Still deciding what to do with mine. But I've been distracted by my featherweight and birthday. Before I make a final descion of trying to track someone down I will pull it from the cabinet and see what I can see from the underside. :)

Oh yuck! It's such a shame to find them like that. It's a good thing it found its way to you though. Not a lot of people would take that sort of project on. I was wondering what does old 3in1 look like? I've run into this nasty beige crusted stuff before, mostly on the gears and wondered if that was it.

Can you post a pic of this same area on your machine?
Just remove the one screw you see and slide the bottom cover off.
I want to see if the actuator is broken, or out of place or if it's something else doing it.

In sewing position:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]370009[/ATTACH]
In winding position:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]370010[/ATTACH]

If you could let me know if the nylon piece is attached tightly to the whole mechanism, or if it just spins around would be great too.

Oh! Thank you! I will totally look into that piece then! :) maybe its as simple as loosening something up! That would be fablous if that were the case. :) I'll see if I can tackle it when I get home. Too much to do too little time!!

I suspect it's going to be something that needs to be tightened up.

I wonder if it became loose at one point and pivoted, and now it's wedged.... hmm,.. I'd really like to see a pic when you have a chance.

If the worst case happens, and the part is broken, it's still available here and it's not that expensive:
http://www.sewingpartsonline.com/act...g-machine.aspx

I've never used these guys, but they seem to have good prices (my cdn cost on the part is over $10, so their markup is reasonable), and good pictures on their site so you can tell that what you're ordering is what you want...

Archaic im going to send you a PM since we can only post 3 pics at a time correct? Thanks for the link! :)

I managed to get 10 pics in that post earlier about the threading... I think you can get the pics into the thread.

Either way, I'm replying on the thread in case someone else has the same problem, or can provide more input than I have. :)

You mentioned that you can turn things from the bottom and that they turn the top, but turning from the top doesn't turn things at the bottom.

My thoughts? Strange! I didn't think it was 2 pieces, besides the actuator itself.

I will have to go look more carefully because here's my understanding of how it's supposed to work:

• The rod with the cream top and the red circles on it, is simply a lever. It looks exactly like you think it does, straight piece with the push piece on the top.
• Then you get to the bottom of the machine, that actuator slides onto the bottom of the rod above and is tightened on with the little hex screw that you see on the right side of the collar.
• The plastic (nylon) part pushes on, or releases, the metal piece that pushes up toward the circular piece and pushes the bobbin case upwards into winding position.

So here's my homework for you :)

• I notice in your pictures that the collar for the actuator is much lower (you can see more of the inside of the collar) on yours than on the one I have here. So, is the plastic of the actuator actually touching the metal that goes to the bobbincase side of things? If it's too low, the lever is actually working harder to do anything it should, and could be binding, or potentially break. We don't want to do that, I don't think that part is one that can be replaced anymore, but I'll have to figure out the part number, it wasn't on that site I showed you.
• Is the actuator tightened onto the shaft the way it should be? It doesn't have to be holy cow tight, but it can't be loose either. If it's not tight, it will cause the shaft to move at a different rate than the actuator, which -may- cause the bottom moving the top, top not moving the bottom issue you told me about.
• Can you take a pic of the actuator straight on, like the one I showed? I ask because I can't tell in any of your pics if the rod has a flat spot ("D" shaped) on it or not, like mine does. I want to see if the rod is capable of getting out of alignment (circular) or not ("D" shaped) - Which would explain why your mom felt the need to pry on the top of the rod.
• If you push on the metal above the circular piece (the one that's controlled by the actuator) does it move up into bobbin winding mode? What happens when you release it? It comes down right away, or it stays there? How hard did you have to push to do it? (don't push so had it feels like something's going to break)
• Does the actuator become easier to turn when the bobbin case is in winding mode? Moving the bobbincase into winding mode -should- take pressure off the actuator, and make it easier to turn.

What I'm hoping to figure out here is where the "binding" is.

I cant seem to edit my post so for the purpose of others who may want to know the information i sent Archaic it was as follows:

Here are the images that i took:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]370345[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]370346[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]370347[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]370348[/ATTACH]

on the right side theres little thumbnails, click on them and it should progress through the album.

Oddly enough the actuater moves if i push from the bottom, but it doesnt move if i push from the top. but it does move the top if i push the bottom. it is tough to move and doesnt move easily. i cleaned, de-linted and oiled the bits in the bottom... but it didnt help. i thought about unscrewing... but couldnt find where to unscrew??

thanks so much for all the useful help thus far!!

