A Kenmore and a Montgomery Ward

It snowed again today right after I gave Frannie her hair cut.  It didn't last long.  The sun tried to come out but the clouds kept beating it back.  The dogs and I went for a walk just as a little bit of sunshine peaked through the clouds.   I neglected to wear gloves; the triumph of hope over experience.  My hands were cold and I cut the walk short.  The dogs didn't mind the wind, the snow or the cold.   The ground was bare and a winter's worth of deer and rabbit poop awaited them.  YUM.

I burned up almost the last of the shop fire wood today.  Betsy came over and we each worked on a machine.  She had a Kenmore (darn, she always gets the Kenmores!) and I pulled out a Montgomery Ward Free arm I have been itching to service for years.  Yes, years.  I bought this machine in 2012 at the same time that I bought a Singer 301 Long bed.  I remember the day.  Steven and I drove to Albany to fetch the 301.  The seller brought out the Montgomery Ward too.  I looked at it, saw that it was a free arm and brought it home.

Since then I have been wanting to get it on the bench.  Instead I kept moving it around the shop.  Someone built a very nice, custom, plywood case for it. The case weighs almost as much as the machine. 

 The machine is all metal, save the hand wheel and some of the knobs.  The camstack is metal.  It was kind of gummed up but a little bit of Tri Flow got it going.

The shuttle gears look miniature to me.  At least compared to Kenmores

The extension table is solid and metal.  It fits into the bed of the machine in three places.  I think it is more secure that the extension tables on the Taiwanese made Kenmores of the late 70s. 

Oh Boy.  I love this machine. Twin Needle capability.  Four stretch stitches, two decorative stitches, straight stitch and zig zag.  You could even put the needle in left position if wanted.  PLUS a very nice, functional built in button hole stitch.  All of the stitches work beautifully.  Comes with some attachments and the manual.  Sweet Machine.  I wonder who made Montgomery Ward machines?  Janome? 

UPDATE. 4/6/14
  Betsy found this information on another blog.  http://www.doubleveil.net/zssmp/wards.htm.

 Yesterday I picked up the Kenmore to service for a customer.  Actually I picked up two machines.  The Kenmore and a Montgomery Ward Straight Stitch HA-1 Class 15.  Unfortunately the wiring on the 15 is a MESS and I put it aside until we could talk to the owner.  It is definitely worth fixing.  It is a lovely machine.

The Kenmore is a 385.  It isn't a clamshell but it isn't metal, either.  It was pretty dirty, gummed up and reverse didn't work.

It is a class 15 machine too; a drop in bobbin.  The bobbin case was loose in the race when Betsy opened up the machine.  I have no idea how she got it working, but she managed to free up the reverse mechanism and we put it through every stitch.  It sews pretty nicely, we have to admit.  We figure the more experience we get with these kinds of machines, the better off we are.  These machines will probably show up in our shop. We'd best know how to fix 'em.

Just the same  I would hate to have to take this mechanism apart.  This is the base of the free arm.

I don't really like the way the stitch selector works on this machine.  It feels chintzy to me.  But I must admit that the recommendations for stitch length, width and presser foot type are useful.

I admit that it made a decent stitch.   For people who want a lot of bells and whistles, it is likely an ok machine, for the time being.  Not for the long haul.  Even my latest love, Ward, likely won't still be stitching in 2084.   I betcha the 1938 Singer 201 will be.  If the motor lasts that long.  I don't see why it wouldn't.     

WHY I LOVE A SINGER 201-2

And Love again.

Everyone raves about the 201-2.  Really.   Not only is it a very elegant looking machine.

Singer 201-2 Centennial  FOR SALE

But it makes a very lovely stitch.  After all, isn't that why we love these machines?  For their beauty and their stitch?

I always like to sew a project on a machine after I fix it all up.  Yesterday I made three Wonder Wallets (Lazy Girl Designs) on this 201.

 Isn't it just gorgeous?  The whole machine is not this pristine, but this is what I saw as I stitched along.  I have had ten 201s come through and this one has the nicest decals of all of them.  

And what a stitch.  This little wallet is made from quilter cotton.   I think there are 8 layers there.  The directions called for a walking foot.  I didn't need it, though.  What a nice machine. 

It is on its way to a new home.  But I have more to keep me happy.

