Chandler Tack-Master 600-75 Bar Tack Machine

Some time ago, I passed on a Chandler Tack-Master 555-25 for $25 in Portland, Oregon.  (Well, that was the price of the auction at the time I considered bidding.  I don't know the selling price.)  I thought to myself that I doubt I'd ever use it.  Still, I've always regretted my not buying it as they're excellent machines, well-known in the industry.  Bar tacks are used all the time in industrial and domestic sewing, especially in jeans and outerwear sewing at stress points.

A dedicated tacker means I wouldn't have to completely re-adjust a zig-zag machine and back for the task and an industrial that has adjustments for width and length means that I could sew a small square-ish tack (the kind often seen in drapery and upholstery production) or longer, either a series of short zig-zag stitches in a line or a long stitch in a very short line.  These are all valid applications depending upon what's needed.

I recently (as in several days ago) found another such machine but a slightly later model, the 600-75.  This is a very heavy-duty industrial sometimes badged Adler, though I don't know what the relationship between Chandler and other manufacturers happened to be except a re-seller.  (There are Bernina/Chandlers such as the wonderful 217, for example.)  This machine would more than suit my needs for future denim and heavy twill sewing as well as leather, upholstery, etc. and I'm kind of excited that I found it, as I had regretted passing on the other.  I had also considered using my Reece buttonhole machine as a tacker (it's a fairly straightforward operation to adjust the Reece to do so) and you can probably see many similarities between the machines but I like the idea of having both rather than having to switch one to the other and back.

The lamp is an original Singer articulated -- these are somewhat valuable, so if you find one, keep it and restore it.  The motor was a 1/3 hp Westinghouse and a fine, original clutch (the cork would need replacing) but too slow for really fast tacking.  I passed on the table and motor for this reason and that I just don't have the space for yet another industrial power stand.

It's in pretty good shape although it had been stored in an unheated garage for about 6 months and you can see that a small amount of rust has started to form on certain surfaces.  The machine was probably the dirtiest I've ever purchased (I've written the same about prior machines but this one was really, really bad) and it took a day just to get it into the shape you see here.  The seller wanted it gone and we hemmed and hawed about what it might need.  She informed me that the prior owner insisted it is a working machine and there doesn't seem to be anything missing but for some reason, the clutch motor to which it was attached would not run despite everything we did.  (I'm guessing faulty wiring.)  In the ad, she offered the machine for $150 (a very fair price that I was very willing to pay) and after our attempts at figuring out what was wrong, she apologized and offered it for $50.  She said she had no use for it, had no sentimental attachment to it, and hoped I could get it working.  I ruefully accepted, wished her well in all her endeavors, and happily carried it to my car.  Sometimes it just all works out: buyer, seller, and Universe.