Electronic Singer 9022

Fridays at  the Quilt Zoo  you can go and sew on any project that you would like.  Nina and Bonnie help if you need it. It really is quite a bit of fun.  I was FINALLY able to get there this past Friday.

"Oh good." Said Nina.  "Did you get a call about a sewing machine?'

"No." said I wondering if I should check the cell phone for messages (Turns out Betsy got the call and forgot to tell me)

Any way.  Someone dropped off a machine.

"She really wants to start sewing again." declared Nina

So I hauled the thing home.

Saturday morning I lit a fire in the shop, in the loft and kept the one in the house going. Winter is hard when you heat with wood.   By noon it was 60 F in the shop and I I was able to get to work on the machine.

I was unimpressed.

It is an electronic machine and at first I thought that I wouldn't even try to work on it.  Financial need (remember the Nolting?) overtook my trepidation.  I called the owner.  She told me that she was having trouble with the tension. " Big loops on the bottom " she declared.

OK. Big loops on the bottom mean that the top tension is too loose.    I looked.  She had it set all the way up. It could also mean that the bobbin tension was too tight.

First things first.  Clean the machine. Now that I have more experience with machines, I get caught up in the process.  When I was less experienced, I would take photo after photo to keep track of what I had taken apart.  Now I just go for it. Hence, less blog fodder. 

I regret that I didn't take more photos.  There is a camstack in the top but it is operated by the electronic function.  Incidentally, the machine had thick, hardened grease in the most incongruous places.

 Since it didn't seem to be affecting the function and I was actually working for money, not love, I did not chip this stuff away.  The renowned and inveterate Ray White would have declared that this was "cosmetic only."

I tackled the shuttle and bobbin area first.  The needle plate popped right off.

 The bobbin case came out pretty easily too.  I remember from previous Singers of this vintage, that there is a tab that must be moved back to release the bobbin case.

The bobbin case looked pretty good for a plastic piece.  No major dings and I couldn't find any thread caught in the spring.  I cleaned it all out with the compressor.  Seemed fine.  

The slide plate did not come off easily and it perplexed me.  Luckily I have some service manuals for Singers of this era.  While I did not have one for this machine, I found instructions for slide plate removal for a similar model.

There is a spring that is released with pressure from a small screwdriver just under the slide plate.

I turned over the machine and found it.

I was then able to remove the slide plate and gain good access to the hook.  I found a pretty good burr on the hook. AHA.  That could explain tight tension on the bottom.  I polished the hook in place. I blew all the lint away with the compressor and cleaned and  oiled what I could reach.  I checked the feed dog screws to be sure they were tight and called it good.

I did take off the top and the face plate.  I don't have photos of that.  There wasn't much to see.  I oiled what I could and checked the BW tire and elected to not delve into the hand wheel.  It has one of those odd clutch release mechanisms; you just push on one side of the center of the hand wheel and it releases the motor from the drive shaft, or what ever in an electronic machine.  Since all was working just fine, I closed up the top and headed south.

One screw allowed access to the shuttle gears.

More dust and more hardened grease.  I carefully turned the hand wheel to inspect the shuttle gears for cracks.

I thought I saw one.  Uh Oh.  Nope.  Only a piece of thread. 

Honestly,  I just cleaned out inside of this area as best I could.  I didn't see the point in putting any lubrication on these gears..  I have Tri Flow grease but I think that would just attract dirt.

I removed the base and discovered this.  Those wires travel up to the top and connect somehow with the camstack.  I have no interest in learning how

I did inspect the motor and found that the commutator was filthy so I cleaned it up with one of my Ray White abrasive sticks.  I need more.  I had no interest in removing the motor.  I could see both brushes well enough to determine that they were adequate.

I oiled all the points where metal met metal and closed her back up.

When I tested the machine, it sewed quite nicely.   I tested almost all of the stitches and they all worked.  I did not test the button hole function.  I set the tension at 3 and all was good.

I called the owner.  She was surprised it was ready so quickly.

I advised her that I wasn't sure the machine was up to the purpose she intends.  She wants to make bags.  If the bags aren't too heavy, she will be fine.  That motor looks wimpy to me.  It sounds wimpy and overall I am not a fan.

If fixing this machine gets someone sewing again, excellent.  After all, the more people who sew, the better the world will be.

At this rate, I only have 95 more machines to fix before I have enough cash for the Nolting.  Don't forget.  I sold the Bailey, one Featherweight and a Viking.  It is a good thing I have a day job because the Nolting arrives on Friday.

We are ready.

The frame is twelve feet long.  This is the only place on all of our property where it will fit.  Stay tuned.

Wilson is ready too.

Tomorrow he has surgery to remove his spleen.  I have been working to get him to go into his crate voluntarily since last week.  Tonight he got off the couch and stood in front of the crate and gave me a look : "how about something soft in there?"  I put in the blanket and he followed, turned once around and went to sleep. 

I guess all that turkey and all those clicks worked.  I will send that blanket with him to have while he is at the vet.  It smells like home (especially Wrigley who has Poodle hair but Lab smell).