Anyone ever had to fix the spring on a shuttle bobbin winder??
 

Got a new to me treadle a few weeks ago, but I find that the shuttle bobbin winder will not hold a long bobbin and I have to manually nurse it along to wind the bobbin. Pictures attached. Is this a common problem with these bobbin winders?? The machine is a 1909 and otherwise quite nice. Where would I look for a replacement for this, cause after I have taken it apart I see no way to really correct it other than replacement.
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Thanks for any help with this.

which spring? i've made and modified springs Wound em from music wire. Modified ones from hardwRe store.

i believe that she mains the spring that goes from here to here.
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Actually it's the spring that is in the "left" handle of the bobbin holder...just raise your left arrow straight up. It seems to be "shot" and no tension to hold in the long bobbin.

I've never had that area of a bobbin winder apart, but I have had soaked, and cleaned them when there was no tension and the bobbin kept falling out. They had become so gummed up inside the spring couldn't put pressure on the shaft to hold the bobbin.
That's where I'd start. A thorough deep cleaning and oiling of that, well the whole thing really, area.

Joe

Hi Colleen,

Yes your previous reference to it not holding the bobbin was the 'clue' I took :o

It does sound like there's a broken spring inside. I've never had that problem and there doesn't seem to be any way of disassembling it. I couldn't find anything on Google or tfsr either. I'd do more research on how to disassemble.

Shake it and see if you can hear the spring.

I can "feel" the spring when I pull way back on it to load a long bobbin, but it doesn't spring back in place far enough to hold the bobbin in as it is supposed to wind. I can push on it with my fingers and get the bobbin going but that's a pain and not the way it was meant to work, so I will try Joe's suggestion and soak it and see if I can get better results. Still would like to replace it if anyone has any ideas where a functioning one might be. I could do ebay but I'd wonder if it worked or not, and some sellers may have no idea what to check.

I had a similar problem. It sounds like the spring everyone is referring to is the issue, but I thought I'd fill you in on my problem just in case. My bobbin would stay in place, but it would stop following the winder cam once the bobbin got to the left. There is a spring behind the cam that I left out when I reassembled it that made the bobbin move to the right.

I have only removed the mechanism from the machine, nothing else disassembled, and I can get a bobbin wound, but only by manually pressing on the left side "pusher" or holder to keep the bobbin shaft in place while the thread goes back and forth, it is now soaking in kerosene and we'll see if that effects the "hidden" or interior spring in any way. Can't find anything good on ebay tonight.

I haven't tried taking one apart so I don't know this for sure.
It's possible the knob is either threaded or pressed onto the end of the shaft to capture the spring. Try using a couple pairs of pliers on the knob and other end of the shaft to unscrew the knob. Just make sure to line the pliers with leather or rubber so you don't damage the parts with the pliers.
Rodney