My Featherweight and I

A "NON-GLARE" needle plate?

2012-04-02T11:46:00.002-07:00

     Many of you will have heard me to say that I love questions about the Featherweight sewing machines. One of the best ways to learn something is to teach something. Answering questions is a similar "back-against-the wall" situation.
     "Where do I get a Non-Glare" needle plate" was the question?
     My first reaction was; "You don't".
     But then....well maybe....let me think on this a bit.
     Some of the later "pale celery" (otherwise known as "white") Featherweights came with a numbered needle plate that had a satin finish to it that would serve as non-glare surface. I do not know if Singer designed this finish for needle plates as a non-glare surface. I have been seeking Singer brochures that might have promoted a "non-glare" finish on any of their machines, but I have not been able to find such a beast.
     But there is a satin finished numbered needle plate that came with the 1964 and later white machines that does fit any Featherweight, but it might not fit your budget. The average bright chrome numbered and marked (for seam allowance) needle plates seem to be averaging about $45 on eBay. The ending cost for a satin finished numbered needle plate shouldn't be much more. The numbering on the needle plate has to be checked as there is a metric numbered plate design and a fractions of an inch numbering design which many in America will be more comfortable with.
     By the way; eBay is an excellent place to see what things are selling for. When I am just seeking pricing information as to the cost of something (on eBay or off) I will put an auction of that thing onto the "watch list" of and eBay will email you when the auction is drawing to a close so you can bid if the auction price is attractive (and you want to) or just glean the information and run with it. You are under no obligation to buy something that you have placed into the"watch list".
     I don't think using the term "non-glare" in your eBay search wording will help, if you ask for just a "Featherweight 221 needle plate" you will have several auctions to pick through. And try again later as the auctions are always being added to and closed so the options change frequently.
   It has been my experience with the satin finish needle plates that the finish can be scratched by pin-heads being drug across them. Watch for scratches on one you are looking at to buy, from anyone, and then pull your pins before they get to the needle plate if you get a Non-Glare plate.

Keeping it original and keepin' it running

2012-02-02T17:13:00.000-08:00

     I have touched a lot of Featherweights and in the process seen quite a few repairs that Singer had not thought of. Many times the driving force behind some variations of design is a belief that "the parts for a Featherweight are not available" which explains why I replaced my Featherweight's motor with a Hoover vacuum cleaner motor. In truth, very few parts for the Featherweight are truly difficult to find and the ones that are are not parts you would ever need, such as a lower main shaft. The really hard ones to find are those that are never needed so no one keeps them around, therefore they become "rare".
     As many of you know Singer does not supply parts on machines that are more than ten years beyond a given machine's model change. Our Featherweights are only fifty years beyond that model change milestone so don't bother asking at the Singer Store for Featherweight parts or you will be told the truth; Singer does not make Featherweight parts any more, "but maybe you'd like to look at this new machine over here?"
     Because of the popularity of the Featherweight machines there are quite a few companies that manufacture good Featherweight parts today. Using key words like "Featherweight 221" in a Google search will get you the names of people who can ship you good new and used parts. Spend a little time looking at various sites to learn the"going-price" of parts as there are some who just might try to gouge you a bit.
     I am not going to endear myself to a few sellers but I would avoid "new" bobbin cases and hook assemblies. You are far better off with a good used bobbin case or hook assembly that works compared to nicely chromed parts that are problematic.
     This aftermarket availability of replacement parts has its limits I fear. For a company to start manufacturing a replacement part there has to be a demand for them. Parts that are unique to the model 222 for instance are not manufactured anywhere and you will have to buy used parts. You can buy new motors for the black machine if you don't mind its not having the Singer name on it. You cannot buy a white motor for a white (I know, they are really green) Featherweight, you'll have to buy a used one or paint a new one white. Have fun matching the green color.
   Don't disparage if you are told "these parts are not available any more" by the first person you talk to. These people would know there are parts available if they would just search around on the web a bit as I am asking you to do. Ebay is one souse of parts that works as long as you shop around and have an idea what something should cost before you remortgage to underwrite the first part you see. Those who sell on eBay are often fond of using the word "rare" but the only thing really rare is the seller who doesn't use the word rare.
    Have fun Kids, these machines are going to be around long enough to be a problem for the great grand kids to have to figure out.

You cannot count on it all being the way Singer sold it originally.