Triumph (or You Won't Believe This)

 

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I can't remember

These are stitches made by Buddy Folly.  Yes, it is a miracle.  The machine now sits in the place of honor in the house: the #42 Singer Cabinet.  I had planned to sew something with it tonight when I discovered that the tension adjusting screw is G O N E.  I must have loosened it too much.  Lucky for me Jenny at Sew Classic had one in stock.  I ordered it today. 

BUDDY FOLLY

Sewing Inside

It is winter here in the Northeast.  It gets cold.  My sewing loft is in an outbuilding and while I have a lovely little Jotul wood stove, I can't get it warm enough after work in the evening to go out there to sew.

"I've been thinking." said I to Steven the other day. "What do you want to do with the bed in the front bedroom?"

"Sleep in it."

"No, I mean, really."

"We need it for guests. We can't really give up a double bed. Why?"

"I need a place to sew in the house, evenings."

"Honey, you have sewing machines and sewing stuff all over this house.  Why do you need to take over a guest room?  We don't have enough sleeping space as it is when everyone comes."

"Well, you have a room special just for your bike trainer."

"Yes and we always set up a bed in there when the kids come."

"I want to be able to sew after work.  I think it will keep me off the computer...."

"OK, well, why don't you set up in the foyer.  You can use the dining room table for cutting and the sewing machine will fit right in front of the door.  You will be warmer there because it is near the stove and the light is pretty good.  You can use the bench for storage."

"Well, all right.  I will try it.  But you will have to clear your stuff off of the table."

"Right, let's see, this is mine, this is mine, that is yours, that is yours, that is yours, that is yours, that is yours, that is..."

"All right, already.  I get it."

So today, after I vacuumed and did laundry I set up the recently refinished Singer Cabinet # 42 in the house.  Right next to the "office" (the briefcase and scarf on the chair).  Frannie isn't too sure about this idea.

I am happy with the out come.  (Gee I sound like a Health care provider....Oh wait...)  Even the patch doesn't look so awful now.

With a machine installed, it looks quite classy

1941 Singer 201-2

So tonight I sewed.  I made an apron with it.  This 201 is for sale.  It is a nice machine though it isn't perfect cosmetically.  There are a few dings on the machine bed.  Still the decals are not worn in front of the needle the way some of these machines are.  I have three others for sale, too.  Gotta move some machines out.

Next project I will use one of the other 201s.  I always like to sew a project with each machine.  Just test stitching on a small piece of fabric never gives me a sense of how the machine really works.  This one is very nice.   Stitches are nice and consistent.  It will work for another 72 years easily.  My electronic Viking, I'm not so sure.

Bobbin Winder Switch

 It was about four o'clock today when I finally had a chance to stitch test the last 201-2.  I had spent the earlier part of the afternoon building a base to display it, and the others, in a photo shoot.  Steven trimmed the tongue from some oak flooring for me and I was thrilled to have some really fine material for the base.  But it was too narrow and would not fit.

By then I was left to my own devices and found some other scrap flooring (fir, I believe) that had already been tongue trimmed.  I happily cut my pieces and, using my fancy new  Christmas present

Screwed and GLUED the pieces together.

Actually this was the second attempt.  The first attempt ended up in the kindling box.  I was going to live with the mistakes, but Steven told me to just start over.

"It's kindling.  It's ok."

I decided he was right. 

Pretty pleased with myself at how quickly this went together, I tried it out.  Too Big.

"Better that, than the other way," Mr. Professional Builder said as I exclaimed my disgust with myself. "You can take it apart."

"I GLUED it too."  I said as I backed the screws off one side of the base.

"Oh.  And that stuff really holds."

I got my hammer and whacked it.  Pop, off came the side.

"Do I have to take it  all the way apart or can I cut it on the chop saw like this?" Batting my eyes at the professional.

"I can do it for you."
And with that he trimmed the excess off of the ends and I drilled new pilot holes with my fancy new Bosch and screwed it back together.

When I first started making these bases, I would chisel out notches for the hinge holes.  Not now.  I just add that little piece to support the back in between the hinges.  Much quicker and neater.  Quicker if you remember to measure twice, cut once.  Note the counter sink on the screws.  I filled them in with wood putty after I sanded it.  Once the filler is dry I can paint it.

So, finally, at Four PM I was ready to stitch test this machine.

