ljb

im so sad I could cry.
my gramma left me her sewing machine. it means a lot to me. when i took it took it in to have it checked over - I was told the cam stack was cracked and it cannot be repaired as these parts can't be ordered. does anyone have a happier answer? perhaps a parts machine with the vinyl cam stack parts intact? or know if it is possible to glue this piece?
I appreciate all info. thanks.

Candace

Sorry to hear this, but Brother machines of this time period are NOTORIOUS for broken camstacks. You'd have to buy a donor machine with an intact camstack and that may be a hard task. Getting the camstack out and putting it in your machine won't be an inexpensive job and it's possible the delicate nylon piece may crack while doing the job or soon after putting it in the machine due to its age. Glue doesn't work and fillers are just a stop gap as the crack will widen over time. You can try it as you have nothing to lose, but the stitch outs will be effected either way because of this gap in the camstack. Try it as a straight stitch machine. It's possible you can still use it that way and just not use the specialty stitches.

Rodney

Your best bet is to find an intact one from a donor machine but Candace is right. There's no guarantees it will stay intact. You're dealing with 40+ year old plastic. It's at the end of it's useful life. It's a common complaint with machines in that age group that have plastic gears or camstacks, not just Brother machines. I have 2 machines, a Singer Touch & Sew and a Riccar that have failed plastic gears.

If you choose to fill the gap, you might try drilling across the break and inserting a screw to help stabilize the plastic. Your stitch quality will be affected just as Candace said though. The spacing of the bumps that form the stitches won't be the same as when it was new.
Rodney

ljb

hi Candace,
just wanted to say thanks for your response. more sad news but its better to know and just move on.
appreciate your help.
ljb

ljb

hi Rodney,
thank you for your reply. not what I wanted to hear but honesty is best.
ljb

Candace

I bet you could display it and that would be almost as nice as using it. And, I'm sure your grandma would have bought a replacement machine and would want you to do the same;>

ArchaicArcane

It's not really an option for this particular job, but I wonder if at some point in the near future we'll be able to 3d print replacements for these gears??

Candace

I sure hope so because I have a few I'd pay to replace!

ArchaicArcane

Technically, you could take an original to a CNC place and they could make one. It would be ultra pricy but for that special machine it might be worth it. I think they can work in mediums other than metal.

I could swear I saw that you can buy a 3d printer at Lowes or one of the other hardware places. I don't know what's involved in the design side though.

Candace

Then someone here needs to buy one and start cracking!