So I just received a Chinese patcher (two weeks after ordering despite "UPS 3 Day Select" as the shipping option), but the part identified in the manual as "Needle Bar Connecting Link" arrived in four pieces. Not wanting to screw with a return, I'm going to see what all needs to be replaced on it (and ask the seller to chip in). 

It appears to be the part that connects the upper arm to the needle shaft (thus making the needle go up and down). 

Is this the right replacement part?

http://www.bantamsaddletack.com/Linker-Arm-for-Patcher-Sewing-Machine_p_62.html

Also, anything else I should look for to make sure this thing is otherwise functional?

 

Edited April 23, 2019 by drumminor2nd
Swap out photo

[mikesc]

Don't know about anyone else, but looking at out of focus images , in an attempt to make out what they are ? Gives me a headache after a very short time..like 5 seconds..I think you'll get more chance of replies if you re-take the image again, in focus..especially as the page that you link to doesn't have an image of "Linker Arm for Patcher Sewing Machine"..

A few people here ( I am tempted , despite having a 29K amongst my herd of machines ) have bought "Chinese patchers" ( although that is a "generic term" ) they may well not all be made by the same company in China..and parts might well have different names from different manufacturers.

ps..The site that you linked to appears to be in the USA, and has a telephone number, and an email ( you could send them an email with the pic attached ) wouldn't they be the best people to ask ?

Edited April 23, 2019 by mikesc

[chrisash]

I doubt the seller would chip in, thats not the way they tend to work, far better to email them with a picture of the whole amchine and also the broken piece and ask for a replacement part stating it was damaged in transit, if they dont play ball you have the option of a review on their service if brought from a reputable web site

You could also complain about the slow dispatch or was it the courier? though it may well be customs taking their time

[drumminor2nd]

20 minutes ago, chrisash said:

I doubt the seller would chip in, thats not the way they tend to work, far better to email them with a picture of the whole machine and also the broken piece and ask for a replacement part stating it was damaged in transit, if they dont play ball you have the option of a review on their service if brought from a reputable web site

You could also complain about the slow dispatch or was it the courier? though it may well be customs taking their time

I'll try -- bought it on eBay from a US-based seller. The product description said 3-day, but it was shipped ground. Figure between the two I may have some leverage. 

Other than the one part, it appears to work just fine. Bit rough finish (to be expected) and I can't get the smell of the grease off my hands now, haha, but it seems to be overall pretty smooth in operation. I was looking for something to do short runs, and I think this will work if I can ever get the darned part...

I can see why people say to ditch the included tripod, though. My goodness what a piece of junk!

Edited April 23, 2019 by drumminor2nd

[mikesc]

Re the edited ( since my post above ) image..
Oh..that's so,much better.. :) I'd never have guessed it was cast iron piece from the first image..
When/ if you can get the piece, apparently although they are frequently in need of some care and attention from a file, almost everyone here that has one seems pleased with them..Hence my being tempted ( just because one can never have too many sewing machines, or for that matter, machines of any description ) to spend the €100.00 or so on one.. Darren used to be the resident specialist , but ...

[drumminor2nd]

5 minutes ago, mikesc said:

Oh..that's so,much better.. I'd never have guessed it was cast iron piece from the first image..

You're welcome. I was in a bit of a rush to get the emailed pic (with a webcam) off to the seller. Had a chance to find a ruler and my iPhone. Sorry about that!

I figured I'd give this bad boy a try -- I've been looking for an old Singer 29 patcher because I have an amazing local shop owner on the main street of town who can work on anything (my mother, a former seamstress, swears by him and won't let anyone else touch her machines), but I haven't found one cheap enough to bite on yet. This will hopefully get me through for a while, help me stitch up some stuff to sell and eventually pay for a better machine. 

[veedub3]

4 hours ago, drumminor2nd said:

So I just received a Chinese patcher (two weeks after ordering despite "UPS 3 Day Select" as the shipping option), but the part identified in the manual as "Needle Bar Connecting Link" arrived in four pieces. Not wanting to screw with a return, I'm going to see what all needs to be replaced on it (and ask the seller to chip in). 

It appears to be the part that connects the upper arm to the needle shaft (thus making the needle go up and down). 

Is this the right replacement part?

http://www.bantamsaddletack.com/Linker-Arm-for-Patcher-Sewing-Machine_p_62.html

Also, anything else I should look for to make sure this thing is otherwise functional?

 

 

Contact Bantam (the link you posted) showing him the picture and I am sure he will get you the correct part. That is where I buy all the spare parts for my patcher.

Karina

[dikman]

I'm surprised that any parts are actually available for these things. As it arrived damaged, thus not-as-described, you can lodge a claim with ebay for a refund if you have any problems with the seller (but you need to do it as soon as possible, or at least within 30 days). DO NOT lodge a claim with PayPal, stick to ebay.