Irene

- What do you mean by collar of the actuator? When the actuator (the plastic part) is moved left or right, the metal part to the right of it does move in and out. I haven't really been able to tell if it actually moves the bobbin on top like its supposed to be. if it does then its really subtle for my eye to catch while fiddling with the actuator. my guess is that its not moving that part??

- I assume the actuator is on tightly as it takes some effort to push it back and forth. i thought about loosening it, but i couldnt find a screw to do so? I saw the end of the screw on the right but cant seem to find its head?? how do i loosen or tighten it?

- I havent tried pushing on the actual metal part to see if that does anything. so i will try that next and i will take some pics of it straight on. (and just to be clear the actuator is the plastic part on the BOTTOM of the machine correct? and thats what you want straight on pics of correct? the top plastic bit is curved inwards and not flat. but i believe the bottom one is flat but i will take pics.) :)

The collar is the metal ring on the actuator that "chokes" the rod that you use to move the actuator from above (btw, I looked that part up - 163786, it's not available anymore, so if we find something wrong with it, PM me and I can ship the one I have here.) so they both move as one.

It should move up noticeably. I'd say close to an 1/8 in. If you put your finger on the top of the plate - what you would see when the machine is standing in it's normal position, when you're moving the actuator manually you should feel it move. It's hard to be in 2 places at once, I know :) You won't actually see the bottom portion move, that's the gear for the bobbin case. The part that moves in and out is pushing in to the plate above that gear. Hence the finger :)

If that piece under the bobbin case doesn't move, it's a different problem than if the lever's not doing what it's supposed to, so we need to be sure.

The screw you found on the right is called a set screw. You can't find the head because it doesn't really have one. It's got a recessed area, where a hex key fits. You may not have a set of these if you don't do repairs to a lot of different sorts of things.

Without being able to check its tightness, you would have to watch the shaft to see if it's moving at a different rate (called "slipping") than the actuator, that's where the "D" shape is really handy, but you can also draw a line with a marker or something and watch that move (or not move)

Correct. The actuator is what I gave you the original part number and link for - plastic, triangular with a metal collar...
Inside the actuator's metal collar, you can see the rod that goes to the top with the cream / red on it. On mine, the rod has a D shape, yours looks to me like it's actually round, but I want to be sure.

Ok,.. that rod has a new number, so it can be replaced:
http://www.sewingpartsonline.com/bob...45827-451.aspx

If you look at that picture you can see where the actuator connects to it. The set screw goes against the flat side, so it doesn't turn.

The actuator (you'll see steps on the top side of it) then pushes on the metal piece that moves the bobbin case up into winding mode.

Ok so I took some more pics. As well as some videos. I uploaded them to the link i sent you archaic. :) I'll upload them here when I get home from work because I can't do it on my phone.

I oiled the actuator some more today and pushed on the metal part next to it. At first it didn't budge but then it suddenly budged! You can see it in one of the videos. I loosened and tightened the screw on that piece but it made little difference. Of course I didn't have the proper tool. No time to go digging through my dads tool boxes. I was able to move the bit on top today. But it's still really really tough to move and I still get more movement from the bottom then the top.

My thought is that it is seized up somewhere but also something is wrong. But it's probably inside where I can't see it. :/ poor touch and sew.

so here are the pics that go with the post above:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]370897[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]370898[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]370899[/ATTACH]

Here are some videos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/5452603...n/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/5452603...n/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/5452603...n/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/5452603...n/photostream/

so hopefully this helps some.

Ok,.. I have a couple of guesses.

First,.. there's another bunch of spots you can oil that might help. I found one of the machines here with that same mechanism, and it was stiff, maybe not as stiff as yours, but stiff enough my hand's a little sore from all of the playing. (Or that could be partly from the complete dis-assembly of a featherweight today too) Oiling these spots made a difference. It's still not perfect, but it's possible it'll loosen up overnight too.

In the first picture, I've removed the rod and the actuator to show more clearly where I want you to oil. Do both sides of the pin, the side you can see, then the other side that you only see when that metal tab is all the way out. You'll see that the pin moves in and out of the body of the machine, so it needs to be free moving.

In pic number 2, get where that rod starts to disappear into the gear. Again, it's a fairly tight tolerance, and needs some freedom to move.

In Pic 3, the top of the machine, oil all three spots indicated.

Sometimes I oil as I'm actuating, so that I can get the most possible oil in.

Now actuate that puppy a bunch of times from the bottom and see if it starts to loosen up. (watch out for spray if you oiled a little more than needed. I got a bunch of it in the face because I was leaned close to watch.)

Now, take a break and let it seep in and do its work.

