Chandler 850 / Bernina in Disguise?

Chandler has been in the sewing machine business since 1905 - I haven't been able to find much information on the company history, but I can tell you that this Chandler 850 is a Bernina 850 from the button making feature to the utility and fancy stitch selection.  Indeed, this is an industrial Bernina 850 with the Chandler logo.

This is truly a wonderful sewing machine. Bernina's may be the best sewing machines ever made - Swiss precision as well as a high price tag.

I also have a Bernina 730 Record - what a joy to sew with.

This particular machine was not working when I got it. Too many years sitting around in a humid environment, then some inexperienced would-be buyer tried to make it work and forced it, thereby jamming it and making things worse.  I bought it not knowing if I could get it going again. I tried my best to make it sew before I purchased it, but could not. Risky business getting a Bernina that doesn't work - parts aren't as easy to come-by, and they're a little on the expensive side.

It took some work and some parts to get her back to life.

Lesson? If you find a sewing machine that is gummed up from sitting around for years - don't force it!! Use a solvent to release the old dried up lubricant. I know better - I use penetrating oil and heat to free all the moving parts before I try to make the machine work.

She is back to her old glory and working great - I have the Service Manual and was able to get her up to tip-top shape - she is for sale locally:


http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/for/2997177337.html

Skiping Stitches

So what do you do when your wonderful sewing machine is skipping stitches? I cry a lot. Hey, it happens, grown men cry.

Skipped stitches occur when the hook does not grab the needle thread.  After the needle penetrates the material and reaches its lowest point it moves back up - approximately 2mm from bottom the thread makes a small loop in the scarf of the needle. This is where the hook snatches the needle thread and loops it around the bobbin thread.

This animated gif demonstrates this pretty well. So what are the possible causes of skipped stitches?

Bent needle.

Needle not inserted correctly.

Wrong adjustment: needle rise, hook clearance, height.

Needle loop not fully formed (thread too elastic or too taut, thread check spring stroke too long, needle plate bent, pressure on presser bar not high enough.

Needle is being deflected by presser foot.

Needle bar is bent.

If you can think of any other thing that can cause skipping stitches please let me know and I'll update this list.

Maybe I won't cry as much...

Needle & Thread Size Compatibility Chart

I've often been asked about needle sizes and which thread goes with what. Below is a chart I found on a needle manufacturers site. If you want a little more explanation scroll down to my other post about the same subject:


http://ucansew2.blogspot.com/2012/02/thread-sizes-explained.html

METRIC NEEDLE SIZE	SINGER NEEDLE SIZE	COMPATIBLE THREAD SIZE
60	8	12
65	9	12, 15
70	10	12, 15, 23
75	11	12, 15, 23
80	12	23, 30
85	13	23, 30
90	14	23, 30, 46
95	15	23, 30, 46
100	16	30, 46, 69
105	17	30, 46, 69
110	18	46, 69
120	19	69, 92
125	20	69, 92
130	21	69, 92
140	22	92, 138
150	22.5	138
160	23	138
170	23.5	138
180	24	138, 207
190	24.5	138, 207
200	25	207, 277
230	26	207, 277, 346
250	27	207, 277, 346, 415
280	28	277, 346, 415
300	29	346, 415
330	30	415
380	32	415

Who Do I Recommend ?

On occasion my readers will ask me to recommend a place they can get sewing stuff. It varies a lot - some want to know where to get needles or bobbin cases and others want to know where to get big items like servo motors and table tops.

I depend on two sources for most of my stuff. Nick-O Sewing Machine Co. for all the big stuff. Motors, table tops, legs with casters. He also sells refurbished industrials as well as new heavy duty industrial sewing machines. Click on the banner below and you'll get to the website. BTW - he also has an eBay store: http://stores.ebay.com/Nick-O-Sewing-Machine-Company

If I'm looking for a rare or hard to find part - like say a Bernina 317 bobbin case, or a slack thread regulator and screw for an old Singer 20U33 or how about a stitch length control knob assembly for an old brown Pfaff 335 - I go to Rudy at cutsewservice.com  I have purchased all kinds of parts from Rudy. The Pfaff 145 in this blog was refurbished with parts from Cut Sew Service. Talk to Rudy, tell him I sent you: Rudy@cutsewservice.com


As far as needles and bobbins I usually search eBay - search by system or brand or even your machine model. As most of you already know - if eBay doesn't have it it probably doesn't exist.

Pfaff 260

This model was the next to the last version of the "Dial-A-Stitch" machines from Pfaff. They streamlined the design by getting rid of the cumbersome stitch width dial. They combined the left-right needle position knob with the stitch width dial and added a momentary zig-zag lever. The forward-reverse lever was also improved by adding a spring loaded reverse.  They added smaller increments to the stitch length dial to facilitate the selection of embroidery stitches. The Pfaff 260-360 and subsequent Pfaff 262-362 were much better machines than the earlier generation of the "Dial-A-Stitch" like the 230 or 330. See post on Pfaff "Dial-A-Stitch" Sewing Machines below.

Click on the video below and watch this machine sewing upholstery leather. 

Bernina 317

Swiss-made Bernina sewing machines are the smoothest machines made. Engineered for reliability and precision. This Bernina 317 is an industrial machine that produces a very beautiful straight stitch and will also make precise zig-zags and includes reverse stitching.

This machine is up for sale on eBay at the moment:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/130686052675

Click on the video below to see this machine sew upholstery leather.

Necchi BU Mira - Big Wheel

Here's another Necchi BU Mira - this one has the "Big Wheel." I modify these Necchi's so they can work even harder then normal - all steel construction allows for a tougher than nails sewing machine. The heavy hand wheel and double pulley system gives this machine incredible punching power - she can eat through multiple layers of leather for breakfast - no problemo. These Italian wonders are bullet-proof.

This classic machine now belongs to a very talented young artist from The Parish Trust, she uses it to sew leather bags and such. If you are in San Francisco you can't miss this wonderful store. You'll find art, antiques & amusement: http://theperishtrust.com/

Here's Mariele's website: http://www.mariele-ivy.com/