Intro Me and my Bernina KL117
 

You'd call this a 'barnfind' I think. (Ashamed to say it was in my own barn!!!)
I shall be restoring it. Seems to be complete apart from the hardware beneath the foot plate, -bobbin and bobbin holder,which I'll have to find.
It's rotating if a little stiffly. I have the motor and footpiece. I'd love to hear of anyone else who's familiar with this machine. Ta.
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...923/oEmkIs.jpg

Oh wow! Can’t wait to see it when you finish.

Can't help you with the machine, looks like you have job ahead of you. Welcome from Wisconsin USA

are those zig zag controls at the top of the pillar?. Looks like fun.

This is a beauty! I have never work with this machine but I am sure you will get it going and it will sing f or you. Welcome to the QB from SE Michigan. There are so many vintage enthusiast here some one should be able to help you along.

Jools' Bernina KL117 resto'
 

Thanks very much for all your welcome messages, and encouragement.
But there's no getting out of it easily!
With a bit of detective-work and searching through boxes of bits, I've found a few missing parts and it looks like the only part missing now is the bobbin case. I've thrown together a little montage to show the arrangement, -hopefully some wise guru will be able to tell me if anything else is missing. See my photo of the underside of bobbin area, and illustrations from the handbook (Thanks very much to for putting a downloadable manual online).
(Yes Leon it's a zig-zagger)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...921/TS6sv5.jpg

Cheers, Jools

I have no helpful information to offer but I sure am interested to see this restoration come along! Lovely machine from all that I've read on the facebook Vintage Bernina Machines group!

Welcome from Virginia :)

The machine now turns over beautifully, - light and silky. I used CRC spray, and a hot air gun to soften ancient sticky oil.
Quite satisfying, since I could hardly turn it when I first rescued it.

Now, see in that photo of the underside, there's a flat disc at bottom left. I'm wondering if that attaches to the back of the bobbin case, as in that shot of the bobbin case on the left, could that disc near the arrow head be that same disc part?
There is a tiny screw with it, and there's a slight bend/chamfer on the disc.
That bobbin case is the part I need, plus a rubber drivebelt, but that should be pretty easy eh?
The motor is mounted on the back of the pillar, so it's just a short round x-section rubber belt.
Meanwhile I'll pull the motor apart as it's rather noisy - bearings I'm sure.

Excuse my lack of knowledge, but...
Do I need to get a 'Rotary Hook' as well as a bobbin case? (Refer photos above to see what I'm missing). I'm just unsure as to the parts needed to fit the bobbin.

I'm totally envious of your machine. I think that's about the only machine that would replace my cast iron 201, maybe along with one or two of of the old cast iron zigzagger models. I have been looking for a 117 to turn up localy for a couple of years now.

I don't know about replacement hook and race on your machine. It looks like it takes the same bobbin and bobbin case as the later rotary flatbeds like 540 and 740, but I can't see any info on other parts. I can't make sense of the photo, but you would notice when the race and hook is missing, it is the circular (moving) metal part with a hook that picks up the upper thread and brings it around the bobbin thread; interlocking them and making a stitch.

The parts are problably similar to these. Seller lists 117 as compatible model, but hard to know for sure until you get the parts.

Mickey, thanks for the heads-up on those parts.
Over $100 Aussie, -I could live with that if its the correct parts, but it's a lot to waste if they're not correct. I'll probably take a gamble on it, we'll see.

I, too, had trouble reconciling the bobbin area to what I see in the manual. It is rather different the way to put the bobbin in. The hook and bobbin are positioned so that if it were turned around, it would be a vertical front loading assembly. Yet the slide plate is on the side. Strange.

Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.

Have you seen https://translate.googleusercontent....LKYwaWoCLDljuw ??

Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.

So Janey & John, I assume you have a 117? Does it look as though these parts on ebay (as below) would be right for my machine?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1SET-Rota...MAAOSwruxbA825

(Janey, I'm not neat either... well I can be, but there's something about 'controlled chaos' that appeals!)
Oh !!!
Now I've seen that other link I'll never be the same again! Thanks SO much.

Sorry, no Bernina here. I just like to research. ;)

Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.

