sewing machines

[tomo]

Hey Sharon,
sometimes the inside of the tubes can have very small burrs or rough spots on them that can stop the divets ejecting. As you hammer away driving in more leather, the tube splits.

I'm assuming that your're using a drive punch - the type you hit with a mallet, Yes?

Another option is to place the leather on to a 'slab' of lead and punch into this. When you use synthetic boards, you need to be careful that the plastic or nylon surface isn't too hard, as it'll damage the cutting edge of the punch by rolling it over, so that it blocks itself.

A fine tube like a '000' can sometimes be unblocked by warming it with a cigarette lighter. This heats the leather up causing it too expand and pop out. If you do this, just clear the inside gently with a saddler's needle or similar to get rid of any charred leather. But. You don't want too over heat the punch and affect the temper of the steel. That's why I suggest a lighter.

Also, do you have to use a hole punch?

Why not use a sewing machine with a needle about that size (a 000 punch would be equivalent to about a metric 180 needle - not sure of the US size) and remove the thread. If the hole spacings are too far apart, wind the machine over by hand and slip the work along under the presser foot 'til it's in the right place, then bring the needle down.

There's always another way - Take no prisoners!

More power to y'awl
T.

[shoestring]

To all,
During shoe repair days I was taught that if you must sew while the glue was tackey to either use candle wax under the the article or chalk the (kind used on black boards in school)on top and under the section to be sewed this will prevent the needle and thread from picking up the glue.I have used parriffin on both top and bottom but the chalk comes off with a damp towel.Try a test piece or two.
Ed

[danfreeman]

Sharon--
Very small punches clog easily. I have an old OOOOO punch that is even worse than the OOO's. Using candle wax (not beeswax: candle wax is slippery, beeswax is sticky: this also applies to waxing sewing machine needles and lasts) helps, but is not sufficient. A piece of the right size wire (a paper clip, or a piece of guitar string), used frequently to carefully clear the tube every 5 to 10 holes, is needed.

[shoestring]

Can anyone shade some light on a 51W 30 sewing machine.Would that be a good one for sewing uppers.I am inquiring about one I don't know the age of the machine it's a Singer.Could someone tell me a good going price,drop me a line if it can not be mentioned here and are they user friendly.
Thanks Ed

[dw]

Ed,

If that's the post machine that I remember, it's a good little machine if it is in good shape. Easy to maintain and keep tuned. Hard to get parts and needles, though.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC

[Tom Mickel]

I want to thank all the folks who helped me resolve the problems that I was having with skipping stitches on my Singer 31-20. Got some good posts here and also privately through e-mail.

Here's what I ended up doing.
Stopped using Neoweld latex glue - I think that it's just too sticky and makes the thread adhere to the needle so a loop can't form.
I also used a dremel tool to cut a needle so that its' end is at the recommended height when the shuttle hook crosses the needle. This worked great for timing the machine.
Also, I bought a new shuttle (hook) and replaced it and the backplate and u-shaped clip that holds the shuttle (hook) in place. I noticed that I could grab the pin that the bobbin rests on and move the shuttle (hook) in and out about .030". I removed this play.
Also, shimmed the shuttle up real close to the needle. The interesting thing is that I shimmed it slightly askew so that the shuttle hook is ever so slightly pointing at the needle (and I mean very, very slightly).

It is impossible to make my machine skip stitches now - really, honestly!

Thanks to all, I hope this helps someone else.

[das]

Anybody have a spare old wooden drawer for a Singer 29-K patcher stand kicking around?

[das]

Parts for Frobana stitchers are available from:

www.josamerica.com

Contact for parts is Birgit Voss. her email is bv@josamerica.com

Submitted by:

Brett Hawkins
Saddlebags n Boots Shoe Repairs
Brisbane Qld Australia

[erickgeer]

I've been trying to get a machine down at the school working consistently - It was a donation from Florsheim's, something like twenty years ago. It doesn't have a model plate on the front so I had to turn it over and look at the casting of the body. It says it is a 52W, but I looked at the archival pictures at Industrialsewingmachine.com, and judging from that, it should be a 51W. Does anyone have any input on this discrepency?

Also what kind of problems should I look out for that would mean a new machine is in order.

Any insight into this machine would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Erick

(Message edited by erickgeer on December 30, 2004)

[walrus]

Erick
A 51W has 1 needle
52W has needles
Happy New Year to All and have a safe one see you all next year.
Larry Waller

[erickgeer]

Happy New Year to All!!

Larry,
Thanks for the varification on that. Yeah, That's what I thought, would Singer have used a 52W body for 51 machines? I thought it was kind of strange.

My department may be willing to invest in another machine if I find out if this one has sewn it's last shoes. We have a Juki PLW... (I think, off the top of my head), which seems to work just fine even though someone broke off one out of the three tension sections.

I'm cooking dinner - gotta go.
'til next year...
Erick.

