Husqvarna 12 705

[palvim]

Hello All,

I'm wondering if anyone knows anything about this machine? I found it in a second hand shop near me for sale for only $25. They have 2 of these. Can it do light projects like leather wallets? 

Thanks 

Vimal. 

[Gunnarsson]

It's an old domestic machine. It can probably do some light leather work like many other old domestic machines, but it isn't the right machine for the job. 

[dikman]

I agree. Nice looking machine though, doesn't look like it's been used much.

[Constabulary]

all said.

[Scoutmom103]

It looks like a domestic treadle   It looks to be in very good shape.  If you need a straight stitching domestic that won't have problems with a motor, that one looks nice and the price seems good.  The table looks to be in good shape also..  

[dikman]

Yep, given it's obvious age it all looks to be in very good condition.

[ensitmike]

I have it's sibling, the 33-10. For some markets these are called Vikings. They and incredibly built machines. Fun fact, the original manuals state that they are industrials, albeit lightweight. I would put them on par with the domestic Singers of the time but they are built slightly more robust with fantastic gear boxes and so on.

A nice buy at the price. I scored mine for $9.99 at a thrift store. The great thing is most people (including the people pricing them) have no idea what they are because they are surprisingly rare (especially in the states).

Edited May 2, 2020 by ensitmike

[Sheilajeanne]

Ensitmike, in Canada, Viking was the brand name for Eaton's electrical appliances! I have an old Viking radio my parents bought from Eaton's during the 1950's. Like Sear's they'd buy from the manufacturer, then rebrand the appliance with their name.

[ensitmike]

48 minutes ago, Sheilajeanne said:

Ensitmike, in Canada, Viking was the brand name for Eaton's electrical appliances! I have an old Viking radio my parents bought from Eaton's during the 1950's. Like Sear's they'd buy from the manufacturer, then rebrand the appliance with their name.

Sheila, it is likely a different brand. This is Husqvarna as in http://www.husqvarnaviking.com. Viking, I believe, was their North American branding because it was a much more synonymous and recognizable cultural branding for a non-european market. I don't believe it was a 3rd party rebrand because it still has a Husqvarna name plate on it and they carry the Viking branding to this day. If you don't know Husqvarna they are actually a great company with a very diverse product history. Their current motorcycle is actually famous, as are their chainsaws. 

Edited May 2, 2020 by ensitmike

[palvim]

Thanks guys! I actually bought 3 of these machines. Two were manual with tables and one was in a box with an electric motor. All looked very good. I'll probably try and service them all. Keep two and sell one ahead. I reckon with the age it's better to have some spare parts. 

I'm wondering if anyone has some idea or some pointers on how to service them on your own. 

Also, is it possible to change the motor to a slow speed home sewing motor that could be suitable for light leather work. Which motor would that be? 

Thanks. 

[Sheilajeanne]

Mike, no doubt you're right. I used to have a Husqvarna lawnmower that converted into a snowblower for winter! I called it 'the orange beast', and let it go when I sold the kennel. The new owners have put it through all sorts of abuse, even using it to tow a toolshed from one side of the property to the other, and it's still going strong!

[Gunnarsson]

18 hours ago, palvim said:

Also, is it possible to change the motor to a slow speed home sewing motor that could be suitable for light leather work. Which motor would that be? 

Basically, you can put any motor you want on them. But as you already have one machine with motor you can use that, just make a speed reducer with different size pulley/pulleys to slow the machine down.

[palvim]

1 hour ago, Gunnarsson said:

Basically, you can put any motor you want on them. But as you already have one machine with motor you can use that, just make a speed reducer with different size pulley/pulleys to slow the machine down.

I don't think the motor is working. I tested it. I've purchased a small 90w replacement motor for one of them. It's the one which comes in a box without the table. If it works fine for sewing small thin leather items like wallets with 3-4oz X 2 then I'll probably get a bigger motor for the table version machine to sew canvas bags. In the manual it says it can take needle size 140. That means thread size 92 could be just fine. 

Edited May 3, 2020 by palvim

[palvim]

Just wondering if there is any video or resource to do a complete overhaul of such type of machines. Would help a lot. 

[Scoutmom103]

Not sure if there is a Husqvarna group on Facebook, but there are old sewing machine groups.  Many different domestic ones and some have files about refurbishment.  There are also some old forums on other platforms.

 

[Gunnarsson]

I'm sure there is a service manual for those machines too, but I made a quick search and was unable to find one. I have come across several manuals for the two main Husqvarna generations that came after your machines (the automatic & 2000 series, I use those), so you can probably find one for the class 12 too, if you just look in the right place - asking in the right Facebook groups may be the best bet. If you don't find one the good news is that your machine should be rather simple by comparison, the newer zig zag & pattern seam machines have A LOT of extra adjustments to get right in those systems.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/687487491317989/ 
 

[DavidJohn]

It is an old machine but a good one, it has more piercing power than most of the new domestic machines. When we buy an industrial machine we presume it is the best machine out there which is normal because we all take pride in what we own. I ended up buying a Brother industrial sewing machine because the owner of the tailor shop was buying new machines, Juki was the brand, he told me the machine he gave to me had more piercing power than the new Juki model he was buying.I have to check the model of the Brother as it is packed away with other machines. A lot of the older industrial machines are just as good as the new ones.