I have to say I was nervous.  This machine had been a parts machine, in a way.  I used its position bracket for the Centennial this summer.  Then I scammed its bobbin case for the miscreant 201 that was not stitching properly.  I also switched out tension assemblies.  I wasn't really sure it would sew.  The motor sounded good but who knew how it would stitch?

I do like to check the bobbin winder when I stitch test a machine.  I figure if the BW doesn't work, the machine isn't worth much.

The bobbin would not fit.  That's not exactly true.  The bobbin fit, but the guide that fits inside the bobbin as it winds, was too big.  Look.

 You can see that it is too big for a class 66 bobbin, right?  Guess what fits on there just perfectly?  A class 15 bobbin.  I was muttering to myself, thinking, "How on earth did he (I had bought the machine from a man, so I knew) ever wind a bobbin?  Did he know it was like this when he sold it to me?  What a chump I was.  "

Then it dawned on me.  I had taken this motor from a 15-91 parts machine and never changed the bobbin winder.  I wasn't a chump, I was a moron.

"Well, good, I can change the BW from the lost cause motor.  I hope."

Wrigley was sleeping on his bed in the shop as I said this.  I wasn't REALLY talking to myself.  Steven was in the shop, too, but could not hear me for all the noise of his power tools.

I got the Lost Cause Motor and looked.

"OK.  I have to loosen two screws and pay attention to how that spring fits under the motor housing.  Should be easy."

I did the one on the machine first.  No problems there.  Clever me, I even left the spring in its housing on the machine. 
I put the 201 guide back on the machine, but it had no spring, despite being attached to the spring in the housing.

Of course, I discovered this AFTER I had screwed it back on.

I removed it and the spring fell out.  It was broken.
"Well, no wonder." Had I been less clever, I would have known this earlier. 

I found the remaining part in the housing and pushed it out through the hole on the other side.

You can barely see it in this photo, sorry, in a hurry.

I took the intact spring and placed it inside its housing, making sure that one tab fit in that little hole.

When you are replacing the guide, be careful to keep every thing lined up and don't let that spring fly across the room. Be sure that the screw is seated correctly or the guide won't spring back as it should.  if it doesn't, just loosen the screw a bit and reposition it.  It will seat itself if allowed.   It is no where near as tricky as replacing the analogous spring on a Singer 66 BW.  Actually it was pretty easy.

 All that was left was to place the other piece in position and tighten it in place making sure the spring was hitched under the housing and the two pieces articulated correctly. That was easy enough because I never removed the screw from its housing and thus, did not change the spring's position.

 So finally I wound the bobbin and was able to stitch.

I like this machine. It makes a very nice stitch.  See?

OK now that makes the seventh 201-2 I have serviced and "rescued."

I think one of the reasons Steven is so complacent about my "habit" is because he realizes that all the sewing machines could, just as easily, be dogs.

They All Look Alike

I had been having a love affair with the 201-2.  I love its sleek body, the quiet motor, the perfect stitch.  I have serviced seven as of today and, honestly, that is enough.

It is reportedly the best sewing machine that Singer ever made.  I believe it.  Every one of the machines that I serviced stitched beautifully as soon as I stitch tested it.  Now I did have an issue with "my" 201. The one that I decided was mine because it was the first motor I had ever re-wired.  It also is my logo.   It was sewing nicely then started to sew very poorly.  All of a sudden.  It was dirty.

That was the one with the stuck feed dog lifter roller.  Before I discovered the problem with the roller, I pulled the hook and found some dirty lint here:

Singer 201-2 hook

It is sewing much more nicely now and I hope that is what was wrong.  We shall see as soon as I try to use it and really test it. (This photo is of Lazarus's hook.  It had a burr on it and I wanted to see if I could depict it photographically.  I can see that the hook looks rough,

here is a better photo...

 I sanded it down can you see the difference?

This final 201-2 to be serviced has been sitting around since summer of 2011.   It came with a #42 cabinet. I was still pretty naive then.  I was also pretty obsessed and reading Craigs List like it was Fifty Shades of Gray.    I was so thrilled to have found this one, in a #42 cabinet no less.  The asking price was 100 bucks.  I pointed out the need for a complete re-wire and offered much less.  He accepted.  Lucky me.

 That same day I bought another, in a Queen Anne cabinet.  It wasn't that much further to drive, maybe only another hour.   I spent the whole day on the road chasing 201s.  I did some self-flagellating on the way to pick up the second machine.  I was rewarded, though, because this one looked pretty good.  The wires were intact and it ran nicely. Cosmetically it looked good.

