Rocketeer

Hi everyone!!!

Hoping to resurrect this thread and the experts who might weigh in -- I recently purchased a stunning Singer 12K in working shape, but the bobbin winder on this one is a mystery to me for a related but different reason.

My understanding is that it was one of the last iterations of the bobbin winding mechanism for the 12 series, and this machine was made in 1898.

The bobbin winder has a locking mechanism to lock the bobbin tire against the handwheel, and also a guide to hold the thread and (hopefully) get it evenly onto the bobbin. My problem is that when I flip the lever up, to engage the bobbin tire with the handwheel, the lever used to do this comes to rest where the bobbin is supposed to go! I wonder if it's been bent somehow, or reassembled/adjusted incorrectly, something like that. I had thought that the metal these parts were made of was stronger than steel, though my adjustment of a similar piece on another machine by bending revealed that it can be quite soft.
Any advice or input would be so appreciated....

Matt

the locking mechanism:


prior to flipping the lever:


after flipping the lever:

juliasb

Nice little machine. I am always on the watch for nice machines, they just have to be the right time, place and cost.

jomercer

I think you need a tire with higher sidewalls (which I don't think anyone makes any more. I have a similar vintage
German machine with an unusually large and thick tire. I'm going to try to make a mold of it to cast a new one--this one is getting very soft and fragle.

jomercer

Do you have an owners manual for this machine? A friend has one and she can't figure out how to thread the unusual bobbin winder.

OurWorkbench

There is a manual available at https://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_mac...e-manuals.html however, there are no diagrams, just written instructions.

Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.
Not affiliated with off-site link(s)

OurWorkbench

It looks like there may be a couple of different bobbin winders for the 12. There are a couple of youtube videos for winding the bobbin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLezdpNTFGs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhjInkVYnS4

Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.
Not affiliated with off-site link(s)