Sewing With Andrea

I fix sewing machines, do the odd sewing job, teach sewing, and sew quite a bit for myself. This is a notebook of: Machines I've fixed and resurrected Sewing I've done Links to useful information Random thoughts I am a grey haired lady who likes to watch birds, eat tacos, tinker with sewing machines, and cuddle with my ridiculous little dog. None of that AI nonsense around here. If you happen to see any robots, squish them. sewingwithandrea.square.site

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Needle & Thread Size Charts

Chart from WAWAK

Schmetz Needle Guide

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Tacsew Model 405, or whatever this industrial is

A mystery from a sewing group. Whatever it is, the information from the picture produces few results. I will do my very best to scrounge up what I can. In case I personally need it in the future. I want to know what names and numbers this unit answers to.

***I do not guarantee any of the following!***

The following is what I have been able to turn up. Feel free to correct anything.

A machine manufactured to wear many Names. So far, I have seen a similar body show up as Tacsew, Consew, Rex 237, and finally Brother. It is definitely a Brother body. But just a little bit different.

Sold at Auction: Tacsew Model 405 Industrial Upholstery Sewing Machine

Bid now on Invaluable: Tacsew Model 405 Industrial Upholstery Sewing Machine from Burnt Chimney Auction Gallery on February 12, 2017, 01:00

This link, at this time is the only clue to the true identity of this delicious mystery machine.

The Brother DB2-B755 is *CLOSE* but not --EXACT--. - Oil sight-glass: the 755 is much closer to the pillar than this 405 - Arm on the 405 looks longer than 755

Differences aside. I trust the Brother DB2-B755 manual and parts lists to be close enough for most replacement parts. I cant help with the oil reservoir.

I wish the best to the lady who brought this mystery machine to my attention. May the rehabilitation go well!

Other Data: DBx1 Needle system 96 Class bobbin case

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Classic Man Boxer Shorts Pattern - A Must-Have For Summer | So Sew Easy

Classic man boxer shorts pattern is my attempt to get more men to join the wonderful world of sewing.  So-sew-easy.com has very few patterns

Sharing so I can find make these later :) Got a hankering for lightweight cotton boxer shorts for summer. I suspect they'll be lovely in the desert heat.

Been hunting around for a free pattern with good instructions. This is the best, so far. I wonder where I put that lavender seersucker?

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Singer Fashion Mate 257

Parted out May 2025

Parts on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/usr/bisbee.crafting

Manual: https://www.scribd.com/doc/171519392/Singer-257-Sewing-Machine-Manual

Parts List: https://www.mrsewing.com/pages/252-257-singer-parts-list?srsltid=AfmBOoph_iBH5hG5ex4XWZlAYebCXRrXJt6h-tCQ1MZjJYXvEKN4LOfb

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Riccar 9160

Recieved for repair: 3 June 2025

Meet Ricky!

Stopped forming stitches. Initially thought it was nothing more than the bent and blunted 110/18 needle that arrived in it. Sewed a lovely straight stitch with a new 90/14 needle installed. But, of course, things can never be that easy.

Set to the widest stitch, the hook and needle make contact with each other. This is not supposed to happen. At all. Grr.

So, yeah. Hook timing was way out of whack. It had rotated some, and pushed forward by a buildup of thread. Thread removed, hook rotated and convinced to back up where it belongs, and needle bar repositioned. Stitches quiet and happy, now.

Overall, I really like this machine. Excellent weight, good motor, spacious area to work in, basic utility stitches, and a slender free-arm. The camstack is plastic, but no big deal. The hook gear may be nylon, but its the beefiest I've ever seen, and very conveniently located.

Needle system: HAx1 (standard domestic needle) Bobbin type: takes the same bobbins and bobbin case as Singer 20u

https://www.manualslib.com/manual/545698/Riccar-9160.html?page=1#manual

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Today's fun.

1. The machine: Brother SE425. Complaint: making horrible clunking noises and stopping.

2. The video. Why, yes. Something in the chain of parts is moving that shouldn't be. It hits both the back casing and the tension assembly in the front. Clunk and full stop.

3. This shiny oval bit is the one flopping about.

4. This is the grub screw to tighten to make it stop flopping about. It took a few tries to get everything oriented just right. And I found the grub screw under a thick layer of fuzz.

5. It sews! No clunking and smooth stitches! My phone makes the quietest machines sound clacky, so ignore the sound.

6. The mess that came out of the machine.

7. I didn't get a before picture, but I scraped a good deal of brown stuff out of this race with toothpicks, swabbed it with alcohol until pristine, and added a drop of oil.

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Necchi Quilter 7010 left on my doorstep. Was filthy on the outside and the needle threader was seized up. Innards were nice. NOTE: take the two screws out of the blue tension thingie to free up enough space to remove front plastic. No manual available online, and I contacted Necchi about it. They've changed hands so many times they don't have documentation for anything previous to 2012. Class 15 bobbin.

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A Singer 2108 I'm working on. Didn't come with a foot pedal, so I won't know more until I get one. Fairly filthy on the outside and the yellow of the plastic suggests a lat 80's/early 90's model. Innards look OK.