2012-01-06T12:12:00.000-08:00

     I've recently acquired a slug of Featherweights to restore and refurbish. With 30 machines piled around me I began looking at them, one by one, to determine the problems the machines had so I could figure which ones to attack first.There typically is a reason that Featherweights get sold. The machines haven't stopped looking cute so it must be something else. Maybe the person just doesn't use the machine enough and would rather someone who would use it would buy it and try to wear it out. That makes an nice wish but it doesn't happen often.
     The number one reason that these machines migrate is that somethings has gone wrong with the machine and the person finds themselves in over their head trying to determine what is wrong and what to do about it.
     The number one reason that a Featherweight gets sold-off is that when it was maintained last; the needle plate was removed. When the needle plate was reinstalled the positioning finger of the hook assembly was not captured in the slot for it between what look two metal blocks on the underside of the needle plate. The machine will not sew in this state and the owner will sometimes think it is time to get rid of the machine. One in seven machines I buy do not have the positioning finger in place.
   Number two reason: You are charged $35 to be told the parts are not available anywhere. You are told this by someone who doesn't know, is too lazy to look or want's to sell you this honey of a machine over here. Hog wash!!!! Parts are easy to find and cheap.    Moving on.....
     Tension problems are the next in line. This is a rather convoluted subject but often the problem has to do with the Upper tension assembly having been disassembled (which makes it a disassembled assembly) and it was not reassembled the way Singer thought it should have been. The original manual for the machine, my manual (The Featherweight 221 and I) and the Technician's Service Manual for Featherweights have good illustrations of how the parts stack-up when correctly assembled. That funny washer that goes over the beehive spring must be installed with the tab on its edge side installed pointing up and so the tip of the tab is pointing out, like a small cobra head poised to strike.

     With some machines there are often some rather creative repairs that have been imposed on the original Singer design. Please, if you have to change something completely to get the machine to work (?) it might not be the best idea. One of the most confusing conundrums is; why, after removing the hook assembly to clear a jam or whatever, and having correctly installed the hook assembly (for a fact) onto its shaft again, why does the needle strike the hook assembly?
     Sometime in this machine's past the hook assembly had been removed and the wrong set-screw on the hub of the hook assembly was put over the flat that is ground into the shaft it mounts on. The hook assembly is 180 degrees out of rotation now. The person doing the work believes the hook assembly was correctly installed, "I mean what can be so hard about putting a part on a shaft?"
   "It must be the timing!!!" so the cure is to change the timing of the machine to make the machine agree with the incorrectly installed hook assembly rather than making the hook assembly agree with the machine. The hard part is that the machine works. So what's wrong with that. I just wanted a machine that works? The next time someone works on that machine and installs everything the way Singer says it should have been (for a fact) the machine wont work.The person working on the machine by the hour, if they haven't run into this before, will not work their mind numb trying to figure what is wrong and might well suggest, "let's go sell it.!"
I love talking at you and I hope this blog helps. Feel free to ask questions.

2012-01-06T07:27:00.000-08:00

What about the "white" Featherweight?

2011-11-21T22:39:00.000-08:00

The white machine is not the same as the black or tan machines.

How so?

The white machines body is made cast from the same aluminium alloy as the black and tan machines although the lifting bed extension is made of stamped sheet steel. This was but one production cost savings utilized by Singer so that they could keep producing a machine that had been getting too expensive to keep manufacturing and sell at a price that people would still afford.

The power cord does not unplug from the base of the machine as the earlier black Featherweights do which was another production cost savings. I prefer a machine that the electrical cord can be unplugged from for storage or carrying about. It really is not the end of the world for me but simply a personal preference.

The steel base extension works quite well and is strong. This base extension on the white machine is about an inch and a half shorter than the cast aluminum extension found on all black and tan machines. To some this might seem important but actually it doesn't change things much in use.

The most notable difference and the greatest money saver for Singer was to be found internal to the machine. The black and tan machines are all gear driven, but the design change to the white machine utilizes a cogged drive belt. This had quite the effect on the bottom line.

How does the cogged belt effect the white machine when compared to the gear driven black and tan machines? The internal belt drive (rather than gears) has proven to be very reliable and it typically runs quieter than its black and tan siblings. I have talked with Graham Forsdyke and Glenn Williams about their experience with the belt drive and they concur with what has been my experience, there is no problem with the cogged belt drive. Although Graham had seen one fail when a person was "adjusting" the belt with his pocket knife. Obviously, this is a design flaw.

In the 1950s, type-writers were cleaned by immersing them in a chemical bath not unlike the early dry cleaning chemicals. Type writers were soaked, shaken while immersed and dried. Then they were oiled again. Sewing machine service people tried this immersion in cleaning chemicals with Featherweights and found that it worked very well with the black and tan machines. In the 60's the white machine came about and the "sewing machine service people" put the white machine into the chemical bath and the internal drive belt melted in the harsh chemicals used for dry-cleaning back then. The service person had a three hour job ahead of them to remove the internal shafts and replace the cogged belt.The cure for this was that the service people told prospective buyers that "the white machine was not as good as the black machine, believe me I'm a service person and I know". If you are around white Featherweights long enough you will hear people say that "they had a Friend who said she heard that the white machine was not as good as the others. And now you know why. Telling this to prospective buyers kept the service people from getting their fingers dirty by having to clean a machine by hand rather than giving it a bath while they drank coffee. This is a "story" that you can take to the bank. I have talked with "old-timers" (which I am rapidly becoming) who have stated this is the truth.

