Originally Posted by
miriam
I have a Singer 500 I've been working on for the last couple days - I have a stuck hand wheel and a stuck screw holding in the broken spring that holds the front slide plate. The motor was seized when I got it. I got it free then put it back in the machine. The machine turns very freely with out the motor. The motor turns freely but the two together don't move at all just like before I pulled the motor and cleaned the machine... The hand wheel has had some time out with some T-F squirted in the vicinity to no avail, has had a bit of heat and a few knocks with a rubber mallet. I wonder if mechanic's gloves would give me a good enough grip on that wheel to get it to turn. The spring screw is very small and fragile - I hope the dried up oil or what ever is holding is will loosen up in a few days. I may have to direct some heat onto it and see if that helps. I like having a slide plate stay in place when I sew.
I had the same issue with this Singer 500, Miriam (stuck hand wheel). It's one of the earlier problems I solved. The way I solved it was to SPRAY the sprayable Tri-Flow (in the large black bottle with the spray pump) on the area, let it set, spray again, etc. That fine spray can get into areas where other oils cannot. That spray has saved many a machine. If you haven't tried it yet, I highly recommend it. It saves a lot of trouble.
Joe, does it have to be 30 weight oil on the motor ball bearings? Like car oil? Won't Tri-Flow work? I want to be sure to do the right thing. I haven't taken it apart again yet. I do know Singer has a motor lubricant and I think I have a tube somewhere. It would be old, of course.
[The fact that the furnace has stopped working on the coldest day on record doesn't help! At least I do have electricity and the oven. The furnace guy has missed three promised arrival times so far.]
Cricket