Vintage Industrial Needle Plates and feed dogs
11-09-2014, 07:23 PM
#1
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Vintage Industrial Needle Plates and feed dogs
So last night we finally had a chance to sit down and play with the industrial I picked up back in March. I say "we" because it was an impromptu sewing lesson for DH. Shhhh! Don't tell anyone he was sewing, he doesn't think it's for him. 
The project was an ankle weight for him to work the leg that was damaged in the accident in August. Sand, ziplock baggies, velcro and heavy IKEA curtain cutoffs.
It sounded like the perfect test for this machine.
It did very well and so did he. He didn't stitch through a finger and he might sew straighter than I do. So now that we know that the machine can be useful here, I need a needle plate and dogs for it.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]498301[/ATTACH]
The dogs it came with are 26603 and they match the broken plate 26605 that came with the machine as well.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]498302[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]498303[/ATTACH]
26605 is not easily available from the supplier I use, so I looked at other combinations and that's where my head exploded. I finally found this page: http://www.sew4less.com/category/77/..._Needle_Plates that helped figure out which dogs for which plates. And I thought industrial needles were a pain to figure out! (OK, they are.)
(I'm going to detail the matches here in case someone else is looking for this info in the future)
Needle plates and feed dogs need to match each other or they don't work. They literally will not fit. You can see this above in the photo. There's no way for the old dogs and the new plate to work together.
I learned this the hard way when I emailed the "guru" at the supplier I use here in Canada told him which plate I was trying to replace and he said to pick which ever plate I wanted but didn't ask which dogs I had. The result? Dogs and needle plate not compatible. Luckily needle plates for industrial machines are not terribly costly.
The plate I ordered 147150LG - says it's a chain off plate with a large hole at the site above. (the spreadsheet for the supplier says "needleplate medium for 31-15" LOL!)
Huh? My tiny little brain says a chain off plate is for a serger or a machine that also does a chain stitch, like my 411G. What would it be for on an industrial lockstitch machine?
Is there any point in ordering the corresponding dogs (149062 or 149057)? What would I use that chaining plate for?
Probably the best plate and dogs for me is a "regular sewing" plate with the corresponding dogs (52032 and 52031) right? Mostly I think I'll do odd jobs on it. Both little jobs so far have involved velcro but that's extremely odd for me since I very rarely use velcro. I did have dreams of some device covers - eReader, iPad, etc. in clothing weight leather or denim weight something or other.
I'd love the 12482 and 12481 combo that's for light to medium leather but finding the roller foot to go with it might be a chore, so could tissue paper or a teflon foot maybe substitute here?
The project was an ankle weight for him to work the leg that was damaged in the accident in August. Sand, ziplock baggies, velcro and heavy IKEA curtain cutoffs.
It sounded like the perfect test for this machine.
It did very well and so did he. He didn't stitch through a finger and he might sew straighter than I do. So now that we know that the machine can be useful here, I need a needle plate and dogs for it.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]498301[/ATTACH]
The dogs it came with are 26603 and they match the broken plate 26605 that came with the machine as well.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]498302[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]498303[/ATTACH]
26605 is not easily available from the supplier I use, so I looked at other combinations and that's where my head exploded. I finally found this page: http://www.sew4less.com/category/77/..._Needle_Plates that helped figure out which dogs for which plates. And I thought industrial needles were a pain to figure out! (OK, they are.)
(I'm going to detail the matches here in case someone else is looking for this info in the future)
Needle plates and feed dogs need to match each other or they don't work. They literally will not fit. You can see this above in the photo. There's no way for the old dogs and the new plate to work together.
I learned this the hard way when I emailed the "guru" at the supplier I use here in Canada told him which plate I was trying to replace and he said to pick which ever plate I wanted but didn't ask which dogs I had. The result? Dogs and needle plate not compatible. Luckily needle plates for industrial machines are not terribly costly.
The plate I ordered 147150LG - says it's a chain off plate with a large hole at the site above. (the spreadsheet for the supplier says "needleplate medium for 31-15" LOL!)
Huh? My tiny little brain says a chain off plate is for a serger or a machine that also does a chain stitch, like my 411G. What would it be for on an industrial lockstitch machine?
Is there any point in ordering the corresponding dogs (149062 or 149057)? What would I use that chaining plate for?
Probably the best plate and dogs for me is a "regular sewing" plate with the corresponding dogs (52032 and 52031) right? Mostly I think I'll do odd jobs on it. Both little jobs so far have involved velcro but that's extremely odd for me since I very rarely use velcro. I did have dreams of some device covers - eReader, iPad, etc. in clothing weight leather or denim weight something or other.
I'd love the 12482 and 12481 combo that's for light to medium leather but finding the roller foot to go with it might be a chore, so could tissue paper or a teflon foot maybe substitute here?