I have had to replace the gears in machines before, but never a cogged belt. In my experience the white machine (which isn't white, it is "pale celery" according to Singer) is every bit as good as any other color and I think it can be adjusted to sew marginally better than a well adjusted black or tan machine. I believe it runs smoother internally which in my opinion gives the machine its edge.

I will not go so far as to say the white machine is better than the others, but it is not a compromised design as had been implied by Singer's own and definitely is not second place to any other.

This might seem redundant but

2011-09-25T23:16:00.000-07:00

I don't know why but frequently a problem with a Featherweight can crop up that has never darkened my door before and then I end up with a handful of machines with this same obscure problem. Obtuse and obscure can be fun though, so lets relay the story and see where we end up.

The first of the Featherweights with this particular problem announced itself as a Featherweight that wasn't running very fast. There are Feathers that do run slower than others, but this one was really quite slow. A bit faster than "stop" but not by much.

    The First thought was; the belt must be too tight, which is the typical cause. But this machine's belt wasn't too tight. A Featherweight's belt should never be tighter than it has to be to keep the motor pulley from slipping.
The Second thought was; has the motor been lubricated in the last 30 years? It had been.
The Third thought had me gripping the pulley with my fingers and pulling it in and out on it for no real reason. This behaviour is part of my finial set-up/testing of a motor if I had disassembled it to turn the commutator or clean the motor out but I hadn't done that work on this motor, so really I was just killing time while thinking. This is called "fiddling-around" all the time looking terribly busy to the untrained eye.
   There was no end play to this particular motor's shaft as I pulled in and out on the pulley, and there should be a little. I removed the pulley and found the motor's shaft had 16 inches of thread neatly wrapped around it that had partially filled the gap between the pulley and the motors housing.The thread was packed tightly enough that the motor could not get up to speed, much less the machine as a whole. The thread got there from a bobbin winding session gone bad. The thread had gotten itself snagged by the motor belt so fast it wasn't noticed. While the thread was dry it let the pulley turn without slowing things down much, but then it begins to wick the motor's lubricating grease out of the motor, which doesn't sound so bad, except that the lubricant makes the thread swell and disc brakes will have been reinvented.
    Solution; remove the motor pulley and clean out from behind it. Put the pulley back on.
But note; there are two styles of pulley found on Featherweights, One is made of steel and it has a set screw on the pulley hub that secures it to the motor's shaft. Loosening the set-screw one turn is adequate to remove the pulley.
    The second pulley type is a Bakelite plastic that looks like black plastic (unless it was painted tan as found on the tan colored Featherweight). with soft rounded edges in addition to the fact that the pulley is round by function. There is a screw in the hub of this plastic pulley as well, but this screw must be removed completely before the pulley can be removed from the motor shaft. This style of screw threads completely through the motor's shaft. If you only loosen it a single turn as with the set-screw style of pulley the pulley can be broken as you try to pry the "stuck" pulley off the shaft. I am not speaking from experience, of course.

For the machine that has slowed down

2011-08-21T15:09:00.000-07:00

     Somethings don't happen often, but when they do happen, they happen in clusters of bunches. A problem was simply stated, "my machine is really running slow" and when we went to the typical culprit, the belt being too tight, we found that this wasn't the problem, this time around. And then the same thing happened three more times within this week.
   Checking the belt's tension was the first thing tried. If too tight the machine will slow a lot and it is hard on the motor. The belt is to be no tighter than is needed to keep the belt from slipping at the motor pulley. The belt's not being too tight not being the problem looking elsewhere was in order. Removing the motor's pulley revealed the problem. Wound around the motor's shaft, between the pulley's inner flange and the motor housing, was an easy foot of thread packed in very tightly and dragging the motor speed down dramatically. With the pulley removed the wad of thread pulled off like a miniature donut. I suspect it got there by thread going native while winding a bobbin.
    The solution is to remove the pulley and slide the thread donut off the motor's shaft. The trick is to make sure you remove the pulley correctly according to the type of pulley you have on your motor.
    There are only two types of pulley; one of metal (steel) and one of plastic (Bakelite). The metal one looks like blackened steel, because it is. It can be attracted to a magnet and has a hole in its hub as it looks at you from the motor with the shaft pointing at your face. The plastic pulley looks like a double brimmed top hat, soft rounded edges on the hub and there is no hole for the sahft extending completely through the pulley's hub as it does on the metal pulley.
    The blackened metal pulley has a set-screw that holds it to the motor's shaft as it bears down on a flat spot ground onto the motor's shaft. Loosen the set-screw one turn and the metal pulley can be removed from the motor. Just pull it off the end of the shaft.
    The plastic (Bakelite) pulley found on white (pale green) Featherweights and painted tan to match the tan Featherweight's color is also found in natural black on some late model black machines such as the model 222. This pulley has a threaded pin that can be removed from one side of the pulley's hub. The threaded pin runs through one side of the pulley's hub and completely through the motor's shaft. This style of screw-pin has a slot like a screw head for the complete removal of the threaded pin.
    The first guess for a machine that is running slow is that the motor belt is too tight, and now you know the second guess.

