Needlework Monday - I Couldn't Resist A New Sewing Machine

If you've seen my previous posts, you'll know I've started to fall in love with old Singer sewing machines. The quality and precision of their engineering is incredible compared to modern plastic machines.

I've discovered that tinkering with them and solving problems is actually quite therapeutic. I wasn't sure if this is a post that belongs better on a needlework community or a DIY one, but I decided that needlework might be better because then someone with a sewing machine problem might pick up something useful. Let me know what you think, though !

So when I saw a fairly battered old machine on Facebook Marketplace being offered for free, I just couldn't resist.

These two photos were the first I took when I got it home.

When I picked it up, it was dark. But as I gave it an initial check-over, I soon discovered why it was free ! They'd advertised it as a non-working thing that might be a nice piece of ornamental decor. It turns out that someone had stripped off quite a few useful parts. Maybe they sold them on eBay or something.

Checking the serial number on the ISMACS Database, I found it listed as a 28K that was part of a batch made between December 1937 and October 1938. Based on the number, I reckon it would have been made late spring 1938. Unusually, the bobbin winder is mounted high. Most of the machines of that date had low-mounted ones with high mountings usually indicating later machines, but Singer made both versions at the same time so it's no great guide.

But the good news is that it was on the database. Who knew that fake Singers are a thing ! It turns out the Chinese copied some models (mainly the 15K) to export to Africa. Some are properly licensed with serial numbers usually incorporating "NP" in the lettering, but many are completely unlicensed copies. They're still good machines, just not quite up to Singer's superlative engineering standards.

The first inspection was to see what exactly I had. The thing was seriously dusty, with quite a bit of corrosion. The black Japanned finish looks passable rather than great, but the decals are in decent condition. The wooden base is missing some veneer at the front, and has come away at the back.

I soon discovered that the handle turned but nothing else. Then I realised that there's a small spring-loaded arm on the handle that flips down to engage with the balance wheel. Silly me, I knew that already and had forgotten ! The photo below shows it, and also gives an idea of how much dust and rust I'm having to deal with !

But with the arm engaged, I found that the machine was completely locked up. Looking underneath it didn't appear too bad apart from rather a lot of spiderwebs and more dust, although I also noticed the the two screws that fix the machine to the hinges on the base are missing.

The next step was that I gave it a very quick clean just to get rid of loose dust, to minimise how much got into the works. I also found it easiest to lift it off the base hinges to get better access.

Then I oiled it. Every moving part. So much oil.... it just soaked it up and made me wonder when it had last had a good drink. But the oil didn't get it moving again.

I took off the rear plate (which will need a good polish !) and oiled everything I found in there. Still no dice. I could feel slight movement there, as well as on the rods underneath, so I knew something further down the line was stuck.

The problem became clear when I took the front cover off. Despite earlier oiling, the needle rod was stuck fast. In the photo below, it is the right hand of the two vertical rods. The presser rod (the left hand one) was only a bit better, but was also missing it's spring.

The solution was to remove the thread guide from the bottom of the needle rod, then undo both screws - the one into the rod goes right through and locates it in position, the one on the right clamps it to the cam guide.

With that done, lots of oil, lots of wiggling and patience finally made the rod come free. Here it is laid out on kitchen roll, together with the presser rod upper guide.

At this stage, I did a lot of cleaning with oil and kitchen roll and put it back together just to confirm I'd fixed the problem. Amazingly, I had ! The machine turned freely and happily. Most people wouldn't notice, but I thought it still felt a little rough, so I'll probably do a far deeper disassembly and thoroughly clean up all the bearing surfaces.

I've got a couple of spares already - bobbin case and bobbin, plus a few presser feet and finger-nuts. I found someone on eBay selling a bobbin winder which wasn't seized and missing parts like this one, and they also had a needle clamp and new feed dogs (the ones this machine has are good but missing the screw).

Parts I still need to sort out are a bobbin for the top, a plate to replace the missing one on the bed and two correctly sized screws for the base hinges. There's going to be a lot of work coming up freeing up stuck parts, cleaning everything, and fixing the base. But I'm determined to bring this old beauty back to life and make it look as good as possible. A conservation rather than a restoration.

All photos by me