Enough is enough, or you do what you gotta do.
10-27-2012, 12:48 PM
#1
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Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 8,091
Enough is enough, or you do what you gotta do.
Last August when my wife and I visited Miriam on our GW pick up trip to Indy she gave me a rusted up Wizard sewing machine.
Apparently it was exposed to the elements and the needle bar and presser foot shaft were seized up solid.
This is the only picture I have of it:
It's the one in the rear.
For two months now almost to the day I've been soaking that thing with oil trying to get it to free up. I removed all the external chrome bits, needle plate, slide plate too and cleaned them.
But the rusted parts just would not cooperate at all. So, at the end of my patience I pulled out the propane torch and gave it some serious HEAT!
Heat the seized parts, oil them, tap them, wiggle them. Repeat until success is achieved or it melts.
Well the seized up parts gave in and they finally freed up. It's free all the way around now so when I get time I'll start the cleaning and diagnosing to see if it is fixable. I'm pretty sure it will be.
The Wizard brand is or was a Western Auto ( remember them? ) brand. It was made by Brother as indicated by the J- A1 and J- C1 stampings on the machine. It's got a built in metal cam stack and probably about 40 or so patterns on the dial.
So I'm thinking it just might be worth fixing it up. Maybe. When I get around to it.
Thanks Miriam .... now I got another project.
Joe
Apparently it was exposed to the elements and the needle bar and presser foot shaft were seized up solid.
This is the only picture I have of it:
It's the one in the rear.
For two months now almost to the day I've been soaking that thing with oil trying to get it to free up. I removed all the external chrome bits, needle plate, slide plate too and cleaned them.
But the rusted parts just would not cooperate at all. So, at the end of my patience I pulled out the propane torch and gave it some serious HEAT!
Heat the seized parts, oil them, tap them, wiggle them. Repeat until success is achieved or it melts.
Well the seized up parts gave in and they finally freed up. It's free all the way around now so when I get time I'll start the cleaning and diagnosing to see if it is fixable. I'm pretty sure it will be.
The Wizard brand is or was a Western Auto ( remember them? ) brand. It was made by Brother as indicated by the J- A1 and J- C1 stampings on the machine. It's got a built in metal cam stack and probably about 40 or so patterns on the dial.
So I'm thinking it just might be worth fixing it up. Maybe. When I get around to it.
Thanks Miriam .... now I got another project.
Joe
10-27-2012, 04:21 PM
#4
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Join Date: Mar 2011
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Joe you have nothing but time. It just wasn't going to happen in this zoo. Shoot a pic when you get it working. I hated to see that machine in such bad condition - I know it should be a really nice machine if it was pristine but it is good hands - I'm glad. I was very disappointed when I looked that machine over - it was VERY rusted. Chrome pitted pretty much everywhere. I've been trying to salvage a few that needed a lot less work lately. A needle clamp here and a bobbin winder there, here a motor belt, over here a tension spring, there a bobbin case, everywhere missing motors or wires... Seems like they all have issues or they don't land at my place. Then I need to do about 25 sewing tests to be sure they work. I need to clean some Singer 401 motors this week - I can't stand the sounds I'm hearing.
10-27-2012, 06:08 PM
#5
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: New England
Posts: 821
I cut my teeth on a Wizard. (I can still head the radio ads now...go to your Western Auto Store.....) Wish I could say I loved it but the bobbin tension was always wandering, it is a wonder that I kept at sewing. Good luck.
piney
piney
10-28-2012, 06:31 AM
#7
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Posts: 15,506
LOL as good as a FW is I had my frustrations learning on one.
10-28-2012, 06:43 AM
#8
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Sierra Vista, AZ
Posts: 3,992
Way to go Joe. Propane torch and all. Sometimes one has to do what one has to do. I have one machine that I finally got out a monkey wrench to use on it as I could not get the hand wheel to turn (it was frozen up inside). I figured WTH, what could I lose? That sewing machine still has issues but her hand wheel now turns.
10-28-2012, 06:53 AM
#9
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Somewhere
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Way to go Joe. Propane torch and all. Sometimes one has to do what one has to do. I have one machine that I finally got out a monkey wrench to use on it as I could not get the hand wheel to turn (it was frozen up inside). I figured WTH, what could I lose? That sewing machine still has issues but her hand wheel now turns.
10-28-2012, 08:01 AM
#10
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Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 8,091
All it takes to free up a rusty all metal machine is oil or solvent and sometimes HEAT. I have found that if oil can't seep into the seized up joint it can't free it up either. That's where the heat comes in. The heat causes the metals to expand and then the oil or solvent can get between the pieces and work. That's what I did yesterday with the torch. I would not have done that on a machine with plastic parts, but this one doesn't have any and I didn't concentrate the heat on any one part. I didn't even damage the paint.
Once it's cleaned I'll have to retime the hook and needle bar, but I think I can do that.
Joe
Once it's cleaned I'll have to retime the hook and needle bar, but I think I can do that.
Joe
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