Gray fox

That was my thought when I bought it, that I could have the cord changed and use it that way, or put on a spoked wheel and crank it. An either-or machine, so to speak. The motor was sent off to a fellow in Oregon who has worked wonders on several other old motors of mine, and he said the parts inside were too fragile to risk wiring it again, and that it had been done rather clumsily the first time. As I know nothing about wiring, and have a healthy fear of electrocuting myself, it is what it is. A replacement motor on hand doesn't fit well either. She now sits on a wood base and has a bobbin cover. Lookin' good, if nothing else. I really should keep my eyes out for another and get a different motor, and forget about the crank.

sews

.... and, to muddy the water, here's my Belair Bantam that looks like the Sewmor Featherweight, except the latter has a lever that apparently locks in the stitch length.


[ATTACH=CONFIG]507914[/ATTACH]

SharonStitcher

Sews, what a gorgeous machine!

J Miller

Grey fox, There shouldn't be anything odd about the motor mounting. I've only seen one machine that didn't use the standard type of motor mount and that's a Japanese Necchi clone I have.
I was up till early this morning watching The Hobbit an Unexpected Journey so I'm still sort of numb in the head.

Later today I'll pull my Sewmor down and do some checking. I've had quite a bit of luck wiring motors so if you would like me to look it over we can discuss that via PMs or email.

Joe

nannyrick

Can't help you with your question but, that is one great find.

Gray fox

Joe, thank you so much for your thoughts and offer of help! This is what we did: my husband shortened the white cord from the plug end so that is fits neatly into the plug block which is now attached to the back of the replacement wood base. When I sit down to sew it is nearly invisible.

Not quite what I was hoping for, but a very cool little electric machine, nonetheless. Got her oiled up and running, a bit rattly, but stitching nicely. It was delightful to move this machine about -- with no hinges she must be lifted out of the base to oil underneath -- so light! I'm still looking for an aluminum Singer 99.

Sews, your Bantam is gorgeous, and in the original base. Great find. Is it aluminum?

J Miller

Grey fox,

I looked my SEWMOR 303 over and here is what I found. The main shaft is .025"+ larger than the standard (Singer) shaft. That's why the spoked hand wheels don't fit.
However if you really wanted to make a hand crank machine out it, it would be quite easy. Just to to an auto parts store and get a break hone that will compress down under 1". Then hone the spoked wheel out to fit. There might be some end play so if the flange on the main shaft the hand wheel works against is adjustable then that would need to be adjusted. Otherwise it might need to be shimmed. This would give you the HC machine without ruining that aluminum hand wheel.
Another thing is these machines are a copy of the Singer 99 and as such they are not as smooth running as the 66s or other bigger machines. If you notched the hand wheel and some time down the road put the motor back on, that might just throw the balance off enough to make it hard to use.

Motor; If your motor is the original 1.0 Amp Model 755 motor it is worth having it rewired with the correct wire. The motor is also a 3/4 size motor so it won't protrude into the arch as much as a full sized motor.
The mounting bracket is the same as many of the full sized machines. At least the one my 303 is. So if push comes to shove, a standard motor can be used.

Joe

Gray fox

Joe,
I thought about taking a replacement spoked wheel to a machinist who could do this work, but worried that it might not be centered and able to turn smoothly. Also, it seemed that that the spoked wheel would protrude too far from the machine, and the handcrank would be jammed against it and not functional. Grooving the aluminum wheel seemed the only option -- but obviously I was hesitant to do this.

The motor is the original 1 amp like yours, surprising power for its small size, and runs fine. I will be content with using this machine as an electric only. If the motor needs servicing some day, I'll find someone who can also replace the wire.

Your advice, information and help are appreciated! This forum is a joy for those of us who jump in over our heads with the vintage/antique sewing machine bug.

Thank you!