Second, the collar on the actuator looks like it's a touch lower than the shaft it rides on. This is about leverage. If that collar is too low, you're working too hard to push the actuator. If it's too high though, the actuator will bind on the metal piece and it won't work properly either. I'd like you to leave this til last though, because I found that adjusting that collar was a real pain in the a.... uhm... rear. The hex screw btw is probably metric. It's not quite a good fit for a 1/16" hex key, it should be a size up, but 5/64 is too big.


Also, I see a shine on the rubber gears above the area we're working on. It would be a really good idea to get that off the gears. Oil / grease will eat the rubber, then you'll have to replace the gears. Not one of Singer's better ideas.

Those gears are rubber!? Yeah I did oil them. Ack! *runs to wipe it off*

Ok so I will oil the places you say. I think I need to go out and buy a more precise oil container. I have some difficulty reaching certain places. But yes more oil and I will be back to report findings after work! (I think I need more oil too! Wait... I'm waiting on a bottle of tri... I'm going to have a whole tool box at this rate!)

Go to a bicycle shop or sew-classic and get some Triflow - that stuff is great for what you are trying to do.

I am currently waiting for an order from sew classic. :) with triflow in it.

Yup!! It's hard to tell until you see one that's crumbled.

I use a monojet syringe (I think it's called an oral syringe.) Jenny also sells them. Next batch of pictures I take, I'll try to remember to take a pic for you. The Zoom Spout oilers work pretty well too, just don't loose the little cap, it's unbelievably messy if you do.

I already have a couple of toolboxes and "parts bins". This way I keep these tools clean, not grungy from the garage projects, etc.

I should probably be extolling the virtues of triflow, but until today I had a heck of a time finding it. Sew-Classic can't ship it to me, so I had to hunt it down. Finally found it (really expensive though)

Re: the tool box
Won't be long before you will have more than one if you are going to be doing your own repairs. Especially if you become a machine collector (ugh addict) like some of us.

Hahaha. Well my boyfriend gifted me for my a birthday a singer organizer that has room for several large spools of threads, little spools, pins, bobbins, etc. I managed to fit some other things in there and then I have a small makeup train case I picked up at goodwill for like 3 bucks with mY rotary cutters, more pins, needles and stuff like that. :) so far most of the machines have their own "goody bags" easily kept with the machine. I don't know whether to keep it like or get another box and label different compartments for each machine part.

We should do a new whole thread on pics of our tool boxes some time... I picked up a big tall metal box from GW - it has a bunch of drawers and then a file box at the top - I put manuals up there. I just love it - I wish I had the money to buy the other one at the time.

I keep a kit by each machine too - when I sell a machine I try to put a kit with it.

I keep a couple of different boxes. I have my sewing organizer that holds the "non-machine specific" things - thread, needles, etc. I have a tackle box that holds electrical things, bits of motors, wick, carbon disks, etc. Then there's an organizer that holds all the other parts - homeless feet, screws, bobbins, needle plates, cabinet parts and whatnots.

Most of my machines also have a box beside them with their specific parts, like Miriam describes.

It all totally depends on how your mind works. The best organization scheme is the one you will get behind and use. :)
Mine is an ongoing project. I add or subtract machines and stuff, and things get rearranged. I sold 4 machines (and taught 2.5 people to sew!) this weekend, and now I'm rearranging again to get it efficient in my sewing room again.

Yeah! I could use some new tool ideas :)

If I have the manual, I provide it. If I can find it online, I usually will email it or a link to it to the buyer. When I first started collecting, I used to buy accessory boxes. I didn't realize how many I would end up with later on. I try to put together a kit close to what the original box was. I usually provide a few needles, some bobbins.... basically, you should be able to go home and sew with it, if you have thread. I'm also finding that I've been teaching people how to use every feature that the machines have, but I can't really package that... ;)

Ok small update on my mothers machine... the bobbin switch moves now! fairly easily ( a lot better then it did before anyways) however if i push it all the way to the left, where i assume its supposed to sit by default when its being wound, its still hard to push... but once i move it away from the edge it moves a lot smoother. Also i cant seem to get the stitch plate back on. it kind of "shot" off of the little metal bar that holds it in place and now i cant seem to get it on. i guess if i gently wedge something underneath and push the plate in it might catch again. I'll try oiling the moving bits again with some triflow now that i have it and see if that helps at all. :)

I spent over an hour one time with a lady showing her all the bells and whistles on a 401 and she bought a Janome I had there - go figure. Didn't have to show her a thing. Her loss... LOL... I do the same I put together some sort of a kit. I'm always on the prowl for the quarter packs of pins, a stray tape measure, a stitch ripper a screwdriver, some bobbins, needles, small scissors, what have you. Some times I put in a magnet or a pin cushion. Some different feet. If I have a machine that is harder to sell an I put in a buttonholer or something. Yeah, go home and sew something. Why else would you buy one???