I rationalized it on the 130 mile trip home from Granville, NY

"This one has good wires," I told myself.  "I can use it as a model so that I can re-wire the others and then I will have three really good machines.  I can keep one and sell the other two to pay for gas."

Turns out, the one I thought was a good one, the one I chased all the way to the Vermont border,  had a truly foul  re-wire job.
http://mysewingmachineobsession.blogspot.com/2011/12/another-201.html
Today's had a very icky light switch and lamp connection.http://mysewingmachineobsession.blogspot.com/2012/07/theres-light.html

I had toyed with the idea of re-wiring the light.  I took another look today and decided that I could cheat and crimp on a new connector and add some shrink insulation and call it good.

What I did not understand was how to connect the switch to the light.  I knew I had taken photos. I had even written a very descriptive and detailed post about it.   I just was too lazy to leave the shop and look for the pictures on the computer.    I did figure it out.  The ring connector on one of the wires was too small for  Mr. Three Pin Terminal.  It would only fit on the light switch. Sort of a no brainer when you think about it.

  Nice and tidy, eh?

Now, that is not the original Mr. TPT.  I had bought some 201-2 parts I found on eBay.  I am so glad that I did.  It was worth the money not to have to clean out that mess today.  I will clean it all up eventually and keep the switch as well.  I might need it one day.  You never know.

And look, it works !

It didn't at first.......no bulb.  I am such a genius.

For a while I had a couple of 201s in process at the same time. For a long while from the looks of it.   I think the original motor for this machine went with the Granville, NY machine which I sold. It was cosmetically much prettier.   It doesn't really matter, I guess.  But it's just a sign that it is time to get rid of some machines. Or not to have more than one machine apart at a time.

I scammed a motor from a parts 15-91 and I contemplated re-wiring the motor leads.  I took another look and decided that the wires were intact and safe.  I did put new shrink insulation over them, soldered on new connectors and was good to go.

The brushes were adequate.  I like to put new brushes in when I service a motor but I am plumb out.  I did replace the grease wicks.  The motor sounds great.  BUT the clutch knob did not screw on all the way.  It was dirty, dirty,  dirty and would not tighten far enough.  Twenty minutes and three hungry dogs later, I had it all cleaned up and working beautifully.

I have yet to stitch test it. Perhaps on Wednesday.  I would like to set up all four of the 201-2s that I have for sale, each in a cabinet.  What a pretty site that would be.

Singer 201-2 1941

I doubt I would pick up another 201-2 on speculation.  I have four now that need to go.  If one landed in my lap I would take it but my days of driving 260 miles round trip (it was really only an extra one hundred miles that day) to fetch this model are over. 

Lazarus

It has been a while since I named a sewing machine.  I did at the beginning of this insanity but then lost track of machines and names and and and.

Today, as I finished up with this 201-2, the one with the broken motor lead I had re-soldered last week,   I muttered to myself "Back from the dead." 

Meet Lazarus

There is nothing too special about him; nice stitch, quiet motor, just like any other self-respecting Singer 201-2.  Though I have named this machine, I have not bonded with it at all.  It can move along to a new home any old time it wants.  In fact, I think that I will call D. when Steven gets home (he knows the number) and offer it up.

Here you can see a better shot of the SL Plate.  My friend Rain suggested on his blog (http://vssmb.blogspot.com/) that to restore the paint on the numbers you could put some gold paint over them and gently rub off the excess .  It worked pretty well.  I could make several applications and achieve better results.  I was hungry and decided to eat lunch instead.

Why Oh Why or $#!*%^(!

So today I decided to delve into the other 201-2 that Betsy bought.  I noticed that the motor leads were new.  I was encouraged when I unhooked the motor from the terminal block.  The cute little ring connectors were neat and tidy.  When I got into the motor, though, I was very sad.

I should have re-soldered the stupid thing then.  But I didn't .  And now the connection is broken and it is not looking good for this motor. This connection  was wrapped with electrician's tape.  I didn't notice that.  But after I sprayed the inside of the motor with electronic cleaner, it dissolved the glue.  So I peeled that off and  put some shrink stuff on this connection and thought it was OK.  Hours later, when I was ready to try it out I found out that I had royally messed up. The motor was dead.   More choice words.  Mostly despair.  What is it about this hobby that keeps me engaged?  Any right minded person would have given up, walked the dogs, had some wine, taken a shower and read a good book.

