I love mine - I believe they were made for tailors - great straight stitching and I can sew thru 3 layers of straps. You may want to disassemble and clean the motor and contacts.Originally Posted by DBLOCK
It was a spare - wish I was in a position to help others more.
Awww
Just helping someone in need is thanks enough.
And it's tough as nails and can double as a boat anchor. Mine weighs over 30lbs - it doesn't move around the table at all.
The machine head was made at a time when quality and tolerances were prized. It was intended for heavy use, as in long hours, It is easily diagnosed and easily adjusted by the user. just about anything that needs to be cleaned is easily accessible. It's like the older cars where the oil filter is easy to get to from the hood as opposed to the new ones where you have to put it on a lift and remove stuff to get to it. It's one of Singers best achievements and gave the brand a huge reputation.
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
Just curious...do you have a 201-2 (Potted motor/built in) or a 201-3 (External motor/belt-driven)?
Plus there were millions of them made so they are available.
The Singer 15-91 is another very good machine.
I found a barnload of old Singers. I picked up a (3) machines for myself: a 201-2, a 99, and a model 128. I cleaned the carbon brush to commutator area on all of them but will pull the motor off the 201 and clean out the gear area this weekend (didn't realize I needed to until recently).
I asked the lady to set aside the 301a's I pulled out for my hammocking buddies (I think there were 3 or 4 of them)...
The 401 series is another one that's more than worthwhile salvaging.
I bought mine tuned up, ready to go and in a cabinet for $75.00 maybe 12 years ago and sewed professionally on it for 7 years (maybe 20 hours per week usage).
It will get handed down to the great grandchildren some day!!
That's sort of where I was heading. Pull the whole motor/gear housing off and leave the motor itself intact if the wiring insulation is still good. Use Singer Sewing Machine Lubricant or vaseline to re-lube it.
Pay attention to the position of the clutch washer when you remove the hand wheel to get it assembled correctly later.
I pulled the gear assembly off today and cleaned it up using denatured alcohol to cut down the caked on old grease. It cleaned up like a charm! I used a high pressure high speed graphite impregnated lithium grease to lightly coat the gear and she purrs like a kitten at low speed now! I was sewing either full on or full off before... Here's a quick video:
Singer grease and vaseline are kind've clear - is that why you recommend them?
Cleaning the gear drive did the trick! Here's a quick video showing how she runs at low to high speed now - not the light switch she was just yesterday...
Glad you got it going and great videos. They should help others with the same problems.
I got in a fight one time with a really big guy, and he said, "I'm going to mop the floor with your face." I said, "You'll be sorry." He said, "Oh, yeah? Why?" I said, "Well, you won't be able to get into the corners very well."
Underquilts.com
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