A Singer 401a and Greasy Terminal Prongs

Hi everyone, I know, long time no talk. I recently got to meet Elizabeth from My Sewing Machine Obsession and that was pretty cool. She mentioned that I hadn't written in a while. Over a year!

I've been busy with work and fixing sewing machines on the side, even making housecalls in Manhattan. If you need repair work done on your machine, are in NYC and/or can bring your machine to me in lower Manhattan, drop a line.

Anyways, a customer brought this Singer 401a to me. She came my way from Peter Lappin's sewing blog. The customer had just purchased the machine from a "reputable" seller online, and the machine had been damaged in shipping, with one spool pin broken off. She asked if I could fix it, I said no problem.

When she arrived with the machine, she mentioned that after five minutes of sewing, the machine would begin to emit a smell. I told her I'd check it out.

Well, never mind the spool pin, I was appalled to see the condition of the machine. So much so that I subsequently looked up the seller. I will not mention him by name, but based on his reputation and self-description, any of us would probably buy a machine from this guy in a heartbeat. He has been working on machines for longer than I've been alive, so I cannot understand how he let these things go.

The first thing I went to do is plug her machine in to uncover the source of the smell, but I stopped dead in my tracks. Check it out:

See that green stuff? Old Singer lubricant (grease) turns that shade of green after many years, I've seen it inside plenty a machine. And here it is on the terminal prongs--not good. Even worse, there was more on the cable:

Folks if you ever see this, do NOT plug your machine in. Electricity should never mix with oil, grease, or any kind of lubricant. The woman who brought me the machine is lucky that the machine didn't start a fire.

It's not difficult to clean old grease off of metal, you just go at it with Q-tips and rubbing alcohol. So I'm really surprised the seller was so careless. Here's the terminal after I cleaned it:

However, I was not able to get the grease out of the power cable. There's no way I can see inside, so there's no way I can ensure I've removed every last bit of grease. I told the customer her cheapest option was to order a replacement cable from Sew-Classic. Since it's only $6.99, it really bothered me that the original seller didn't supply one rather than the grease-soaked one.

The rest of the machine wasn't much better. There was an antique-looking piece of thread jammed under the hook assembly, providing friction:

It took me a little time, since it was wound around the shaft, but I fished the thing out. I estimated it was 8 inches long, but I measured it just now out of curiosity and it was a foot.

And the rest of the machine was just filthy. I don't mean the body of the machine, which almost doesn't matter--that's basically cosmetic--but the working parts of the machine, like the tension assembly. I stripped every part that needed it to give it a thorough cleaning. Here are the before-and-after shots:

I saved the spool pin for last. I'm sorry I don't have photos of this part, but I'll explain how to do it in case one of you needs to. With a 401, you have to take the lid holding the spool pins off. I futzed around with the hinges for a while trying to figure out how to remove it without breaking it, then finally realized you just keep moving the lid in the open direction, gently, until it pops off. (This is only the second slant-needle machine I've worked on, I'm usually doing older cast-iron models.)

Then I was going to hammer out the spool pin using a hammer and a blunt nail, which is how I've gotten broken spool pins out of the base of a 201-2 and 15-91 (where you place the spool for bobbin winding). But after clamping the lid upside down to my workbench, I worried that hammering it out might bend the lid.

So instead I drilled the spool pin out, since it was plastic. What you do is start with a 1/16th" bit and drill through the center of the broken spool pin. (Try to get it as dead-center as you can, because you don't want to hit the metal part of the lid and potentially ruin the hole.) Then you just drill through the hole with progressively larger drill bits, and eventually the spool pin fragments just disintegrate and fall out of the hole.

That's the tricky part. Replacing a plastic spoon pin is easy, you just wedge it in there manually, you don't have to tap it in with a hammer like you do with a metal spool pin.

Using one of my own grease-free cords, I spent twenty minutes stitching the machine in and running it full-tilt. No burning smell, and a nice, strong-running motor in this machine.

There's a couple of things I want to say. While I cleaned the customer's machine for a few hours, I didn't give it what I call the "Million-Dollar Treatment," where I slave over a machine for weeks or even months as a time-consuming hobby. Because I think no customer is going to pay for what I'd have to charge them for that kind of time. So I didn't get into every last nook and cranny but instead cleaned up the most offensive and function-affecting areas.

Secondly, to be fair, I do not know what condition the original seller received the machine in. Maybe it was a total train wreck and he brought it back from the dead, and maybe I oughtn't malign him?