11-09-2014, 08:50 PM
#3
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It's a trick of the light. It's actually very definitely navy and that photo is AFTER I removed some red. The iPad made it royal purple 
It's also just a regular heavy cotton weave of some sort. Whatever Ikea sells as their curtains. I've had it for ages. I know the velvet of which you speak but I don't know where to get it. Most velvets are velveteen these days, so they stretch. You don't want stretch for a puzzle box.
As for the OT, it's not like I've ever taken a thread OT...
It's also just a regular heavy cotton weave of some sort. Whatever Ikea sells as their curtains. I've had it for ages. I know the velvet of which you speak but I don't know where to get it. Most velvets are velveteen these days, so they stretch. You don't want stretch for a puzzle box.As for the OT, it's not like I've ever taken a thread OT...
11-09-2014, 10:21 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Brisbane, Australia
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It's a trick of the light. It's actually very definitely navy and that photo is AFTER I removed some red. The iPad made it royal purple It's also just a regular heavy cotton weave of some sort. Whatever Ikea sells as their curtains. I've had it for ages. I know the velvet of which you speak but I don't know where to get it. Most velvets are velveteen these days, so they stretch. You don't want stretch for a puzzle box.
As for the OT, it's not like I've ever taken a thread OT...
It's also just a regular heavy cotton weave of some sort. Whatever Ikea sells as their curtains. I've had it for ages. I know the velvet of which you speak but I don't know where to get it. Most velvets are velveteen these days, so they stretch. You don't want stretch for a puzzle box.As for the OT, it's not like I've ever taken a thread OT...
11-09-2014, 10:59 PM
#6
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I only know from buying them I got feed dogs and a plate at the same time to be sure they matched. Years ago, the old guy I got them from spent a lot of time digging through his drawers looking for matching sets to do my canvas. My education began right there... You are right they are not all that expensive. It was amazing to me how many options you can have when you buy them. I could have gotten a set to do quilt cotton on the same machine since the big teeth would chew it up. Industrial machines are very often set up to do one task - therefore you just change out the dogs, adjust the height and plate. Chain stitch may be some industry term. It is a different realm some times. There are days when I wish I could put big tooth feed dogs on a Japanese machine.... If you look you will see that some of the cheap Japanese zzer from the 70s have big teeth compared to a ss - I don't mean side to side I mean bigger teeth. Some have kind of fine teeth. Teeth on home sewing machines are all over the map. I think it is something to test and play around with. What difference does it make when you sew with wide teeth vs narrow. Small grid looking teeth compared to deeper cut teeth? How does it feel? I think feed dogs and plates are something we take for granted. I've also worked over a few sets that were burred and no matches were easily found. I have an odd pair on a White I'm hoping work out ok. In industry you throw the starred plate away when it gets too bad. They so often interchange - by that I mean the feed dogs and plate sets can work on different machines. Not so easy with home machines. If you get into some of the Touch & Sew machines they won't go from one machine to another at all. Not even plate and feet. You have to have it exact.
Last edited by miriam; 11-09-2014 at 11:02 PM.
11-10-2014, 06:17 AM
#7
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Join Date: May 2011
Location: Frederick, OK
Posts: 2,031
The feed that matches plate 147150 is 149057, and the matching foot is S536.
...the best plate and dogs for me is a "regular sewing" plate with the corresponding dogs (52032 and 52031) right? Mostly I think I'll do odd jobs on it. ... some device covers - eReader, iPad, etc. in clothing weight leather or denim weight something or other. I'd love the 12482 and 12481 combo that's for light to medium leather but finding the roller foot to go with it might be a chore, so could tissue paper or a teflon foot maybe substitute here?
I don’t know what the number is for a roller foot that matches plate 12482 and feed 12481 (old number 149481). Maybe it's an aftermarket foot. I use the small roller foot (7/8”) 12264 with plate 5709 and feed 5708 on my Singer 31-15 treadle.
CD in Oklahoma
11-10-2014, 07:15 AM
#8
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Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: South Dakota
Posts: 8,145
I learned something today!
Always a good day when that happens. I've got the day off so I can play with my "new" toys.
I've not messed with any of my industrials yet, but am looking forward to getting them set up and running.
Always a good day when that happens. I've got the day off so I can play with my "new" toys.
I've not messed with any of my industrials yet, but am looking forward to getting them set up and running.
11-10-2014, 09:09 AM
#9
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Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: San Lorenzo, CA
Posts: 5,361
The 26603 feed works with the 26605T (Teflon coated) or the 26606 (small hole) plates too, to give you couple more numbers to look for.
