Pfaff 345 6c h3ln service

[paukenman]

Hello all,

I am looking for some good videos on self servicing my Pfaff. I can’t get it to a service or repair shop and am having some issues especially with reverse.

I am hoping for some videos like Uwe Grosse (hint hint, wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more) makes as his 563 videos are priceless to me!

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated:)

[chrisash]

This may help Reading : Pfaff 345 Service Manual Pdf | pdfsu.com

 

[Scoutmom103]

 

49 minutes ago, chrisash said:

This may help Reading : Pfaff 345 Service Manual Pdf | pdfsu.com

 

Any chance you have a download where we don't have to sign up for the pdf trial?

[chrisash]

sorry no I just did a google search for you and that one came up

[paukenman]

I do have that manual. I am looking for more help on timing. I figured out some of the issues of the thread catching but in reverse it is really noisy and can’t figure it out! Thanks for the link though:)!

[Northmount]

Moved to Leather Sewing Machines

[Uwe]

To get somebody’s attention here on LW, you have to use their handle like this: @Uwe (type the @ followed by the username and then select the handle from the drop-down menu). Otherwise it’s just coincidence that somebody reads your post.

Usually the good-forward but bad-reverse is tied to hook timing. Forward stitching is much more forgiving compared to reverse due to the relative movements of hook and needle. A machine that makes a nice stitch in reverse will nearly always make a nice stitch going forward. The converse is not always true. Noise usually indicates parts touching or thread snapping. 

Make sure that hook timing is spot-on and that the needle guard is actually touching the needle at the moment of hook timing. Also make sure that the bobbin case opener actually does its job. A few very slow hand-turned stitches while observing thread , needle, and hook usually tell me all that I need to know. I usually set hook timing by the book for forward first, then I tweak hook timing slightly (advance/retard) to also make it also work smoothly for reverse.

I don’t have a Pfaff 345, so I can’t check directly, but I am guessing the hook mechanism is very similar to that of the Adler 269 or Juki 341.

Pictures and video snippets linked via Youtube are always a great help. Practice that to increase your odds of meaningful remote crowd-sourced service advice. 

 

Edited March 18, 2021 by Uwe

[paukenman]

Thank you Uwe for the advice all around, I didn’t know how to get to specific users and certainly glad you happened upon it. I will get some video of whats happening and post it. Thanks again! 

[paukenman]

here is a link to what is happening.

[Uwe]

There are a few things going on here that don’t seem quite right.

The main issue may indeed be a hook timing issue. It seems like the thread snags on the tail end of the hook gib (called the cast-off nib) because the hook is a little too late letting go of the thread. Advancing hook timing a little, i.e. making the tip of the hook arrive at the needle a little bit earlier may help with that issue (because the hook gib will also let go of the thread a little earlier.) Essentially the take-up lever is fighting against the hook.

This photo points to the cast-off nib:

 

This video show the same problem on a different machine (caused by a retarded hook timing). In that case advancing the hook timing resolved the issue:

 

Your top thread tension also appears to be excessively high. Especially in reverse the top thread pulls the bottom thread straight to the top and then some, despite the leather being pulled up with the thread. Check your upper thread path to make sure it’s right. 

The presser feet are not doing a good job holding the leather down close enough to the needle as it pulls the knot tight. The left toe foot is too far away from the front foot and needle. If the leather gets pulled up while it’s trying to pull the knot into the leather, that normally causes the knot to stay below the the leather. On your machine the knot gets pulled to the top anyways.

Please take some photos of your thread path.

 

Edited March 23, 2021 by Uwe

[paukenman]

ok, here are the pics of thread path. I have 92 thread in there, more noisy.I have had issues with the feet since I got this machine, don't know where to get replacements. I readjusted top tension as I think it was set for thicker stock however, same noises etc. Thanks again for your expertise.

[Uwe]

Search Ebay or Amazon for “1245 feet” and you’ll see dozens of presser foot options that will fit your machine. Look for feet with at start with “KP” in the part number, they’re good quality feet.

Pfaff models 145 146 195 335 345 540 545 1240 1245 all use the same feet. Almost nobody shows Pfaff 345 in their listing description. 

You can also order good quality parts directly from a manufacturer at http://khsew.com (search for “1245” to see feet or “345” for throat plate and feed dog.)

Thread path looks okay from what I can tell on those small pics.

I’d recommend tweaking the hook timing a little to see if it makes a difference. Very often a small adjustment makes all the difference between snapping thread and buttery smoothness.

 

Edited March 23, 2021 by Uwe

[paukenman]

Thanks so much Uwe.