Troubleshooting a Stuck Singer 66
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ส.ค. 2024
- I've been asked about my troubleshooting process for dealing with a machine that is locked up. I've dealt with many locked up solid model 66 and 99 machines. This is how I go about figuring out where the trouble is, and how to get them moving again.
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Good information there Bob. Troubleshooting is a process of elimination, always starting with the simplest fixes and moving on from there. Thanks for the upload.👍
I had a stuck 66. I watched your video and tried what you suggested. Sure enough it freed right up and is sewing beautifully now. Thank you so much!
Woohoo!!!! Congratulations!!!!!!
Thank you for this video!!! This is exactly my machine and repair challenge. The bobbin unit was frozen. Your clear and thoughtful instructions made it very easy to troubleshoot/repair my 66's issue. Sir, I hope you are in good health after your health challenge!!! Best regards, Mary Ellen
Thanks Mary Ellen, and I'm glad that the video helped!
Thank you so much for your ideas. I have been working on a 1915 treadle for a few weeks, oiling here, cleaning there. Taking apart what I could and today putting my finger into the area you suggested I felt a little movement and oiled a little more while cleaning the rod. And low and behold with a little fiddling and gently rocking the wheel it finally came loose. Thank you. I have another old singer to work on but this one was really stuck and in terrible condition. Thank you.
Have a 1927 66 and a 1907 red eye both were froze up from neglect. Lots of oil tons of crud removed from them thanks to finding your videos I was able to save both now in running condition sew great. Thank you for the video how to you post
Dennis
Army veteran
You, kind sir, are fantastic! Just got a 66-4 that was sort of moving, but it was still pretty tight. This video was amazing and very informative! I thought I'd oiled everything, but the big screw there on the bottom was still very gummed up. Took it apart (with a small amount of panic that I wouldn't get it back the right way), cleaned it up, put it back together (huge sigh of relief) and she's turning brilliantly now! Waiting on a few parts (mostly a bobbin) to really test it out, but this helped tremendously. I am very grateful to you for generously and thoughtfully sharing your knowledge. You made my day!
Excellent! I'm glad to be of help!
Hello Bob, thank you for your help with a ceased up machine. I opened up my 99k yesterday, and it was ceased up.(bought it, told was working! ) ..I simply popped some sewing machine oil in most of the points that looked like they should move, and left it over night, went back a couple of times to jiggle and oil again...(so I am glad that my gut feeling on doing this was confirmed by your advice!) .....Hence my search now to go further with the machine. ..I must hasten to say that I am not usually a person who repairs machines, but I certainly would like to become a technician one day, but probably for the new breed of machine, but you never know where my journey will take me! .... I appreciate the tips that you have shown here, and will endeavour to take a look at all of your videos. I do hope that you are well....heart attacks take a lot out of you..
Hi Carole, the 99 is a pretty simple machine and a good choice to learn with, both sewing and repair. Feel free to email me if you run into problems and I'll be happy to help you out.
Thanks for good information. One Pointer, I first check the "stop-motion washer" on the wheel to make certain it is not out of place. This is a very easy first step and quite common issue. Cheers.
Thank you Bob, I finally figured out what was happening, or not happening. My bobbin didn’t oscillate at all because I unscrewed the screw underneath. I was puzzled because it wasn’t turning at all, and the needle wasn’t picking up the bobbin thread. I thank you so much because your instructions are really great, and you explain everything in layman’s terms and walk through everything. I will continue to fix this machine with is a red eye that was given to me from my daughter in law, it was her great aunts. Treadling is new for me , and it’s fun. Cheers, Tanya
Ahhhh.... Ok, your hook was disengaged!