[walrus]

Erick
I have both in stock ,email me and let me know what you need.By the way the 51W & 52W use the same bacic machine body, what changes is the post and needle bar .That explains the numbers that you found on the casting .I can show you when you come up .See you next year.
Larry Waller
larry@walrusshoe.com

[shoestring]

Can someone steer me in the direction for information on a Singer 51"W" 28 sewing machine a friend has one and is needing a bobbin(s).The thing looks pre-historic but still seems to be functional.
Ed

[Chuck Deats]

Unintended Consequences---Thought some of you might enjoy this. My only sewing machine is an old Singer 29-4. It has a walking foot which can rotate and sew any direction (great for sewing on pulls). Due to the foot design, was having trouble seeing the needle when sewing close to an edge or points. I saw pictures of bottom feed machines with a roller foot and an exposed needle. I can fix this. A block of steel, hacksaw and file and many hours later, I had a walking foot just on one side with an exposed needle. It was carefully adjusted so you could just slip a piece of paper between the needle and the foot.

Big test--Wonderful--I can now see what I am doing--just one little problem. It will only sew counter-clockwise circles. The off center walking foot causes it to rotate as it feeds. Does anyone know how to tighten the rotation feature of a 29-4 without disassembling the whole machine?? I can probably build some sort of removable bracket to keep the foot from rotating. Sure glad I am not trying to make a living at this bootmaking stuff. I would starve to death.

[paul]

Chuck,

A patcher. Sweet! Is it a treadle? It's a real handy machine to have amoung the others you'll want for bootmakin'. And very ingenious to create your own single foot.

Regarding your need to stabilize the foot to stop it from rotating, there's usually a screw for that. On the post from which your foot desends should be a set screw. Without meaning to be a wise guy, but when you're sitting at the machine, it's right in front of your nose. Mine has a little knob. When I tighten it, the foot will only stitch in the direction is was locked into.

Here's what mine looks like.

3484.jpg

Hope this helps,

PK

[dw]

Chuck, Paul,

That's what I thought too. But some of those old patchers didn't have that screw. It wasn't really until Singer went to the 29K series that you start to get this lock down screw.

I looked at several manuals and on the 29-4, the screw is not depicted.

Might have to wedge a piece of leather or wood between the presser foot rotating ring and the head.


Tight Stitches
DWFII--HCC Member

[Chuck Deats]

Paul,

Thanks for the prompt reply. Super picture--sure saves a lot of words. Is that really the color of your machine? My 29-4 is a treadle machine that has had an electric motor added sometime during its life. A friend had it in a barn for at least twenty years. He probably got it at a farm sale. My machine must be older than yours. It does not have the set screw where yours does. That portion of my machine is perfectly smooth. Looking at pictures of other 29-4’s (E-Bay), they appear to be smooth also. I wonder if your machine was modified. It would certainly be worth doing to keep the foot from rotating, even without the single foot. Should be just a drill and tap once you find the right spot. Thanks again.

Chuck

[Chuck Deats]

OOP's--Messed up again. Didn't read DW's reply before answering which explains why no set screw then hit the send button twice---Sorry about that!!

Chuck

[djulan]

Chuck,

Don't forget to look up your 29-4 manual on :

http://parts.singerco.com/IPinstManuals/

It might be helpful.

David

[Chuck Deats]

David,
Good web site--much better than the one I was using for manuals--Put it on my favorites.

Paul, DW,
Thanks, Think I have it solved.

Chuck

[dw]

Hmmm...I couldn't get the 29-4 manual to come up--kept getting a server error. But other manuals came up fine. Anyone else having this problem?

Chuck,

Solved? Tell us what you came up with.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--HCC Member

[Chuck Deats]

DW,

Using the wedge right now. When I get time, I will tear into the head to see if the setscrew can be installed like Paul's machine. Will let you know if it works.

Sometimes you have to hit that manual page several times before it works. Other times you have to come back to it and try again. You can get to the same place via cuttersexchange.com

Chuck

[paul]

Chuck,
I finally was able to sit still on the stool in front of the computer. Aren't you glad we have DW overseeing this site. He cares alot that we have accurate information. Thanks Dee Dub. I didn't recall what the case was with the treadle machines I was working on back in the 70's.

Yes, Chuck, that's the color of my patcher(my curved needle is Green!). It's a Sutton Landis SL71, with a little motor. Not much shakes really. I'd never want the machine to read this but, I really don't like it for a patcher. Never have, but don't tell it so(it matters, you know). I understood Sutton had them made in Japan after the Singers.
Anyway, it was in the European style shoe repair shop I bought in '84. All the machines were colorful like that back then. It was the Dutch craze. In Holland they had perfected the while-you-wait act to the point that investor groups in the US and Europe were seeing dollar signs. Trouble was they didn't know what to do about the labor pool and lack thereof. When I was with Shoe Doctor in LA, I didn't either, for that matter. After a year and a half, I quit those guys and bought a little gold mine of my own. It was 433 sq. ft. and located inside a high-end grocery store in the San Francisco bay area. Ahhh, those were the days.

The wedgey! Good thinkin'.

PK

[djulan]

DW,
I got the 29-k .pdf manual to download at work and home first time, successfully. If you'd like the file emailed to you, just let me know.

Chuck,
Though I no longer own my 29-4, it was unquestionably the finest quality of stitch I have gotten from any patcher, and well worth parts to keep it tuned up. For alterations - keep it simple and do not do any more than needed to this antique, wedging is a great solution to your question!

david

[jim clarey]

I have a singer 31-15 and always have trouble threading the bobbin. any clues?