Sewcraft Generic Machine Straight Stitch Issue
 

I have my grandmother's Sewcraft sewing machine that was sold through a local store sew/vac in the 70's. My mom and I had one like it that I learned to sew on as well. They were also in the classrooms at school. They were heavy duty and had a dial to go from straight stitch to zig jag and buttonholes.

My issue is that when I dial it to straight stich it gives me a narrow zig zag. I've taken off the cover to view all the gears and cleaned it all thoroughly and reoiled it. I can't determine what I should really be looking for to keep it at a straight stitch. I've gone to You Tube and searched for videos and Googled but I haven't had much luck because I probably am not entering the correct search information.

Has anyone experience this on their machines and how did you solve it?

When was the last time you had the machine serviced? It's sticking in a certain spot, just needs a good cleaning inside.

Cari

It's not uncommon for them to get sticky and be a bit stubbon when they haven't been used in a long time, or just neglected. It can take several days before grime and dried up oil dissolves and but you can speed it up by adding a drop or two of oil in all places, run the machine, turn/push knobs and levers, an give it a new round of oil and running the machine a bit. From under the top lid and behind the face plate you can gently poke the moving parts involved; it can be the swing arm itself, or some part in relation to the setting knob. By moving parts and observing them you should be able to detect where it sticks. If your model has combinational push-turn knobs, they are known to be a bit stubborn, but it's usually all about cleaning and oiling.