Keep on the case! ;-)
(Those ebay parts referred to above would cost me about A$140 - and some pics I've seen show a fairly decent size spring in there somewhere) I'll just hope someone with a 117 will catch this thread.

Well, I just shot my ebayload on a rather nice looking Bernina 540 'Favorit'. I'll pick it up on Tuesday, it'll be interesting to see if the bobbin parts are the same as my 117 as you suggest they might be Mickey. Here it is.
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/8...921/tdfDu5.jpg
I love the '50's styling, -even that 'orrible snot-green colour is cool in this context!
I'm hoping it doesn't have any stripped plastic gears... I would have thought this era would have had all steel gears, but I don't really know. Fingers crossed.

I just ordered some rotary hooks and bobbin cases from Bernina (for the flat beds), and they were close to $500 for the pair!!! There's a Co. that sews kevlar for space applications, and they use the hook until it's ruined, then replace it. They ordered 12 of them!

If you can find a used one on Ebay or some other place, snatch it up.

I have a manual for a Bernina 117K in English and a 117K, L and KL in German as well as a photo of my 117K. If someone can tell me how to upload or post them here, LMK. All of the Ks and the Ls that I have ever seen are a lovely green color. I have not seen a black one, nor one that says "Industrial" on it. Although Bernina 117s (and Pfaff 130s) are the only true semi-industrial sewing machines that I know of. (And by that I mean they can have a domestic motor on them or a clutch motor and industrial table and knee lift on them...)

Ouch!!! 500 smackeroos! My 117 is destined to be be a nice decorative shelf-queen if that's the case.
I will continue to check ebay, but the real problem is I don't know exactly what I'm looking for!

In the worst of case you can probably get chinese made replacements; they might be all fine, or they might need slight tweaking to run smoothly (like sanding down edges if the metal cut out isn't accurate enough). Either way, both the 117 and 540 are superb machines, and with a bit of time and patience you will find replacement parts at a more acceptable price. There were a few early German ziggzaggers, I think Mundlos might have had the first domestic zigzagger. Pfaff 130 came a few years later. There are a few vintage related groups on "groups.io", maby a few are still active on yahoo; they can be very helpful with info on where to get replacement parts. Don't forget Helen Howes in the UK, p&p isn't that expensive for small parts.

Thanks for those tips Mickey. I'll be intrigued to see if the 540 bobbin parts are the same as the 117. If they are I'll know exactly what to look for.

Jools, I have a 117K and can take some pictures. .
Have been looking at your picture and have a few questions
Do you have the feeddogs?
Do you have the shaft to hold the hook assembly and bobbin case? Comes out of the "box"

The washer looking item on the table appears to be the back of the bobbin hook assembly . We can't see the other "bits" in your picture. Could they be the rest of the hook?

Maria, thanks for your kind offer of advice / photos.
I'm out today, but I'll take better shots tomorrow so you can see more clearly what I have under there.

Well, now I have my 540 and have taken the bobbin 'area' components apart, with these conclusions:
It looks as if the 540 rotary needle and bobbincase are the same and will fit the 117. That's good! (The bad news is the cost of the ones on ebay!)
Take a dekko at this pic I've just taken of the 540 components.
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...921/SJDsL2.jpg

Sorry if the pic isn't showing... it does in my preview, -I'll see if I can fix it.

I don't have the retainer circled, it holds the edge of the round backing plate that is screwed to the back of the rotary needle.
I'd need one of these retainers, though I could make one using this as a pattern.

Note that spring 'clip' thing arrowed. I can't see any function for this. It's screwed onto the 'box' and extends around to the side/rear of the rotary needle. The end of the spring spiral is not broken, (it is shaped and 'finished' but doesn't seem to go anywhere!). It wouldn't fit on the 117 anyway because the 'box' screws are arranged slightly differently.
(Sorry, I'm calling the 'box' the part of the underside casting with the square-ish cover plate, through which the shaft passes for the Rotary needle)

Yes Maria, I do have the feed-dogs and the shaft that the hook assembly is mounted to. Confirming that disc is the one screwed to the back of the rotary needle. All that seems right. See my other post showing my 540 components etc. (The image seems to be sometimes there and sometimes not!) And there's apparently a 20 minute time limitation for editing a post, so it may be hard to sort out!