Thursday, January 20, 2022

It's usually the simple stuff.

I love my Singer 201-1. I love to treadle. Lately the treadle has been clanking. I think the original wooden pitman is failing.  At one point Steven had crafted a beautiful wooden pitman for another treadle stand I rescued. I'm hoping he can do the same again. The clanking is driving me nuts. (See here)

Me: Do you remember making that pitman rod for me years ago?

S: Yes, I do. What happened to it?
Me: It went with the treadle stand when I sold that machine. I think I need a new one for my stand in the studio

S: Well, let's take a look.

Which meant that we both went downstairs and I got on my belly behind the stand to look at the pitman rod. There isn't much room behind the treadle stand. I store stuff back there. Extension cord wires hang down. I'm old and stiff. But I managed.


Me: See? There's a small screw, maybe I can tighten it .
Steve: No, I can't see. 


It was awkward reaching the screw but I persisted (yes, my name is Elizabeth) and so did the clanking.

Steve: It looks like there is play side to side. Pop out that cotter pin and see if it will take another washer. 

I do so, it wouldn't. But now I see that the clanking is coming from the pedal itself. I see a screw holding the pedal to the irons. 
Nope that one is not loose. 


Yep. That one is. 



Problem solved. (Wow look at all that thread.)
 
And now I remember tightening that very same screw some years ago when we lived in New York. Sheesh.

Progress on OBW Six. I need more light and a better camera. 


























 






And now I remember the time I had to tighten that very same screw about ten years ago when we were still living in NY. Who knows, maybe I even wrote a post about it. 

Look at all of that thread on that rug under that treadle.

 


2 comments:

  1. I went to Post comments at the bottom and did a download and now I can click in your comment box. Don't know if I will have to do that every time or not. Great to see you are still treadling. I just fixed a 201 that is getting picked up at noon today. The controller was shot, not the motor. The woman does not want to replace the controller as it was her mom's. It is a convoluted controller that was designed for a cabinet as her mom was handicapped. I plugged in my controller and the motor ran like a champ. Gave it the spa treatment and handing it back. They said they would figure out how to fix the housing-less controller. Thread is everywhere, no stopping it.

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  2. Always a pleasure to see what you are up to.

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