Wednesday, November 06, 2013

Slant Needle Nose Door Hinge Repair


I estimate that half the slant needle Singers I find in the wild have a broken upper hinge on the nose door.  This is especially true of the 500 series (500a & 503a) but I have also seen it on 401's and 600's. Many of these doors are held on with clear packing tape and that's a band-aid fix but I prefer to have my machines LOOK nice, even if they have been repaired.


So, here is the nose door from the 503 I am rebuilding.  It has the common feature of half the upper hinge broken off and missing, so it cannot just be glued back.  With the broken piece went the hinge pin, so we also have to find a replacement pin. I normally use a finish nail, but this is the shaft out of a pop rivet.


I mix up some epoxy and fill what's left of the channel for the pin.


Next, I position the replacement pin so that it is at the correct angle and press it into the epoxy.  It is best to balance the pin in the slot so that it does not slump down before the epoxy hardens. Then, I slather epoxy over the pin to help hold it in place.


24 hours later, I slice off the excess epoxy and excess pin from the top of the hinge.  I use a rotary tool with a cutoff wheel.  If I applied too much epoxy, now is the time to grind or file it down so it doesn't interfere with the opening or closing of the door.


The original pin is about 1/4" long, but you will find it easier to install the door if you leave the replacement pin a bit longer. With both upper an lower pins the same length, you have to align both with their respective holes to install the door.  If you leave the upper pin longer, you can insert the upper pin and the extra length holds the upper hinge in place while you fiddle with the lower hinge pin.


 TA-DA! the 503 now has a functioning nose door.





8 comments:

sewingmachinenut said...

Yes, these are notorious for having a broken hinge. Nice repair. I have repaired a 503 door in this fashion. I've got a 500 in need of a nose door and I'm presuming the hinge broke at some point and the PO simply threw the door away. I refuse to think my machine at one point was a parts donor...

Ann from KY said...

Awesome repair!! Will have to remember that! My 12 year old daughter has a singer 500, and loves sewing on it. I got it to resell, but she just fell in love with it. It is a nice machine for a beginner. I like how you just push the lever to the top to back up. You don't have to hold any buttons in to go in reverse like my Viking I have. Then she can use both hands to maneuver the fabric.

Unknown said...

Have any of you ever used a bernina sewing machine? I debating getting one, but I want to get an opinion about it first.

ann from KY said...

I have used a Bernina sewing machine before, a Bernina Record 830. Sewed nice but the feet are way to expensive so I sold it.

Jonathan said...

WOW! Nice job on the repair! Thanks for posting!!!

BooBooBearBecky said...

Thanks so much for posting a fix for a broken door on a Singer 500. This will be my week-end project!

Unknown said...

Hi I need a Singer 500a front door.
Contact angel@theahc.net
Thank you

TMac said...

I have a Rocketeer with this issue, Sounds like the best fix. Thanks
Will have to learn about epoxy, never used it before.
Any advice there?
Thanks again