[drumminor2nd]

Well, the seller said this morning to send pics of the part and where it goes (attached), so I'm expecting a new part at this point -- if I don't get it, I'll have to escalate things with eBay. I really don't want to ship it back across the country just to take a lottery spin on another one -- this one works relatively smoothly minus the one broken part (and I don't want them to send this one back out with the broken part . 

Except for fear of the clamping force, I bet I could get that to JB weld back together and be temporarily up and running... 

[mikesc]

Surprised that they made that part out of cast iron, thick steel ( 5mm bar ) would have worked just as well( with two holes pierced in it , and secured by nuts and "pivot washers", or double lock nuts, or "pins" through the shafts that it would sit on, whatever) and be stronger , and easier to make, and far less easy to break..

Edited April 24, 2019 by mikesc

[SilverForgeStudio]

MikeSC beat me to it- take a piece of 1/8 inch flat bar (scrap bin at my local recycler- or a small piece from any Big Box DIY store) All you need is a few inches/cm of MILD or COLD ROLLED steel (CRS)

1. measure center to center for holes- mark and centerpunch (so your drill wont drift)
2. drill one hole same size as lower pin on one end (make sure to drill 1/8 to 1/4 inch from edge for clearance of rod/arm in circular motion) 
3. drill one hole same size as upper bolt hole on other end. Mark which end is the upper
4. got a plumbers torch or propane torch or access to one? Great- get it (see next step)
5. Wear gloves- and take 2 pair of pliers (you already are wearing your safety glasses- right?) and HEAT MIDDLE OF THE BAR TO CHERRY RED
6. Twist the LOWER part 90 degrees to the upper about 2/3 the way down the bar (you need clearance for the drive arm)
7. quench in water, beer, wine, champagne- your medium of choice (if its CRS or mild steel it wont get hard)
8. Polish up, admire your new engineering skillset
9. Install and enjoy (You may need to tweak it some to stay on the lower bearing- get creative... Milliput?)

Hope this helps

Edited April 24, 2019 by SilverForgeStudio
added a step

[SilverForgeStudio]

And Cast Iron is a crappy metal for this arm I agree with Mike!

[mikesc]

Ha!! :))) Milliput :)).."Gaffa ( "Duct Tape" for many ) tape" of engineers..
Milliput makes JBWeld look like stone age tech..still can't fix everything, but it comes in specific versions that are specific for particular applications..

re SilverForgeStudio's explanation ( how to replace the part ) above..yes! :)
Only difference is I'd drill a hole in the top and bottom bars and then keep the connecting bar ( between them ) in place ( top and bottom ) with "split pins" or "captive washers"..Actually I suspect that SilverForgeStudio would do the same, but just did not get into the details. :-)

Edited April 24, 2019 by mikesc

[dikman]

That last photo better explains how it fits, so yes, wouldn't be very difficult to fabricate a suitable replacement. ebay doesn't necessarily require you to return something, and will generally cover the cost if you have to, whereas with PayPal you have to return it first, and usually at your expense. Just for your info, much better if you can avoid having to do it, and in this case if it was me I'd just make a replacement part.

[chrisash]

Are you guys for real, you would pay for a item and then when it arrives faulty, you would make repairs , rather than demand the seller send a replacement part to make is work as it was intended

[RockyAussie]

The cast iron piece may have an advantage in that it can be made to hold oil within it and given that it has to turn some with every stitch at both ends I suspect that the cast iron would reduce wear and tear and wear in better to fit as well. I would be chasing up the part replacement and letting us know how that goes for any other members that may want one from this seller.

[SilverForgeStudio]

7 hours ago, chrisash said:

Are you guys for real, you would pay for a item and then when it arrives faulty, you would make repairs , rather than demand the seller send a replacement part to make is work as it was intended

Why are you going to demand a part from across an ocean that isnt a "mission critical" part for a cheap bush-craft style machine... Now- if it were a commercial/industrial Juki, Adler or Pfaff shipped incorrectly- and it would not work without a specific part or the operation of the machine without that part would negate a warranty... that's a different matter entirely. Hey- I get it... if I bought a Rolex- it better work out of the box... but this- is not that class of machine. Third world manufacturing processes in a first-world consumer market. 

@chrisash You can fab one in less than 5-10 minutes and if you wanted to get fancy about it just press fit a couple of bearings (might add a few minutes to the job). The machine is a cheap entry level gateway to sewing. These are ditch-bank and farm-craft style machines. So for the cost of the machine... value the cost of your down time to haggle and wasted time waiting.

To answer your question yes- it arrived faulty due to handling in shipping and it is not a hard fix. You go haggle for a week or more to get a part- Ill fix it and get to using it. (Caveat here- my own Chinesium-pot metal Patcher which arrived with several dents and part defects- polished up pretty well and gave me a chance to learn how the machine operated so I can troubleshoot later if needed- so yes- I am speaking from experience.) This is a hobby-grade machine- its meant to be modified/adapted/fixed or tinkered with by the user.