I have one of these and it's stuck plus the wiring is no bueno. This is one of the heaviest machines, certainly the heaviest in my collection and very hard to get out of the bentwood case. I finally got it opened and on the floor so I can scoot it - maybe but now it's lodged in the base. Oy! I have my mom's old 1952/201 which was being stored in my garage. I got one of my sons to help dig it out, dust it off and bring it inside. She sewed this thing to death and was sure it was dead or so she told me in her 90s - she's gone now. I tried turning the fly wheel and it went a couple times then stuck. I opened the bobbin slide and saw a bunch of threads hung up, so I tweezered them out. Then I noticed it was really lint-y - lint that had become tiny sheets of felt - ha! I really didn't want to take it apart. But the wheel was still stuck, so decided to go ahead and grease an oil it after watching a couple of videos. Long story short, she purrs like a kitten and sews a beautiful stitch even though the stitch markings are rubbed off. Now I think I'm ready to tackle Miss Redeye, once I can get her out of the base without breaking it. If I can get her running again manually, I'm going to get a handcrank and just let her be old-fashioned instead of messing with the wiring. Besides, who knows when the grid's going to go down in this crazy upside down world we're living in?! (PS - I went to your channel to see when your last video was dropped because you said you had a cardiac problem. Good to see you're still kicking and fixing!)
Hi I spent several days trying to find why my 66 (a new acquire) was very very stiff. I tried everything you suggested. That did eventually lead me to the problem and its very simple cause. Perhaps you should mention this on sometime. On the needle bar linkage one pivot point above the clamp that has to be undone from the back of the head. You see the one just up from the top of the needle bar, there is a clamping set screw on that pivot point. It had been tightened down by someone. Once that screw is backed out a little ... like magic everything works like a dream!
Bob! Thank you!!! I had a stuck 28K, but with your wise information, she is alive!!! It took a good 3 days and lots of penetrating oil, but she's moving! Thank you, thank you sir!
Fantastic! I'm glad she's working again! Good job!
Thanks for all the possible ways it could get jammed up! My newest vintage electric machine we just saved from the elements outside luckily only has the needle pin jammed up, but its halfway engaged. So I can't reach the screw so I'm hoping a soak with some lubricant overnight will get the ball rolling. I also have another universal sewing machine from the same salvage but it has a lot more surface rust, is seized up and was sadly left out in the rain for a few years. I'm hoping with time and patience I can maybe get it taken apart and remove the rust to get it into working order.
I just spent a week putting penetrating oil on my model 27-4 balance wheel and gently tapped it every day with a plastic headed hammer after a good amount of time and oiling it finally came free , number one thing i found is have patience man , if your in a hurry to get a 100 year old machine up and going , your not going to be happy if you break things in the process , so take a good look have a plan and be patient, it will all be worth it in the end ...
True, patience is key, and never force anything. That's why I advocate using a gear and bearing puller to remove stuck balance wheels (along with appropriate schmoo cutting solvents).
@@BobFowlerWorkshop have you tryed fluid film , i just got my 1895 mod 28 unstuck in less then 24 hrs just with a good soak of that stuff and then flushed everything off with sewing machine oil , did that and wow this machine moves smooth and quiet , i posted a video on it .
@@4486xxdawson I love fluid film, but to be honest, I never tried it to loosen up a stuck machine. I use it to prevent corrosion on motorcycle parts (I'm a vintage Honda Gold Wing guy), and it's awesome for preventing car and truck wheels from sticking to brake rotors at the mounting points. I guess it could serve well in sewing machines, but the thought never really crossed my mind!
Outstanding presentation! Learned a lot. It will come in handy with my wife's machine. Thanks.
Glad it was helpful!
Bob you are the best, I'm inclined , a lot of respect for someone who takes time and is willing to share its knowledge, there are not a lot out there.. When it comes to sewing machine you know you came at the right place :-) Thanks you so much!!! I'm leaning a lot from you..I like the way you explain everything, very precise, clear and easy to follow your explanations.
I appreciate that! Thanks so much for the kind words.
