Łucznik cl. 86

After the straight stitch machines time was ripe for zig-zag machines. The first zig-zag sewing machine model produced by the Łucznik "General Walter" Metalworks in Radom was the class 86:

Łucznik class 86
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Production started in 1958. The oldest ones that we saw were from 1959, the youngest from 1966. The green machine that posed for the photographs, with serial number K0045413:

Serial number
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was bought by us on the web and we do not know its past, the black one, appearing on several pictures, was bought around 1966. Its serial number is K149330:
Serial number
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Class 86 machines closely ressemble the Swedish Husqvarna 33-10:

Husqvarna 33-10
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Although the body has a different shape, the stitch length, zig-zag width and needle position controls are almost identical:
Stitch length, zig-zag width and needle position controls in a class 86 Łucznik
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Stitch length and zig-zag width controls in a Husqvarna 33-10
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Likewise, the feed dogs, the needle plate, the tensionner, and almost all of the mechanisms on the underside are practically identical:

Underside of class 86 Łucznik
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Underside of Husqvarna 33-10
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What differs and is, likely, due to Łucznik's own engineering is the hook and transport drive by a 61 teeth timing belt. Husqvarna 33-10 has a shaft.

Class 86 timing belt
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The body of the machine is made of cast iron, with a small inspection opening in the back, the cover of which also serves as support for thread spools,

Łucznik class 86 - view from behind
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Inspection opening
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Inspection opening - close-up
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and with an aluminium-made needle-bar mechanism cover:
Needle-bar mechanism with open cover
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The body was most often painted in black with golden decorations. It could also be green, hammered grey or golden. Some late pieces came as two-coloured, with light green main body and with ivory needle-bar mechanism cover, inspection opening cover, flywheel and plate extension (the element under the flywheel with two large holes for passing the foot-drive belt), we also saw one where, in addition, the top part of the body, above the name, was ivory.

Class 86 was usually mounted in a table or in a cabinet. It has a built-in lamp

Light bulb
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Lamp
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It has a motor mount and most machines were so equipped. Depending on manufacture time, it was first the Fawod motor with a foot controller (again, two different models) and then the tur motor with a foot controller (one model carried over from Fawod times, one new, U-118, still produced as of 2018!).

Tur motor mounted on Łucznik class 86
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We do not know if the class 86 machines were sold with the iconic tur 2 motor.

Probably also depending on manufacture time, class 86 machines came with two kinds of timing belts. The older ones had a cloth belt with metal clamps (with a repute for overstretching, rupture and teeth loss),

Cloth timing belt in a Łucznik class 86
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later ones had metal-reinforced plastic belts (supposedly Japanese!) that were durable.
Reinforced plastic belt in a Łucznik class 86
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Another weak point was the needle plate, made of tempered steed, where the net between the feed dogs could break off.
Needle plate
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Given that repair shops are on their way to extinction and that some scrapped the remaining old machines parts, buying one is not easy. Boring a larger opening in a straight-stitch plate is not recomendable to anyone without weeks of free time, diamond files and the patience of a saint, been there, done that.

The thread tensionner, facing the operator and, in contrast to the Husqvarna, mounted perpendicularly to the main body, has two independent controls for two threads - class 86 can operate with a twin needle. The black nut controls the black set of discs, the grey controls the grey, but only the black set is opened up when the presser foot is lifted.

Thread tensionner
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The machine has a rotary hook, of the same kind as in many old industrial machines:

Rotary hook with bobbin case
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Rotary hook
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The bobbin and the bobbin case are also the same kind as in industrial machines, we compare them to the bobbin and case of class 82 (and of many others) below:
Bobbin case, class 86 left, class 82 right
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Bobbin case, class 86 left, class 82 right
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Bobbin, class 86
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Bobbin, class 82
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Łucznik class 86 was fitted with high presser foots and standard flat shank 705H needles (Husqvarna takes round 16X95 needles, also known as 16X231). The folding bobbin winder is on the upper part of the body, another difference to the Husqvarna 33-10 which has a winder mechanism affixed to the main shaft casing.

Class 86 bobbin winder
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