Stefan

Hi,

I restore vintage sewing machines. I have a scarce machine that according to ISMACS was made in 1889.
The problem is that it has World War II wrinkle finish paint and that means it's 1940s or 1950s.
The bobbin race cover has a patent number on it and it says the patent was filed in 1934.
So, this machine could not be made any earlier than 1932, when the theoretically first commercial machine could have been sold.

According to New Home, this green New Home machine does not exist. Really?
The serial number is about 884000 and has a model LLC riveted plate. Underneath in the casting it says 'LLB, 201-2 and on the next line is a 2'.
So, what is this machine's model number? A Model LLC made in the USA.

I want to address the needles for this machine. Attached are images of current Singer type needles with a length of 38.78 mm or 1.527 inches (15x1) along with the recommended needle.
The original LLC manual in paper form says that the LLC takes a New Home CC1221.

The New Home manual has a photograph of the actual size and shows a needle that is 35.98 mm long, with a length to the top of eye of 30.40 mm, the 'timing length'. The eye opening is 3.99 mm (!), and the tip length is 1.62 mm. Yes, that's a 4 mm eye hole in the manual and on factory printed paper.

The height of the Singer needle from the top of the eye to the point the hook that is behind the needle is a whopping 3 to 3.5 mm as purchased this used New Home LLC.
It should be only 1.8 mm to 2.4 mm to grab the thread with the hook, IMO.

What's the difference in the longer Singer needle to the shorter New Home image length? 2.8 mm.
So a new SINGER needle is 2.8 mm too long. There are three ways to convert this machine to Singer standard needles.

1. You can raise the needle bar by 2.8 mm. If the thread guide screw prevents that, then you have to go option 2 or 3.

2. Cut 2.8 mm off the top of a new Singer needle. That's not ideal but it is a solution.

3. Run without a thread guide screw or guide. Rig some other thread guide that doesn't interfere with raising the needle bar 2.8 mm.

What needle is close to this New Home needle? A Boye 2-1/2 at 35.7 mm total length or the New Home #CC1221.

So the correct distance to raise the needle bar or shorten a Singer needle is 2.8 mm.

The feed dog should not be moving the fabric while the needle is still in the fabric. The needle should be a few millimeters minimum above the fabric before the fabric is ever moving or the feed dog timing is off.

On a Singer 478, the needle is 6-7 mm above the fabric when the top of the feed dog is flush up front with the top of the needle plate and the needle is rising.
When the needle is at the back, moving down, and the dog just starts to move down; the needle height is 3.5 to 4 mm above the needle plate top surface. When the feed dog top is flush in back with the needle plate top, the fabric is not moving forward or backwards. The needle eye hole is half way 'into' the the top of the needle plate hole but of course it is in the fabric by then, when present.

The supply house guy on youtube ignores and glosses over the dog timing as no big deal when changing timing gears. It is.
The dog does not start down when the needle just starts to go down. The dog does not start up when the needle just starts up. Your results might vary but a 478 and eight other machines say the dog moves close to that stated above.

JMO.

HTH,

Stefan