And Aussie is right the Cast Iron does have a bit of an advantage for porous base material for holding oil- but is fragile. In all honesty you would be better served to push a brass/bronze bushing in place or substituting a bearing for those surfaces. The cast iron coming from China these days is like the "Pot-metal" from Taiwan and Japan of the 70's-80's... it is whatever is left over in the ladle/furnace poured without much attention to spec's or proper cooling (grey vs white cast iron) or finishing- look at the original pic- the hole is even off center bored from the mold-boss. And on my machine- the bores were not at 90 degrees to their pins or parallel with each other-causing binding. Easy fix- a file, some graphite and I am back and running in a few minutes once the offending parts are identified.

The OP was looking for advice on how to handle it- My answer is forget about it and fix it... your time is more valuable spent learning a skill and then putting the machine to work.

It has taken longer to write this than the fix would have taken.

Edited April 25, 2019 by SilverForgeStudio
Took out a bit of rubbbish and tidy up the post

[SilverForgeStudio]

On 4/23/2019 at 12:34 PM, drumminor2nd said:

Also, anything else I should look for to make sure this thing is otherwise functional?

Go read the other Chinese Patcher threads- they are loaded with hints for these little grunts.

My biggest headache was the timing- Put a witness mark on the rear cam-shaft and on each cam. Do this with the handle at TDC (top-dead-center)

The second timing item is easier- open the bobbin case top-plate and put a witness mark where the bobbin sits when the handle is at TDC of its rotation. If the shuttle comes out you now have a point of reference where it sits at the beginning of each stroke.

There are other hints/tips/tricks... you will find more the more you research. Youtube Mainley Acres and Chinese Shoe-Patcher for some troubleshooting items as well.

Hope this helps- be safe and as always- at peace. 

[SilverForgeStudio]

18 hours ago, SilverForgeStudio said:

1. measure center to center for holes- mark and centerpunch (so your drill wont drift)
2. drill one hole same size as lower pin on one end (make sure to drill 1/8 to 1/4 inch from edge for clearance of rod/arm in circular motion) 
3. drill one hole same size as upper bolt hole on other end. Mark which end is the upper
4. got a plumbers torch or propane torch or access to one? Great- get it (see next step)
5. Wear gloves- and take 2 pair of pliers (you already are wearing your safety glasses- right?) and HEAT MIDDLE OF THE BAR TO CHERRY RED
6. Twist the LOWER part 90 degrees to the upper about 2/3 the way down the bar (you need clearance for the drive arm)
7. quench in water, beer, wine, champagne- your medium of choice (if its CRS or mild steel it wont get hard)
8. Polish up, admire your new engineering skillset
9. Install and enjoy (You may need to tweak it some to stay on the lower bearing- get creative... Milliput?)

 

Just took a look at my machine compared to the OP- you can skip 4-7 if your mounting bolt-hole from the drive arm (upper) is parallel with the needle drive pin (Lower) and just drill 2 holes and mount this bar.

My drive arm is of a different style than the OP with bolt and pin at 90 degrees from each other. (Thus the twist in my directions)

[chrisash]

1 hour ago, SilverForgeStudio said:

Why are you going to demand a part from across an ocean that isnt a "mission critical" part for a cheap bush-craft style machine...

Perhapse if you read the OPs posts you would understand he brought if from a USA supplier

 

[SilverForgeStudio]

I do understand- and almost ordered from the same supplier. For what I paid for mine- I can afford to fix it- and believe most folks can fix it too- if they apply some basic skills... Caveat emptor and its not a precision machine.

Now you're just being cheeky.  

[drumminor2nd]

Thanks, all. Seller said they would ship it (I may or may not have asked for some more bobbins and needles to make up for the delay and shipping method, no point getting greedy).

But I think I'll give making one a go anyway. Got a piece of scrap handy and everything...

[CowboyBob]

We have that part in stock or I can give you the measurement when I get back into the shop tomorrow.

[dikman]

It's good that they're sending you the part but I'm still surprised that they carry replacement parts. I agree with SilverForge's comments and don't forget this is a hand-cranked machine, not a motor-driven high speed unit, so oil-carrying capacity of cast compared to plain steel is pretty irrelevant in this case. As long as the parts aren't binding or too loose then just oiling them occasionally should be more than adequate.

[kgg]

I am glad they are going to send a new part for your machine it does show that the supplier is willing to supply a complete workable machine to you. I do agree that for a lot of us marking a simple part or finding a work around may not be that much of a deal but not everyone wants to, can or should be expected to on a new machine regardless of the brand, type or price tag.

I don't think anyone would expect these machines to be the quality that one would expect from a Singer, Juki or Alder. They don't come with great paint jobs / refined finishes or servo motors but they have their place particularly for a lot of people who cann't justify the cost of a more expensive machine for the occasional use. I think for most hobbyists they get a brand name machine as their main machine (used or new) and then make do. For most the patcher is a nice accessory but with the cost, at least in Canada, ranging from $900 for no name Chinese clone to over $2500 for a brand name Chinese clone the $129.00 price tag becomes really a no brainier as all long as it can sew a decent stitch. Just my two cents.

kgg