Got a Singer 301A short bed, LBOW at a local auction recently for $100. Looked to be in very good, clean condition and the motor sounded nice and strong. Got it home, cleaned, oiled the appropriate metal places and greased the gears (appropriate Triflow products for both). It purrs now. One BIG problem: I cannot get the tension adjusted. I've used the info in the instruction book with it to determine the little loops on the top of the fabric are too heavy tension on the top thread or too light tension on the bobbin thread. I have spent days adjusting both and nothing changes. First, I tried not changing the bobbin screw's adjustment and sewing a line with each setting of the top tension from 0 to 9. There was no change from one number to another so I set the top on four and made minute adjustments to the bobbin screw, sewed a line of stitches with no change regardless of where I moved the bobbin adjusting screw. Then I changed the top tension to each of the other numbers before again adjusting the bobbin case screw a tiny bit. No change. The threading is exactly like the book shows. I've replaced the needle and it is seated properly. Using brand new Gutterman thread in both top and bobbin. Black on top and white in bobbin to make it easy to see the problem.
I am not a seamstress by any stretch of the imagination so I rely on the manual, online groups like this one and Treadle On and online searches to show me what the stitches should look like. I have a Singer 15-88 that I inherited 50 years ago that I've played about with making curtains and baby things 45 years or so ago. I decided I wanted to learn to clean up that machine since it had been in storage for almost 20 years. Managed to get her sewing like a charm and picked up a Singer 128 for $9.99 at a Goodwill auction online described as "for parts only". Local pick up so I had nothing to lose and tore her down and reconditioned everything including refinishing the bentwood case. She sews beautifully so in my hubris I jumped at the chance to get this 301A. Big mistake so far
What else can I try before I send this thing to Craig's List?
Dorothy in Denver