Thompson Walker screw info

[ElFishbone]

First post, but gained most of my education about sewing leather lurking in other peoples topics and questions. I picked up a Thompson PW500 this weekend because it was cheap and looked like it was new.

This is my first Walking foot and first foreign machine. My question is what kind of hardware is used on these machines. I assumed it was metric. But not so sure now. I oiled and plugged the machine in to try, and when I ran it the face plate promptly fell off. It was only held on by one screw and it is us standard thread 10x32. I want to chase the threads and get the proper mounting screws so i need to know what tap size. 

1. Can anyone tell me what size the #18 face plate screw in the parts section of the Thompson manual is?

2. How long does it take for the foot pedal to get hot when running the machine? 

By the way, this machine ran very well, pulled 4 layers of terry towel through with no problem and ran quieter than expected. This was also the cleanest machine I have ever brought home and now I can hardly wait to start sewing to see what it can do. 

Thanks

Fishbone

[Uwe]

If the 10x32 screw fits both threaded holes, then that’s your tap size. That size very close to a metric M5, so that may be a candidate. 

Sewing machines are notorious for using oddball screws. Some machines happily mix metric, imperial, and custom screws. Some manufacturers tell you what screws size it is in the parts manual, but many don’t. If they don’t, they want to you to buy that screw from them, not from the local hardware store.

Not sure what the foot pedal temperature question is about. If it gets warm during use that may be normal. If it gets hot, it may be faulty. If it catches fire, that’s really bad.

Also, going forward, it’s good etiquette to just provide all the information you already have, like a photo, screen shot or a link to the parts manual you are talking about. Otherwise a bunch of people will spend time and effort looking up information you already have right there in front of you. A photo really helps a lot because we can’t see what you are looking at unless you show us.

Sailrite apparently based their machines on the Thompson, so they may have some answers if you contact them (Sailrite.com)

Best of luck with your new acquisition!