sewing machines

[artvanhecke]

Hi Kevin,

I have had some experience with the Econosew brand and found them ok. They required some setup work for sewing leather, but ran well. I have no idea about the longevity, parts should be available as they are generally based on something common like a consew.

I have used this one that looks similar.
http://www.leathermachineco.com/catalog.php?item=25

It had a larger handwheel and the stitch length dial on the front. It had a speed reducer and servo motor which made it really easy to control. The dealer is great at customer service.

I have the model that is the spitting image of a Pfaff 491.

http://www.leathermachineco.com/catalog.php?item=26

This machine was pretty expensive, but has needle feed and no reverse, just like the 491, but it is a joy to operate, it also has the speed reducer and the servo motor. It also has gear driven top and bottom roller feed.

A used Singer post in good condition is also a good buy if you know what to look for.

Art

[kevindeleon]

Arthur and Glen,

Thanks so much for your responses. You guys have been very helpful indeed.

[glenn]

Yes, the machine he is using is a Chinese clone of the Pfaff 491, and the company I ordered my machine from makes the same thing.

I have the Juki 441 clones, and I got my machine for a bit over 800 dollars, and it sells in the US, the same machine, for about 3,500 dollars.

[kevindeleon]

Glen,

Do you happen to have a link to a shop online that sells the Juki 441 clone you are referring to?

[artvanhecke]

Glenn,

Pray tell, where do we get a Juki 441 clone for $800?

What is the company you ordered your machine from that makes 491 clones?

Art

[glenn]

Send me an email. I don't want to use this forum as a market place.

glenn.mccune@post.harvard.edu

[kevindeleon]

Glenn, tried emailing you and got a delivery failure notification. Could you try emailing me directly? kevin.deleon at gmail .com (sorry, don't want my address getting crawled so I split it up a bit.)

[glenn]

glenn_mccune@post.harvard.edu

[sorrell]

I just bought an Artisan 4618 a few weeks ago. When it came new there was a tag attached saying to be sure and fill up the oil reservoir before using. I couldn't find anything that looked like an oil reservoir, I called Artisan to ask where it is and still can't find it...does anyone have this machine? Is there actually a reservoir and where in the world is it? I've even taken both cover plates off underneath the machine because the first thing I had to do was re-time it.

Side note: when I read the manual on retiming the machine, instead of telling you where the mechanisms were, it just said to call a qualified sewing machine mechanic. I thought that was funny. One, like I could find one of those in my town, and two, like I'm going to waste money calling someone to come time my machine. Of course I can't find the stupid reservoir so I guess I'm not THAT smart.

Lisa

[tomo]

Lisa, I'm not familiar with the Artisans but often the reservoir can be just a hole plugged or capped with a screw.
I'd look on top of the bed for any screws and undo them to see what's there. If it's a top loading bobbin ie it's accessed through the bed next to the needle throat plate, I'd slide that back and look in there for either a dip stick or said screw.
Does it have those oil wicks? maybe trace those back and see where they come from, especially underneath.

[artvanhecke]

Hi Lisa,

From looking at the Artisan site, your machine (4618) looks like an AK-8810 built by AnKai in Hunan province, China. I have one of these machines, and it is an almost exact replica of the Pfaff 491. I could not find an oil reservoir and the only reason I can find for one would be an automatic oiler on the hook. I can't find one on my machine. The bearings on the machine seem to be roller and needle, it was literally designed to last forever. Generally, roller and needle bearings are not serviceable. However the gears do need to be greased (usually Singer grease works fine) when needed (monthly?). I do however oil the needle bar and anything else in the head that rubs or pivots weekly. I oil the hook more frequently. Please let us know if you do find an oil reservoir as that tag (mine didn't have one) bothers me a little.

Art

[sorrell]

Art,
I've had post machines before and this one doesn't look any different than the others inside so I can't find any reason for an oil reservoir either. Like any of my machines I do oil it regularly and it was well-greased already when I got in underneath it. As far as I can tell that tag was only there to worry me, and now I've gotten you to join in.

Lisa

[artvanhecke]

Lisa,

The Pfaff 591 had a reservoir I think. It looks a lot like the 491 inside too. The way you would check the hook oil pump was to hold a piece of paper in front of the hook (without the bobbin) and run the machine at top speed and see if it was painting an oil slick on the paper. I can't remember if the reservoir was a little plastic tank or there was an oil pan with a sump in it. Nothing in my 8810 looks in any way similar to any of that. I just wonder why they would put a tag on it if there wasn't any reservoir. It can be a little tricky to time, just make sure the stitch length is set to zero.

