Lower Tension Adjusting

My Necchi Lelia was giving me some loose stitches yesterday.  Adjusting the upper tension and presser foot pressure had no effect, so I pulled out the bobbin case and checked the tension on it. I have a spring tool that supposedly tells the proper upper and lower tensions 

but I have used it before and am not happy with the results. 

Tension always seems way too tight after adjusting to the tool's marks. 

I read somewhere on the internet that proper Class 15 bobbin case tension could be found by filling a bag with just under 1 1/2 ounces of sugar and hanging that bag of sugar from the bobbin thread.  Not wanting to keep a bag of sugar around to invite ants, I opted for a bag of metal washers instead.

I broke out my cheap-o balance scale 

and measured out 1 1/2 ounces of washers and put them in a zip-lock bag.

Adjust the tension screw on the bobbin case until the bag of sugar slowly drops. If the bag stays suspended, tension is too tight; if the bag drops like a rock, tension is too loose.  

When you have the adjustment just right, re-insert the bobbin case in the machine and adjust upper tension to achieve a balanced stitch. 

I adjusted the Lelia's bobbin tension until the bag dropped slowly and put the bobbin case back in the machine. Stitches were ALMOST perfect, maybe just a tiny bit tight - I had to increase upper tension to '5' to balance the stitches but it gives me a starting point. I will remove washers from the bag one-by-one until I have a measuring device that gives me the result I want.

My next thought is to use some of that left-over spring wire to make a homemade tension scale.

Ed's Vintage Sewing Machine Shop

Ed

Auction Update

We went to the auction last night and I'm glad I'm not in the beginning phases of collecting sewing machines, because I probably would have had to make two trips to carry home all my purchases in my minivan.

The first machine up for bids turned out to be a Wheeler & Wilson W9. This is kind of a landmark model because it was the last domestic machine made by W&W before Singer took over their plant and switched it to industrial machines. The 'W' in Singer industrial model numbers like 111W155 indicate they were made at the former Wheeler & Wilson factory.  Regardless of the collectability, this machine only brought $45.

Next was the Singer 15 in a 6-drawer cabinet sitting next to the W&W.  

Being a more recognizable name and in obviously better cosmetic condition, bidding ended at $65.

After a delay while they auctioned off tray lots and box lots of household items, they came to the Martha Washington sewing cabinet.  

We have two of those and paid over $100 for each.  This one needs some love but appears to be in original condition.  It only brought $40.

Last, they got to the Singer 99-13 portable in the drop-in table.  I got a chance to look underneath during the preview and learned that that kneebar hanging down below the table is physically connected to the machine, not a separate controller. Space was tight under there and I didn't have a flashlight so I couldn't investigate further.

This was the only machine I even considered bidding on solely because of the uniqueness of the table but bidding got to $85 and I was unwilling to spend that more than that for a very common machine in an intriguing table.

I had hoped there would be some vintage sewing attachments and accessories separate from the machines.  There were several boxes of sewing "stuff" but it was just thread, needles, binding and other notions I would never use, so I didn't even stay to see what they sold for.  For an evening's entertainment, I spent $1.95 for a soft drink and came home empty-handed.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/OldSewingMachines

http://www.etsy.com/shop/OldeTowneStitchery