Craigslist ... score?

[JHLeatherwood]

Got this sweet Juki EA650 Baby Lock as part of a Craigslist bundle. Ad said it needed a little TLC ...

OK, they threw that in with the real score: A Consew 332R in semi-working condition. The pulley moves (by hand), the presser foot goes up and down, the needle carriage moves, and with the drive belt removed from the pulley, the motor spins up (and takes a LONG time to spin back down).

There's some rust, and a bunch of parts are missing, but there's a local industrial sewing machine repair guy who was kind enough not to buy it out from under me when he checked it out. Yeah, i t needs some work but a couple $$$ (Ok, maybe $$$$) in parts and labor and I should have a machine that will FAR exceed my ability to take advantage of it.

Oh, and I got a Tandy block of 80 stamps (ok, there were two handles and two sewing-machine screwdrivers, so only 76 stamps) as part of the deal, too. 

Sadly, this all came with the house the CL sellers bought when the previous owner died, and it was all stored in the covered porch. Rust abounds.

 

Photo attachment limits ... yarg

 

[Alaisiagae]

Nice score! A little Bar Keep's Friend or Flitz should help remove corrosion and rust, or you can spring for a heavy-duty rust remover from the hardware store. Let us know about your progress getting things fixed up!

[Ed in Tx]

Try soaking the stamps is a solution of CLR and water. CLR works very well for removing rust and it's not corrosive. Same goes for any parts you can remove from the machines. Depending on how much you paid you may well have gotten a really good deal even if you have to spend a few bucks to get the sewing machines up and running. 

[Chris623]

Without a doubt the best rust remover I've ever used.

https://evapo-rust.com/

Took an old pipe wrench I found buried in the dirt (must have been there for more than 20 years because I've lived here that long and it was here before me) behind my barn and put it in Evapo-rust for two days and there wasn't a spec of rust left on it.  Hit it with a wire wheel and it looked brand new.  I couldn't recommend this stuff more..................just wish I owned stock in their company!  Nicest thing about it is it's perfectly safe.  No gloves, no masks, and won't corrode anything in your shop because it's not an acid!

Edited September 8, 2020 by Chris623

[JHLeatherwood]

29 minutes ago, Ed in Tx said:

Try soaking the stamps is a solution of CLR and water. CLR works very well for removing rust and it's not corrosive. Same goes for any parts you can remove from the machines. Depending on how much you paid you may well have gotten a really good deal even if you have to spend a few bucks to get the sewing machines up and running. 

I'll admit it here - $200 all in for the lot.

Industrial sewing machine guy says he'll get it back to fully functional (including restore or replace the hook/bobbin carriage, refinish the surface rust on the plates, recoonect the reverse bar, and replace the walking foot/presser) for under $300 and two weeks, which includes the 30 minutes he spent walking me through what he was seeing. 

I'll probably buy a new table from him - the seaside humidity wasn't kind to the particleboard the "original" table was made of, and he has a new plywood version with the lamp and thread holder already installed for $125.

I may spring for a servo motor. I know it's the most highly recommended mod out there, and for another $150 or so would probably be the difference between me loving the machine and hating life. On the other hand, that's another $150, and this machine hasn't made me any profit yet.

so for about $700 all in (plus thread, needles, and other incidentals) I'll have a machine that will easily handle wallets, journal covers, and up to 7-ounce combined leather for other knick-knacks and doodads I can sell at the swap meets.  I've done a couple (literally two) holsters handstitched, and I'm not sure this machine would be up that, or knife sheaths, but it'll speed my production of the smaller stuff, for sure.

[JHLeatherwood]

Hey - while y'all are here - 

I'm looking up needles and threads and such. Industrial sewing machine repair guy (ISMRG) says he wouldn't go larger than 170 thread and 135 in the bobbin. Nothing againt y'all, but he's here in the flesh and I can see from his shop that he at least knows how to take them apart.

Should I stock up on needles and thread from Amazon, or pay the slightly higher price and buy from ... Springifeld, Weave, Buckleguy, RMLeathersupply, etc.

Does it matter?

[CowboyBob]

Good buy,but you should consider size 138 as the largest thread & use#92 in the bobbin.

[JHLeatherwood]

1 hour ago, CowboyBob said:

Good buy,but you should consider size 138 as the largest thread & use#92 in the bobbin.

Thanks for the tip. 

This is the first sewing machine I've had in the house in .... 20 years? I know I'm going to go through a good portion of my stack of scraps just learning the basics and getting ready to think about using it on an actual project. I see lots of keyfobs in my future.

Looking at the chart on your site, contemplating the dozens of threads (hah!) on the topic, and considering the things I've been working on, I'm thinking about a "first order"to be ready when the machine gets out of the shop. I've been using Ritza .8mm and Tandy generic waxed thread for all my hand-sewing. 

So I'm thinking I should get ...

16/100, 18/110, 19/120 and 22/140 leather needles, and 

69, 92, and 138 threads.

That way, I can do my lighter wallets, biker accessories, and lighter tool sheaths with the right needles and thread.

Is this right? Or should I just go with 138/92 and a 19/120 needle for everything?

[Wizcrafts]

1 hour ago, JHLeatherwood said:

So I'm thinking I should get ...

16/100, 18/110, 19/120 and 22/140 leather needles, and 

69, 92, and 138 threads.

That way, I can do my lighter wallets, biker accessories, and lighter tool sheaths with the right needles and thread.

Is this right? Or should I just go with 138/92 and a 19/120 needle for everything?

That is basically correct, with one possible exception. When sewing #138 thread in hard leather (e.g., two layers of finished veg-tan), I use a #23 needle to poke a larger hole. This will allow the lockstitch knots to be pulled up with less stress on the take-up lever and cranks.