Singer 66 Fixes: Finish and Bobbin Winder

 

 

At the moment I have this 1928 Singer model 66 up for sale on the Raleigh NC CraigsList.  I usually do an accompanying blog post full of exhaustive details in an attempt to stun the customers and lead them to buy the machine just to make me stop talking about it.  I did that this time too, and you can see that post here.  But I had so VERY much to say that I decided to take pity on the customers and break out some of the details about the restoration process that could only be of interest to my regular readers, you, the vintage-sewing-machine-obsessed. 

 

The vintage sewing machines that have come to me here have arrived in all sorts of conditions.  Residue of old sewing machine oil, enhanced by dust and lint, may have clogged the mechanism.  Exposure to the elements, especially moisture, may have resulted in rust.  This one was not rusty but quite dirty and sluggish, and once those issues were addressed it was functioning perfectly.  But the finish looked truly dreadful.  The photos above show it after I worked on it.  I managed to make it look quite a bit better and I've been wanting to talk about this for a long time.  I've got one or two things to say that I haven't heard anyone else say.  I hope it will be helpful.

This is where a "before" picture ought to go.  If I had one.  All I have though is a distance shot of the setup in my studio as I prepared for the Repair Cafe TV workshop.  I have plenty of "during" photos that you will see below though.

First it helps to understand what is going on with the finish.

When the machine was originally manufactured the paint was baked on and it is quite thick.  I know because I have stripped them down to bare metal more than once.  Decals were applied over the black paint.  Some were gold, some were beautiful designs in multiple colors.  Over top of these decals a clear coat was applied.  I'm not going to comment on what it was because I only know from hearsay.

Much of what I "know" is hearsay, btw, because there is no authoritative source of information about all of this gathered together in one place.  But if I hear reasonable accounts over and over again from people I have learned to trust, AND if it corresponds with what I have observed directly, I usually trust it.

Anyhow, whatever it was, it wasn't modern polyurethane.  And whatever it was, it has broken down considerably over the last 92 years.  Where it has worn away completely the paint underneath is still black and glossy.  In some places it has bubbled and resembles a textured finish nicknamed "Godzilla" by vintage Singer fanatics.  In other places it looks brown and rough.

There is no way to fix this without destroying whatever is left of the original decals.  I won't be surprised if this definitive statement is disputed by someone in the comments, but I think I am right after ten years of messing around (technical term) with these machines.   You can, however, strip off the old clear coat and decals, apply new reproduction decals (and the gold ones are of a decent quality, the full color ones not-so-much), and then apply a new clear coat.  Time consuming and expensive.  But an option.

Not an option for me without pricing this machine right out of the limited market.

So my only goal was to get it clean enough so that it wouldn't transfer dirt on to the owner's sewing projects.  I cleaned the surface with GoJo non-pumice hand cleaner, which risked damaging the decals further.  But I guessed correctly that enough of the clear coat was left over the decals to protect them. 

 

All of the explanations you are about to read below are purely speculation.  

This is what it looked like AFTER I cleaned it with GoJo.  I'll never forget the first time I saw something like this early in my restoration days.  I thought I had ruined the machine.

Speculative explanation:  Cleaning added moisture to the decaying clear coat and made it more opaque and therefore much more visible.  And made it look much worse.  But I've been doing this for 10 years and I knew that this would abate as it dried out.  And by the next morning it looked a little better.

Next I used TR-3 auto cleaner and polish, applying it with cotton balls and rubbing gently.  More dark stuff came off, but I knew that this was just old clear coat and possibly some of the paint beneath, and not more dirt.  In my very early years of doing this I kept at this process over and over and over and over again and the black stuff never stopped.  That's how I figured out that I eventually got down to the paint.  This time I was just aiming for a slight level of protection for the finish.

 

This also added moisture, which brought out the "bloom" of bad finish again.  There is an easy and simple solution to this. Slather the puppy in sewing machine oil.  I applied it with a toothbrush.

Speculative explanation:  the sewing machine oil displaces the moisture.

This makes the machine look fantastic, as good as it possibly could.  An unscrupulous seller could use a photo like this to advertise the machine. They could top it up right before they showed it to the customer.  And in a day or two the customer would wonder what happened.