@@BobFowlerWorkshopYou welcome ;-) I've used your video to clean up my 66K bobbin winder, I decided to not de-assembled the notch bobbin follower while trying to screw the upper bold with the biggest spring which no matter what the spring wouldn't stay put, so I decided to screw it anyway and then the tail of the spring just get back itself at the right place, but I had to finally de-assemble the notch follower in order to both of the pieces to be inserted correctly.. It was kinda puzzle at some extend considering it's the first time I do such work.. Thanks again, your video help me a lot, but I had to figured out hehe.. I got a 201K for free but both the horizontal and vertical arm shaft bavel gears got damaged both are chiped. The machine got stuck with many years unused I guess and someone just tried to force it while powering it up.. Do you have such video explaning to do that kind of work? Should I remove almost every thing in order to replace them...Thanks :-)
@@einzigkeit7216 OUCH! Much like my advice to not remove the main shaft from most machines, doing the main shaft interior gears on a 201 is a very involved process. Conventional wisdom is that gears should be carefully removed and marked so that during reassembly the same teeth will mesh as they did when they were first assembled. Since you would be finding used gears, it would seem impractical for that to be the case unless you were the one to remove the gears from the donor machine. Regardless, I'm not convinced that this is really necessary as the gears are made of very hard metal and I rarely see wear on them unless they were abused. I haven't done a video showing gear replacement on a 201 as, once again, it's not something I feel comfortable advising people to do. It's decidedly NOT an easy repair, and it is VERY easy to mess up a perfectly good machine in the process. The 201's that I have disassembled to that level were especially difficult projects. In my experience, the removal of the main shaft (which is required for that gears replacement) is one of the most difficult operations, and it is very easy to damage other interior components in the process. It is this level of difficulty, and the potential liabilities, that partially drive my decision to not do videos of that type of operation. It's a procedure which I know how to do, but I'm not super comfortable doing it, and I would never encourage anyone else to do it without a lot more experience. If the bevel gear on the main shaft is intact, replacement of the other gears, while mildly difficult, may be something you can handle by following the procedures in the adjuster's manual. Email me if you need a copy of the adjuster's manual and I can send you a PDF. Having said all that, gear swaps on many later machines such as a Touch & Sew and Stylist series are fair game as they are a completely different animal.
@@BobFowlerWorkshop Thanks so much Bob for your great advices, I guess this 201 is screwed up for good.. :/ I'm looking at it and I wish I could resuscitate it. I got the adjuster's manual, thanks. Right.bottom gears and the rotating hook driving shaft gears are okay, its the two upper gears inside the machine close to the wheel..The vertical one moves the other one all the shaft is stuck up I guess is the why the rotary hook is not moving or turning, it looks like it messed the timing at some degree.. I've spayed penetrant and it won't do much..
Beautiful machine. Thanks for doing these videos 👍very helpful.
Glad you like them!
Fabulous video and just what I needed!! Thank you so much! Love the shirt!
I loved the video! I painted a veritas treadle and paint must have liquid in it bc is stuck so later I’m checking where I can to see if paint is in it thank you!!
Very detailed break-down video, thank you!
Very nice video, very simple and direct! Your video saved me from making a big mistake!!!! I'm a newbie hobbyist trying to do something productive during this pandemic. I got a stuck 66-1 with the needle bar that is stuck part way up, so that I can't get to the back adjustment hole. I was starting to get desperate and ready to take a hammer to the machine. I never even though about the checking the underside of the oscillating hook drive shaft for the hook ring assembly. Once I disconnected the shaft,-> the hand wheel turned and the needle bar moved freely just like you showed. Amazing, My hook ring assembly is the problem!!!!! Now to clean up that mess. Thank you so much appreciated.
P.S. How about making a video on removing and replacing the horizontal upper drive shaft? I got a nice 99 with a bent shaft, that I've been told would make a good parts machine. I don't want to do that. How about it?
You have no idea how happy this makes me! I'm so glad you saved yourself a lot of heartache. I will be having a video in the not too distant future of the reassembly of a completely disassembled 66 that I'm getting ready to paint. I'll talk about disassembly while I'm putting it back together. I didn't shoot video of the disassembly as I had already covered a lot on the 66, now I wish I had...
@@BobFowlerWorkshop Great, I'll be looking forward to it! I'm glad you'll be talking about the disassembly, (hopefully the problem areas), as you do the assembly! Now, off to my clean up of the oscillating hook areas top and bottom of my 66-1.
Did you know you are an angel. I have 3 froze up like what you are talking about.
Awwwww.... Shucks....
I have a 201 with a potted motor that is frozen. Any thoughts where to start to unfreeze it? Thanks
Bob, hope you're recovering quickly. Great video. My wife just picked up a 66-1 today. Seems to run great but If like to know where a good place to get a hand wheel bushing. I'll assume if one part goes south, it will be bushings.
