A couple months ago I was watching my favorite sewing machine auction place and spotted a well used black crinkle painted Singer 66-18 ( I think ).
Nothing special about this old machine except it was a 66 and has the lever to adjust the stitch length and a back tack feature. I had three others and only one has a back tacker so I thought since this one didn't have a case or a cabinet I might clean it up and slip it into a treadle since I want a treadle with a back tack feature. The one thing I did see is that the electrical wiring was bad bad bad. That is nothing I can't and haven't already fixed on a number of machines so that was not a problem. When the machine got here I was heart broken. It was exactly as had been advertised but who ever boxed it up put the bare naked machine motor side down in a loosely packed box filled with packing peanuts and shop debris. The machine obviously shifted through the debris and being motor side down the motor was shattered. It was (is) a Bakelite motor.
The thread take up lever was also broken off.
I wanted to cry, then I wanted to strangle the ijit who just tossed a naked machine in a box of debris. And then I just wanted to fix him up and make him run again. I went back to the auction pics and sure enough the take up lever was plainly broken. I just didn't see it. But the motor was clearly undamaged. When my wife saw the condition of the machine and the box of debris she went on the attack. She fired off a really strong email to the auction people and told them all about it. They denied it could be their fault but when we told them there was NO damage to the box so it wasn't tossed about by the UPS people they relented and refunded half our money. I told my wife that I wasn't giving the machine back, I could fix it, all I needed was some parts and a motor. He was named Mr. Crinkle. Yes I'm goofy, I name some of my machines. Mr. Crinkle was set on a shelf wrapped in plastic to keep him from getting dirtier until yesterday. I had ordered a new thread take up lever from an online source and figured it would get here today. I pulled the broken motor off and took it apart. Just for the sake of trying, and the fact that the only source of these motors I've found charges over $60.00 for a used replacement, I decided to see if I could glue the motor housing back together. I have a tube of Loctite Black Max 380 and that stuff is the best adhesive I've ever used. Last night I cleaned the broken pieces and then let them dry. Then one piece at a time I put it back together. Like doing a jig saw puzzle but I did it.
Put the internal parts in it this morning to see if they'd fit and if the glue had held. They did, and it did. So now I have a repaired motor housing and by the end of today it will be running again. How long it will hold is the question I cannot answer.
My thread take up lever did come this morning, so hopefully by the end of this day, Mr. Crinkle will be in working order again. I hope.
Then the task at hand is to find a new case for him. Or ....... maybe I might find a treadle base with no machine??? Could happen, maybe. Or and this is what I'm really thinking of doing, make a special sewing table that I can switch heads in. Most of our machines are Singers and most of them are the same size. Most of the non Singers are also that size so it would be a good thing to make.
If you're interested, I'll do a part two with the "after" photos. That is "after" I know for sure he'll sew again.
Joe