Originally Posted by
treadlep
I have a 1941 singer 99 that I cleaned up last summer. Love it. However, it has a few "issues" that I thought someone could help me with. The slide plate to access the bobbin is really stiff, even after cleaning, and I find myself using a screwdriver to get it open, but there must be a better way of making these slide a bit easier?
I'm also having trouble getting the needle action to disengage after releasing the knob on the handwheel when I want to wind a bobbin. I've flipped over the appropriate washer, all is clean inside, etc. Does anyone have more detailed advice?
My machine came with the older non-hinged straight stitch foot, and seems to shift out of tension adjustment when I used a hinged straight stitch or zipper foot. Is this common with the older machines?
Thanks.
The slide plate is held in place by a curved spring attached with a tinsy screw. Remove the plate, remove the spring and screw. Use a fine wire brush or a very stiff fiber brush to clean out the angled edge where the plate slides. Then clean the area where the spring rests. A lot of gunk and crud can build up in these areas. When you have them sanitary, lightly oil them, put the spring, you clean that too back in and tighten the tinsy screw just enough to hold the spring from moving by itself.
Then scrub the plate especially at the angle where it slides into the grove.
Slide the plate in and work it over the spring. Since you didn't tighten the screw, the spring will center itself in the plate's grove. Carefully remove the plate and finish tightening the screw. Put the plate back in. It should slide easier now.
Pull off the hand wheel. Use solvent, kerosene or Hoppe's #9 to clean the inside of the wheel and the shaft. That is another place that sticky build up happens. After it's clean,
lightly oil the shaft and put the hand wheel back on.
Spin it. It should free wheel without any resistance. Then put the washer and nut back on and you should be good to go.
I've had three Singers, all 66s come with the solid foot. Two of them I replaced with the hinged Singer straight stitch foot. Never had any changes in tension. Try removing the bobbin carrier and cleaning everything that moves. Lightly oil it. Then clean you upper tension too. Dental floss between the discs is said to clean them.
One other thing, when I put a foot of any kind on any machine I make sure to push the foot up against the thumb screw to remove any potential of play or shifting. Then I tighten the screw.
Hope some of this helps.
Joe