Durkopp Adler 205-370 Handcrank

[cdthayer]

I came up with a basket-case Adler 205-370 that had set out in the weather for a lengthy time.  It was locked up tight, but still had all of its parts.  I began the process of restoring it to useable condition back at the end of August 2018 when I removed the active Yellow Hornet nest just inside of the top inspection cover.  I had hornets everywhere, and managed to keep from getting stung.

Once I settled back down from that experience, I applied Lilly White sewing machine oil using a syringe and a small Singer squirt bottle to what I could reach easliy, and let it set.  I oiled all of the keepers for the covers and feet, and after a few days, I removed the remaining covers to get oil further into the end of the head.  Every few days I applied more oil and checked the hand wheel for movement.  On the last day of November (3 full months later), I got the first tiny movement of the hand wheel.  I oiled everything again and worked the hand wheel back and forth then with more frequency, and finally got one full revolution 5 days later.  

With both upper and lower shafts free, I turned my attention to the outer presser bar that was still seized tightly in the tension adjustment thumb nut.  After lots of oil and some heat from a hair dryer, I hadn’t gained anything by the middle of April (4 more months), so I gave it a big shot of PB Blaster, let it set for a day, and got out the Vise-grips.  I hadn’t broken anything yet, but that thumb nut was going to break free or be destroyed.  One firm twist of the vise-grips and the thumb nut popped loose from the presser bar with no damage.  On April 25, 2019 the machine was totally free with everything operating as it should.

The tension and pretension assemblies came to me in a sandwich bag and have been cleaned and reassembled.  I didn’t take any other linkages apart.  I have set this machine up for another mending and repair machine for my business.  The bulk of my mending is woven or vinyl materials.  The machine came with a #230 spacer, and I added a 7x3-26 round-point needle, Tex350 Bonded Nylon thread, new #28092 bobbin, set of Weaver harness feet, and a #22209 Agri-Direct Spinner knob for propulsion.  It sews just fine, and other than still shedding excess oil that I put in/on it, it’s ready to tackle its first mending job.

Thank you to all of the forum people that have talked about and provided videos about DA205-370 machines that helped me get this machine going again.

CD in Oklahoma

 

[Gregg From Keystone Sewing]

Great looking machine for sure.  Any work that you put into it will be well worth it.  Very desirable machine.

[cdthayer]

Thanks Greg.  I’ll probably use a little sewing machine oil to rub the painted surfaces to see if I can get any more of the rust stains off of it, but that’s probably about it.  I’m not too much into aesthetics (as you can tell by looking at my machines).  I’m much more into function, and will be fiddling with the tension and pretension assemblies as I go.  I know that it has definitely been over-oiled, and that could cause problems down the line if it’s allowed to set idle.  I have it near a traffic area and can give it a few cranks whenever I walk by it to keep it limbered up so that the oil doesn’t dry out.

It’s missing one of the springs in the race, and has one shorter replacement spring that doesn’t match the other two (one of those is bent).  I’ll be looking to get a new set of them (part # 068 00 183 0)?  Do you have those?

CD in Oklahoma

 

[dikman]

Well done cd, you probably saved it from certain demise.

[cdthayer]

On 5/12/2019 at 4:28 PM, cdthayer said:

It’s missing one of the springs in the race, and has one shorter replacement spring that doesn’t match the other two (one of those is bent).  I’ll be looking to get a new set of them (part # 068 00 183 0)?  Do you have those?

Who can sell me the springs (part # 068 00 183 0)?  Contact me.

CD in Oklahoma

[shoepatcher]

cdthayer,

  Contact Allen at Weaver.  They have genuine Adler parts as well as the clone parts for the 205 Clone.  He can help.

glenn

[cdthayer]

Thanks Glenn.

[cdthayer]

@Glenn, your compliment on Weaver Leather Supply for Adler parts is well founded.  I haven’t ever contacted Allen personally, but the company has some great folks working there. I got my springs fast, fast just by ordering on their website! My new springs are ready for installation when the ambient temperature goes down a little here in Oklahoma (we’re in a “Flash Drought”, and I have no cooling in my sweat shop of a sewing room). FWIW - I hadn’t ever heard of the term “Flash Drought” before, but looking it up, it seems that if the conditions turn extremely hot with no rain after a period of very wet conditions, the ground conditions can be dried out extremely fast, and qualifies as a “Flash Drought” (sort of like a “Flash Flood” that comes with too much rain in a short period of time).

I’m not complaining about the weather.  It gets hot in Oklahoma during the summer.  We’ve had triple digits for several days with little end in sight.  At my age, I’ll take the heat over the cold.