I let the sewing machine oil sit overnight and then wiped it off thoroughly, and I do mean thoroughly.  I don't want to sell a machine that would contaminate any sewing projects.  And the finish looks a lot better than I thought it would.  Over time as the volatile components of the sewing machine oil evaporate it may not look quite so good.  But it won't go back to the "crud" stage unless you use cleaner or auto polish on it.  Counter-intuitive, I know.  It has been a week now and it still looks like the photo above.

 

I promised more photos of the decals in the sales-oriented blog post, so here they are.  Except for the typical bed wear and the top of the arm they are in nice shape.

The only problem that I had to fix was with the bobbin winder, and I'm going to go into lots of detail here.  So if you are a customer and not a vintage sewing machine addict, feel free to stop here.  Actually I am surprised you made it this far. 

First, let's take a look at the way the bobbin winder works.  In photos.  I will be providing the customer with a manual.

 

 

 

As the toothed wheel turns, the forked arm swings back and forth and distributes the thread evenly from side to side.

First, the bobbin winder tire had disintegrated over the years.  It's possible that this was the original one from 1928 but I have no way to know.  

 

Replacing this is a quick and easy fix, although I did have to remove the hand wheel to do it.  Also quick and easy, at least if the screws aren't frozen in place.  They weren't.

But the new tire, although the same size as the original tire, was not flabby and deteriorated.  And it pressed so hard against the hand wheel that it made the hand crank almost impossible to turn.  There is a simple adjustment for this.

 

 

The photo above shows the location of the adjustment screw.  When you loosen this up it allows you to adjust the position of the bobbin winder tire to be slightly closer or farther away from where it rides on the hand wheel.  

A regular screwdriver wouldn't fit in here, I had to use one with a right angle bend to it.

You don't have to remove the screw entirely to make the adjustment, but I did remove it later for another reason (coming soon).  Notice that the hole the screw goes through is oval rather that just exactly the right size of round for the screw to go through.  This oval shape allows for you to slide the piece and adjust its placement.

 

In the photo above, and with the bobbin winder off of the machine, you can see what I am talking about.  The screw hole marked with the yellow arrow shows a hole exactly the right size for the screw.  The one marked with the red arrow shows the oval opening that allows you to slide the piece into the best alignment.

The next problem was a bit more challenging, but that's the fun of this hobby--figuring things out. 

The teeth in the round wheel must mesh with the grooves above it in order for the bobbin winder to guide the thread properly.  You can adjust it up or down with a screwdriver. There was a gap between the teeth of the wheel and the grooves above and so the bobbin winder was not working properly.

I could adjust it upwards so that the teeth met the grooves, but it kept slipping downward again.  There was no way to fix it from the front side so I had to remove it from the machine.

The nut shown above is holding the bolt in place.  It was this nut that needed to be tightened.

While I had it off I took an aluminum wire brush to the un-painted parts to clean them up a bit.  The grunge wasn't affecting performance, but this made it look a bit better.  I also used some 400 grit sandpaper to clean up the front facing parts.  The photos above at the beginning of this bobbin winder discussion show the "after".

This was a two-handed operation, holding the bolt on the front in place without moving, while tightening the nut on the back with the other hand.  And the third hand held the camera, lol.  (Actually in this re-enactment the needle nose pliers holding the nut are just propped off to the side.)

With all of these repairs/adjustments in place the bobbin winder is now working perfectly.

• Replace bobbin winder tire
• Adjust placement of bobbin winder tire riding against the hand wheel
• Tighten the nut holding the toothed wheel adjustment bolt in place
  

The last problem I fixed wasn't a problem with the machine, but with the funky base that I put it in.  I'm running out of stuff as the pandemic progresses and this was the best I could do.

In order for the bobbin cover to slide open it has to clear the hinge mechanism on the base.  It was sitting too low and the bobbin cover wouldn't open.  I've had this happen before.

The fix was to add a strip of self-adhesive weatherstripping felt to the base.  The felt was too wide and I cut it in half lengthwise.

That raised the machine high enough to clear the hinge and now the bobbin cover slides open.

That's it, another epic from DragonPoodle Studio.  I absolutely love this machine now and kind of hope it doesn't sell.  But if it does I have another old 66 that I haven't restored yet.

Singer 66 hand crank for sale. AS SEEN ON TV!