I really am not a writer.

2011-07-09T15:24:00.000-07:00

     I know I have most of you fooled into thinking I am a writer. I really am not. I'm just an old guy who loves Featherweights. When I began writing my manual The Featherweight 221 and I, I just wanted to write what I would have loved to have in a book/manual like it, when I first lusted for a Featherweight; a book that went beyond telling me that I was looking at a sewing machine. As I learned about my Featherweight, I wrote, and it has been a wonderful experience, if for no other reason than I have met some of the most wonderful people.
       There are things I am learning along the way though, both with Featherweights and writing. For example, don't use the word "it" unless it (oops!) is clear what "it" is.
     One thing I stumbled upon that shouldn't have taken much thought, if I had thought for a moment, was that a paint color called "Lamp Black" by General Motors does not necessarily mean that they will call it (oops) that forever, or even a week longer just because I wrote a book. At the time I was writing my manual, I was talking about what I had in my hot little fist at the moment and never thought that the color would go away. (For you artists: I know pure black is not a color but the complete absence of color, which doesn't change the fact that you cannot go into a GM dealer and buy "Lamp Black" by color, or lack there of). How does a blog become so complex?
     I got myself an email from someone who is touching up their black Featherweight, and she had walked into a GM dealer to get Lamp Black and walked out with egg on her face instead. Sorry, Mary. She did walk out with a tube of complete-absence-of-color touch-up paint that GM identifies as 1052807 Code 41 WA8555, which will work fine.
     A person does not have to buy GM paint only, for that matter. Ford's complete-lack-of-color touch-up paint that looks just like Toyota's will do just fine. All you need to do is get basic BLACK and avoid name variants on the theme, such as, Mid-night-Shadows-on-the-Serengeti's-Rose-Sand-Dune-Lacking-Any-Color-Black.
     I hope this helps those of you who are looking for paint to find it. (Oops again.)

About those button hole attachmments

2011-06-13T21:16:00.000-07:00

     The botton hole attachment most often used with the Featherweight model 221/222 has the part number 160506 stamped on it.If you have the complete attachment there will be multiple drop-in "cams" that govern the size and style of button hole you are performing when you use the attachment.The embossed image on the back of the cam shows you the style and size of the button hole the cam produces.
     There should also be a chrome metal plate about four inches long having a slotted blued steel strap sticking out one side of the chrome plate. There is a thumb screw that should be there as well. It is used to secure the feed-dog cover plate. This pate covers the feed-dogs of the machine while providing a smooth surface for the fabric to move around on. The Featherweight is not a zig-zag machine, therefore the fabric has to be the thing that moves. In use, don't try to direct the fabric or hold it down allowing the fabric to be free to move as directed by the attachment.
     The attachment is secured to the machine just like the original presser foot, only a whole lot bigger. Unlike the standard foot the button hole attachment also has a lever that I call a "pickle-fork" that straddles the needle setting screw as the attachment is installed on the machine. As the needle bar travels up and down the screw drives the lever and powers the attachment.
   Please practice the use of the attachment before you attack something for real. A secret with the attachment is that you sew around the button hole twice. The button hole will be better than many found on modern machines. Modern machines and their button hole function work like they learned from Arthur Murry. Step-side-step-side-step-step. The Singer attachment sews the botton hole in one flowing movement that you fall in love with. When done sewing the button hole you must cut the hole in the fabric for the button to go through still but I'm sure there is a app' for that!
     Once you get fairly good with the attachment you might want to try adjusting the zig-zag stitch wider for the first time abound the hole and then reduce the width of the stitch for the next time around and change the color of the thread to a complementing thread color for a two-tone button hole that can be very striking.
   But oiling your button hole attachment comes first. If metal touches metal inside the attachment and they move against each other, put a drop of oil on it.

Hot time in the 'ol house tonight

2011-05-25T16:57:00.000-07:00

   For years we've heard that our sewing machines should be unplugged if we leave our machines for an extended period of time. You just heard it again.And I don't mean just the Featherweights owners should. Almost every manufacturer of sewing machines today still tells owners to unplug their machines.
   Many Featherweight owners will reach over and turn the switch located down low and to the right of the base of the machine off, and the light turns off. And that is all that that turned off. By turning the switch off you have not turned the machine off, just the light!
   If the foot controller wonders out of adjustment after sixty years the controller can get hot. Very hot. The adjustment of the controller will be the subject of the my next blog, but for the time being please unplug your machine before you walk away for an extended period of time. Once and awhile feel your controller to be sure it is not getting hot. Room temperature is one thing, hot is different!
. Unplugging the machine is such a bother, but turning off a power strip isn't I plug a radio, my additional lighting and my machine into the same power strip. My Man-Cave is up stairs and all I have to do is cock an ear at the bottom of the steps to assure myself I have turned things off because I can't hear the radio.

