Singer Touch & Sew 760G from Freecycle

[LeilaMay]

Someone was giving away a Singer 760G - apparently she bought it in a cabinet, but she didn't want the machine, only the nice lift cabinet. No plug on the machine when we picked it up, so a complete unknown.
So far we can confirm the leads work, light shines, motor runs but the mechanism is VERY stiff and sticking.
It has one bobbin, one foot, and no other accessories at all.
I have a download of the manual.

I know they have a reputation for not working for various reasons (!) but I can't resist a fiddle . . . 
Anyone worked on one of these? Any advice - apart from picking up old machines to fiddle with of course LOL

[toileandtrouble]

No advice, but my slightly out of focus eyes read 'Touch and Go'.   Had to read the post then!  Hope you can get it up and running.

[LeilaMay]

I'm sure I once read they were also called "Touch and Swear" - hence the apprehension 

[arrow]

I found pictures of a 740G, touch and sew. Some like them, the complaint is mostly on cracked gears. Some find the bobbin settings for winding, sewing, and similar a bit cumbersome to get used to. I guess it has a lot to do with getting to know the machine. Gears can be replaced and some have their machines for decades and they run fine. On some of these models you can find metal replacement gears, at least for some of the gears. Some T&S turn out to be all metal, but it's the odd one.

[LeilaMay]

And - sadly but not surprisingly - it's got a cracked gear.
It's the gear that sits underneath the cam stack - and I have yet to figure out how that might be lifted out 

[arrow]

There is a 700 series repair manual.   I don't know about the Singers, but I would repair a Bernina with a cracked cam gear, I have replaced the rubber friction wheel with a metal version on my Elna Supermatic (rubber O-rings). With some models you get a lasting repair and a top notch machine. There are models just not worth it, especially if a metal geared version is an option at the time. Another reason to bother about the plastic gear machines is stretchy stitches, very few all metal machines take double layer cams.

[LeilaMay]

Many thanks for that link - I couldn't find one. Super help, thanks
Leila

[LeilaMay]

Here is the broken part - such a shame as the rest of the machine is in nice order. It has at some point been both oiled and greased on the plastic gears, which no doubt contributed to the parts failure - but I could have spent time cleaning it if not for this.
I am making inquiries about the relevant part, but I'm not sure it's still available.
Thanks for the help, it's such a lovely machine and will be so sad if it can't be fixed.

Leila   

[LeilaMay]

  I remembered that the junk shop - (where I bought the elderly Singer carcass with the leather rolling foot on it a few weeks back) had a 760 in a dusty corner . . .
It was now outside, out of the rain but waiting for the scrap metal man - I gave him a £5 for it, and we're hoping to be able to make one whole out of the two broken machines!
It has some issue - probably a broken cam - but not the one I'm after, so please keep your fingers crossed 




Oh, this one has old grease on the plastic gears too - presumably some local repair man, as both machines are within 20 miles of each other

[arrow]

For the flexi stitich function it might be worth it. It's probably available else were too.

I hope you can make at least one nice machine of them. Replacement polyester gears can be better quality than the old ones, some production or storage problems can have made them go brittle or even soft. Grease is as you mention known to be part of the problem, but only if it contains the harmful ingredients. Most of the old type greases were harmful, most of the synthetic greases we get now are suppose to be safe. Oil is suppose ot be safe too, at least the basic sewing machine oil. I think Finish Line Ceramic is safe too, it doesn't contain harsh solvents or cleaning agents that can attack plastic. 

[Roger]

I might have some suitable accessories knocking around for 700s

You could look to get the the damaged gears 3d printed...

[LeilaMay]

I have no knowledge of 3-D printing - how would I do that if the 'template' i.e. the gear I have, is damaged? Wouldn't I get a damaged product?

The gear from the second machine has a small crack, but is not broken right through. I'm wondering if superglue might hold it together? Anyone tried that?

[Roger]

3d printing isn’t something I’m not terribly knowledgeable about, but it requires a computer file to provide the details so the crack should be repairable in the file before it’s printed.

[arrow]

I haven't seen the small version 3D printers, but I have seen the large three dimensional lathe machines for  metal and wood. Some are fully computerised, drill the parts out to the highest presicion, some use laser. These are huge expensive machines, only large scale production shops have them. Anything is possible, but it limits itself to how much time and money you are willing to spend.  All things considered, the replacement part from Germany isn't a bad when it comes to price or quality.

[LeilaMay]

POLITELY SNIPPED

For the flexi stitich function it might be worth it. It's probably available else were too.

I've only just realized that you'd given this hyperlink Arrow - thank you very much. Off to compare . . . .