Thanks
The only bushing on the handwheel side of the machine is the clamp stop motion bushing (part O10 on figure 10 of the 66, 99, 185 service manual). I have never seen one of these that is worn out! Actually, these machines are pretty bullet proof and rarely need major parts replacement unless they were abused. Cleaning, polishing, and lubrication is the order of the day 95% of the time. Of course, badly neglected machines with heavy rust are another story all together...
Your knowledge through your videos is wonderful. I would ask you to get some direct lighting on areas and screws you are talking about. Thanks for passing your experience along. Good health!
Yeah, lighting has been an issue. We've resolved that with the upcoming video on the 192k reassembly. Thanks for watching!
Hey Bob, thanks for the video, lots of good information. I have a model 66 that was given to me, but its pretty rusty inside. After an hour so of spraying with penetrating oil and fixing the washer on the wheel that needed to be flipped around, I got everything moving pretty well but it still binds up a little in one spot. I don’t want to take it all apart but I really want to clean up the rust on all the internal parts. Is there any way I can clean that stuff up without taking it all apart? I appreciate any advice. Thanks man!
I just got a 1924 66. Ser. # AA 181747. In a 4 drawer treadle cabinet, which is in very good shape. I did not inspect it much before I bought it, because I knew I "wanted" it. :-) Got it home and started looking it over. Dirty, dirty, dirty. Some rust. Has been stored a long time. Belt is gone. And it is stuck. All this so I can ask, *****Cam I use WD 40 and regular 3 in 1 Oil ? ***** I have these on hand. I enjoy your videos. Thank you.
Hi,
Thanks for the video, very helpful.
My same as above singer machine’s needle bar goes up and comes down with a thud sound and stops just does half a circle. If the machine is laid on the side it works normally, but when straight up it does half a circle and stops. Please help. Thanks
My wheel moves freely but the clutch won't move and needle won't move. What might cause this?
You may have the stop motion clutch knob disengaged.
wonderful
Thanks for your expertise in explaining how to unstick my singer 66--- it really is a gift you have! The wheel on my machine is still very stiff , although I can move it. It seems to "catch" at one point when rotating it. around .I can't tell if that is related. Also, I was not able to remove the clamp from the needle bar after loosening the screw. It's tight on there and will not budge. What should I try next?
With the needle bar linkage screw loosened, slather the needle bar with oil at the top of its bushing Then try grasping the needle clamp and jiggling it front to back. That should loosen the needle bar and alllow you to get it out. The "catching" usually indicates either a bent part or dirt.
I'm completely new to anything like this. Trying to get a 99k so get unstuck. It looks like a lot might be stuck but I have a question. When you opened the cavity that holds the needle bar and whatnot, I saw that there was a spring on that bar that runs top to bottom inside there. Mine looks exactly the same except not having that spring. Is that something I'll need to find and replace?
Cảm ơn !
bạn được chào đón ! (I hope Google translate said that correctly)
How do I figure out what kind and year of old singer I have? Do I need a felt piece in my bobbin or the top thread spools sits? Mine was a treadle but converted to
Having motor and light
You can check the ISMACS web site and check by serial number. There is also an app for both iPhone and Android called Singer Serial DB where you can plug in the serial number and it will tell you.
Bob, how do you handle a frozen bobbin winder on a 66 treadle? I have put oil in it and also WD40 and it still won't budge to fill the bobbin. After all this, is it okay to use a vice grip and try to force turn it? Any suggestions?
Never... force... anything! What style bobbin winder do you have? I have done a lot of videos on the various bobbin winder types which dhow how to teardown, clean, and reassemble each one. It's usually a matter of tearing them down, and using penetrating oil to free them up. Email me for more info if you have issues. argosybob@gmail.com
Thank you for the detailed and accessible demo! I did follow the instructions but unfortunately the machine is still jammed (i.e. it looks like the problem is in the main corpus). Is there anything else that is actionable and worthwhile to try out that you would recommend?
I would need to see some pictures, feel free to email me at argosybob@gmail.com
Is the machine welded onto the plate, or screwed into the plate?