 

 

I'm going to do something different on the blog for this Singer 66 and write two separate posts.  This one will be for the people who see the Raleigh CraigsList ad and are interested to know more about the machine.

The next blog post will be for my regular readers who are vintage sewing machine fanatics.  In that one I will go into excruciating detail about the restoration and repair of the machine, specifically how I dealt with the problematic finish, and how I adjusted and repaired the bobbin winder.   If you are a potential buyer, you can still read that story if you want to!

Up for sale now is a classic vintage Singer sewing machine, model 66.  It is all metal straight-stitch-only machine.  These were produced in the bazillions (technical term) over several decades as treadle machines, as hand cranks, and with electric motors.  I found this machine with no hand crank or motor on it.  I have added a modern reproduction hand crank.  

Sewing with a hand crank allows for incredible precision because the user has instantaneous control of the machine.  This makes it ideal for teaching beginners, both adults and children. No sudden take-off speed that you can get with the foot pedal of a motorized machine.  And it stops the instant you stop moving the hand crank.  

Even for accomplished seamsters there are techniques for which the control provided by a hand crank is ideal, such as paper piecing and heirloom sewing.  I think of it as "mechanized hand stitching".  No home studio is complete without one!  And if you think I am laying this down in a heavy handed way to promote a sale, read on.  You may have to re-think that assumption.  In the next paragraph, for instance.

 

The cosmetic condition of this machine is not that great.  What were once beautiful filigree gold decals have worn almost completely away on the bed of the machine where miles of fabric have flowed over it in the last 92 years.  Some people are looking for pristine antique machines, and those machines are few and far between.  Some people enjoy seeing the wear patterns and thinking about the people of the past who sewed on the machine.

In other places that didn't get wear you can still see how pretty they still are.  (You can see more of the decals on the other post.)

On the other hand, the mechanical functioning of this machine is, in a word, excellent.  

I used this machine as a demonstration model in my recent sewing machine maintenance workshop on Repair Cafe TV.  I don't remember when or where I acquired it, but it had been sitting underneath my desk for at least five years and probably much longer.  It was dusty, filthy, and had spider webs and even a couple of dead spiders on the bottom side.  The hand wheel barely moved, but the needle did go up and down with that movement.

I put a couple of drops of sewing machine oil in the oil holes and at each visible place where metal moves against metal.  In two minutes the mechanism was moving freely.  With a good spin the hand wheel kept spinning freely for several revolutions.  This is the most satisfying moment when restoring a vintage machine!  

I have cleaned the exterior of the machine thoroughly so that no dirt is left that would transfer on to any of your sewing projects.  The dead spiders are long gone too! 

The Singer model 66 was marketed as an all-pupose household and dressmaking machine in the era when every woman (and many men) were expected to know how to sew in order to keep that household functioning.  These machines were built to last for decades (if not centuries).  

I will send you a copy of the manual for this machine by email.  You may need to remind me though.

 The adjustable tensioner adjusts as it should.  

This is an early version and in my opinion every so-called "improvement" to tensioners made them worse and more prone to mechanical problems.  This one is simplicity itself.  Turn the screw nut to adjust the tension, righty tighty, lefty loosey. 

The stitch length knob adjusts as it should.  This feature is often frozen or rusted solid after decades and often is beyond my ability to repair.  So the fact that this works perfectly is kind of a big deal for a machine of this age.  (Btw the extreme closeups make the grunge look worse than it is.)

 Turn the knob all the way in for the longest stitch length.

 

As you turn it out the stitch will shorten.  The photo above shows you the approximate setting for the shortest stitch length.  I don't advise turning it any more than this.  You do NOT want to turn it far enough to remove it.  I have read that this can be very difficult to recover from.  I don't have a lot of experience with these, but my limited experience confirms that it is almost impossible to access the back of the mechanism to work on it.   

Below:  stitch length test, bobbin thread

Below:  stitch length test, top thread

 

Don't let this scare you though.  If you test the stitch length from time to time as you loosen the knob you won't go far enough to cause a problem.

