Hotrodding a Pfaff
.: Groups .:. Search .:. About :.
User Password
Register Now! Lost Password?

Sewing Textiles - Sewing: clothes, furnishings, costumes, etc. 

Page 1 of 2       1 2 > last >> Bookmark this page:  YahooMyWeb Yahoo!  Google Google  Windows Live Favorites Windows Live  del.icio.us del.icio.us  digg digg  Add to Netscape Netscape
Subject Author Date
Hotrodding a Pfaff NightMist 03-29-2008
If you were  Registered and logged in, you could reply and use other advanced thread options
Posted by NightMist on March 29, 2008, 6:15 pm

So my favorite sewing machine has a problem.
It has a motor that is 50 or 60 years old.
It is one of those old universal Safety Motors made by the Mercury
company.
Plus the pedal is one of the type every sewing machine guy tells you
to replace because it is a fire hazard. You know, the kind with either
German resistance wire or nichrome in it. Where they basicly made a
toaster to use power in order to control motor speed.

So being as I use the Pfaff a LOT, and in the interest of not burning
the house down, I am thinking of making some changes. Besides there
is a really loud hum on this machine when it is running, and the motor
(which has no vents!) is starting to heat up faster and hotter all the
time.

Has anybody here ever upgraded their motor?
What did you use?

Anybody upgraded an old motor with one of those new servo motors?
I have to say having the thing start up immediately without having to
turn the flywheel is a dazzling concept. Being able to begin with both
hands on the work, and starting at a constant speed are tremendous
sale points.

I am looking at this one:

http://www.allbrands.com/products/abp14547-0530.html#See%20Included

But I need to do more research first.
The current motor is 1/13 horse, a jump to 1/2 seems like quite a lot.
I would want to make sure the machine could handle it, though heaven
knows I could use the torque on some leather projects.

DH is already having a joyous time researching pedal possibilities.
I have been treated to lectures on the differences between hand and
foot controls, adapting potentiometers to foot pedals, and all such
fun stuff. He is curretly having fun figuring out how to build
controls into an old Cybaby WahWah pedal (a guitar effect). Just
because he thinks it would be majorly cool to have me running the
sewing machine with a wahwah pedal.

Oh! It is a Pfaff 130. Which is why I suspect it could handle a
half a horse.

NightMist
maybe I should shop for wee bitty flame decals while I am at it.
--

Nothing has been the same since that house fell on my sister.

Posted by Pogonip on March 29, 2008, 7:19 pm
NightMist wrote:
> So my favorite sewing machine has a problem.
> It has a motor that is 50 or 60 years old.
> It is one of those old universal Safety Motors made by the Mercury
> company.
> Plus the pedal is one of the type every sewing machine guy tells you
> to replace because it is a fire hazard. You know, the kind with either
> German resistance wire or nichrome in it. Where they basicly made a
> toaster to use power in order to control motor speed.
>
> So being as I use the Pfaff a LOT, and in the interest of not burning
> the house down, I am thinking of making some changes. Besides there
> is a really loud hum on this machine when it is running, and the motor
> (which has no vents!) is starting to heat up faster and hotter all the
> time.
>
> Has anybody here ever upgraded their motor?
> What did you use?
>
> Anybody upgraded an old motor with one of those new servo motors?
> I have to say having the thing start up immediately without having to
> turn the flywheel is a dazzling concept. Being able to begin with both
> hands on the work, and starting at a constant speed are tremendous
> sale points.
>
> I am looking at this one:
>
> http://www.allbrands.com/products/abp14547-0530.html#See%20Included
>
> But I need to do more research first.
> The current motor is 1/13 horse, a jump to 1/2 seems like quite a lot.
> I would want to make sure the machine could handle it, though heaven
> knows I could use the torque on some leather projects.
>
> DH is already having a joyous time researching pedal possibilities.
> I have been treated to lectures on the differences between hand and
> foot controls, adapting potentiometers to foot pedals, and all such
> fun stuff. He is curretly having fun figuring out how to build
> controls into an old Cybaby WahWah pedal (a guitar effect). Just
> because he thinks it would be majorly cool to have me running the
> sewing machine with a wahwah pedal.
>
> Oh! It is a Pfaff 130. Which is why I suspect it could handle a
> half a horse.
>
> NightMist
> maybe I should shop for wee bitty flame decals while I am at it.

Pfaff 130s were being bought up by the carload to take to India and
environs to put in factories where the machines are run off a central
motor, so I doubt that the machine would have a problem with a bigger
motor. It's an all-metal, all-mechanical machine, so it will go as fast
as you can drive it - though you should slow down if it starts to glow
red. ;-)

Perhaps Ron or gwh will turn up to comment on this, since they are the
resident experts in the field. I am sure that you can replace both the
motor and the controller, but I don't have the knowledge to advise you
on what you could use for the substitution.
--
Joanne
stitches @ singerlady.reno.nv.us.earth.milky-way.com
http://members.tripod.com/~bernardschopen/

Posted by NightMist on March 30, 2008, 6:34 pm
wrote:
>
>Pfaff 130s were being bought up by the carload to take to India and
>environs to put in factories where the machines are run off a central
>motor, so I doubt that the machine would have a problem with a bigger
>motor. It's an all-metal, all-mechanical machine, so it will go as fast
>as you can drive it - though you should slow down if it starts to glow
>red. ;-)
>
You know those central motor factory set ups are why my dad's side of
the family thinks sewing professionally is a very dangerous buisness.
Though I am not quite sure why they keep repeating the sad tale to me
since all my machines have their very own motor, and it would take
some doing to kill myself on one save by the most bizarre mischance.

