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Sewing Machine Modifications
S. Heslop:
I'm thinking of going back to the drawing board on this. Had another look inside some of the machines i've got to compare features.
This is the Brother Super Ace 3
It's hard to find information on this machine, and impossible to find spares. This photo was from when I was trying to get at the heavily worn plastic presser foot lever, and getting the plastic shell off was quite a feat. Spares for that lever don't exist so I built the worn part up with epoxy putty, which seems to be holding. Wish I took more photos of the inside, I only took this one to show a friend how baffling it was. The needle bar and feed dog direction are moved by a stepper motor. Computerized machines make me uncomfortable since it's only a matter of time till some capacitor dries out or a semiconductor fails.
It's got a top loading rotary hook which is still my favorite style.
Here's a Janome something or other that belonged to my sister.
It's one of those cheap entry level machines and never worked well, and getting the bobbin case out is a nightmare. It's an oscillating hook so I don't think there'd be any hope of extending it. Like the Brother machine, and I assume any modern machine, it's a hassle to get the plastic shell off. There was a screw left over on reassembling it...
It's tempting to complain about cutting costs and to romanticize the old 'all metal' machines. There's definitely some wonderful ones out there. But it's also easy to forget that what might cost £20 used nowadays cost someone the equivalent of £2000 50 years ago. And there were plenty of lousy machines back then too. Like the Singer 285.
This is an Elna Lotus ZZ.
I'm pretty stoked about this machine. It's probably the nicest looking sewing machine im aware of.
The panels fold out so it stores very neatly.
It's got a top loading rotary hook too, except it's behind the needle. It's such a fiddle to get at that they've included this bobbin extractor. I assume Singer must've been sitting on a patent for the style that's in front of the needle since nobody else used it till about the 2000s.
Here it is inside. Not sure what the shell is made from. It's a heavy machine so i'm assuming it's some sort of zinc alloy.
The main reason i'm hung up on rotary hooks is that they're coupled with either a geared vertical shaft, or just a toothed belt like in this machine. I think that'd be a whole lot easier to work around than oscillating hooks with their cranks and linkages.
This is the best feature of the Lotus. It's tiny.
I've also become a bit of a collector, but it's from every machine kind of being terrible in its own way and only doing a couple of jobs well.
So my thoughts are that any sort of rotary hook machine where the bobbin doesn't move laterally might be alot easier to extend. Using a stepper motor and an encoder to handle moving the needle bar for the zig-zag would simply things alot for me, since electronics are easier to handle than a complicated mechanism. If the Alfa machine was a rotary hook i'd just cleave the head off and bolt it to a welded steel arm, and come up with something new (couple of pillow blocks) for the lower half since i'd only have the one shaft to deal with that can be joined with a toothed belt.
Or maybe i've just gotten a taste for blood and I want to murder more machines.
awemawson:
Be an awful lot easier just to buy a long reach machine such as a 'Sail Makers Sewing Machine'. They do pop up on eBay from time to time.
S. Heslop:
--- Quote from: awemawson on March 25, 2019, 11:26:51 AM ---Be an awful lot easier just to buy a long reach machine such as a 'Sail Makers Sewing Machine'. They do pop up on eBay from time to time.
--- End quote ---
I was looking at them earlier but they tend to be pricey, have elaborate threading procedures (I guess for reliability at high speeds, while using such huge spools it doesn't matter as much), and the whole big clutch motor mounted under the table takes up alot of space. They're also generally not designed for quick access to the bobbin, having to tip the whole machine up. They also tend to be incredibly specialised to only one type of stitch, and I believe sailmaking stuff often goes for a 3 or 4 step zig-zag rather than a regular zig-zag but I could be wrong on that.
I do like the look of these Singer 457 ones though with rotary take up levers.
It's an option but i'm not a big fan of camping ebay hoping the right machine shows up at the right price.
efrench:
This thread makes me want to open up my wife's Bernina :D
S. Heslop:
--- Quote from: efrench on March 26, 2019, 02:03:02 AM ---This thread makes me want to open up my wife's Bernina :D
--- End quote ---
Haha. If you do take some pictures! I hear they're great machines.
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