More about Presser Feet :)

[Mojo]

I didn't want to hijack the other thread on presser feet so I started this one as a courtesy.

I just bought some single welt feet from this E-Bayer and didn't want to post about them till I got them and tried them out. They came today and I was really impressed with the quality. They were chromed and you could feel the difference in weight as they seem to be made much better then the black ones. I installed both sets and they fit perfectly ( better then the factory foot ). No adjustments were necessary.

The seller shipped them fast and he seems to be a very good guy to do business with on small parts. I am just getting ready to order a few more feet from him as I want to go to all chrome ( they are a better foot then the cheap black pot metal type ). They are wrapped in Taiko tape so I am wondering if they are made in Japan which may account for the higher quality. I am not sure.

I believe I paid $ 13 for one welt foot set and $ 14 for the other and both had free shipping. He also has complete sets ( 1/8 ", 1/4 " and 3/16 " ) for $ 37. :)

My Chandler came with a chrome foot and is made very similar to these. The black feet are made of what looks like soft white metal ( pot metal ) and break very easy which is the reason why I want to go to the chrome which appears to be made from a much heavier metal. The black feet I have seem to be poorly made and have never fit right.

Here are some of his listings - http://cgi.ebay.com/PRESSER-FEET-WALKING-FOOT-S32-WELTING-PIPING-FOOT-3sets-/350221646566?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item518ad63ae6#ht_1205wt_905

Just wanted to give you all a tip.

Chris

[sofadoc]

Here are 1/2" welt feet that were identical at the time of purchase.
The ones on the left are un-altered. The ones on the right have been ground so the needle bar doesn't strike them on the downstroke.



I really don't see how they could ever work without some grinding being done to them. Do OEM welt feet really fit all that much better?
Chris: How do you break yours? I've never had one break, even the cheapo ones.

[Mojo]

The one I broke ( needle foot ) was ever so slightly bent during the manufacturing process which caused it to strike the other foot. I tried to carefully adjust it and it snapped right off. When I looked at the break it appeared the metal was like the old pot metal they used to use.

The chrome ones I just bought seem to be made very well. They fit perfectly.

The OEM foot I have ( the needle foot ) is a PITA to install. It is real tight and I have to use a screwdriver to wedge it open and slide onto the bar. The new ones fit perfectly.

I had to take a file to two of the black presser feet. It wouldn't sit into the slot far enough for the holding screw to go through. The holes were off. I talked to Bob Kovar about this once and he said the quality of the black feet seemed to be hit and miss.

Where did you buy the foot that had to be ground down ?

Chris

[sofadoc]

Where did you buy the foot that had to be ground down ?

The one that had to be ground came from the E-Bay store that you linked.
But the one on the left in the pic came from Gregg, and I can't use it unless I grind it as well.
Either my machine is out of adjustment, or it simply isn't designed to accomodate a welt foot as large as 1/2".

I also have to grind the needle foot so it doesn't strike the left toe of the outer foot on the ones that I got from the e-Bay store. They kept sending me free ones (different sizes) trying to make me happy. I had to grind them all.

So, my question is: Could my machine be adjusted so that I could use large welt feet without grinding them?

[Mojo]

I hate to even say this because I am probably going to get beat on for mentioning it.........but....... I have been beat on before so what the heck.

I had the same problem with a needle foot. The thread guide on the needle bar would hit the foot. So what I did is adjusted the timing slightly by raising the needle bar a touch to where it just cleared the foot and then adjusted the needle itself down to keep the machine in time. Your talking about a minimal adjustment here.

This is probably something that is going to make a few peoples heads turn and a few may think I have gone completely nuts, but it worked. It sewed great and I gained clearance with the needle guide and foot.

Until they start making feet that do not have to be ground, bent or whatever to make them work I see no other alternative then to improvise. Your machine is probably in perfect time Doc but the feet are too thick I presume.

I had to improvise and do what I had to do because I didn't have time to screw around with shipping feet back and forth to a dealer to find one that worked. When you have work on the table that has a deadline you do not have the time to screw around chasing parts down and then having to retrofit them or ship them back for them to adjust them. Amazingly enough, the two sets of chrome feet that I just got work perfectly and I can set my timing back to specs.

If I paid $ 30 or 40 dollars for a good foot set and had to grind on them I would be livid. :) For $ 14 dollars not so much. :)

Thankfully I do not have to grind on these new ones so I am ordering a few more from that guy. Bob and I discussed this and like he said " go where you can get a good part and the best deal ". I am thinking this guy has a contact somewhere in China or Japan and is importing them directly and bypassing the middle man. There are thousands of things you can import from China or Japan directly at rock bottom prices but you have to buy in lots of 5,000 or 10,000. I know from what Bob said his margins on feet is small because he doesn't buy in huge quantities.

Chris

[sofadoc]

If I paid $ 30 or 40 dollars for a good foot set and had to grind on them I would be livid. :) For $ 14 dollars not so much. :)

Hey, in the mid-80's, I paid $200 for a set of Pfaff welt feet. And YUP! I had to grind them!
It bugs me that they can put a man on the moon, but they can't make a set of welt feet that really fit. 
I agree that if you're gonna have to grind them anyway, might as well buy the cheap ones.