Apparently one of my great aunts was working in a factory like that
way back in the nineteen teens or twenties. The story goes that one
of her hairpins came out and when she stood up the loose lock got
caught in the overhead belt and yanked her right off her feet and
broke her neck.

I don't know how true that is. This is the same family that claims one
of my uncles drowned because he went swimming too soon after eating
and got a cramp. Actual witnesses to the event report that he went
boating while drunk, lost an oar, jumped in after it, and was too
drunk to swim. It was a Moose Club picnic so there were a LOT of
witnesses.

NightMist
Big family, gallons of whitewash
--

Nothing has been the same since that house fell on my sister.

Posted by Pogonip on March 30, 2008, 7:15 pm
NightMist wrote:
>>
> You know those central motor factory set ups are why my dad's side of
> the family thinks sewing professionally is a very dangerous buisness.
> Though I am not quite sure why they keep repeating the sad tale to me
> since all my machines have their very own motor, and it would take
> some doing to kill myself on one save by the most bizarre mischance.
>
> Apparently one of my great aunts was working in a factory like that
> way back in the nineteen teens or twenties. The story goes that one
> of her hairpins came out and when she stood up the loose lock got
> caught in the overhead belt and yanked her right off her feet and
> broke her neck.
>
> I don't know how true that is. This is the same family that claims one
> of my uncles drowned because he went swimming too soon after eating
> and got a cramp. Actual witnesses to the event report that he went
> boating while drunk, lost an oar, jumped in after it, and was too
> drunk to swim. It was a Moose Club picnic so there were a LOT of
> witnesses.
>
> NightMist
> Big family, gallons of whitewash

ROFLOL!! Family stories do have a way of getting embellished - and
whitewashed. It's hard to see how auntie got her hair caught.
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/15595/15595-h/images/imagep158.jpg
http://www.uwrf.edu/library/arc/images/RFsewing1931.jpg
Most managed to sew through a finger, though.
--
Joanne
stitches @ singerlady.reno.nv.us.earth.milky-way.com
http://members.tripod.com/~bernardschopen/

Posted by Ron Anderson on March 30, 2008, 12:04 pm
>
> So my favorite sewing machine has a problem.
> It has a motor that is 50 or 60 years old.
> It is one of those old universal Safety Motors made by the Mercury
> company.
> Plus the pedal is one of the type every sewing machine guy tells you
> to replace because it is a fire hazard. You know, the kind with either
> German resistance wire or nichrome in it. Where they basicly made a
> toaster to use power in order to control motor speed.
>
> So being as I use the Pfaff a LOT, and in the interest of not burning
> the house down, I am thinking of making some changes. Besides there
> is a really loud hum on this machine when it is running, and the motor
> (which has no vents!) is starting to heat up faster and hotter all the
> time.
>
> Has anybody here ever upgraded their motor?
> What did you use?
>
> Anybody upgraded an old motor with one of those new servo motors?
> I have to say having the thing start up immediately without having to
> turn the flywheel is a dazzling concept. Being able to begin with both
> hands on the work, and starting at a constant speed are tremendous
> sale points.
>
> I am looking at this one:
>
> http://www.allbrands.com/products/abp14547-0530.html#See%20Included
>
> But I need to do more research first.
> The current motor is 1/13 horse, a jump to 1/2 seems like quite a lot.
> I would want to make sure the machine could handle it, though heaven
> knows I could use the torque on some leather projects.
>
> DH is already having a joyous time researching pedal possibilities.
> I have been treated to lectures on the differences between hand and
> foot controls, adapting potentiometers to foot pedals, and all such
> fun stuff. He is curretly having fun figuring out how to build
> controls into an old Cybaby WahWah pedal (a guitar effect). Just
> because he thinks it would be majorly cool to have me running the
> sewing machine with a wahwah pedal.
>
> Oh! It is a Pfaff 130. Which is why I suspect it could handle a
> half a horse.
>
> NightMist
> maybe I should shop for wee bitty flame decals while I am at it.
> --
>
> Nothing has been the same since that house fell on my sister.
If you have the correct table to mount the industrial motor on then as long
as you keep it on the low speed and the machine oiled well you should be ok.
It is over kill however for a home sewing machine.
If your going that route no need to look into foot controls as it does not
use one.
On the other hand many folks use the 1.5 amp universal home motors and
coupled with an electronic foot control no heat build up.

--

Ron Anderson A1 Sewing Machine
18 Dingman Rd., Sand Lake, NY 12153
518-469-5133
http://www.a1sewingmachine.com



Page 1 of 2       1 2 > last >>
Similar ThreadsPosted
Pfaff 130 HELP!!!! July 31, 2006, 5:24 pm
Serger--Bernina vs. Pfaff March 12, 2006, 2:19 pm
Re: req pfaff 3d creative suite TIA August 8, 2006, 1:28 pm
Repair manuals for Pfaff 6091 and 1540? November 5, 2005, 7:34 pm
Repair or replace pedal in an old pfaff 232 domestic machine May 5, 2008, 8:53 am
Long Arm Stretched Head Quilting Sewing Machine Pfaff June 25, 2006, 9:09 pm
Pfaff Serger 4870 threading HELP!!!! Going to launch this thing into the ocean soon! July 2, 2006, 5:32 pm

Contact Us | Privacy Policy
Sewgirls.com XML SitemapXML Sitemap