Singer 29K-71 all cleaned up

[kgg]

Hi may name is given name is I'M, my surname is Singer 29K71. I was conceived on October 11, 1949 I think in Clydebank, Scotland. Later I was badged as a Centennial 1851 to 1951 before making the great voyage with some of my brothers to the new world. During my 70 plus years I have been used and feed a steady diet fabric and leather. Boot leather was probably my favourite. I have outlived many a caretaker some were better then others until finally arriving in Ontario to probably my retirement home with kgg.

Kgg gave me a spa treatment where my base was high pressure hosed with good old fashion soak and water, I thought my skin was going to peel off but I survived that only too have my coat touched up and polished along with four new high density rubber soles glued to my feet. My body, well it does shown some battle scares and is a bit dull in spots. I had the many years of nicotine and dried oil removed from my coat and hand polished bringing back my best parts too show how well I have aged. My large head bolt and clutch bolt have over the years been badly gouged which needed to be ground down.

I am still missing, but promised, a new bobbin thread tensioner nut, a top head spool rod and a cotter pin to replace the nail in my end pulley wheel. My flatbed attachment legs, well they were a little scummy and had to be repainted to match the rest of me. My two double needle end plates can handle my sharp points from #11 to 24 are in really good shape with the one for small threads in excellent shape as my previous owners rarely used it, preferring the #18-20 needle hole. Even though my arm is 5" shorter then my bigger brothers 72 and 73 at 12 1/4" I still can manage to reach most things with a helping hand.

Before going to my room, all I need is to revitalize the old joints with some redneck oil.

Edited September 29, 2021 by kgg
word change

[JJN]

That is a beautiful machine. Nice job getting it cleaned up.

[Mulesaw]

Beautiful work!

[kgg]

40 minutes ago, JJN said:

That is a beautiful machine. Nice job getting it cleaned up.

 

5 minutes ago, Mulesaw said:

Beautiful work!

Thank you both and the best part it does sew. Just not a pretty face.

kgg

[dikman]

Smokin'!! (I just watched The Mask again ).

Should be good for a few more years.

[kgg]

I just finished giving I'M a redneck formula bath the crap that that came out was black to say the least. The rear gears and roller bearings have almost no wear which surprised me. Now I'm moves with a light touch on the hand wheel. For shits and griggles did a unscientific noise level measurement. We used a CEM DT-805 Digital Noise Meter to measured the normal db level where the machine is and measured the level as it went through it's hand cranked cycles. Normal quiet noise level in the area was 38 db and again with the machine going through multi hand cranked cycles peaked a 52 db so the machines peak noise was 14 db. Putting that into perspective normal conversation in the machine area was measured at 72 db.

I figure I'M is a pretty quiet sort of a guy.

kgg

[seasidesunflower]

It looks awesome all cleaned up! Great job!

 

[kgg]

I am looking at figuring out a method of installing a simple domestic sewing motor to the rear base of the machine. Something along the lines of what some have done with the 29k-4's but the 29k-71 does not have a mounting hole and I don't want to drill one in the machine or the base. If anyone has a suggestion or knows of an adapter plate of some sort I would appreciate the info.

kgg

[jimi]

Well done Kgg...looks gr8!!

[kgg]

Thank you all.

Just an update. I finally moved the Singer 29k-71 upstairs this morning to it's new resting space and changed the needle from the original 29 x 3 system to a 135 x 16 #20 needle for a quick test. Thanks to Wiz's info it was a straight swap. I also ran some V138 through which is I think the lowest size that will accept the V138 thread but doesn't really leave enough space for the bobbin thread too be pulled up. The propose of the test run was to see i) how close the number of stitches per inch it would sew versus what the manual said it could do. Manual says: 7 to 15 to the inch. depending on material being stitched and operations performed. ii) to see if it could sew above the normal 1/4" max. I hadn't adjusted the bobbin thread tension which also contributed to the bobbin thread not being properly pulled up.

Photo 1: Shows that it will sew 7 1/2 stitches per inch. I'm pleased I can live with that.

Photo 2: Shows a how thick the veg tan scraps were that I hobbled together.  11/ 32" or 8.73mm I'm happy with this as well.

Comments always welcomed.

kgg

 

[Constabulary]

Stitches become shorter the thicker the material thats because of the pendulum effect.

Maybe this thread is interesting fro you:

https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/87658-official-stitch-lenght-for-singer-29k-is/

I can sew close to 12mm with my 29K71

 

 

Edited October 2, 2021 by Constabulary

[kgg]

6 hours ago, Constabulary said:

Maybe this thread is interesting fro you:

Yes very interesting. It made me go back and do a second test with the same thread for the top thread and in the bobbin using a piece of  7/128" (1.38mm) veg tan. I got 6 1/2 stitches to the inch.

Photo 3: Side by side of veg tan from first test with 11/ 32" (8.73mm) and the second test with 7/128" (1.38mm) side by side

kgg

 

 

 

[Garyak]

On 9/29/2021 at 9:38 PM, kgg said:

I am looking at figuring out a method of installing a simple domestic sewing motor to the rear base of the machine. Something along the lines of what some have done with the 29k-4's but the 29k-71 does not have a mounting hole and I don't want to drill one in the machine or the base. If anyone has a suggestion or knows of an adapter plate of some sort I would appreciate the info.

kgg

There’s no way a domestic sewing motor would give you any control over a patcher. That and clutch motors…. Servo will change your life on a patcher. 

Just now, Garyak said:

There’s no way a domestic sewing motor would give you any control over a patcher. That and clutch motors…. Servo will change your life on a patcher. 

By the way, nice machine. 

[kgg]

3 hours ago, Garyak said:

By the way, nice machine. 

Thank you.

3 hours ago, Garyak said:

There’s no way a domestic sewing motor would give you any control over a patcher. That and clutch motors…. Servo will change your life on a patcher. 

I agree, a servo is the way to go for motorizing the machine for control but I was hoping there was an original motor and mounting plate to electrify the machine available not so much for operation but more for looks. I do have have a spare servo motor but I really would like to keep it as original as possible.

I just this last week acquired another much newer (1998) Singer 29-71 without a table that I am overhauling. Basically it is just about completed, just drip drying from it's redneck oil bath and waiting to be placed on a table. This machine originally came from Landis and has an additional manufacturing plate riveted to the front of the base for Landis's serial number and date of manufacture. This machine had a domestic type 1 / 15 hp, 120 v 50 rpm motor combined with a small gear box controlled by a domestic type foot pedal. The rear of the machine base has five holes drilled and tapped for mounting the motor unit to the machine, probably done by Landis. I guess this was their version of being portable. The motor works, it was supposedly burnt out but I narrowed the problem down to the foot pedal. Someone at some point tried to "fix" the foot pedal and left a part off as well as shorted it to the metal foot pedal housing (burn marks).

Comparing both machines I think the fit / finish as well as the internal gears on the older 1949 Singer are much better casing quality then the 1998 model. I think there was a decline in quality as Singer started to decline when comparing these two machines.

kgg