NopahDesertRat

Hi,

I think I saw somewhere how to quiet a noisy clickity clacking in the bobbin area. It is a 1934 221 in great shape. Smooth running and sews a nice seam. But it is very noisy, like the bobbin holders has too much play in it as it goes around. Is there a way to adjust the springs so there is less play?

Any hints or how to's would be welcome.

Thanks for your help.

Ethel

DonnaMiller

My 1947, 221 has the same problem. It has been quieted slightly and it has been to 2 very good SMM. I put tiny rubber "O" rings under the face plate screws, put a Teflon washer under the bobbin and oiled everything I could think of. I even got a service manual.
If there is no end play in the shafts, and there wasn't with mine, then there is one place to oil underneath that is not shown in the owner's manual. The last SMM said it was dry and he oiled it again. I can't see how that could have been so, after lubricating it the day before. He charged $75. It is better, but still not a quiet running machine. I don't know what else to do for the poor baby. They do love oil though. Oh, the place he said wasn't in the manual is called the "cross over" whatever that is. It is on the bottom, near the bobbin though. I just oil everything and then wipe off excess to save the felts. If you need new felts, order them from Sew-Classic.com. That keeps the odor down a little. A bar of deodorant soap, in the box, with the end cut off helps with the Featherweight "Funk" smell. In the end, I am still looking for a complete fix too.

DonnaMiller

The 301 has the same bobbin and doesn't make noise like this. It seems Singer may have worked out a few bugs in the redesign process. Of course the 301 is a slant needle machine, but has the same bobbin case. I prefer the 301 to the FW.

NopahDesertRat

Thanks for your reply.
My son has a 221 and it doesn't make the noise, I can't remember the year of it. I will try oiling it well again, but it feels like just too much play/slop in the bobbin holder area.
Glad to hear someone else has the same problem.
I have a 301 that I have not used much. Time to get it out and give it a go.
I have use a Kenmore for years, left homing and I find it a challenge to piece with, so I thought I would try the FW and it does a nice job, just noisy.

Ethel

rainsprite

Long lived thread but important. My FW noisy as well so have been using my 301 and am loving it. Still light weight and uses all my bobbins I have with so much more speed and power. Been getting rid of "extra" machines. This 301 will not be going out the door. Down to essentials. I think some parts just get worn down and trying a replacement bobbin holder my be an idea to try especially if you can work on your own machine. Good Luck to us all.

ArchaicArcane

This is an easy fix. We talked about it here:http://www.quiltingboard.com/vintage...d-t216896.html - the pdf should have all of what you need to fix it without changing gaps and such with spacers. The OSMG should have known this.

NopahDesertRat

Thanks so much for the info. I haven't tried to fix it yet, I will let everyone know when I do.

Ethel

quiltedsunshine

Great pdf! Thanks!

quiltgal

Some of the older machines have a 'smell' in the case. I have only had 3 or 4 really tough smelly issues to fix in the 20 years I have been fixing featherweight machines. I put in a bunch of used dryer sheets and close the case and leave it for a week, or put some new unused coffee grounds in a filter and set carefully in the bottom, close and leave for several days. Sometimes setting outside on a sunny hot day helps. Some of the solid products used for cat litter box areas work to remove the smell. I try things until something works. I really don't find that the filter pad in the bottom really is the issue, but sometimes they are pretty moist and gumky and need to be replaced so added to my website of repair parts and accessories, just in case.

quiltgal

I read all of the replies to see what people had to say about this problem. I have not had a noise in the area of the positioning finger of the bobbin holder. I agree that there is a little variation machine to machine and that there is a little bit different sound machine to machine. I have had to add a shim in the area of the feed dogs and they were hitting and it had been that way since manufacture. Person I was dealing with was 4 or 5 owner, don't know for sure on the history. Reason the person was selling because of the noise. Fix took maybe 5 minutes. Most of the time was locating the noise.