More on Downsizing

   The clean-out continues.  Today, I dug out all my Singer "Top Hat" decorative stitch cams.  During my 45 years of collecting sewing machines, every time I saw a set of Singer attachments, I picked it up.  Also, many of the Singers I obtained came with attachments.  I was shocked at the number when I dug them out and arranged them in numerical order

   Also, I was amazed that with all those cams, I only have one complete set.  Noticeably missing is the Zero cam that produces the standard zig zag stitch on machines that do not have zig zag built in.  My only Zero cam is currently installed in a 403.

I never use these cams, All my sewing is straight stitch and zig zag with an occasional buttonhole thrown in so they will all be listed in my My Etsy Shop

Ed

Singer 603E Needle Plate

Yesterday, I broke out a really nice 603E that I haven’t used in a long time.  I oiled it up and was running it in and it was humming along perfectly - no rattles, squeaks, or clicks.  At full speed, I moved the stitch width lever over to check out the zig zag without thinking to check whether a zig zag needle plate was installed - it wasn’t!  Not only did the needle break, the straight stitch needle plate also broke.

Thinking that the 603 uses the same needle plate as many other slant needle Singers, I grabbed one from another machine sitting nearby.

When I started up the 603 again, there was a clicking sound that wasn’t there before.  My first thought was that a piece of the broken needle was somewhere down around the hook but close inspection dispelled that idea.  While looking for the needle fragment, I realized that the clicking sound was not present when the needle plate was removed.  Reinstalling the needle plate brought back the clicking sound.  That indicated to me that the feed dog was probably hitting the underside of the needle plate.  I could not feel any vibration on the plate, the feed dog was just kissing the underside of the plate.

My next thought was that the needle plate I had cannibalized from another machine might be slightly bent so I robbed one from another slant needle machine.  The clicking sound was still present.  My next thought was that perhaps the 600 series machines used a different needle plate than the 400 and 500 series machines, I rummaged through my partial sets of 600 series attachments to find a needle plate that was actually supplied with a 600 series machine. I found one in the box of attachments that came with this machine, probably the only attachment set that has not gotten separated from its machine.  Installing this newly-found needle plate, the clicking sound disappeared and the machine runs as smoothly as before my accident.

Now, here’s the reason I felt this was worth blogging about:  I have three different styles of needle plates for slant needle Singers, all with the same part number - 172200.  While the plates are identical on the top, there are marked differences on the undersides.

The only plate that does not interfere with the feed dog is the one on the right.  I am not going to pull off the needle plates on all my slant needle Singers to see which ones have which plate but I will be on the lookout for this in the future.  On second thought, maybe I will pull all the needle plates so I can match up the needle plates with the correct machines but first, I need to figure out whether the plate on the left and the one in the center have any positive or negative effect and which machines perform best with either one.

Ed

Ed's Vintage Sewing Machine Store

Singer Auto-Reel

  This week, I had the pleasure of working on the first model of Touch & Sew made by Singer.  It is a model 600 but the model number is not displayed in the usual place, it just says "Auto-Reel" and the wind-in-place bobbin is placed in wind mode using a push-down button.

  Later versions of the 600 and its descendants had the winding mechanism actuating button under the slide plate.

  When I saw the machine, I assumed there would be little to do other than oil and grease because it looks as though it has been used very little.  No paint chips, scratches, needle strikes, or other signs of wear.  It was noisy running, indicating that some time had passed since its last lubrication, so that's where I started.  After oiling and greasing, I tested the various functions and found that (a) the release mechanism was not latching and

 (b) the needle would not return to the right in zig zag.

  The zig zag problem was easy to figure out, there was a broken spring lying in the bottom of the housing.

 I couldn't find a new replacement and none of my parts machines used the identical spring, even though the part number for the spring in the 500 is the same.  I found a similar spring in my parts bin that was longer and cut it down to the same length as the old spring.

  After replacing the spring, the release mechanism would still not latch and clattered back and forth with every rotation of the shaft.  The service manual tells how to adjust that mechanism but says, "Be sure stitch pattern selectors are properly engaged.  Otherwise, machine will not engage when in operation." I looked at the pattern selectors, and, sure enough, the lower selector was not popping out when moved to position "A".

  I started tracing out the mechanism to find the reason and saw that the rear index pin was full of crud

and I assumed that the lever would not lock into the slot because of that. 

  After removing the index pin, cleaning, reinstalling and readjusting, there was no improvement.    The cam followers were at the correct position but the indicator on the front of the machine was not.  When the cam followers were in the straight stitch position, the indicator read "C" instead of "A".  Back to the service manual and adjusting the indicator.  Once the indicator and the cam followers agreed, the selector button popped out as it should and everything worked fine, sort of.

  On to testing the stitches and I noticed there was less than 1/4" clearance under the presser foot.  Normally that is an easy adjustment, but on this series of machines, the presser foot pressure adjuster

must be removed to access the presser bar clamping screw. 

  Removing is not a problem, reinstalling is a bit troublesome.

  With all those adjustments and repairs, straight stitch worked properly but zig zag would only catch on one side.  That normally means that either the presser bar height is incorrect or the hook is not timed to the needle.  In this case, it was the hook timing.  When the hook point was supposed to be even with the needle, it was about 10 degrees off.

  After spending much of my Labor Day weekend tinkering with this machine, today I finally put it all back together, wiped off the greasy fingerprints and sewed a successful test swatch.  I hope the next one is a bit easier, although I enjoyed the challenge and learned a lot from this one.

Ed
Ed's Vintage Sewing Machine Parts Store

Spool Holders

If you have a vintage Singer Touch & Sew, you probably have noticed that the spool holders have lost the foam pads that hold the thread spool from spinning and rattling.

Replacement pads are available,

but I am always looking for ways to re-use something around the house, rather than buy new.  When we got our new family room furniture, I went to Wal-Mart and picked up a package of 1 1/2 inch felt pads to protect the hardwood floors from scratches. 

There are still about 10 felt pads remaining in the package and they looked about the size of the spool holder pads, so I decided to give it a try.

Using my 50-year-old high school geometry knowledge, I got out a compass and marked the center of the felt pad. 

Then, using the largest adapter on my leather punch,

I punched a hole exactly in the center of the felt pad.

I cleaned the remaining sponge from the spool holder

and mounted the peel-and-stick pad to the spool holder.

And here it is, all ready to go. 

Now I have to look through my stash of felt pads to see if there is one the correct size to renew the small spool holder.

Ed

Ed's Vintage Sewing Machine Shop

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.