Trying to wind a bobbin? And the machine continues to run-on.......

2011-05-25T09:25:00.001-07:00

    To wind a bobbin you first turn the "stop-motion-wheel" to the left releasing the hand wheel to spin freely without all the rest of the machine continuing to turn. But, in the real world........
    The hand wheel and the bushing it turns on is rarely oiled. The hand wheel needs only a drop of oil at the gap of the hand wheel and the flange of the bushing if it had been oiled routinely. If it hasn't been oiled since the machine left the Singer factory the hand wheel will need to be removed, the bearing surfaces cleaned, oiled and restored to be correct.
    But there is a deeper problem that may be causing your machine to run-on. I have in the past done all the cleaning and oiling thing and some machines will still run-on. These machines have gotten perfectly "run-in". The gears and bearings and all that kinda' stuff have worked with each other long enough that the wearing-in of these parts has made these parts fit each other perfectly. Every thing turns with seemingly no resistance except that which is felt because the motor is being turned by its' connection through the drive belt.
    If you suspect you are having a problem this way remove the motor drive belt and turn the machine using the hand wheel. If you can't really discern any resistance consider this cure.
Roll your machine over onto its' back on to a padded surface. The machine's hand wheel should be to the right for this conversation while you are looking at the drip pan on the machines' bottom. Exciting isn't it? Remove that drip pan and have a look within. There is a gear at one right end of the silver colored lower high-speed shaft that has the chrome hook assembly (where you snap the bobbin carrier with its' bobbin into) at the left end of the silver shaft. (The white/green model 221's do not have gears so use the rubber t gimbler drive belt hub for your point of reference). The shaft goes through the gear (hub) and into a "block" that is part of the machines' base casting. In the middle of the block is a screw, a set-screw. The bushing that supports the gear end of the shaft is held in place (kept from moving) within this block by this set-screw. If you over-tighten this set-screw CAREFULLY the tightening will deform the bushing slightly and induce some resistance to the turning of the lower shaft and therefore the whole machine.
    This set-screw hasn't been turned in sixty years. Loosen the screw before you tighten it. Press firmly into the set screw and use a quality screw-driver that fits the screw slot properly. Ladies, you might need some help with this, after sixty years of waiting for a little attention the screw will not like to turn at first and will start to turn with a pop. Loosen the screw before you try to tighten the screw and maybe even remove and oil the screw or its' hole. When you tighten the screw keep turning/testing the hand wheel to feel for added resistance. As we tighten the screw we will be turning the screw tighter than is required to just hold the bushing in place. I am asking you to tighten it just enough that the bushing distorts slightly and pinches the shaft inducing a resistance to the entire machines being able to turn. It will take some effort to turn the screw enough to make a change but the screw will only turn about 1/32th of a turn at most.
    Tighten and test for resistance of the machine to turning. If things get a bit too tight, loosen the screw and the shaft will respond accordingly. We do not want a lot of resistance to the turning of the machine, but there must be some. Properly adjusted the machine will turn easily but you can feel it turn rather than something that seems almost sloppy loose.

White belts for white Featherweight sewing machines that are green (?)

2011-04-11T11:21:00.000-07:00

It interests me the way the desire/need for products flows in and out like the tides. For years I have not had a single request about a white belt and now I have had three requests in two days, and I now have a well rehearsed answer.

They don't exist, sorry.

I've asked around for them a good deal over the years and I even asked about getting some made. I was told that if I would pay the up-front costs for 10,000 belts they would manufacture them for me. I told them I would get with my staff, we would think on it and get back with them. The infamous "be-back".

The white belt has not been manufactured in 50 years. The demand for the white belt does not justify the expense of gearing up to produce them (even though I know of several who would stand in line for a week in January for the store to open). A supply of originals was found about 10 years ago, in the back of an obscure storeroom, and they sold instantly. They sold to people who pondered later why they so urgently needed a 40 year old rotting piece of rubber covered with white cloth.

New white belts do not exist any longer I fear. You will have to settle for a black belt. May I caution you that there is a cogged vinyl belt that isn't white and isn't much good in my opinion. These clear to light tan colored belts are difficult to adjust and I don't think they look good on a machine of any color.

I have honestly looked pretty hard to find white belts for myself to no avail. The market for black motor belts is strong because there were many more black machines manufactured.

Black is basic and goes with most everything I have been told.

