sewing machines

[tomo]

Amazing what a coat of paint and a little sunshine will do...

4599.jpg

more power to y'awl
T.

[dw]

Tom,

Looking good! I want to see it when it's done.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--HCC Member

[paul]

WOW! Tom!
You go man.
This will be fun watchin'!
PK

[tmattimore]

I have often thought that if I would ever do what you are the machine crys out for some
Art Deco desgin painting. Like the silver pontiac logo from the 30's
Tom

[tomo]

Tom, what a great idea...
the machine was probably made in the 20's or 30's anyhow.
Do you think pinstriping will make it go faster?
I know I could do with some racing stripes sometimes.
More power to y'awl
T.

[tmattimore]

On any landis or american machine the first 2 digits of the serial number is the year it was made. Don't soup it up too much it will leave skid marks on your side seams.
Tom

[tomo]

TM that's very funny.

The number plate I'm assuming it's the little one that should be to the left of the American name plate on the head of the machine. I say assume because it's not there, just the two fixing pins are left.
Is there any other way to confirm it's age?

I might be able to track down an old boy that used it but that's a seriously long straw.

When I shifted the column ouside to clean and paint, I had a dig in and broke the clutch pedal. The part that irks me is that I knew I had to be careful with it as its cast.
Anyway when I had good look at it, I found that its been welded up twice before. Eutectic make an arc welding electrode called xyron 2-23 that should do the job, otherwise I'll need to braze it.
Raining and windy today, so no painting, guess I'll have to do some work.

More power to y'awl
T.

[upsncomin]

Hi,
My name is Mike. I recently purchased a Singer 29-4 sewing machine off of ebay. When i received it, the cast iron was all broken into pieces. However, the top part of the sewing machine was actually intact. I wanted to know when i can find the bottom stand to replace my broken one, or where if it makes more sense to try get it repaired.

Thanks in advance,
Mike

[relferink]

Hi Mike,

Welcome on the colloquy.
Are you planning on using the singer motorized or by paddle power? There are some nice tables with the motors mounted for sale. Have not seen them on Ebay but a place like Pilgrim in Quincy, MA probably have them. For paddle power I think you are better off finding a base that is still in 1 piece. I don't think it would be easy or cheap to have the base fixed. Check Ebay or find some shoe repair shop that is shutting down and wants to get rid of one.
A local finder may have information on shops that may be considering closing up.

Good luck getting the machine running.

Rob

[kaspar]

Hi
Few weeks ago I purchased my first real shoemakers old Singer sewing machine. It has removable motor attached. Until now I had done my sewings with old regular cloth sewing machine. This buy came from desire to make buttoned ankle boots. And its difficult to do these with a machine that has no leg and has plane surface. I ruined first uppers that I planned to do myself....darn. This motor and lefthanded machine is not comfortable for me yet.

[tommick]

Hi,
I'm looking for a manual for an Adler 68-4272 sewing machine. This machine is a double needle machine with 18" post.

I contacted Adler in Germany and all they had left in their files was an ad slick which they sent me but it isn't much help.

I'm not having any trouble with the machine but I like to have manuals anyway just in case.

Thanks, Tom Mickel

[rocketman]

Thomas FWIW: I normally look at http://www.durkoppadler.com/
for info on Adler machines but I don't even see that listed in the discontinued list. You could contact them and see if they are the same source as the one in Germany.
Lyle

[jesselee]

Greetings. Havin some problems with my little 29K-2. The walking foot is not doing the walking it should, just little stitches and the bottom stitches are cutting through the leather.. Never had this problem before..

Also looking for needles, bobbins and shuttles for a bradbury A1 stitcher. And if anyone has a complete Bradbury that I can afford, I'd give her a good home. Also need a McKay treadle machine. I make 1860-1890 cowboy and military, civilian boots.
JesseLee

[tomo]

Jesse,

check out this link http://www.needlebar.org/cm/index.php
Someone might know about the Bradbury.
As to the Singer, it sounds like the top tension is way too tight, almost like the thread's caught on the thread mast... Is the machine threaded correctly? Like it's not looped over its self somewhere is it?

More power to y'awl
T.