One of the ways I test a machine is to see how well it will stitch through multiple layers.  I take a long length of fabric and fold it in half.  I stitch a few inches down the length through 2 layers.  I fold it in half and stitch through four layers.  Fold it in half again and stitch through eight layers.  For this machine I was able to fold it in half again and stitch through sixteen layers, with perfect stitches and no problems with the tension (perfect stitches top and bottom).  I used a size 14 needle and and a poly/cotton blend fabric for the test.  For denim or canvas I would use a larger size 16 or 18 needle. 

The only thing that wasn't working properly right from the beginning was the bobbin winder, and I was able to replace the rubber tire, adjust it, and tighten up a bolt and now it is working perfectly.  If you are interested in reading about the process, I have discussed it in detail on the other post.

It was not in a cabinet or case when I got it.  It does need to be sitting in the base part of a case in order for the mechanism underneath to move freely.  I have put it into the base of a vintage sewing machine case, although the top of the case is missing.  It's not the best looking base I've seen!  I'm running out of stuff as the pandemic progresses and I am no longer scouring the local thrift shops every week for vintage sewing machines and accessories.  However you could easily upgrade to a modern plastic sewing machine case, easily available in several places online.  

 Also included with this machine:  a small wooden box with some presser feet and accessories. 

 

Shown above:  top row:  ruffler, adjustable zipper foot.  Middle row:  narrow hemmer, shirring foot.  Bottom row:  Seam guide.  These would have been original equipment when this machine was new.  In my experience the straight stitch foot (on the machine) and the zipper foot will handle 99% of your needs.  But it is fun to have the vintage presser feet too.

Other accessories include:  a needle threader, class 66 bobbins, three metal and three plastic (one of the metal ones is in the machine), Tri-Flow sewing machine oil, and a Singer lint brush.

The ruffler is a nifty attachment with four settings.  Setting 1 makes a tiny pleat with every stitch.  6 makes a pleat every 6 stitches, 12 makes a pleat every 12 stitches, and the star sews with no pleats, allowing you to go back and forth between ruffling and regular sewing without removing the ruffler from the machine.

If you are interested in this machine, check out the Raleigh NC CraigsList ad.  Local sales only, I do not ship.

********************

The only way to REALLY tell if something is working properly is to sew a project on it.  So I sewed up 18 quilt blocks on this machine after I finished getting it ready and I am really impressed by the smooth sewing action.  I'm willing to sell it because I really do need to downsize the hoard and now, when people need sewing machines more than ever, is a good time to do that.  But I won't be heartbroken if it doesn't sell!  I could easily envision myself repainting it and designing some exciting decals for it.  And then keeping it for myself.  Hmmm.......

Singer 185 for sale. Yes, another one.

 

FOR SALE:  An all-metal Singer vintage sewing machine from 1962, model 185.  A 3/4 size straight stitch only machine.  Cleaned, oiled, tested and ready to sew!

I sold one of these earlier this summer, so I have just cut-and-pasted the text from that post and from some of my other earlier posts here.  All of the photos, both here and on the Craigslist ad, are of this specific machine and accessories however.   If you are one of my regular blog readers be aware that the new information is on how I set the tensioner and the bobbin case tension.

The pandemic porch pickup plan has been working very well for sewing machine sales.  The machine will be on a small desk on my front porch, plugged in, threaded, and all ready for you to test.  Stitch samples and accessories will be laid out on a table.  I will be able to see you and talk to you through my video doorbell, so you do not have to worry about personal contact during a global pandemic!  You can leave the money on a table on the porch, cash only please.  The price is listed in the CraigsList ad (which will disappear once the machine has been sold).

This machine has a glossy two-tone green paint job.  It is an all-metal straight-stitch-only machine manufactured in 1962 during the golden age of sewing machines.  It is a Singer Model 185, which is a 3/4 size machine.  That means it only weighs 30 pounds instead of the hefty 40 pounds that a full size vintage all-metal machine weighs.

Don't let the smaller size fool you into thinking that this is for light duty work though--it can handle anything a full size vintage machine can handle, as you can see in the stitch sample below.  Singer marketed these as being "portable".  30 pounds is still quite a lift though when compared with modern plastic machines.

 

It has been thoroughly cleaned and tested and is in excellent working condition. 