What is used to polish the parts
My thread guide screw that’s near the set screw at the presser bar won’t come out. I believe this is a common problem both in the 66 and 99. What do you recommend to try to get that screw out and is it necessary to come out in order to get the press the bar out, this happened last year on one of my 99’s. I still have it but it’s put away. I never did get around to getting that screw out. Thanks.
Rhonda, if I read this right, you're saying that the screw that holds the slack thread regulator (that's the L shaped thread guide that attaches to the presser bar assembly) onto the presser bar sliding block is stuck. You can get the presser bar out without removing the slack thread regulator, there's no need to remove it.
@@BobFowlerWorkshop oh good, yes, you understood correctly. This machine is crazy stuck so I’m sure I’ll be working on it for a good while. The handwheel won’t turn for anything at all and I am still green on even this simple machine but it’s giving me some experience. I’ve been watching quite a bit of your videos this evening. Thank you for your time.
Does this machine have a motor? Is it a 66-4? If now, what model is it? I have a 1921 Singer 66 Red Eye with an electric motor, that looks like this one, and I don't know what manual to look for. Thanks for any help you can give me!
Hi Peggy. This machine arrived as a head only. Someone took it out of her treadle cabinet so they could make a table... They were discarding the head, so I rescued it. Not sure what I'm going to do with it yet, but it's not going to a scrapyard, that's for certain. The 66 is pretty simple, and they were in production for about 60 years. The various "flavors" of the 66 are very close, the main differences being in the bobbin winders and whether it has a screw type or lever type stitch length regulator. The earliest varieties used a back clamping presser foot, but beyond those, they were all low shank, side clampers for the feet. They all thread the same and use 15X1 needles.
@@BobFowlerWorkshop Thanks for the info!
I’ve inherited a singer 15-30. The need bar is stuck/frozen but unfortunately it’s not in the right position so I can access the screw on the back of the needle bar. Any ideas?
First, you need to determine if it IS the needle bar that is frozen. Let's take this off line, email me at argosybob@gmail.com, we're going to need to exchange pictures of specific parts of the machine, and TH-cam comments don't allow pix or video.
Here ya go Jackie...
th-cam.com/video/5-xfyS1N8OI/w-d-xo.html
I had a 66 that was almost stuck and it's problem was the hook carriage was rubbing a little bit on the other piece but it was okay
Hi Bob,fabulous videos.
I have a 201k ,and the needle bar is stuck, can't lower it.
When I turn the wheel nothing moves even where the bobbin case.
Any advice welcome.
Thankyou ,from Debbie in the UK 🇬🇧
This is another one of those times when I wish TH-cam would allow us to put pictures in the comments! Email me at argosybob@gmail.com so I can send you a couple of pictures that may help...I will be posting yet another 201 video that will cover stuck 201's, but that may be a while before it gets finished.
Hi Bob I have a sewing machine I don’t know which model is? AK 14 19 52 only this number tops on machine? Company simanco u.s.a. Please help me
That would be a model 201. It comes from a block of 15000 whose serial numbers were allocated on October 27th, 1952. Without seeing it, it's impossible to know what "flavor" of 201, a -1, -2, -2, or -4.
@@BobFowlerWorkshop thinks Bob
Great video! My Singer 201 seems to have a problem with the hand wheel not turning freely. I have cleaned, oiled, and lubricated it, but it feels as if it is bound up somewhere. Could you perhaps do a video on troubleshooting a sluggish or bound 201? I would appreciate any advice. Thanks!
I happen to have a 201 that meets the criteria. I'll put it on the list!
@@BobFowlerWorkshop Thank you so much!
My tire is locked for the singer machine
Managed to unfreeze the machine, but the bobbin doesn’t engage, did I mess something up?
Hi Tanya,
When you say that the bobbin doesn't engage, are you saying the upper thread isn't picking up the bobbin thread? If so, make sure your needle is installed correctly: flat to the right. If that's correct, your hook timing may be off a bit.
@@BobFowlerWorkshop yes the needle is installed correctly but the needle doesn’t pick the bobbin thread. I think the bobbin is frozen, is that possible?
@@BobFowlerWorkshop thank you
@@tanyawersinger2693 I would suspect that if the needle is good and installed correctly and still not picking up the bobbin thread, that your hook timing is off.
