Messed my perfect stitch up
 

I recently bought a Singer 127 Sphinx treadle at a yard sale. It was very gummed up, so I got her all cleaned up, oiled, etc. It ran great and the stitch was very even. Yesterday I tried to make the stitch a little shorter and after messing with the stitch length screw and the upper tension I have made a mess of it! Now my stitches are long and super loose. The instruction book tells you all kinds of things about taking the tension plate off and measuring from the eye of the needle, etc. etc. I can't believe I messed with it - it probably just has one stitch and that's it. I keep trying and can't get it back to the original stitch - any ideas or should I take it to a shop?

127's are pretty basic machines, and mine adjusts stitch length smoothly and easily, no need for tension adjustment. While you have the tension apart clean everything realy well. Then go watch the video on piling and adjusting the vintage machines, and I am sure someone here can help you put her right. I am very pressed for time as I am leaving in a few hours for a couple weeks, but I or others can walk you through getting the tensioner put back together and setting her up again. Don't panic.... You can do it.

Hi,

You did OK, thats how you learn about the machine. Sounds like you loosened up too much on the top tension--the knob on the left. Put the presser foot down and tighten and/ or loosen until the thread tension feels right by pulling the thread through the tension disks. Try sewing and adjusting until your happy with the stitch.

The stitch length knob is on the right on the pillar. Turn counter clockwise to shorten length of stitch. Don't have to adjust tension to change stitch length.

Here's a copy of manual which explains process much better than I did.
http://www.singerco.com/uploads/down..._127-128-3.pdf

Good Luck
Jon

Awe! Good luck getting it fixed.

Thank you so much for the encouragement & the link. I printed the manual out and was happy to see it also has instructions on the attachments (which I got about 8 of, all wadded up in old mtl & lace in the fully stuffed drawers). I was turning the knob to the right! And it's really hard to turn, so I put oiled it. I tried turning to the left and the stitch is somewhat smaller, but I can't seem to get it to the original length. I think I many have gone full circle with it, but will keep plugging along.

The knob on the pillar (over by the bobbin winder) is a screw. It takes something like 7 complete turns to go from longest stitch to shortest (which is actually almost no feed at all) if I am not completely confused to "tighten" the screw (turn it clock wise) to lengthen the stitch. When it is all the way tight it should be obvious and the screw will "bottom out" and just not go any farther. At this point you will be making around 5 stitches per inch. Good luck and be sure to keep after the oil and cleaning and moving a little at a time (even back and forth) because it should be an easy finger tip controlled when it is all working correctly. Good luck and keep us informed.

This is a really good tute on fixing the tension, in case that is the problem:

http://www.treadleon.net/sewingmachi...djustment.html

Here is another helpful link. Even though your particular machine isn't listed the tensioner might be the same. Scroll down until you find yours:
http://www.tfsr.org/pub/technical_in...echanism_2.pdf