The Singer 31-15 Chain-off feet have a cutting edge on the back side of the foot, and I believe that it’s used to continue sewing after the material has exited the foot for a distance, at which point the threads can be cut by pulling the item toward the operator. I’m not sure what the “LG” means. (Maybe “Large hole, Graduated?)
The feed that matches plate 147150 is 149057, and the matching foot is S536.
Plate 52032 (old number 147154) uses feed 52031 or 52031R (rubberized). You have your choice of several standard hinged feet, selected by width, 24983 (7/16” regular), 19336 (1/2” wide), or 127233 (5/8” extra wide). Put a “T” behind any of those numbers for a Teflon-coated foot. The original hard feet 12141 (regular) and 12144 (even toe) should work on the same plate and feed, but I’m not sure.
I don’t know what the number is for a roller foot that matches plate 12482 and feed 12481 (old number 149481). Maybe it's an aftermarket foot. I use the small roller foot (7/8”) 12264 with plate 5709 and feed 5708 on my Singer 31-15 treadle.
CD in Oklahoma
The Singer 31-15 Chain-off feet have a cutting edge on the back side of the foot, and I believe that it’s used to continue sewing after the material has exited the foot for a distance, at which point the threads can be cut by pulling the item toward the operator. I’m not sure what the “LG” means. (Maybe “Large hole, Graduated?)
The feed that matches plate 147150 is 149057, and the matching foot is S536.
Plate 52032 (old number 147154) uses feed 52031 or 52031R (rubberized). You have your choice of several standard hinged feet, selected by width, 24983 (7/16” regular), 19336 (1/2” wide), or 127233 (5/8” extra wide). Put a “T” behind any of those numbers for a Teflon-coated foot. The original hard feet 12141 (regular) and 12144 (even toe) should work on the same plate and feed, but I’m not sure.
I don’t know what the number is for a roller foot that matches plate 12482 and feed 12481 (old number 149481). Maybe it's an aftermarket foot. I use the small roller foot (7/8”) 12264 with plate 5709 and feed 5708 on my Singer 31-15 treadle.
CD in Oklahoma
THIS is why I collect OLD machines... wow....(head spinning)
11-10-2014, 11:15 AM
#10
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Join Date: May 2011
Location: Frederick, OK
Posts: 2,031
Yea....mine too. If anyone sees an error in my information, let me know, please. I’m not sure that I have even that little bit of the combinations all straight yet.
Singer made a bunch of different feed combinations for the Singer 31-15 and models similar to them. In many cases, feed combinations are interchangeable between models 31, 44, 95, 96, 195K, 196K, 241, 245, 251, 281, 331K, 366K, 400W, 451K, 491, 600W, 1300, and Centurion 121D Class.
It almost seems like Singer kept making new feed combinations (foot, plate, feed dog) for the earlier machines, especially the 31, 44, 95, and 96 class machines, to take on new sewing tasks with old machines. There are feed combinations for regular work, medium heavy work, heavy duty work, auto upholstery & seat covers, shirt work, regular duty chain-off, heavy duty chain-off, light to medium chain-off, fine work & permanent press, special long stitches, collar & back binding work, binder work, feeds for edge cutter work, darning work, and plastic-coated work to name a few. And there were multiple combinations for most of those feed types, sometimes by simply substituting a different foot, and the number more than doubles when you throw in the Teflon-coated plates and rubberized feed dogs. Then later, machines were developed for more specific tasks that had totally different feed systems, but apparently, the demand was still there for new machines to replace the old worn-out ones, so they kept adding new models that took the old feeds. I don’t know this for a fact, but it sure looks like it to me.
CD in Oklahoma
Singer made a bunch of different feed combinations for the Singer 31-15 and models similar to them. In many cases, feed combinations are interchangeable between models 31, 44, 95, 96, 195K, 196K, 241, 245, 251, 281, 331K, 366K, 400W, 451K, 491, 600W, 1300, and Centurion 121D Class.
It almost seems like Singer kept making new feed combinations (foot, plate, feed dog) for the earlier machines, especially the 31, 44, 95, and 96 class machines, to take on new sewing tasks with old machines. There are feed combinations for regular work, medium heavy work, heavy duty work, auto upholstery & seat covers, shirt work, regular duty chain-off, heavy duty chain-off, light to medium chain-off, fine work & permanent press, special long stitches, collar & back binding work, binder work, feeds for edge cutter work, darning work, and plastic-coated work to name a few. And there were multiple combinations for most of those feed types, sometimes by simply substituting a different foot, and the number more than doubles when you throw in the Teflon-coated plates and rubberized feed dogs. Then later, machines were developed for more specific tasks that had totally different feed systems, but apparently, the demand was still there for new machines to replace the old worn-out ones, so they kept adding new models that took the old feeds. I don’t know this for a fact, but it sure looks like it to me.
CD in Oklahoma
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