Pfaff H3/H4 Needle Bar Adjustment

[baileyuph]

It has been said and is true that the needle bar can be adjusted on H3 version machine to use H4 190 needle.

Question(s) are:  Can the two machines be adjusted to be actually equal in terms of foot lift and feet application?  The H3 after adjustment, will it still use some of the very large welt feet that work on H4 and 1245 machines?

There are advantages to using both the smaller and larger needle, hence getting a better understanding of all the considerations is the idea here.

Are there mechanical differences between version H3 and H4 machines?  Or are they the same piece of hardware?

Doyle

[Jim101]

Gregg would the expert on this but I believe the only difference between the Pfaff 545 H3 & H4 is the maximum height of the presser foot.  I forget what the difference is,  ⅞ vs. ¾ of an inch....  Something like that.

The same welt foot should work on any of the machines you mentioned without any problem.  We have a Pfaff 545 and a 1245 and the feet are interchangeable without adjustment on either machine.

Jim

[baileyuph]

Jim do you have the H3 or 4?

I use a 5/8ths inch cording foot on my 1245, Is there enough clearance on the H3 needle bar to use that foot, the layers usually pile up across auto trim seaming.  

The Needle bar height, or reduced height on the H3 set for the smaller needle, could get critical on a rather large welt foot, I am thinking.  Don't know but maybe that would be a good test to run.

Thanks,
Doyle

[Jim101]

DB,

I have the H3.  I think there should be sufficent clearence for the cording foot to work on the H3.  I guess the only way to be sure is to put it on there and turn the fly wheel slowly to ensure everything is aligned.

I'm wondering if the material might be bunching up because the presser foot pressure is too high. 

I don't like to move the needle bar at all if I can avoid it as it will throw the alignment between the needle bar and sewing hook out of whack and it can be tricky, as well as time consuming, to reset everything.

Were using the 134-35 R #24 sewing machine needles on our Pfaff's and the Singer 111W153.  We use a lot of Poly 138 thread with our heavier machines.

Good luck!

Jim

[baileyuph]

I'm wondering if the material might be bunching up because the presser foot pressure is too high.

Remember the degree of plastic piping used in autos produced back in the late sixties and some years thereafter; those are the situtions that are difficult to negotiate when sewing piping across piping.  That plus the heavy vinyl used then challenges even a high stepper (walking foot) to get across.  That is the reason for my question about adjusting the H3 to the shorter needle.  If the machine would step, the shorter needle would be better.  The 1245 does an outstanding job of stepping across those many layers of vinyl and plastic piping, but there is more needle breakage.
 

Yes, if it working don't break it. 

Doyle