 

One of the ways I test a machine is to see how well it will stitch through multiple layers.  I take a long length of fabric and fold it in half.  I stitch a few inches down the length through 2 layers.  I fold it in half and stitch through four layers.  Fold it in half again and stitch through eight layers.  For this machine I was able to fold it in half again and stitch through sixteen layers, with perfect stitches and no problems with the tension (perfect stitches top and bottom).  I used a size 14 needle and and a poly/cotton blend fabric for the test.  For denim or canvas I would use a larger size 16 or 18 needle.

This machine should be able to handle anything that will fit under the presser foot, from the finest silk up to lightweight garment leather.  I have even repaired leather and fake leather belts and purses with a machine of this type (but they were not super heavy leather).  If you want to sew light weight leather you can easily find special leather needles and a roller presser foot for this machine, which takes standard low-shank presser feet.

I have done some cosmetic touch-up work on this machine.  The foot pedal (aka motor controller) ha some rust on it and the hand wheel had some chips out of the edge.  Krylon spray paint in "celery green" is an almost perfect match for the lighter of the two green colors on this machine.  

 

I also adjusted both the top thread tension and the bottom bobbin tension.  Only minor adjustments were needed and both of these are ridiculously easy to do.

The tiny screwdriver that originally came with vintage sewing machines is for adjusting the bobbin tension (one is included).  The bobbin tension rarely needs to be adjusted unless you experiment with some techniques that use unusual thread weights. It is not rocket science.  Righty tighty, lefty loosey.  And remember, if the thread problem is on the top of the work, the problem is with the bobbin thread.  And as I say, this rarely happens.  In this case I had to loosen it a tiny bit. I adjust it purely by feel.  If it pulls out too easily, tighten it and vice versa.  Every sewing machine manual shows illustrations of properly balanced tensions--and improperly balanced ones. and which tension you need to adjust.  

I can send you a manual for this machine by email.  You might have to remind me though. 

Now to the top tension, which gets messed up far more often.  Singer tensioners that look like the one in the photo can get out of whack.  That's a technical term (and a useful reminder of what an expert I am NOT).  Somehow the numbered disc gets out of place.  In this case the tension was way too tight even when it was set to the lowest number.  And when it is turned that far there is a stop inside that will not allow it to be turned even lower.

Are you ready to be amazed at how easy it is to fix this? 

Above is a closeup of the tensioner. Notice that the silver ring is right up against the numbered disc.

 

You can push the numbered disc inward, as you can see in the photo above where the gap is labeled.  This releases it from pins that are holding it in place.  Once you have it in, you can wiggle it around some (another technical term) and rotate it.  I rotated this one to left, which gave me more play at the lowest end of the numbers, meaning  I could loosen the tension up more.  

 OK, confession time.  I'm pretty sure I rotated it to the left.  I've tried to re-think what I did several times because I didn't make notes at the time.  Because it was so obvious.  But now I'm not sure.  So if you need to push the numbered disc in and move it, play around with it until you have it working properly so that it can be adjusted up and down the scale.  

When you have created a greater range of tension, move the tensioner until you have the tension that you want.  Again, I do this by feel and test it by sewing a few inches.  Then press the number wheel in again and set whatever number you think is "right" at the indicator in between the plus and minus marks.  Now you can alter the tension both tighter and looser than your normal setting.  

 I hope all of that made sense.  It is easier to do than to explain. 

When I work on someone else's tensioner (and don't ask me to do this unless you are related to me or I owe you big time for something), I always ask what tension number you usually use.  Most people say 4 or 5.  So that's where I set the number once I have adjusted the tension properly for two layers of a medium weight cotton or poly. 

I have put this machine in a vintage Singer case that was originally for a Singer 285 in an aqua color.  The original case for this machine would have been identical in style but a slightly different color.  These cases are notorious for the supports in the bottom of the case getting broken, and this one was no exception.  I have repaired it with a good glue and wood scraps to make it functional again.

Keep in mind that this case is around 60 years old and plastic is not eternal.  For ANY vintage sewing machine case, it is best to think of it not as a case, but as a base and a cover.  Don't trust the handle or the latches to hold 30 pounds of cast iron from crashing down on to your feet.  Always carry it with at least one hand underneath the bottom of the case. 

Included with the machine are all of the vintage presser feet mentioned in the manual, plus a ruffler.