[jesselee]

Thanks Tom. It's a patched up tension spring setup. I found the old dear outside an old antique shop, rusted tight in the mud and bought her for $5.00. You were right, tension too tight. She sews a fine stitch now.

Will check out the needlebar.org site.

Again, Thanks for pointing me to the simple obvious that I overlooked.
Jesse

[jesselee]

Hey Y'all. Now time for something different. Anyone have the diagram for the 'whirl mechanism' in the horn of a McKay 77? It's been years since I looked at one. What I am attempting to do, and confident I can is to convert my old Bradbury into a cahinstitcher.. The shuttle mechanism is identical to a Singer patcher. But the Bradbury needles are smaller than a domestic machine??? They sewed leather with thread that fine??? I seem to remember a Bradbury could use patcher needles, shuttle and bobbins... Gittin old i reckon...
That said, I plan on using a McKay 77 hook or a patcher needle, but need that diagram so I wan rework the gearing. The whirl on a 77 goes around as I remember, patcher/Bradbury rotates back and forth. Chainstitch is to keep in line with authenticity.
I have heard of a conversion shuttle somewhere in the distant past... perhaps an idea from a machine which uses a back and forth hook bit may do... this will keep me up many a night til I get 'er done. Thanks for any suggestions... Whittling down the hooks will be fun!

Jesse

[bjohnsonleather]

Not sure if this is the right section to post this in, so bear with me. I am looking at purchasing a bell knife skiver. Planning on vegtan and chrometans up to about 8 oz for inlays, overlays, and edge thinning. I figure I have a good 25 years left at least, and so try to buy new to avoid the obsolescence/total rebuild factor in 5 years. Any suggestions on machines to look hard at or run away from? Good reputation used ones to look for that have decent parts availability? Any suggestions are appreciated.

Bruce Johnson

[tmattimore]

You can get any parts needed for a Fortuna from Pilgrim including the various feet. Artisan copied the Fortuna in china and claims that all original parts will fit on it.
I have an old bottom feed Fortuna that gives no trouble. I also have a top and bottom feed Acme that will skive sole leather down to about 6 0z. I have always wanted an Amazeen as that is what was used for skiving light leather in shoe factories for years but have never seen one that was not in bad shape I have purchased too many boat anchors in my day.
Tom

[dw]

Bruce,

Tom is spot on. Purchasing a new skiver is fine if that's what you want to do but it's not necessary. I have a Fortuna bottom feed that I purchased rebuilt. I've had it for about eight to ten years now. No signs of any problems. I also have an old Pederson which was pretty much a basket case when I picked it up. It is a bottom feed as well. I've had it for almost 30 years and once I replaced the bell knife, the feed wheel, presserfoot and the sharpening stone, it has functioned perfectly and shows no signs of problems.

If you buy from a reputable dealer, such as Melanie Machine, you should be able to buy rebuilt or even used for about a third of new and have no problems with the machine for the next hundred years providing you take care of it and use it properly.

And obsolescence is not an issue at all if you purchase a Fortuna or Fortuna knock off.

For you and for others who are interested:

Melanie Machine
Mr. Arnold Kay
4371 E 49th St
Vernon, CA 90058
800.894.9268
(323) 586-2090
fax (323) 586-209

Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC

[bjohnsonleather]

Tom and DW,
Just an update. On the advice of DW, I contacted Arnold Kay at Melanie Machine. I spoke to him on the phone and told him what I needed a skiver to do. He sells the Taiwan import new skivers and had some rebuilts as well. He told me I really needed to visit him with my leather, and he would make it worth the 650 mile round trip. He told me on the phone the Taiwan models were perfoming well for the small shops. I was leaning that way. Planned on hauling it home to make the deal work.
I got down there and met him 10 days ago. DW, you aren't his only customer with a MUSTACHE now. Arnold has a warehouse full of machinery. Bandknife splitters, folders, cementing machine, kick presses, probably a couple hundred stitchers and sewing machines, skivers, and clickers big enough to crush cars. He had a Fortuna bottom feed and the Taiwan machine skiver set up for me. Although the Taiwan was a nice machine, and would definitely have worked for chrome tans, I plan on a fair amount of vegtan skiving as well. I opted for the beefier casting and easier changing of the feed wheels with the Fortuna. There were a few things Arnold was not happy with on the Fortuna - some bolts had the screw slots a bit worn, he wanted to put a beefed up tension spring for running the vegtan, and he wanted it his mechanic to totally go through it. He dealt fairly with me on the extra steel feedwheel and roller presser feet I needed for the vegtan, and offered to ship it on his ticket. Although it was probably OK as is, he wanted it 100% right and would take longer than I had for me to haul home that day. It was worth the trip just to get what I think is the right machine for me, and see how to work on it. The deal was kind of secondary. He also stocks most of the feet I would foresee needing.
It came today, exactly in the condition I would have expected after meeting Mr. Kay. Good guy to deal with, and would recommend him highly.

