Are you referring the balance wheel on the right end of the machine(as you face it) as a handle? If you are, there may be a piece of thread locked up in the bobbin. I If you aren't familiar with working on mechanical things, and have never done much with machines, I would highly recommend taking the machine to a reputable repairman.
Featherweight RX.com has a fantastic manual they sell that gives full detail of all the parts of a FW, also how to clean, oil and repair some things on a FW fully illustrated. I bought one several years back when I bought my first FW. The name of the manual is "The Featherweight 221 and I". I pull this out when I have a problem with my machine. I have had thread lock mine up a few times and in this manual there are great illustrations to follow to take care of this problem-BE CAREFUL when doing this, as there is a very tiny screw involved, and if you lose it- you have a major problem, as they are not easy to replace. When I work on my bobbin area, cleaning or removing thread, I place the machine on a towel, to help keep anything from falling off of a smooth surface. I also have a small plastic container I use to keep the small parts in when doing this- one like the top on some cough medicine or over the counter meds, that measures liquids. I now keep it in the top tray of my machine case.
Good Luck.
Last edited by Gerbie; 10-08-2013 at 03:45 AM.