Of course, you all know that I am going to try to re-solder it. 

I actually have another motor that seems to be in a bit better shape.  Now that is crazy because it was my worst case scenario motor.

But who knows.  Maybe I can salvage this one.  Or not.  But because it is Friday night we are going out to dinner.  Right after I shower all the petro-chemicals off of my body.

How to re-install the worm in a potted motor

If you haven't already, check out The Vintage Singer Sewing Machine Blog.  (http://vssmb.blogspot.com/)  Rain has a very detailed tutorial on how to re-wire a potted motor.  I used it again this week as I was working the the Pittsburgh 201-2.

One thing that I do differently.  When I am putting the armature back in the motor and lining up the worm, I take out the screw in the end of the motor.

This allows me to place a small screw driver into the motor housing

I pull the screwdriver out far enough to allow the worm to fit in its home and then I slip the screw driver into the worm to hold it in place.

Then I slip the armature in and pull the screw driver back a bit to allow room for the shaft of the armature.  It works like a charm.  It is much easier than trying to hold the worm in place with a pair of tweeezers.  Once the armature is all lined up, I pull the driver out and replace the screw.

It is important to line the set screws up correctly when re-installing the worm.  I completely removed one of the set screws in the worm when I took the motor apart.  It just happened to be the one on the flat.  The flat on the armature shaft matches the flat on the armature. 

When you are reinstalling the worm, you can't see the flat.  But if you turn the armature and with your third eye, watch where the flat is in relation the to shaft, you can get a good idea where the flat should be. 

Easy Peasy.

It stitches!

By ten this morning I had all the parts back in the 201-2 motor and was ready to attach it to the machine. I still had to make the connectors and since I cannot crimp I decided to make my own out of the ends of the wire.  More soldering.  I had not measured the motor lead wires so I had to figure out how long to make them.  I pulled the motor from the miscreant 201 and used them as the template.

I had bragged somewhere, maybe here, that I can pull a motor from a 201 in five minutes.  I was guessing.  I have never timed myself.  Today I did.  Three minutes.  Really.  From start to finish including re-attaching the terminal screw.  Of course, the motor has been off and on that machine many times in the past year.  Pulling the motor off of a 61 year old machine that hasn't been serviced in YEARS is another story.

So I got the motor and the machine running.  It is always a relief when everything works.   I decided that was enough.  Yeah right. 

I noticed that the tension release pin was not releasing the tension as it should.  More time and frustration dealing with that.  I had not wanted to take the presser bar off.  But it was so dirty and I had to figure out what was going on with the presser bar lifter.   I got everything clean and shiny and re set the presser bar height at "no more than 19/64ths of an inch above the needle plate..."  Really?  How the heck do you measure 19/64s? 

Well 19/64ths is a bit more than a fourth.  (3/64ths to be precise).  I borrowed an idea from Rain and measured the height of some playing cards.  When I got to 1/4 I added a couple more cards and called it good.  I bound them all together and use them under the presser foot when I am adjusting the presser bar height.  Works fine.

 Finally, after dinner, I tested the stitch on the Pittsburgh 201.  I was pretty surprised to see that it made a nearly perfect stitch right off the bat.  I had taken the tension adjusting spring COMPLETELY off of the bobbin case when I was cleaning it.  I tightened it back down all the way when I re-installed it and then backed it off a bit.  Nothing scientific there.  I set the top tension at 4 and it was just a bit tight.    Then I gave it all out power and it was just as slow as the miscreant.  I was BUMMED.  But as I held the controller down it started to speed up.  After a bit it was going fast enough.  I started sewing with it and just made row after row of stitches.  Then it made a clunk and slowed right down.  To almost nothing.  CRAP.  I took the hand wheel off and looked at the worm.  It was fine.  Nicely lubricated.  I put it back together and tried the motor with no load.  It was ok.  Then I put it out of bobbin winder mode and it was still ok.  Then I gave it full power for about three minutes and it kept gaining speed and gaining speed until it was hauling you know what.  And then I stitched with it.  At top speed.  And it stitches beautifully.

I tired some really tiny stitches.  I tried some regular stitches.  I am not unhappy. 

Now I have to figure out what the devil is wrong with the other 201.  But I am sewing tomorrow.  Promise.