The Sewing Place

Newbie, advice appreciated re: operating a vintage Singer industrial machine

Stew Rowe

Hi all. I have eeunited the sewing machine and table and will now start on the cleaning and oiling of the machine. I need to make up a ned drive belt too.  I am very happy with progress so far. I keep switching the motor on and off!!!

Stew Rowe

Hello all,

Well, I have finished refurbishing the machine.  I ran it properly for the first time yesterday after a thorough oiling and greasing.   I was really surprised how well the machine cleaned up.  Roger is absolutely right - if they are old and metal they can probably be recovered. 

The enamel paint is a bit shoddy - I don't think that the factory took as much care in the finish of industrial machines because there are runs and imperfections in the paint that are clearly original!.  I have used T-Cut to clean and shine the enamel and it actually looks worn but clean and tidy.  The face plate had lost a lot of paint so I cleaned the rust back to shiny metal and gave it a coat of clear satin lacquer spay to preserve the look of it but to stop it rusting again.  Other than that, the shiny bits cleaned up really well.  The tensioner discs had a coating of surface rust but, after reading a few posts here about cleaning metal parts (thank you) I used Autosol and fine wire wool and the chrome turned bright and shiny again.  Some other metal parts were left in natural finish and were rusty. Again, wire wool and Autosol and then a soft cloth and a thin coat of oil and they look almost as good as new. All the squeaks have disappeared after oiling, the bottom bevel gears have now been greased and it hums along when i press the treadle.  I was not surprised to find that Grandad kept the machine very well maintained.  Everything had clearly been well oiled in the past and things like bearings all seem to be fine, which is surprising for an 83 year old machine that is, according to the manual, capable of 3,500 stitches  per minute.  The pre-war electric motor (now earthed and re-wired) seems to run really well - its actually very quiet but the clutch and belt make a bit of a racket - I think I can sort the belt joint clicking as it passes over the balance wheel and will tickle the clutch a bit. 

My Mum, who remembers Grandad sitting at the machine most evenings making things for people, is really pleased to see and hear it running again.    I will figure out how to post pictures in the next day or so and post a few.  Thank you all for your advice and encouragement. It was a spur of the moment agreement to take Grandad's machine 20 years ago but one that was meant to be I guess (like Rubywishes recent 201 coming to live with her!)

I spent a happy half an hour cleaning pins and presser feet and a funny chrome accessory that the lower bobbin could fit into, all of which I found in the metal drawer that hinges out from under the table - all Grandad's old things, along with his chalks and machine needles.  They are all now back in the drawer where he left them.

My next job is to work out how to actually use it!!! - I am determined now to use the machine as often as I can.

regards to all, Stew



Stew Rowe

Hello all,

I wondered whether anyone could confirm whether my Grandad's old Singer 95K10 has no reverse function? - I cannot find a lever for it.  If so, do I then just have to raise the presser foot and rotate the work piece through 180 degrees to lock my stitching?.

Also, there is a knurled knob on the casing that throws the feed dogs into neutral - they just go up and down but do not feed.  What would I use this for?

I have not tried sewing on it yet with any thread loaded but but with an 18 needle and the feed dogs engaged it romps through three layers of webbing without a hitch - I am soo happy with this machine.

Any help gratefully received

regards

Stew

Iminei

The Imperfect Perfectionist sews again

Roger

The  95k doesn’t have a reverse function. It’s best described as a very speedy machine for doing long seams. But it does require the fabric to be rotated, to lock the ends.

Stopping the feed dogs feeding can be used for freehand embroidery or  darning.  But this machine is fast, so be a bit careful with those approaches...
« Last Edit: October 31, 2019, 14:57:07 PM by Roger »
A bit of a vintage sewing machine nut! Singers: 500a, 401g, 48k Elnas: lotus SP & grasshopper, Bernina 530-2 F+R 504, Pfaff 30, Cresta T-132

toileandtrouble

Would stopping the feed dogs not make it sew on the spot? A couple of stitches would lock the seam, if you can limit it to that.
Yarn down:  1000g
Fabric down:  29m

LeilaMay

@Roger @LeilaMay

Nope - I've no experience with industrial machines - but I've enjoyed your thread about it and wish you much joy  :)

Stew Rowe

Thanks Roger and all for the information. That all makes sense. I now have some thread and I am going to attempt my first stitches.  Think ill read some tutorials first .

Roger

Be really careful of your fingers these things have a very high clearance and are really powerful.

In short they will see through your nail and through your finger.
A bit of a vintage sewing machine nut! Singers: 500a, 401g, 48k Elnas: lotus SP & grasshopper, Bernina 530-2 F+R 504, Pfaff 30, Cresta T-132

wrenkins

Be really careful of your fingers these things have a very high clearance and are really powerful.

In short they will see through your nail and through your finger.
:vintage: :o :x
Harbouring resentment is like swallowing poison and waiting for the other person to die!

b15erk

I managed to sew through my finger with an ordinary domestic Pfaff... it hurt... a lot!!  :S

Don't think I would be allowed an industrial, on health and safety grounds  ;)

Jessie
Jessie, who is very happy to be here!!  :),  but who has far too many sewing machines to be healthy, and a fabric stash which is becoming embarrassing.

Roger

I asked Helen H if she’d tried FMQing on an industrial.... she’s more or less asked me if I was mad...

Doesn’t mean I don’t want to give it a try ;)
A bit of a vintage sewing machine nut! Singers: 500a, 401g, 48k Elnas: lotus SP & grasshopper, Bernina 530-2 F+R 504, Pfaff 30, Cresta T-132