Pfaffin' it: part two

Since I had the wiring figured out, everything on the Pfaff went back together without incident. Unfortunately, the bulb is burnt out and I haven't found another, but the wires are right when I do. This machine was the thirstiest I've ever work with, sucking in machine oil on a daily basis. I'd add a few drops each day and work it in and let it sit until it became a little looser. This went on for several days until the machine began to give up it's secrets and a time came when I could feel the rough spot.

One place on the top shaft didn't want to smooth and it made me sit back and think it through. Finally, I decided that the problem was gravity. If there could only be a way to move the machine into a position where a drip of oil wouldn't run from the rough.

I went to sleep Thursday night with the problem rattling around the back of my brain. On Friday there was a planned weekend trip to the old family farm and as I packed the car an idea came to mind. It made me laugh, but I thought 'why not?' so I stepped into the garage and propped the Pfaff up on it's balance wheel. I made certain it wouldn't tumble one way or the other and then gave the top end another oiling and turned off the lights, closed the door, and left for two days.

On Monday morning I sat the Pfaff down, checked all the connections, flipped the power strip and gave the pedal a test. This time the 1.0 amp motor turned the hand wheel all by itself. It didn't need a nudge! The motor noise was quieter and the machine spun a lot better. The oil must have finally found its way in!

It was time to thread it. This became slightly involved since I had to hunt down a bobbin and carrier.  The only other Pfaff in the garage was a model 1222 from the eighties... and wouldn't you know... it had the right bits. Talk about lucky...

Going from the manual I threaded the machine and familiarized myself with the needle position, zigzag, and embroidery attachment controls. I disconnected the coffee grinder options, set both the needle and stitch length to a middle position, and then lifted the foot, and turned the wheel and the top thread picked up the bottom  - always a good sign.

There were tension issues on the top, but the 130-6 sewed. Stitch length worked, and so did the zigzag settings. At this point I got brave and knowing that the embroidery levers were indeed working... I gave it a go. I'm not sure if it's working exactly as it should because I had a rather short piece of test cloth. I'll need to research a little more on what the embroidery stitches are supposed to look like and then test this again. At this point, I was relieved more than anything else, and began to get more serious about cleaning the machine. Even with light paint cracks on the deck finish, the machine looks pretty good, and it sews the basics. I wish I knew how to remove and then re-install the embroidery unit because I can't quite get the number dials clean.

So my feelings are mixed. It's a machine that sews, but there's more I want from it and me before I feel its finished.