I have a 66 from 1919, it was my great grandmother’s. The bottom mechanism moves when I unscrew the arm but the wheel doesn’t move still. The needle arm is raised so cannot unscrew the screw at the back to release it. I’ve oiled it, used penetrating spray, the needle arm wiggles a little so I don’t think it’s stuck. What next?
Sorry for the delay in responding... It sounds like you may have a problem with the needle bar bushing - they often either rust or crud weld themselves to the needle bar. Since you've isolated the bottom end and that all moves, I suspect my first thought is probably the issue. I would flood the top of the needle bar bushing with penetrating oil, then turn the machine on her back and put the oil on the bottom of the bushing as well. The idea is to get the oil to wick itself down along the needle bar to clear the crud. Don't force the hand wheel, but you can use a gentle rocking motion to encourage the schmoo to loosen up it's grip on the needle bar.
@@BobFowlerWorkshop you’re a busy man , thank you for taking the time to reply.
I’ve fixed the problem! The needle bar bushing was not the problem - I did soak everything with penetrating oil, propped her upside down, and on each side and end - each propping for a whole day. A huge amount of patience is needed for this old lady! Still no movement with the top mechanism. The needle bar would wiggle a fraction but nothing else would move up top. Wise words from watching dozens of videos - “we can only try, right?”
I rewatched your videos a lot!! And went to the add heat option. There is very little advice about adding heat , you were quite clear about going with the hair dryer rather than a more intense heat. And it worked!!! The penetrating oil, combined with the heat worked! Hair dryer for 10 minutes. I think the main crank shaft was totally gummed up.
She’s been sitting well oiled and moved every day since! She’s beautiful!! Wish photos could be added in comments!
Thank you for the great videos - I’m still watching , and looking for a younger 99 model to pair with the 66 (the 1919 won’t do button holes - back mount!) Doesn’t hurt to have 2 beautiful old Singers alongside.
Bob I just got a 1948-52 Singer 15-91 If you turn the wheel none of it's moving parts move. The machine is stuck. The motor works and it gets power. The belt rotates on the starter shaft. Nothing else moves. I can turn the wheel by hand (engaged or manually). I was told the machine was used constantly for the past five years. Can you help. Thanks Clay
I'm a little confused with what's going on, let's take this to email. I'm at argosybob@gmail.com.
Where do you start to unstick a 1948 Singer 15-91
My 66 treadle machine is perfect except for the presser bar- nothing seems frozen and the lifter moves and the spring moves - no matter how tight or loose the set screw, the presser bar will not lift
Email me at argosybob@gmail.com. Send some pictures...
@@BobFowlerWorkshop I will do that in the morning - I took the bar out and the nut at the top seems like one piece with the bar- also there’s no little ring washer at all- should I just buy another whole presser bar assembly?
@@BobFowlerWorkshop tried emailing, that address didn’t work.
@@bunnyfinn2 sorry, there was a typo... I've corrected it. argosybob@gmail.com
@@BobFowlerWorkshop got that problem fixed but now my 66k lotus handwheel gets stuck on every rotation- took the handwheel off , the shaft still sticks - do I need to take every single thing apart?
Can you do one on freeing up a zig zag on a kenmore 148.1204?
I have a 148.12XX Kenmore here. It's not frozen, but we can do a walk-through/talk-through on the machine for sure!
@@BobFowlerWorkshop i know its the needle bar frozen. Everything up until there moves. I was told it might be a cracked cam?
I just got a model 66 I think, according to some website the serial number belongs to the 66 model series. Where do you find parts for it?
It depends on what parts you need. Consumables, such as needles are standard 15X1 and can be purchased just about anywhere. Semi consumables such as bobbins, belts, and bobbin windr tires are also readily available. "Hard" parts for these machines are pretty bullet proof and rarely require replacement. Occasionally, you will run into a machine that was abused to the point where something like a needle bar may require replacement, but that is the exception, not the rule.
@@BobFowlerWorkshop I was looking for stuff like the bobbin case mechanism, the round back plate and replacement linkages. Are there reproductions of this stuff available?
There are boatloads of parts machines out there, and a lot of people parting machines out on eBay.
@@BobFowlerWorkshop thank you so much!