On another note: one time previous, a few months ago, I chatted with a young lady about parts for my Adler 205-370, and while she didn’t know the answer to one of my questions, she told me so, and was right back on the chat with the solution that the other folks at Weaver gave her.  They do bust their hump to help us out here in the wild. It’s not cheap to be an Adler owner that needs to buy parts, and getting past the cost may be difficult for some, but Weaver makes it as painless as they can by giving good service.

CD in Oklahoma

 

[DrmCa]

Tiger torches are great against wasps and hornets. Don't ask how I know.

[Louiesdad]

This process works very well on just about anything with moving steel against steel parts.

Get a can of Kriol and oil it down with it, run it for 5 mins day one. Then it spray down w wd-40 let sit 48 hrs.

Again oil with kroil and run for 30 mins, spray down with wd40.

Oil it with Kroil then allow the Kriol to penetrate for 3-4 days and you could brush shafts with ss brushes and respray with wd40. Sand shafts with 1500 paper.

After 4-5 rounds it will be as good as new and have oil penetrated into all the moving surfaces.

Put it in the hot sun or oven and it will free up quicker as the steel expands and contracts.

Repeat above with white sewing machine oil 2 times and it will be 100% serviceable and the time and tune it up.

 

When I was looking for 205-370 I found Aliexpress had good pricing on parts and KH had the guides, plates, feet for them at great pricing.

Weaver had the parts also.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cdthayer]

I got the 4 new springs installed in the race.  That was kind of an adventure, but no blood-letting.

I still have my thread-shredding problem, and I’m honing in on the take-up lever as the possible problem now. I finally took the end cover off to see what was going on in there, and my thread (Tex350 Poly) was being shredded coming into the take-up lever. The grommet in the lever eye has a nice large flange on the exit side, but the entrance side is small, not flared, and sort of sharp.  I’m wondering if it originally was a two-piece press-together grommet, and half of it fell apart during a thread change?  I’m just thinking out loud now.  That could explain why it sewed fine and then suddenly wouldn’t.  The machine will make a couple of stitches, and then bind up and miss the subsequent stitches.  If the thread is being held at the take-up lever, there wouldn’t be any loop for the hook to pick up.

This is a late 1990s machine.  Can anyone give me some advice on this, or maybe post a photo of the back side (away from the operator) of your take-up lever eye?

CD in Oklahoma

 

 

[Wizcrafts]

You should contact Adler USA about a replacement eyelet, or just remove what's left, polish the edges and live without the eyelet.

[cdthayer]

Thanks Wiz,

It makes sense to have a user-replaceable eyelet system on this machine for when repeated thread use wears a groove in the eyelet.  User-replacement would probably eliminate a flaring tool to install a new eyelet, so I’m suspecting a two-piece press-together replacement.  I just don’t have a good clear photo of that side of the eye to see if I’m now missing half of it.

This may be a good question to fire at Allen over at Weaver Sewing, but with all of the Adler 205-370 owners on this forum, maybe someone will chime in.  The back side of the take-up lever can be seen and photographed full-travel through a slot without removing the end cover.  I just can’t seem to find a close-up photograph of it anywhere.

CD in Oklahoma

PS- Can you remove the duplicate image in my previous post?  It won't let me kick it out.

[Bert51]

CD, maybe it is a new eyelet and it just needs to be flared to finish installing it?

Bert.

[cdthayer]

5 hours ago, Bert51 said:

CD, maybe it is a new eyelet and it just needs to be flared to finish installing it?

Bert.

I don't know Bert.  Could be.

CD in Oklahoma

[shoepatcher]

CD,

Contact Allen at Weaver,  ext. 180.  He is in on Monday and Tuesday.

glenn

Edited August 18, 2019 by shoepatcher
grammar

[cdthayer]

On 8/18/2019 at 2:16 PM, shoepatcher said:

CD,

Contact Allen at Weaver,  ext. 180.  He is in on Monday and Tuesday.

glenn

Thanks Glenn.  I appreciate you trying to help.  Allen was out-of-pocket, but Joe at Weaver hit the parts books and he didn’t find any listing for the eyelet in the take-up lever as a separate part. It must be included with the take-up lever or not at all.

That leaves me on my own.  I’ve already went with “plan B”, to remove the eyelet, and I still have thread trashing problems, so my problem must not have been with the take-up lever eyelet.  Wish I had known that before I trashed the eyelet.  I’m surprised that there aren’t any Adler 205-370 owners that had time to click a photo for me of their machine.  Oh well, like I said, I’m on my own.

And I’m out of here.

CD in Oklahoma

 

[Bert51]

CD, I have a Adler 105 and it does not have an eyelet in the take up lever, but maybe the previous owner put it there trying to stop the "Trashing" problem?

Sadly I have never seen an Adler 205-370 in the flesh, so I cannot speak with any knowledge that would be helpful.

Bert.