Union Special 35800AX Capabilites

[Ogoki]

Hello all,

I am looking for a twin-needle chainstitch machine for felling the seat and yokes of jeans, and I found an old Union Special 35800AX locally.  The manual lists it for medium to heavy duty work, 6.5oz to 8oz fabric.  This is much lighter than the 15oz material that I will be using, but most of these old machines were not made for the heavier denim that we are using these days, and they generally work fine.  And "extra-heavy" folders seem to be available.

I know that the 35800B* version with a puller is preferable, but does anybody know from experience (@gottaknow?) how appropriate/inappropriate this particular machine will be?  I know that some boutique Japanese manufacturers use the 35800 without a puller, which would imply a 35800A* machine, but they tend to be a little secretive about their machines (pardon the generalization).

Thanks for any info.

Edited December 16, 2021 by Ogoki

[shoepatcher]

Call Henderson Sewing and talk to them  Lots of experience with Union Specials.

glenn