The Sewing Place
The Emporia => In the wardrobe => Topic started by: Emerion on August 08, 2021, 20:39:54 PM
-
Hello,
I’m hoping someone point me in the direction of help for a problem with my Singer 99k’s feed regulator. If I set it to 10 stitches per inch, it’s doing 20 per inch, etc. So the very biggest stitch that I can do is still pretty small. Apart from this issue, it’s working fine. My normal source of help with machine problems is YouTube, but not this time, no one seems to cover this problem. I would take it into a Singer specialist that I know, but I’m not able to get out and about at the moment. Any suggestions please?
-
Are the feed dogs working as they should?
-
Well, they are working to the extent that the machine is stitching a normal, but shorter, stitch. I have kept the underneath parts of the machine oiled, so they should have a full range of movement. But they haven’t, which is where I’m stuck. I’m going to have another look and see if any parts have missed being cleaned properly, and got gummed-up, although it didn’t look messy from a quick look the other day.
-
@Emerion , this happened to me with a few of my old Singers, and I removed the feed-dogs where possible, and used a toothbrush to give them a good cleaning. Sometimes there is lint mixed with old oil, and then I took a stitch ripper (or similar) and gently poked between the feed-dog teeth.
The stitch length improved afterwards.
Jessie
-
I did the same on my overlocker @b15erk and I'm sure it helped solve the problem I had at the time. I now do it more frequently!
-
Thanks for that, @b15erk. I’ve done it, and it hasn’t made any difference. I’ll keep looking.
-
I had this problem on a vintage Singer Featherweight 221.
Although the Stitch-length Lever travelled fully up and down (short stitches through to long stitches) the effect on the stitches actually sewn was minimal, and the stitches remained at around 22 stitches per inch.
The problem was the Y-shaped yoke & linkages inside - behind the Stitch-length-lever.
I removed the Drive-belt and Handwheel.
There's a large access hole behind the Handwheel.
I cleaned inside by flooding with Lighter Fluid, catching run-off with paper towels, then oiled everything well.
This part is normally oiled from above but can sometimes be missed or become gummed up over time. Especially if its unused for quite a while.
Might be worth a try?
-
Hello @Silverlake. I’ve just come back and seen your reply. Thank you for that clear explanation. I’m going to have a go at this later on.
-
@Emerion, check out StagecoachRoad Sewing on youtube. They have a 5-part series taking a Singer 221 apart, covering every bit in detail. I think your problem is addressed in part 1 or 2.
Another good resource is Andy Tube, also on Youtube. Just look through his videos on straight stitch machines. He is very detailed in his approach.
Sorry for not being more helpful, but I’m not allowed to post links.
-
I had this problem on a vintage Singer Featherweight 221.[/size]Although the Stitch-length Lever travelled fully up and down (short stitches through to long stitches) the effect on the stitches actually sewn was minimal, and the stitches remained at around 22 stitches per inch.
The problem was the Y-shaped yoke & linkages inside - behind the Stitch-length-lever.[/color]
I have exactly this problem on a white FW. I took it to the local (USA) repair person. It worked for about 30 minutes and now I have the same issue again. Thanks for your information - will check that out although the machine was allegedly "fully serviced and repaired". The shop no longer exists and there may be a reason for that... :headbang:
-
@SimOneNL Thanks for that. I've started watching Andy's YouTube videos; "Saving LaLa" a 1930's FW 221.
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCUSPDsHaFtRoz1VA2U1xJ4w
Thanks too for the StageCoachRoad pointer. I could binge-watch all these repair videos, back-to-back, if I only had the time.
@jesster My trouble was with the White 221 too. Perhaps it was 'recently serviced' by the same guy?
It's amazing how complex an apparently-simple machine can be. When you look underneath these, it doesn't look as if much is going on.