Times, they are changin'

2011-04-02T14:52:00.000-07:00

Thread has changed over the years since our Featherweights were born. I love many of the new threads and I'm not here to say I have a problem with them, but your Featherweight might.
Several times this last month I have had people call asking "what is wrong with their Featherweight? The stitch in the fabric is all loopy and loose..........."
The Featherweight was created at a time when 50 weight thread was the norm. Several times recently I have had people having problems with their machines and the common denominator was that they were using the "new" fine threads that are becoming quite popular. I don't want to name brand-names because it isn't about any one manufacturer or brand, it's the weight (physical size) of the thread that is causing a problem.
If you are not happy with your machines stitch or the thread tension try changing to a thread of heavier weight.

Don't replace your bobbin case too quickly!

2011-04-02T14:03:00.000-07:00

     In the years that I have been working with Featherweights I've noticed that problems with Feathers seem to happen in clusters. I don't find a problem but what the problem does not repeat itself, repeatedly, within days. Case in point: a bobbin case not adjusting as it should. If yours seems to have but one setting; loose, it might seem like it is "time for a replacement bobbin case", Oh bother!
    How you remove the thread from your bobbin case might determine how you will spend your next $75.00. If you function like I did not so long ago you probably remove your bobbin from the bobbin case to change thread by dumping the bobbin in your hand and pulling the thread out of the case from inside, just jerking on the bobbin and dragging the thread out screaming!. (I'm trying to make it sound like a rude thing, did it work?) But we are not going to do that any more, are we?
     Instead let the bobbin drop gently into your cupped hand and cut the thread with your best gold plated (titanium bladed) stork scissors you keep warm in a velvet lined basket beside your Featherweight.
     Now, pull the thread out of the bobbin case from the outside which is pulling the thread out from the case in the normal direction the thread would travel.
     Why? The bobbin case is designed for the thread to pass through it one way. That's why there are no options as to how to install the bobbin case even though some have tried. If thread is pulled backwards through the bobbin case (as in; ~~jerked~~ removed from the inside) the little metal strap on the outside of the bobbin case (that is the tension spring) will "shave" the lint from the thread making its own lint if there wasn't any. This "free-at-last" lint collection builds up under the open end of the strap spring and it can have enough body (mass) to hold the spring's tip up and off of the side of the bobbin case allowing the thread to just pull through this tension device without resistance (tension). It will be held up and off by the tiniest amount and it will not be easy to see unless you really look.
    Cure? Stop pulling the thread the wrong way. If you already have a zero tension case; remove the tension adjusting screw (over a towel!!!) and loosen the screw at the end of the strap about one turn to loosen the strap. Using a flat tooth-pick, inset the flat end of the tooth-pick under the strap about where the tension screw was and wipe sideways to the tip of the spring where the thread comes out. The pellet of lint that comes out will be tiny and you'll think that I am pulling your leg, but April-fools Day was yesterday and I'm over it.
     Put things back together, reset the tension and enjoy. It is possible you might have to remove both screws to clean out completely from under the strap tension spring. Please work over a towel to keep from loosing one of the screws.

The Ten Most Common Things That Happen To A Featherweight

2011-02-26T11:40:00.000-08:00

Question: What single thing contributes to the problems a Featherweight might have?
Answer: A human bought it.

In a class recently, I was asked why I don’t compose a list entitled; “THE TEN MOST COMMON THINGS THAT HAPPEN TO A FEATHERWEIGHT”. You might note that most of the things that do go-bump-in-the-night are not caused by the machine. A brief answer to the question posed, follows that question....

(1) Why does my machine skip stitches or make frequent “long” stitches?
The needle is installed backwards. There is a flat side ground into the needle’s fat non-pointy end and that flat side must face to the left when the needle is installed.
(2) My machine has grabbed absolute handfuls of thread and has sucked it down through the throat plate.
You must pull the upper and bobbin threads gently out the back of the machine as you introduce fabric to the needle or thread can get caught in the hook assembly and you will spend tonight picking thread out of the hook assembly. All of tonight.
(3) There is a bird’s nest of thread under the throat plate and the machine has locked-up solid. Prevention; again, pull the upper and bobbin threads out the back as you introduce fabric to the needle. Have you removed the throat plate to clean under it? Is the positioning finger back in the slot under the throat plate?
(4) Why does my machine run slow?
More than likely the motor belt is too tight, loosen it. It should be no tighter than it needs be to keep the motor pulley from slipping when you step on the gas.  There may be thread wrapped around the motors’ shaft behind the flange of the motor pulley.  Has the motor been lubricated within the last 42 years?
(5) The foot controller gets hot.
An adjustment is needed within the controller. Unplug the controller. From the wall at least! Open the controller by removing the four screws, one in the center of each of the rubber feet, and locate the screw head in the middle of the metal plate at the end of the ceramic “controller”. Loosen the screw one and one half turns. Close things back up.
(6) My machine has two speeds: “stop” and “go like crazy”! And nothin’ in between.
An adjustment is needed to the foot controller in the opposite direction of the answer to question number (5) above. That metal plate should be withdrawn one-eighth of an inch (and be accurate) into the ceramic block that is the real controller hiding within what we call the controller.
(7) My machines’ light flickers and the motor stutters.
The posts of the electrical receptacle below the hand wheel are split so they splay out slightly to provide a positive contact within the plug of the power cord. The split posts may have been pinched closed. Spread them until the split (gap) is uniform and not pinched.
(8) The needle does not pick-up the bobbin thread.
Has the needle been threaded from right to left? Is there a three inch tail of thread coming from the bobbin case? Is there a lot of lint under the needle plate?
(9) “Something just isn't right, I can't put my finger on it.”
Re-thread the machine. No explanation needed.
(10) Operator error. I know, now I’m meddling.

