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Sunday, July 31, 2011

1924, Singer 128-13 Flying Shuttle

I just wasn't sure If I could fix this machine or not. So, I waited and waited untill the price dropped to an affordable level ($25.00). I brought it home and took as much of the machine apart as I was comfortable with. Then I soaked it in penetrating oil and let it sit......for hours. It was still frozen up solid.


Finally, after almost 24 hours and still no free movement, I took a big screwdriver and pried this back "Noodle Gear" (that's what I call it) free from it's socket. Wow, it was at least moving.


Now I had to completely re-wire the whole electrical portion of this machine including the light. After several more hours of cleaning and oiling, I was ready to try a test sewing.


Wow, It actually worked. It took a while to figure out how to thread this bobbin, I wasn't doing it correctly to begin with. Oh, I forgot to mention that it didn't come with a belt so I had to make one. Nylon Clothes Line cut and melted together works great. You just have to clean up the bump at the weld a bit.


I just love the decorative etching they did back then on the front cover plates.


I consider myself lucky to have found this machine in repairable shape. Even more lucky that it came with the wood dome case in excellent shape.


Here is one more picture showing the machine and it's re-wired components.
The foot controller has some very strange plugs so you could un-hook it from the machine.

6 comments:

  1. I am intrigued by the nylon clothes line as a belt. How do you heat weld it together? and how do you clean up the weld? This would be a really cool thing to know how to do!

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  2. This is how I did the belt.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dax5tDB53jA

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  3. what a beauty
    i bought one at a yard sale today for $10. i didnt care if she worked or not, but now i want to see if we can get her working
    she needs rewiring as the cord is all chewed and broken apart

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  4. just realized you arent far from me. i am in northern illinois. i have been trying to talk my hubby into taking a class on sewing machine repair, as i work in a quilt shop

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  5. I have a friend with this machine and I would like to rewire. The problem I'm running into is the two plugs at the end of the cord that go into the plate. It looks like they are pressed into the bakelite fittings, that plug into the plate in the base of the carry case, and I can't figure out how to get them apart. If they do not come apart, how does one replace them. Thanks for any help.

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  6. I have this model with the knee bar but it needs retiring. I'd appreciate any advice. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete