J Miller

Or ~ Plastic parts will let you down every time.

A couple months ago while searching for our new digs here in Ft Wayne my wife and her sister stopped at a yard / estate sale. They found a White Model 1477 sewing machine. Looked pretty good, just dirty. Looks to be mid to late 80s vintage I'd guess and was made in Taiwan.
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Had the cords and foot controller as well as the accessories in a little swing out drawer underneath the removable bed.
The bobbin case and hook were missing. ( My SIL told me she saw that, but didn't think to mention it to my wife ...... grrrrrrrrr.)
As it turned out I had a hook that worked and was able to acquire a bobbin case. Problem solved - or so I thought.
With these two parts replaced I found out it would:
wind bobbins
sew straight and ZZ stitches.
But it would not do the two stretch stitches or the reverse half of the built in button hole.

Of comes the top. Nice and clean inside. Poke it here, poke it there, poke it, poke it everywhere.
Then the light bulb comes on ........ crap, cracked plastic parts. Arrghhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!

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The cams and the cam actuating disks are plastic (red). They look like separate disks on a shaft so they "shouldn't" give any trouble.
However, the two little pieces (yellow) that actuate the reverse levers to make the stitches reverse (blue) are cracked. They just turn on the shaft and cannot push the levers down to put the machine into reverse for the button hole and stretch stitches.

Other than the broken plastic parts this is a simple, quiet and nice running machine. It sews straight and ZZ stitches very well. But it's not completely functional.

I have told my wife to err on the side of caution and if a machine looks to be of recent enough manufacture to have plastic parts ... pass it by.

Now my question(s) for QB members is this. Is there a place to find parts for the foreign made White branded machines? I've been looking for a day or two and have only found the common easy to get parts. None of the internal parts.
I haven't been on eBay yet, I'll get there eventually.
Does anyone have one of these machines that works? If so could you pull the top off and take photos of the little winged parts (yellow lines in my pic) when they are in the proper position for the three stitch settings?

I'd appreciate any help I could get on this one.

I've considered putting super glue in the cracks and clamping them into position, but I need to know where they are supposed to be for the stitch settings.

Joe

Cari-in-Oly

Joe, what you have there is a door stop.

Cari

DonnaMiller

I'd try to make one also. I know people make nylon gears, but don't know who does it. I will ask around. Perhaps someone in Huntsville, AL knows. Glenn, are you looking? Rocket City surely has someone who knows.
Donna

miriam

I happen to have a sledge hammer you can borrow or you could save it for parts.

J Miller

Not heavy enough for a door stop and I'd rather shoot it.




Joe

ArchaicArcane

I would consider any further investment into it to be throwing good money after bad. Keep your bobbin case and hook (like someone else probably already did) and the attachments, maybe the motor and needle clamp, etc and chalk it up to a learning experience.

Rodney

I can see why Elaine was tempted. A little new for my tastes but it's a decent looking freearm. I would have thought about it anyway.
Rodney

J Miller

Sigh ........ . Yeah, it will probably be parted out. As soon as we've got the rest of the sewing stuff here I'll be getting rid of a bunch of it. Probably on eBay.

The foot controller and wiring alone is worth the ten spot my wife paid for it. So, we're not hurting.
Joe

soman2

Joe,

If the parts are easily removed (??), could you try repairing with J-B Weld Quick. That's about the only repairing medium I use except for nailing/screwing and mig welding.

Soman2

The other Rodney

J Miller

Rodney,

I haven't gone that deep into it yet. I probably will though. But not anytime soon. Got too much to do.

Joe