Art

[relferink]

Lisa,

If your machine is anything like the Pfaff or the Singer post machines expect to find a reservoir below the post. There is probably a cover screw or dipstick like screw around the base of the post that allows you to fill it with oil.
The oil gets up to the bobbin mechanism with a wick from the reservoir. I have had good luck using motor oil in stead of the lighter machine oil.
Hope this helps

Rob

[lancepryor]

Lisa:

I've taken my 491 completely apart, and there is no oil reservoir that I've ever seen. The 491 user manual does not say to add oil to a reservoir, merely to oil various points on a given frequency.

If you haven't done so, there are copies of the 491 user manual and a very detailed parts/assembly manual available. The parts manual is available as a PDF here:

http://www.universalsewing.com/tek9.asp?pg=parts_pfaff

Very useful in disassembling/reassembling a machine.

Lance

[jesselee]

I am working on a Gritzner sole stitcher. It is missing and not picking up stitches. It has worked, for about 8 inches. The curved needle plate is a bit worn at the bottom and the hole which the needle goes through is a bit chewed. I am wondering if the pressure of the needle going through the leather and the worn hole is bending it away from the shuttle hook.

Any advice is appreciated. This is the model that has the wooden box housing and you can see all the gears and parts move.

Cheers,

JesseLee

[danfreeman]

I'm sorry to hear that Lisa and others worry about the same thing that has been bothering me: auto-lubrication of a modern post bed machine. For about a year, I have had the excellent Durkpp Adler 4150i, which sews uncommonly well. It's made at the Minerva plant in the Czech Republic. It has two oil reservoirs, one for the post, one above. I finally noticed that the top one was half empty, the bottom one still full. The complete service manual, and phone consultations with D/A techs in Atlanta, have been insufficient so far to fix the problem (I know how to adjust the oil flow, and move the reservoir), so I oil and grease it manually now. Not a big problem, but should not be, and I'd love to fix it.

[amuckart]

Jesse Lee,

My Gritzner did the same thing really badly for a while until I realised I was missing the check spring out when I threaded it. Now it still does it but only occasionally.

What condition is the hook in? These machines use the same hook and bobbin as a Singer 45k so they're still available but if the hook point is worn then it might miss the loop.

Have you adjusted the height of the channel knife and the 'foot' part to match what you're sewing? If there isn't enough pressure on the foot part it'll lift slightly when the needle draws back up to throw the loop and the loop won't form properly.

[jesselee]

Alasdair,

Not ever seeing a hook mechanism like on the Gritzner I only guess it is dull. So the Singer 45K has the integral bobbin and hook system? I never knew that.Mine does not have the channel knife. That's something I need for the crepe soles for theatrical boots.
Can you point me in the direction of where to get or at least see a Singer 45K hook and bobbin mechanism?

Cheers,

JesseLee

[amuckart]

Hi JesseLee,

Singer 45k hooks are pretty common. Bob Kovar at Toledo Industrial will have them.

[amuckart]

I have a question about closing boots. I'm fairly sure all of the closing seams on a shoe can be sewn on a small cylinder bed machine of a Singer 17-type, but are there seams on western boots that would be impossible to sew on such a machine and which require a post-bed?

My Singer 236 ended up being beyond my skills to get working well, so I sold it on to someone who thought they could, and I'm debating what to replace it with. I'm extremely space constrained, so I'd like something that is as versatile as possible.

I'm thinking I'll sell my flat bed machine as well and replace it with a small cylinder-arm machine such as a Seiko TF-6 that I can add a table to. Assuming boots can be closed on such a machine that would give me the most versatile machine for the smallest footprint.

Am I asking the impossible?

Thanks.

[jesselee]

Alasdair,

I'll take a look. The big problem is the thread getting al snarled in the hook mechanism, like its not being picked up.

Cheers,

JesseLee

[kemosabi]

Anyone familiar with Pfaff model "9491"? I can't find any info on the web for 9491 version.

14389.jpg

I'm somewhat familiar with 491... Does the "9" before 491 mean it has reverse, or something like that?


Thx,
-Nat

[artvanhecke]

Nat,

It appears to be other than the 491 family. Not 100% sure but it looks like it doesn't have needle feed, and probably not gear driven roller drives. From just the picture, I see it does not have things that are on all of the 491 types.

[kemosabi]

Thanks for the feedback.
Maybe this is the Pfaff version of Artisan 5110? (Lesser model, with feed dogs, passive roller etc.)

At any rate; I need a proper 491, so I'll probably keep looking.


-Nat