Good Job!! It might loosen up even more too. As long as it's completely into winding position (check at the bottom) I wouldn't worry too much. I suspect that it's hard to push because the collar is a little low on the shaft, but I don't really want you to move it unless it's actually a problem. It's a pain to position, and you must must must have the right hex key or it will strip the head.

The stitch plate is counter intuitive. It slides on from the needle plate side of things, and you may have to lift each side of the spring into place with a tiny blade screw driver (another tool for your toolbox! :D )

I bought then promptly lost the tri-flow in the car. Just found it tonight. I have a machine that I'm told is "clunking" and hasn't been used in 8 - 12 years. It'll get the tri-flow treatment tomorrow. The clunk though was the bobbin / hook area being assembled wrong.

LOL! nice! I usually make them pick first, then show them how to use it. I will tell them the differences, let them look and see what they want, usually make a recommendation, then once they choose, I'll go over the whole machine. I think I spent 1.5hours with the one lady yesterday, and 45 mins with the one before her. Saturday, I had to show a guy how a sewing machine worked. That's a different set of analogies I'll tell ya!

The buttonholers are a good point. I've put one with each of the vintage machines I'm trying to sell, but I'm thinking of packaging a couple of the newer machines that have the 4 step buttonholers with the real buttonholers.

LOL! nice! I usually make them pick first, then show them how to use it. I will tell them the differences, let them look and see what they want, usually make a recommendation, then once they choose, I'll go over the whole machine. I think I spent 1.5hours with the one lady yesterday, and 45 mins with the one before her. Saturday, I had to show a guy how a sewing machine worked. That's a different set of analogies I'll tell ya! [/QUOTE]


LOL She CALLED about a 401...

Hah! I hear that! I have an ad out there for a 457 and a 514. The funny part is I've sold 4 machines (including a 403) off those 2 ads, and those 2 machines are still here.

I think the 401's can be a little intimidating to some people because of the piggy nose....

Haven't had time to work on her anymore but I wanted to get some suggestions, in the event that I can't get her running what do you guys suggest I replace her with? (I probably won't toss the machine. Probably shelve it) my requirements are simple:

Just straight stitch is fine (she never used the cams on her 758)
Reverse
and simple to thread/wind the bobbin. (she is apperantly bobbin challenged like me! Haha)
Singer preferred simply because she wants to keep the cabinet. (but if you think it will fit then I'm game for other brands!)
And no "plastic fantastic" :P

Any suggestions?? Thanks in advance!

That's exactly like my Mom's. It needs some work though. So glad you found it and yes they are work horses.

Find a Singer 403 - they are very simple - you can just use one or two cams. It is easy to see what you are doing. I have one and use it in preference to a herd of others.

Thanks for the suggestion Miriam! :)

I agree with Miriam. If you see a 503 too, it's pretty much the same machine.

They are the same machine - just a different body - you might feel like Judy Jedson when you use it.

So tiny update. The other morning I poked the actuator and it actually moved really easily. I was kind of surprised. Guess leaving it sit worked! I need to put the slide plate on and see if that activates from bobbin winding mode to sewing mode. If it does I'm ready for some test stitches. :) wish I had more time to work on my machines. GuesS the holidays are rolling around so I can probably work with them then.

I purchased a Singer 778, very similiar to your machine in 1976. I used it a lot at first then not so much while I worked. In 2009, I retired , took machine sewing Dr for refurbish, clean etc. Now my DH does it, saves me tons of money. This is a work horse machine. Since I've retired I use mine daily many times for 4-6 hrs. at a time. The main thing is to regularly oil and clean bobbin area every time you change bobbin. My only complaint is bobbin does not hold enough thread.

Good to hear!! Yup. leaving it sit in oil (in the short term) is great for them. Letting it harden over years, not so much. Now get using it :)

Even if the slide plate doesn't put it into sewing mode, just push the little creme colored lever to the right and you're good. There may be a trick to installing that plate, I don't recall, but I will look while I service the one that's here. The general rule of thumb is to install from the back to the front, and I usually have to use a tiny blade screw driver to help it grab the spring, but I'll double check.

The feed dogs for the one that's been sitting on my bench for months finally arrived, so I hope to get some time to fire this one up today or tomorrow to see how it sounds and runs.

Ah I didn't know about putting it in backwards. I figured I'd need a screw driver to lift the plate. After my art show this weekend I'm hoping to have more time to sew and get my machines up and running. :)

Happy Art show then! And post if you have any more questions. I should get to this one today or tomorrow, so it should all be fresh in my mind for a bit.