Evil Twins!

Within the course of a week... eight machines came in the door, which makes things interesting, and hectic, and crowded and not always on goal, but always entertaining. What I didn't expect, were the twins... three sets!

The first pair:

came in together: two Singer model 66s.

The first was older, dirtier and had no reverse. It really does appear to have once been a treadle machine (the five inch long piece of leather belt still attached to the hand wheel groove was a clue) but it has a motor boss... After a very good cleaning which involved taking apart the bobbin winder to sand off the rust, and then a somewhat crazed search for a motor. (Can't believe I'm out of motors!) The first 66 came to life and laid down a great stitch.

The younger 66 has reverse but it also came with the oddest looking finish. It's almost as if it were a crinkle finish - but not quite. The serial number says it was made during the period when Singer did do the crinkle (or Godzilla) finish (1941 to 1953) but research also indicates that those machines were never originally adorned with a complicated decal set.

This one has deck and post decals and it's not the normal simple set you might expect on a crinkle. I believe perhaps the machine was stored somewhere that exposed it to some sort of air borne coating. After several hours of trying every manner of soft cleaning method, the wide surfaces cleaned to the original smooth paint finish, but the layer of whatever it was exposed to is so embedded into the surface that I can't clean the decals for fear of rubbing them off.

So in this case, the younger nicer twin became the more tedious and evil one even though it sews just as well.... It now appears that I have only two choices to 'pretty up' the machine; either attempt to level a coat of clear poly to the dirty decal height... or rub off the decals entirely and buy a new set. Oh my!

The second pair:

 

Then came the 401 twins, and for awhile I wasn't sure which was naughtier. There was a brief period of time when neither of the two would sew...  and some of that was my fault. It's embarrassing to have to admit this, but it happened. I had everything on the machines set correctly... but had accidentally installed the new needles backwards. Big duh on my part. Once I got that straightened out one of the two sewed right away.

The other has yet to sew. I've checked everything including needle height and timing and the hook is just refusing to pick up the thread. I'm going to have to start all over at the beginning with this one and try again. It really does feel as if it should sew... and it's really close... but it just hasn't happened yet, and there's a few scars on the hook, and I can hear the needle touching... so it's me. I haven't found the right adjustment.

The funny thing (?) is that I had just given away my last 401 the day before these two arrived.  I suppose I shouldn't say 'given' exactly. A friend of a friend has a cabinet machine and no room for it in his apartment. He was looking for a reliable portable.  I'm supposed to pick up his old cabinet machine this weekend.... so I suppose it's a trade, but until it arrives... I can't say I traded.

This leaves me in a spot. I have two good sewing machines that need to go. I don't usually do this, but each one probably has enough market value left that if I sell them... I can buy the parts I need to fix eight more. It's a trade off, and I don't feel great about it,  but I have to think about the eight more working machines. I'm splitting up the twins. The working and sewing 401 machine along with it's nearly full attachment case are available. And there's a beautiful Singer 201 in a type 40 table that's also available.

The third pair:

Two Necchi BF flatbed Supernovas;
one pretty in pink,
the other not-so-much.

These were the easy ones?

Perhaps easier... The pink had issues. The first of which was a dull needle and when I went to replace it, I got a real surprise. The thumb screw for loosening the needle was missing! After a detailed inspection and my curiosity at wondering why the old needle didn't just fall right out... I found that only half of the thumb screw was missing. It had broken in two... and the only half available to me was stuck deep into the shaft.

Somehow I got lucky and the broken half in the shaft turned, and soon I had it eased out and in my hand. The problem now was to find another one... and again I turned to one of the two Sylvia's with bad cam stacks and 'borrowed' a piece. The Sylvia screw fit perfectly in place. With a new needle installed, then I had to fix the pressure foot indicator arm. Somewhere along the line the door had been forced shut and the arm was badly bent.

That took a long pair of needle-nose pliers and a very deep inhale... while I prayed it didn't snap. I probably should have applied some heat... but it went back with very little pressure and no issue. Whew! Now that I could close the front compartment door, and that the machine could hold a needle in place... my attentions went to the wiring.

There sure was a lot of electrical tape...

And yet, after unfurling a few feet, I found that the tape was doing its job. The wires were safe, and better yet... it was only just the wires and the junction box and wiring to the machine were fine.  I plugged everything in, and since I'd oiled the machine the night before... Pretty in pink zoomed straight ahead and set a great stitch. The only problem -if you want to call it that- with the other BF was a lack of power cord. I borrowed the one from Pink, plugged it in... and it gave me nearly the same stitch. These two twins were a tad annoying, but otherwise well behaved.

Then plan now is to order one new cord and perhaps an LED replacement bulb.  I've always imagined the one BF in a treadle base, so the other will probably be the electric portable.

For those of you keeping score at home, yes, that's only six.

The other two were: one Singer 500a missing it's top cover and having spool pin issues. I also get the feeling that I'm going to have to trace all the wiring connections on this it because it doesn't run well when it's first turned on, but once it warms to the task, the speed available increases significantly. This sort of symptom says 'dirty connections' to me, and I haven't taken the time to track each connection or clean and adjust the pedal.  Since it needs parts, I'll tag it and wait.

The last machine was a real surprise: a Thompson Mini 200pw walking foot. Talk about heavy! I cleaned and oiled the machine and wired up a pedal junction and it runs and it sews... and I was surprised to see that it uses a class 15 bobbin. Oddly, I had the machine working and sewing and then I changed out bobbins and now I'm having tension issues. I may have to do a far more careful cleaning. Finding information on this one has been difficult. I had to take a guess at threading it.

And if that wasn't enough... I took on the task of restoring the Star Chamber Cabinet.