Mrs. SewNSew

Gah. The grease or not to grease debate. I picked up a Singer 5808c at a yard sale today. I never grab plastic fantastics, but the machine looks in great shape and with a little clean up could be a fast turn around for me. It feels like everything is moving smoothly but I will bet there are plastic gears inside. So Tri-flow grease? Good. I've got that. I've been wondering about the plastic gears too as some machines I've worked on have them and they do seem to be greased. I've seen the white grease too. Then in other cases I am not sure what to do, like my Bernina 730 where a nylon gear meshes with a metal gear. The old cracked gear had grease on it (the black kind) but I'm not sure what to do with the new replacement gear. ??

J Miller

Christy,

The machine that started this thread is already in it's death throws. Made in 95 or thereabouts and virtually unused until yesterday when my wife made a pet tent with it, the plastic cam driven gear is already cracked. It was probably cracked when I took the pic on the other page, but I just didn't see it. How long it will last is a good question but I'd bet not long.
I looked it up and about choked. The cam drive gear for that machine is priced at $69.95. No way in the world are we gonna pay that much for it. The case it came in and the cams were worth the cost we paid, but the machine is not long for this world.

I made a pact with myself this morning that I will never again acquire any machine made by any company that I know has plastic gears. Sorry if that offends some here, but plastic = broken in my experience. I'm tired of repairing and replacing plastic parts.

I'm positive that 5808 you got has plastic gears. Check 'it, clean 'it, lube 'it, test sew with it, then go from there.

As for Berninas I have no idea what to suggest about greasing the metal / plastic gear thing. Candace knows more about Berninas than anyone else I know. You might ask her on that one.

Joe

Rodney

I've been here about 8 years now. I moved here when I met my wife. Dare I ask which family?
I see you're still pretty new here but it sounds like you've been playing with old sewing machines for a while.
Welcome aboard!
Rodney

Rodney

Joe I believe you're right about the plastic gears. I'm not offended by them yet but I think I'll stick with metal machines. 2 out of 3 broken isn't good odds. Given how Touch & Sews are known for their gears failing #3 is a broken machine waiting to happen. I still like them though. I suppose a 40 year lifespan isn't terrible but the all metal ones will outlast me and my daughter with minimal care.
Rodney

At $69.00 for the replacement gear on your machine I'd chuck it and never look back. I don't mind spending a bit to get a machine running again but for that money I could get at least two machines that didn't need anything done.

Mrs. SewNSew

Already in it's death throes?? Oh noes! I would shell out that much for the replacement part either. I've been tinkering around with a poorly fitting case today so into the woodwork end of things but now I'm curious to see what I bought myself into. I've already wiped down the outside thinking it looks pretty good, but I had better open her up and check out the gears before I go any farther. *fingers crossed.

Mrs Finch

Pfaff says no grease.

Mrs. SewNSew

Oh poop. The gears were fine and I almost had it finished up when I decided I needed to center the needle. When I undid the set screw the needlebar slipped and through off the timing. When I went to set the timing, I could hear the hook snicking against the needle so went looking for another way to adjust the needle forward.

Screws were un-done, parts fell out, I have a bit of a mess now.

Cari-in-Oly

Nah, you haven't been there long enough for the names to mean anything. Most of the crazy ones are passed now any way. Still have a step mom, brothers and aunts there though.
SMAD hit me about 5 years ago. I gave my moms' old Brother to my oldest DD and missed it so much I found another one, then my first Singer a 201-2, then another Brother, and then another...........lol isn't it a common theme?

Cari

Rodney

Sounds about right. My SMAD started last fall because my daughter wanted to learn to sew. I had a Singer 101 that I bought close to 30 years ago stored at my mom & dad's place. I bought it, restored the cabinet, put it away and never looked at it again until last year when my dad passed and I had to get some of my stuff out of there. I enjoyed cleaning it and getting it to sew again plus I had to learn to use it so I could show my daughter. I became disabled a few years ago. I can't do any heavy lifting and I'm really sensitive to cold these days. Sewing and sewing machines gives me a hobby that is light enough to do yet and I can sew indoors in the winter. I can rebuild a sewing machine in the LR if I want, I can't say the same about my woodworking tools.

It seems there are two big controversies here. To grease or not to grease followed up by "Which Grease?".

No thread drift here. Nope, not here.
Rodney

J Miller

To my knowledge Singer made two greases. The amberish motor lube which could double as gear lube and the white colored gear grease which isn't a good motor lube.

For Singer gears I can see using their white grease or Tri-Flow grease. Not sure about anything else although the grease on my my current plastic geared greases sure looks like white lithium grease.

Joe