Bruce Johnson

[dw]

Bruce,

Yes, I've always thought that Mr. Arnold Kay was one of the "good guys" in this business.

I was just down in LA and I wish I had had the time to stop in. I was however really more down in Irvine and drivng the LA proper traffic and the 405 ages me several years everytime I have to do it.

Glad this source worked out for you...I thought it would.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC

[spider]

I've been cutting inlays today, and got to thinking about setting up a machine. I know Paul Krause, among others, uses one to cut. Eight or ten years ago I played with it, decided I didn't like it, and never returned.
I've got an old flat bed machine with a warped cam that won't sew well, but I don't see any reason why I couldn't set it up to cut. Anyway, my questions are these: First, what gauge needle should I start filing on? Secondly, I remember setting the stitch length about half the distance of the cutting edge of the modified needle. Does memory serve?
Third, why is it the more you learn, the less you seem to know?

[paul]

Spider,

I've been using a number 12 needle, with a long taper to the edge. WHen I first set it up, the "blade" was shorter, but for this last job, I took a longer taper on the needle, using my Razor Sharp wheels. Sprung a leak when I touched the end of the dern thing! Seemed to make a difference.

This might be a good time to remind to turn the needle so that the thread groove is toward the cut out, and not the stitched edge.

And I know what you mean about the more we learn. Sure does keep a feller humble, don't it?

PK

[dw]

Paul, Spider,

You need a bottom-feed (only), flat-bed, sewing machine that can be set to virtually zero feed distance. The Singer 31 class machine is nearly ideal for this kind of application. I have never owned anything except 31 class (and one 236??) flat-beds so I can't tell you if any other machine will answer. The 236 (??) could not be made to do this work.

As for the needle used for cutting, I have a little different take than Paul (although as you can see from his latest Gallery Posting, his approach is every bit as workable as mine)...

I also use a #12 needle but I sharpen mine more like a chisel. I am of the opinion that a #12 needle is none too stiff to begin with. Sharpening it with a long taper might incur the possibility of deflection...especially if you are cutting through several layers at once. [Theoretically you can cut a set of initials, for instance, in all four tops, but I never do more than two tops at once just because I have indeed seen deflection in the fourth layer.]

The trick is to break the needle (we all do that just in the course of sewing... ) such that it is just long enough to break the plane of the needle plate. Sharpen from both sides so that you get a really clean edge. Sharpening may shorten the needle slightly...that's OK. After sharpening, the cutting edge should just barely cut a shallow slit in a piece of thin cardboard such as a manila folder.

All cutting is done with the leather rubber cemented to a piece of manila folder (or cardboard of some kind). The cutting edge of the needle must be aligned perfectly to the line of stitching. I will often take several minutes of fussing to make sure it is just right. This is just as important as making sure the long groove is towards the core of the inlay.

Hope this helps...


Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC

[spider]

Gentlemen:
Thanks. The machine in question is a 331K. The roller and dogs are off of a 31-15, so I reckon it ought to work. I've got a couple of questions, though. First, am I correct in thinking that I'd have to set my stitch length about half the distance of the needle diameter? Secondly, and for the same reason, why wouldn't it be better to use a larger gauge needle? It seems to me that would give a longer cutting surface. (Which in turn would make it harder to make tight turns. I think I just answered my own question.)