 

Top row:  ruffler, binder

Middle row:  zipper foot, narrow hemmer, shirring foot

Bottom:  seam guide and its attachment screw

The ruffler makes tiny pleats as you sew and has settings that allow you to vary the spacing of the pleats as shown in the photo below.  "1" makes a pleat with every stitch, "6" makes one pleat in every six stitches, and "12" makes one pleat in every twelve stitches.  There is another setting shown on the rufller as a star which makes no pleats at all, which means that you can go back and forth between regular stitching and straight stitching without having to remove the ruffler from the machine.

 

The straight stitch foot is installed on the machine.

The vintage narrow hemmers and binders work ONLY on the thinnest of fabrics, which were much more common in the past.  Modern hemmers and binders are available online if you are interested in doing this type of work and can handle the more robust modern fabrics.  I haven't tested these because I have never had the patience or the right fabrics to work with them.  But I've included them because they would have been original equipment for the machine and you might enjoy reading about them in the manual.   Or you might have some silk chiffon or other lightweight fabric on hand.

This machine has a standard low shank attachment for presser feet, which is still the most common configuration with today's modern machines.  This means that you can buy additional modern presser feet that will fit this machine, such as a Teflon foot or the roller foot mentioned above.

 

And although I love having all the vintage attachments and presser feet, you will find that the straight stitch foot and the zipper foot will meet 99.9% of your needs with this machine.  So don't feel that you will need to master all of these!  

 

 

 

 In a vintage style sewing box I will provide:

 

• extra sewing machine needles, new
• hand sewing needles, not previously used
• a plastic thimble
• partial spools of several colors of thread, polyester (which is strong and does not "go bad" over time)
• a set of prewound class 66 bobbin in assorted colors.  A vintage metal bobbin is in the machine.
  
• seam gauge
• tape measure
• pins
• pin cushion 
• a piece of tailor's chalk
• two screwdrivers, the sizes that come with a new sewing machine.  
• scissors, new
• snips, new 
• a tube of sewing machine oil, new (the ONLY thing you should use on a sewing machine)
• a lint brush
• at least 6 "fat quarters" of quilting cotton 18" x 21".  Each fat quarter should be enough for a couple of masks. 
• four yards of quarter-inch elastic
• a seam ripper but no guarantee that it is still sharp!  I personally don't care for them but I acquire them with other thrift store sewing supplies sometimes.
• I will even throw in an iron upon request and at no additional charge.  It won't be a steam iron but a spray bottle of water or a damp cloth can provide you with steam if you need it.

Well, most of it fits in the box.

 

  

The vintage 1963 McCall's Sewing Book is from 1963, just a year younger than the 1962 machine.  Vintage sewing books are much more comprehensive and detailed than modern sewing books.  "Back in the day" a lot more sewing was done in most homes.  

Instructions are detailed and well illustrated.

My idea is to provide a complete kit of everything needed to make masks. Much of this comes from thrift stores but some things just have to be new to be worth using (needles and scissors for example).

A threading diagram and description for this machine can be found here.

If you just need a machine and not all of the supplies in the kit, the price will be reduced. However, this is an all-or-nothing deal.  I won't, for instance, just sell fabric, or a pair of scissors, etc.  I'm not a store, heck I'm not even a business.  I have a limited amount of accessories and supplies that I have hoarded from thrift stores over the years, but that stuff is for my sewing students and the sewing friends with whom I regularly swap stuff.  

Also available, upon request and for an additional charge:  a vintage Singer zigzagger which will fit this machine.  It will allow you to create a zigzag stitch, a blind hem stitch, and a couple of purely decorative stitches.

 

  It makes the patterns shown on the box lid.

 

Another accessory I can include is a buttonhole maker.  I will add this one also by request only but at no additional charge.  I am glad to share one to a good home, but there is no point in giving one away if you are not interested in using it.  They make great buttonholes in a variety of sizes.  Five templates came with the buttonholer originally and are included.  I have also added the set of four extra templates that Singer produced.  Contact me for more information.

 

To summarize, this is a classic vintage Singer sewing machine in perfect working condition, with a pretty comprehensive package that is meant to enable a beginner to dive right in without having to buy a lot of additional stuff.  A straight-stitch only machine with a drop in bobbin is as simple and uncomplicated as a machine gets.  It's the type of machine I use when teaching children and adults to sew.

If you are interested in buying this machine, check out the CraigsList ad.  Local sales only, I do not ship.