That’s ten, I hope it helps. 

Saturday Night Bath

2011-01-29T17:14:00.000-08:00

In classes related to Featherweight maintenance, I can count on the fact that I am not going to get out the door without touching on the subject of how the owners can clean their machines. “Getting them to look like new in five minutes or less would be nice”.
    There are degrees of cleaning and there are degrees of urgency for a “Saturday night bath” with your machine. It will take a little more than five minutes to get your machine back to “like-new” condition though. A rule of thumb I employ is that some things residing on your machine’s paint respond to soap and water and other deposits need a solvent of some sort. Start with the gentlest approach; soap and water. Nothing harsher than you would use on your face. Dry the machine and then spray a fine mist of WD-40 (as a mild solvent) over the entire exterior of the machine. Do not oil the machine using WD-40 (EVER!) but you can use WD-40 to clean the machines’ exterior while grinning. I used the word “solvent” but don’t substitute some other rude solvent instead of WD-40. (Alcohol, acetone, lacquer thinner and stuff like that are not to be used!) Leave the WD-40 on the machine for ten minutes and then vigorously rub the machine down with a soft terry-cloth rag. Let the machine dry for awhile and apply wax. You’ll know you might be a red-neck if WD-40 is considered a great after shave, like I do.
    If you want more of a shine, we have some work to do. First, evaluate the condition of the paint on your machine. If the decals are worn there is something I would like to elaborate on. The paint finish on a black machine is in multiple layers. The base layer (the black) is baked enamel over the aluminum castings on our Featherweight. Enamel paint was sprayed on and the machine was put into what is basically a continuous conveyer belt pizza oven to bake the enamel finish hard. Then the decals were applied, although they were called “transfers” in 1933, and the machine went back to the paint booth to have a “clear coat” of shellac sprayed over everything. If your decals are showing wear the shellac over the decals was compromised first. This is why I recommend you use a wax containing Carnauba wax as it leaves a film over the decals that will protect them from additional wear if waxed every six months.
    If you want to ramp things up a bit, use a “fine” (grade) polishing compound that can be found in automotive parts shops. I use a cream based polishing compound by Turtle-wax, but there are others. A rule of thumb thing is in order again. As you use polishing compound, if you cannot easily see the color of the compound while you rub, you are doing the work and not the compound. Begin with a three inch by three inch square of terry-cloth that is damp. The moisture keeps the terry-cloth from soaking up handfuls of polishing compound. With a cream type of compound, put a US quarter sized blob of compound on the base of the machine and lay your rag centered on it. Work in circles for a full two minutes in an area about 3 inches by 3 inches and then wipe the work area clean with a paper towel. Buff the area a while with the towel. Looking better? Does it need more of the same? A 3 X 3 work area must be worked in a firm circular motion for about five minutes (typically) to get a great a shine on. Move on to the next 3 X 3 area of the machine. The polishing compound does not remove scratches.
    To polish the arm of a Featherweight I put a quarter sized puddle of compound on the base, again, and work on the arm from that surface. Dip in and polish. The polishing compound can be applied to the rag to use and Q-tips will clean out the oil holes.
    If the decals on your black machine are compromised; rub vigorously up to the edge of the decals (in circles) but not over the decals. I find it easier to polish a machine with compromised decals on its base by reaching through and under the arm of the machine to the far side of the machine and rubbing parallel to the edge of the decals. When done polishing feel free to wax over the decals.
    The white (pale celery) Featherweights are painted with baked enamel, but they do not sport a coat of clear shellac as there are no decals to protect. You can do fantastic things removing scuff marks and crud from a white (green) Featherweight using acetone, and I promise acetone will not damage the paint on the body of the white machine. EXCEPT it will instantly trash the black lettering on the lampshade and to the left of where the electrical cord enters the machine’s base. Work up to this lettering by making yourself a finger puppet from terry-cloth over a vinyl gloved finger to be used while working details with acetone. Again, do not wipe over the black lettering. Q-tips are your friend. Oh! The motor of the white (whatever) machine is painted with a different paint that does not like acetone either. That really does leave a lot that can be cleaned using acetone on your white (pale green) machine, especially the brown scum line at the bottom of the arm where it mates with the base.
    OH, yeah. Put out your cigar and work in a well ventilated area when using acetone.