Then again, there's no excuse for neglecting basic safety. Yeah, that settles it. Far as I'm concerned the grease on the power cable is a damning indictment. Can you imagine if this poor woman had burned her house down over a sewing machine? Folks, if you're ever going to buy a used machine, please do inspect the terminal and power cable carefully to be sure they're not covered in grease.

I don't mean to be sensationalist or self-promoting. I have never, ever heard of someone burning their house down in a fire caused by a sewing machine. But common sense dictates that any sewing machine repairperson ought to do their best to minimize those risks. It took me less than fifteen minutes to get the grease off of the prongs, and ordering a new cable takes less time than that. Those things should have been done during the initial refurbishment.

If you see that green grease on your terminal prongs, clean it off with a Q-tip and rubbing alcohol, then give it plenty of time to dry off before you plug it back in. And if your power cable has grease in the ports, recycle it and buy a new one--$6.99 is a small price to pay for peace of mind.

Take A Closer Look At Your Bobbin

The bobbin is a simple thing, but it can cause some big problems.  Here are a few examples...

This bobbin has multiple layers of thread wound onto it.  Yes, it's frugal, but have you thought about what's going to happen when one layer comes to an end or gets tangled under another layer?  It may cause the needle to jerk, and put a burr on your hook and/or break a needle.

This bobbin has been wound very loosely.  It won't feed evenly, and your tension will look very bad.

This bobbin has a loose thread, so instead of spinning smoothly inside the bobbin case, it will rattle and jerk and give you a bad stitch.

This bobbin also has a loose thread that got wrapped around the outside.  It cannot give you a smooth stitch.

So, pay attention to the little things!

How To Use a Seam Jack

If you're sewing over bulky seams, a "seam jack" can be your best friend.

A "seam jack" or "jeans jack," can be purchased where sewing machine accessories are sold.  The middle one is Bernina's “height compensation tool,” which you can buy at your local Bernina dealer for about $1.00.  Or you can fold some light-weight cardboard or plastic to a thickness of 1/16” to 3/16.”  

The reason we have a hard time getting a good stitch, or with breaking needles on thicker fabrics, is because the presser foot tilts as you go over a thick seam.  A seam jack helps keep the presser foot even, so that the connection to the feed dogs  underneath is even. 

#1.  As the presser foot tilts, it loses its grip on the feed dogs, and the needle gets pulled into the presser foot or needle plate.

 

#2.  As you approach a thick seam, put the needle in the down position and lift the presser foot.  Insert the seam jack right behind the needle, and let the presser foot back down.  Sew across the seam, and stop with the needle in the down position. 

#3.  When the presser foot is sitting evenly, on top of the seam, and about to start tilting forward, as it goes down the other side of the seam, put the needle in the down position, lift the presser foot and remove the seam jack.  

#4.  Place the seam jack under the front of the presser foot, but only under one side. 

#5.  Let the presser foot down, and continue sewing until the back of your presser foot is ready to sew off of the seam. 

Mechanic Hands

I enjoy being a sewing machine mechanic, 

but it sure is hard on my hands.

I put a screw driver through my pinky fingernail, 

and smashed my thumbnail.

Some days they just don't get clean, 

no matter how many times I wash them.

It's a good thing I love my job!

The Wrong Oil

I'm working on an old White sewing machine.  DH got it for the foot control, but I want to try to fix it up to sell.  The problem seems to be that the previous owner used the wrong kind of oil.  

It took DH's muscles to un-screw the center knob.  And my sons helped me get the handwheel off.  After trying to pull it off, we tried to pry it off with a screw driver, which didn't work.  Then we finally positioned a screw driver on the inside metal casing, and smacked it with a hammer.  That worked!

The "Before" picture is fuzzy, but you can see the red-ish, sticky, old oil.  That is what old oil or the wrong kind of oil looks like, and it feels tacky to the touch.  It's just like glue.

To remove the old, gummy oil, I put some WD-40 on it and scrubbed it with an old toothbrush.  It didn't get all of it off, so I used a very fine sandpaper to get the rest off.  The inside of the casing on the handwheel also needed scrubbing as did the center knob and the position ring.

So, what kind of oil should you use?  Only "sewing machine oil."  That doesn't include 3-in-1 oil, engine oil, olive oil, or FAX machine oil.  And, as you can see, it doesn't include WD-40.  We only use WD-40 to REMOVE the old oil.

Sewing Machine Tensions

Lets talk about tensions.  When a machine comes into the shop, no matter what the problem is, the customer will usually say, "it's the tension."  If the timing is off, "it's the tension."  If there's a burr on the hook, "it's the tension."  If the needle is in backwards, "it's the tension."  You get the idea.

