After trying a couple of foot boxes and then mixing up the zips and needing to unpick 120" of double stitching, I'm finally getting there with DIY#2.
Just having a test hang before stitching on the top section of the head side.
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Sewing machine motor is on its last legs ��
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Hopefully the it lasts long enough to finish this... And the tarp!
Very nice job
Thanks.Originally Posted by Heavyhiker
Managed to finish the hammock, despite the sewing machine motor smelling quite hot.
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I don't think the motor will survive a tarp or UQ. Being as the machine was only £60 from the supermarket many years ago, I don't see much point in spending £30 on a replacement. So it's probably time for an upgrade.
I see you have the skin off the machine.. Did you grease the pickups in the motor? My 1945 Singer has wicking brushes in the motor and when I first got it, the machine hadn't been greased in decades. It ran, but after a bit it got very hot and finally stopped. I bought a new tube of grease, lubed it in the grease ports and she is running amazing. I just did a scheduled maintenance yesterday and Oh My! so smooth and quiet.
Yes, my pack weighs 70lbs, but it's all light weight gear....
Bob's brother-in-law
What problems do you have with your motor? There is almost no problem which you cannot DIY, but only at your own risk.
It is not a good idea to use an old sewing motor without any service. This can be dangerous. However, its very easy to solve all problems.
- Clean the motor inside carefully with spiritus
- Check the carbon brushes
- Try to dismantle the lever staff and clean and polish carefully the commutator (copper lamellar). I use very fine and already used 1200 grade grit-paper for this purpose. In order to do this properly I often clamp the lever staff into a drilling machine.
- Clean the two sinter bearings and oil a bit. Only the bearings nothing else and only a bit (with resin- and acid-free sewing machine oil)
- Check the radio frequency interference capacitor. If already damaged or very old try to replace them with similar values for microfarad but higher voltages (in Germany 275 or 305V instead of 250V).
- Check the ease of motion of the lever staff after reassembly. When you turn the pulley you should not feel any resistance.
All my old motors work after such service like new. Check also the V-belt tension.
The problems can also be created by your foot pedal. However, this is another story and depends what foot pedal you use. In case of doubt you can also use another one in order to identify the culprit.
Last edited by xxl_hanger; 05-29-2020 at 21:18.
XXL Hanger, MikeKim.
Thanks for the replies.
The motor was very stiff rotating it forwards and locked up when trying to turn it back.
I don't think the motor is intended to be serviced as the two halves of the case are pressed together and there's no access besides through the cooling holes. It didn't want to come apart, so I just sprayed some oil around the front and back bearing areas and ran it without the belt for a few minutes.
The belt was very tight, which probably caused the problem.
A replacement motor is half the cost of the whole thing, so a replacement machine will be a better option when it fails again.
If you spray some oil around you must be very carefully. If oil comes on the commutator of the lever staff your motor can start to burn and smell heavily. I don't sew with motors which cannot be opened and checked inside. Most of them are made in China and very cheap ones. YDK motors made in Taiwan are better and can be opened. Try to get an old Singer sewing machine which was still build in Kilbowie, Scotland. A Singer 206K, 306K, 319, 401 or a similar machine. It's no problem for you to find a service manual for such a machine. Yesterday i serviced an old Singer Motor build in Kilobowie and an old Naumann 65 made in Dresden, Germany.
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...hmentid=180974
https://www.naehmaschinenverzeichnis...eidel-naumann/
It's hard to find something better. You can't hear this machine when I sew. The machine works like a Swiss clockwork and I can sew very slowly. I have about 25 similar darlings. Just for fun. The old ones build up to the mid 60s of the last century were much better than the new ones. I know that a Singer 206K from Kilbowie works similar.
Last edited by xxl_hanger; 05-30-2020 at 05:56.
Done is done, but I wouldn't encourage spraying anything in the motor.
The old machines are insanely reliable if you care for them. My 1941 Singer 221 is small, but built like a tank.
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...8&d=1499425221
Yes, my pack weighs 70lbs, but it's all light weight gear....
Bob's brother-in-law
A Singer Featherweight 221 is not easy to get in Germany. I tried it already hard. Up to now no chance. Most of my machines were build in Germany. Up to the mid 60s of the last century Germany including Singer in Wittenberge (and after the war in Karlsruhe) was world market leader. I try to show more pictures of my machines in this forum. I have very nice ones, inter alia: Pfaff 130 (2x), 230 (1x) and 284 (1x). Meister ZZ Kl. 101 (3x) one with automatic (like new and very rare), Singer 206D (4x). My latest machine is a Pfaff 1222E with a broken gear. I'm sure, I can repair this machine also. Ramblinrev was the guy in this forum who whet my appetite. My oldest machine is a early Adler 8 build around 1892. Even with this machine I could still sew a nice hammock. This machine is able to make extra long straight 6mm stiches. No machine can sew better.
My Singer 206D maschines work all better than this maschine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2ElSPowxIY
I'm able to dismantle the whole machine and assemble all single parts together whithin about two hours. I wrote my own repair manual. The first try was not as easy and time consuming, but I had already a very good Singer service manual for the Singer 206K which was build in Kilbowie, Scotland. Such a machine works in very good state like a Swiss clockwork much quieter than you can hear it in the above video. You can attach almost any rucksack motor or sew stressless only with the handwheel. This would work also somewhere in the desert. I recommend a motor which can be used in conjunction with a good Pfaff resistance foot pedal. A good foot pedal is very important. The motor is not so crucial but should be serviced also.
Last edited by xxl_hanger; 05-30-2020 at 09:02.
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