Today I began disassembly of the rusty Singer 115 that I picked up recently. It’s been soaking with a sewing machine oil drench for 10 days, having received a second liberal dose of oil on the 5th day. The covers all came off without any struggle, and I applied more oil inside onto the things that I had missed when shooting through the holes from the outside. The machine is still locked up and I can’t get even a wiggle out of it.
I usually let them soak longer before trying to remove any fasteners, and certainly before I go in as deep as I have on this one, but things just kept coming loose without a fight. The needle bar is not in the correct position to remove the linkage from it, so that may cause me a problem. I plan on disconnecting the upper shaft from the lower shaft the next time that I fiddle with it, and I might get the upper shaft to move enough to align the linkage to the hole for my screwdriver to access it. It only needs a little bit of movement. It’s almost lined up.
The hook assembly, on the other hand, is in the worst condition of anything. I think I’ll have to remove the assembly in one piece from the lower shaft. I can get to one set screw the way it sets, and can access the second one by removing the feed bar if I have to. I think the bobbin case will need a soak in vinegar and salt to get it apart from the hook. I could stand to lose the bobbin case, but I really want to try to save the hook assembly.
I haven’t broke out the penetrating oil, the heat, or the physical force yet, so this one is coming apart easier than I had anticipated. I’m going to let it soak with oil for a while again before attacking it any further.
CD in Oklahoma