Alternate uses for a pocket knife and stuff like that

2010-12-30T22:25:00.000-08:00

What do you do if you want to check your motor brushes and the plastic cap (the black screw) broke off? Singer did us no great favors by making the screw for access to the brushes out of plastic. They can be replaced but at a price you might not like. There is only one place in the world that makes these screws and they can dictate the price accordingly.

To remove the motor brush cap (screw), I use a pocket knife. I like a pointy blade style of pocket knife that I feel naked when I don't have it in my pocket. Open the blade (it took me years to learn that trick) and point the tip of the blade at the center of what is left of the cap on the motor. You need to try to "drill a hole" in the cap using the tip of the knife blade. The knife is to be turned to the left, counter-clockwise while pressing fairly firm (but not hard) on the knife tip. After about twenty turns you are going to be asking what Dave is talking about. The tip of the knife blade is not the best drill, but it becomes the ideal tool shortly. You've made a dimple in the plastic stuck in the hole by this time and sometime shortly the knife blade will start dragging (scraping) in the hole as it is turned. Then the blade will start jamming (sticking) in the hole you are trying to make. Add a little more pressure, turning to the left, and what's left of the old cap in the hole will unscrew and it can be removed. It takes but a minute in reality.

Use care when installing the new cap as well. It breaks easily. I don't know why the new caps are not made out of a superior plastic. My cure is simple. I use my thumb nail as a screw driver and I never get them too tight. But then I use my car keys to scratch in my ears too. If I use a screw driver I do not hold it by the handle but turn it by holding only the metal shank of the screw driver and I sing a little song about it "ain't got to be tight" as it doesn't hold the machine together. And you can sing the next verse about "Dave don't need no more of my money". I don't work for the Government.

Your questions are welcome. My answers are long-winded. It's the price you pay when the answers are free.

Greasing a Singer 301 motor

2010-12-30T22:17:00.000-08:00

Another customer asked me about lubricating the motor on her 301. She wanted to know if this can be done by the owner of the machine or does it need a service tech to do it. Here's my reply:

Greasing a 301 motor is very easy, or not at all. I am not sure of the year, I suspect it was around about 1960 at the time Singer changed to the white colored Featherweight motors, Singer went to a different bearing within the motor. The year is kind of academic and my trying to guess the year is probably just trying to show off. At any rate, somewhere about 1960 Singer incorporated a Porolite Bronze bearing (bushings) that does not require grease. The machines prior to that did. With the poor records keeping of Singer during those years it's a little like nailing Jello to a tree to find the exact year of your 301 according to the serial numbers, but the really important thing is "does your motor require grease?" Which is kind of what you asked and I've just wasted a bunch of our time saying nothing to help you....

Remove the drip pan from the bottom of your 301. Lay it over on its back on a towel or padding of some sort. The motor is right there in the back corner, kinda big and obvious. Look at the bottom of the motor. By bottom I mean bottom in relation to the machine, not in relation to the room around you.

On the bottom of the earlier 301 motors, sticking out the side of the motors bottom will be a chrome tube about an inch long and a quarter of an inch around. Pointing down, again in relation to the machine not the shoes you are wearing, will be a hole. Like the Featherweight, grease should be forced into that hole by pressing the Singer lubricant tube's nozzle against the hole firmly and squeezing the tube firmly for five seconds. It is impossible to determine how much grease you have put into the grease tube but only so much can go in and in five seconds you will have had enough squeeze time to know you have put in enough.

So, if you have a grease tube sticking out the side of the motor's base, grease it. If not, at least you can dust the thumb screw that holds your rip pan on. Please use Singer Lubricant.

Lift out tray for Featherweight case…..

2010-12-30T22:04:00.000-08:00

Well, this blog thing is new to me, so I thought I’d start out by sharing my answers to some of the questions I’ve been asked recently....

I received an email from a customer who had purchased a lift out tray for his 221 case and could not figure out why the tray did not fit. Have any of you ever noticed that FW cases are not all the same size?

There were three cases made for the Featherweight 221 machines over the years. An A, B and C case.

The "A" had the lift out tray. There were slight changes in the class "A" cases design in the very early years ('34 to '37) but you have to be pretty sharp to notice them. In 1948 Singer discontinued making the lift out tray cases and went to the "B" case. The "B" case has a small metal box secured to the left interior side of the case. This held the odd stuff you personally used and had a narrow slot for holding bobbins on the outside edge. The attachments were in a green box set into the bottom of the case under this metal box and the controller was put on the base of the machine under the machine's arm. The "C" case is like the "B" with the addition of a metal bracket secured to the inside lid of the case that the controller slides and latches into for travel.

The "A" case is taller than the other two cases to accommodate the lift out tray, the "B" "C" cases are longer than the "A". An "A" case's lift out try which will fit any "A" case, but it will not fit the other two models of cases, the "B" and "C".