Friday, April 5, 2013

Happiness is...

This photo makes me happy. 

Two beautiful machines in my wonderful workspace.  It was cold in the shop this afternoon.  I could not decide whether to sand the oak veneer cabinet or work on the 319.  I opted for the 319.

I cleaned the gears.

Then I decided to clean the hook.  Oh my.  The only way to get it clean was to take it off.  So I did,

It is held onto the shaft with two screws at a 90 degree angle from each other. There is no flat.....
I loosened and removed them.  It did not easily slip off the shaft.  I had to prise it off using the screw driver.  There was a wicked thread nest behind the hook.  I am glad that I made this extra effort.  This machine never would have worked with this filthy, dirty hook.



I did use degreaser on this.  Then Kerosene. Then denatured alcohol and then Tri-Flow.  I had to take the bobbin case base out of the hook.  That was NBD.  I simply unscrewed the narrow piece holding the bobbin case base in place.  The bobbin case base did not easily come out of the hook but with a bit of twisting and fiddling it did.

I got it all cleaned up.


Back together and back on the machine.

Now all I have to do is time the needle, set the finger at the right escapement and we should be ready to stitch.


8 comments:

  1. You scare me! You are much more WOMAN than me. I would have anxiety attacks if I dismantled machines as far as you do. You rock! I admire your talent!

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    1. Wait, Michelle. The machine isn't stitching YET. But I am pretty sure that it won't be hard to time the hook and the needle. I have Ray White's nifty timing tool. I also have another 319 that stitches and I can use it as a template. The 206K in the photo also needs timing. So much to do , so little time....

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  2. Such a feeling of accomplishment you must have! I must say when I first saw the 206K with that lighting; I thought it was Navy blue... I thought I was in love! LoL... Sooo neat to see how you bring these machines back to life! Must be kind of like Dr. Frankenstein.... (well you get the idea!) it's aliveeee... So cool to see what you do! I wish I had gotten into fixing machines when I was younger... I could have spent my life enjoying sewing and bringing machines back to life! Looks like you totally enjoy yourself. And isn't that part of why we are here?

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    1. I wish I had gotten into it when I was younger too !

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  3. Elizabeth, I almost cannot believe your photos with the amount and nasty quality of gunk. I think I would faint if I ever saw that much gunkiness. The after photos are a miracle compared to the first. That the quality of the metal and machining in these machines can stand up to so much gunk mess is a testament to the creators. What satisfaction you must get after successfully restoring it to its rightful grandeur. What is a Singer 206?
    Linda

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    1. A 206 is Singer's first automatic zig zag machine, I believe. It came before the 306 and 319. They all take the 206X13 needle and have the vertical rotary hook.

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  4. The 319 is super easy to time the hook. Drop the needle bar to bottom dead center, make sure the pointer lines up with the top mark, raise the needle bar so the lower riming mark meets the pointer, then rotate the hook until the point is just behind the needle and tighten down the two screws on the hook assembly shaft. If done right, the "zigzag" alignment of the needle to the far left position with the hook should be "bang on".

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