The Crispin Colloquy

@carsten Ah....The manual says to kiss the blade with the feed-stone to de-burr, which I tried but settled on sharpening rod like you as safer. No, just the one motor below the stand, and sewing machine clutch motor. The ratio of rpms of the feed-stone and the bell-knife seem "set", not independently adjustable. A smaller pulley on the clutch motor will simultaneously reduce the rpms of both feed and blade however. I think the gear box on mine takes pure grease, not oil. Double check your manual, after you find one, LOL.

@das well if the rpm´s are set I guess I will just have to live with it. I think its the same in my case. First I had imagined it would be like driving a shift stick car, where you can drive slowly by not engaging the clutch completely. Lowering the rpm of the whole system does not seem to be possible. Also there are no additional v-belt pulleys (? not sure if its call like that?) like you find sometimes on old sewing machines, with which one can change the speed ratio of the axles by moving the belt to another pulley. Your steel barrel experience sounds like a costly lesson learned.

i'm searching for a mckay machine for sale ideally in canada... anybody know about one?

Hello,
I was a luker for some time. But now I can't find answer.
I am planing to buy post bed machine and would like to know what You prefer.
First option would be Pfaff 491 with bottom roller feed, top driven roller and witn needle feed.
Second option would be Pfaff 493 with bottom roller feed, top driven roller and no needle feed.
Thank You in advance for Your opinions.
Slepsnys

Welcome!

I don't think you can go wrong with either one, frankly. But that said, I don't think the needle feed is needed, not even sure that the upper roller feed is needed.

Problem is that if you get hung up...going up and over a seam, for instance... the upper roller can damage the leather.

I use a Singer 136-101 which is a post machine with a bottom roller feed. And I don't really have any problem with it. I had a Pfaff post machine that was considerably newer and more 'advanced' than the Singer and ended up getting rid of it.

All that said, credible shoes and boots can be made with a patcher.

The Singer 45K-70 is a solid machine, especially for heavy-duty work like leather and harness stitching. It’s a workhorse, but finding parts can be a bit of a mixed bag. While the 45K series was popular and had a long production run, certain parts—especially the shuttle hook and bobbin—can be tricky to source. Cutter's Exchange and Industrial Sewing Machines are good starting points, but you might also want to check with cobbler or saddlery supply shops, as they sometimes have spares.

As for the presser foot, yes, roller presser feet do exist for the 45K, but compatibility depends on the specific setup of your machine. Some people have had success modifying generic roller feet to fit. If you’re serious about getting this machine, I’d recommend reaching out to @Ava Sewell, she is a vintage sewing machine specialist to confirm part availability before pulling the trigger. Otherwise, you might end up with a beautiful but frustrating boat anchor.

Hello everyone, first-time poster. I am looking to buy a post-bed machine to sew uppers with, and came across this one. I have not been able to find much information on it, I gather the brand is solid but that is about it. The search function on here came up empty also. If anybody knows more about it I would greatly appreciate any input. I am a beginner shoemaker and though I have done a fair bit of reading on machines I have no experience with them. What would be things to consider with this machine, and would it be suitable to learn on?

https://www.subito.it/vi/593788154.htm

Hi @Trosalba, can't say much about the machine itself. The only thing I notice is that it does not have an needle positioner / angle encoder - meaning that it will probably not be able to make single stitches that easily. That however, could be changed if you add something like this to it: TEXI POWER 750 SM - AC servo motor with positioner.

Such servos will work with any type of belt driven machines.

Thanks, carsten. I have written Alfa last week to see about a manual, and wanted to share their input here, but no reply yet. I have been advised a servo motor before, and I am inclined to heed this advice, yet I can't help but wonder how hard it is to learn to use the machine as is. I'd like to think it's doable. Am I underestimating it?

I think it depends on the speed of the motor. For me lower speed is preferable. You can make single stitches also easily by hand using the wheel only. That is how it was done before positioners were used. Post machines are commonly used for shoemaking, (allthough I personally prefer to use a left arm machine for sewing the uppers). I think you can make good use of the machine you showed. Don't worry too much about it.