I'll do a run through on how we balance the tensions at the shop.

Before we can work with tensions, we clean and oil throughout the whole machine.  It's especially important to clean and oil your bobbin area before working with the tensions.  That's something you should be comfortable doing yourself.

When you thread your machine, the presser foot has to be in the up position, to open the upper tension disks.  If the presser foot is down, the tension disks are closed tight, and the thread can't get into them.  When that happens, your fabric will have loops on the bottom, like this...

You can click on the pictures to make them bigger.

Next, make sure there's no lint in the upper tension disks or inside the bobbin case.  You can sweep the lint out with your lint brush.

Then set your upper tension dial on "normal."  If you don't have a "normal" setting marked on the dial, set it at 3.

Correctly thread your machine, top and bobbin.  Put a light colored thread in the bobbin and a medium to dark colored thread in the top.

Set your machine to do a medium zig-zag (unless your machine is just a straight-stitch machine).  On most machines it's 3 on the width and 2 on the length.

Sew on a light colored, good quality, cotton fabric for about 6." 

If the bobbin thread is pulling to the top, tighten the bobbin case tension by turning the little screw to the right.  Remember, "righty tighty, lefty loosey."  Here's some pictures of  bobbin case tension screws...

If the top thread is pulling to the bottom, that's what you want it to do.  But, you only want the top thread to be a "tick" on the back.  If it's really pulling to the back, loosen the bobbin case tension by turning the little screw to the left.

After working with the bobbin case tension, if you're still not sewing well, try adjusting the top tension.  It works just opposite of the bobbin case tension.  If the thread is still pulling to the top, loosen the upper tension.  If the thread is still pulling to the bottom, tighten the upper tension.


Here's my nearly perfect sew-off sample.

If you're still not sewing well, it may not be the tensions, and you may need to take your machine to the shop.

Quilt Guild Presentation

This past week, I was asked to come to 2 quilt guilds to give a sewing machine maintenance class.  One guild wanted a hands-on class where they opened their machines and did what maintenance they could on them.  And I took my camera, but forgot to take pictures.  Dang!  The other guild just wanted a lecture/demo.  There were 7 students in the hands-on class, and about 30 at the lecture/demo.  It was great!  I love teaching these classes!

One question that was asked at both classes was, "what gets done when we bring our machine in for a service?"  So, I've made a list. 

When you bring your machine in for a full service, here are some things that get done:

1.  Clean and oil throughout, which can get very deep.  We remove some, or all of the outside of the machine, and use an air  compressor to blow out the lint.  We oil where metal rubs on metal, and put grease on certain gears and tracers.

2.  Service the motor.  Older machines have carbon motor brushes that wear out and may need to be replaced.  We oil the bearings at each end.  In addition, we clean the motor’s commutator (or armature) when it’s accessible.  Then blow the carbon and lint out of the motor when it is open.

3.  Check the belts.  Belts need to be replaced when they start to shred, get deep cuts in them, or get saturated with oil. 
 
4.  Check the electrical components.  Foot controls and cords on older machines may be a fire hazard.  On newer machines, circuit boards and stepping motors need to be checked.  We also make sure the lights are working properly.
 
5.  Check for mechanisms that have been gummed-up with old oil.  When necessary, we use a solvent to remove the old oil, then re-oil.
 
6.  Replace or repair any broken parts.

7.  Polish the burrs and scratches off of the hook and needle plate, if needed.

8.  Replace the needle.

9.  Check and set the timing.  We make sure the needle, hook and feed dogs are working together to make a good stitch.  Never try to adjust the timing yourself!  There are too many variables, and you’ll just scramble your machine.

10.  Balance the tensions and do a sew-off sample.

11.  Clean the outside of the machine.

What To Bring With Your Machine When It Needs a Service:

1.  Foot control and power cord (these need to be checked, too)

2.  Standard presser foot.  This is the foot that can sew all of the stitches on your machine, and has a nice flat bottom.  We need this foot to do a good sew-off sample.

3.  Bobbin case (so we can balance the tensions)

4.  The right bobbin

5.  Thread (if a particular thread is giving you trouble)

6.  Embroidery module and hoop, if it's an embroidery machine

7.  Please write what problems you are having on the service order, and if you’d like to include a full service.

What NOT to bring (because we may loose them):

1.  Accessory case and accessories
 
2.  Carry case, bag, box or crate
 
3.  Walking foot or other specialty feet

4.  Thread (unless the thread is giving you trouble)

5.  Snap-on sew table

If you are still having problems after the service, please bring your machine back right away, so we can sit down with you, and figure it out.