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  1. #11
    Senior Member Fibby's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JohnSawyer View Post
    Best of luck. If you were closer, I'd let you borrow mine.
    That's very sweet! I appreciate the sentiment.
    I was told there'd be no math on this exam. ~T.D.

  2. #12
    Senior Member
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    Congratulations! See, persistence wins.

    I am keeping an old White sewing machine in adjustment, but just barely. I want to finish a couple of items before I try a DIY servicing on it. I did not really want to learn how to tighten up the loose geartrain that drives the shuttle. Really. Well, it is working now. I am glad you got both of your machines functional.
    I love the unimproved works of God. - Horace Kephart

  3. #13
    Senior Member Ramblinrev's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fibby View Post
    The Singer had a loose belt that took me a little bit to figure out but it is now running smoothly.
    At the risk of being a party pooper (which every party needs any way) the loose belt is an _extremely_ deceptive repair to make yourself. Here's why... unless you have the specs and proper parts you run the risk of destroying the inside of the machine. This is particularly true if the belt is a smooth belt rather than toothed.

    If the tension on the belt to is too tight you run a very real risk of unevenly wearing the shaft bushings that hold the works in alignment. This will result in self perpetuating distortion of the rest of the bushings and the shafts. Once that happens, you can kiss the machine goodbye. It will likely never be able to be adjusted and repaired again.

    I would suggest you see if you can get a replacement belt to bring the belt back up to normal condition. Belts wear out, stretch and otherwise lose their optimal performance. A new replacement belt will roll that back to what it normally should be. Then chat up your mechanic or do some serious internet research to find out how much tension you need to have on the belt. Too little and things will slip. Too much and you'll torque the shafts and bushings.

    It shouldn't be a costly repair now that you know the belt was the culprit. But having it adjusted improperly could ruin a good machine.
    I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.

    "Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
    Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn

    We Don't Sew... We Make Gear! video series

    Important thread injector guidelines especially for Newbies

    Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint

  4. #14
    Senior Member Fibby's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DavyRay View Post
    Congratulations! See, persistence wins.

    I am keeping an old White sewing machine in adjustment, but just barely. I want to finish a couple of items before I try a DIY servicing on it. I did not really want to learn how to tighten up the loose geartrain that drives the shuttle. Really. Well, it is working now. I am glad you got both of your machines functional.
    Thanks, I've been glowing all night! I ordered a new belt and some metal spool pegs to replace the plastic one that broke and the other 2 plastic ones (for the Singer). It is a pretty sweet machine and so far much less temperamental than my Brother even when it was new. I'm sure it will run even better with a new belt. I decided to try to fix it myself since it ended up being free and it would cost $125 just to have it tuned up. I had nothing to lose and I won in the end! Yay! Now I just have to come up with a name for her!
    I was told there'd be no math on this exam. ~T.D.

  5. #15
    Senior Member Fibby's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ramblinrev View Post
    At the risk of being a party pooper (which every party needs any way) the loose belt is an _extremely_ deceptive repair to make yourself. Here's why... unless you have the specs and proper parts you run the risk of destroying the inside of the machine. This is particularly true if the belt is a smooth belt rather than toothed.

    If the tension on the belt to is too tight you run a very real risk of unevenly wearing the shaft bushings that hold the works in alignment. This will result in self perpetuating distortion of the rest of the bushings and the shafts. Once that happens, you can kiss the machine goodbye. It will likely never be able to be adjusted and repaired again.

    I would suggest you see if you can get a replacement belt to bring the belt back up to normal condition. Belts wear out, stretch and otherwise lose their optimal performance. A new replacement belt will roll that back to what it normally should be. Then chat up your mechanic or do some serious internet research to find out how much tension you need to have on the belt. Too little and things will slip. Too much and you'll torque the shafts and bushings.

    It shouldn't be a costly repair now that you know the belt was the culprit. But having it adjusted improperly could ruin a good machine.
    A new belt's on the way(it's a smooth one-replacing with a stretch belt: (from the site)Stretch belts are the best choice in the "V" belt system. They are a better fit than the original, require little or no technical adjustment and because they are self adjusting they put less strain on the motor with better traction.). I'll research to see what the right tension should be and see if the repair guy can give me any tips. The old belt is in pretty rough shape (warped and lopsided) but I had to make sure that was the problem before I ordered a new one. How do you measure the tension? The adjustment is just a screw that loosens so you can adjust the motor up or down. I played a little with it with the old belt. Too much tension and the motor won't turn, too little and it slips. So I did the "goldilocks" adjustment technique. Thanks so much for your help!
    Last edited by Fibby; 12-13-2011 at 21:30.
    I was told there'd be no math on this exam. ~T.D.

  6. #16
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    I'm an avid Goodwill and thrift store shopper. In fact it's the only kind of shopping I do. I add this to point out that every time I go into one of these stores there are always sewing machines available for cheap. Just a heads up that eBay or buying new aren't the only options.

  7. #17
    Senior Member Ramblinrev's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by friartuck View Post
    I'm an avid Goodwill and thrift store shopper. In fact it's the only kind of shopping I do. I add this to point out that every time I go into one of these stores there are always sewing machines available for cheap. Just a heads up that eBay or buying new aren't the only options.
    The danger there is you are often buying a pig in a poke and frequently someone else's problem. This is true no matter what public forum you buy from. It is wise to remember you may have to have the machine serviced before it will perform as it should.

    Check out my guidelines post in my sig. Others have found it helpful. Some good deals can be had. But the folks who work in the stores are often not very good judges of what a good machine. I like to make friends with the sewing machine repair guy. I've always found it helpful down the road. Frequently used machines already serviced are as a good a price as one you get for a song and then need to get worked on.
    I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.

    "Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
    Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn

    We Don't Sew... We Make Gear! video series

    Important thread injector guidelines especially for Newbies

    Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint

  8. #18
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    tuck, i don't know if it's off seasom for sewing machines and accessories, but around this area goodwill and thrift stores don't seem to deal with sewing machines. i have found craigs list much easyer to use. of course either way you do have to develop a sense of what to look for, to evaluate the machine when you do inspect one for your personal use

  9. #19
    Senior Member Fibby's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ramblinrev View Post
    The danger there is you are often buying a pig in a poke and frequently someone else's problem. This is true no matter what public forum you buy from. It is wise to remember you may have to have the machine serviced before it will perform as it should.

    Check out my guidelines post in my sig. Others have found it helpful. Some good deals can be had. But the folks who work in the stores are often not very good judges of what a good machine. I like to make friends with the sewing machine repair guy. I've always found it helpful down the road. Frequently used machines already serviced are as a good a price as one you get for a song and then need to get worked on.
    I read your guidelines, very helpful. It helped me figure out which questions to ask. I went the ebay route because all the local machines I found were labelled as antique display quality and/or were too far to drive to to check them out. None of the local shops deal with sewing machines because they just don't sell well.
    I was told there'd be no math on this exam. ~T.D.

  10. #20
    New Member corsican's Avatar
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    I just bought a kenmore thread injector model 148.12200. I paid 13 dollars for it. What kind of machine is it? Is it strong enough to make a hammock and the straps?

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