ArizonaKAT

OK, I just can't pass up a 201 in a cabinet for $50 or under. Took a road trip up north this time and retrieved a nice 201 with the fancy silver (born in the 40s?).

Got it home and plugged it in . . . and it ran by itself. Changed out the chewed up foot cord and it runs perfect. Cleaned up really nice. Sews crappy.

The stitches on the top look perfect. The stiches on the bottom look like a spider web. I fiddled with the tension knob but it didn't do anything. I'm hoping it's an easy fix. Can someone help . . . please?

KAT

Candace

Change to a different bobbin and change the needle. The tension discs may need cleaning or someone may have put it together wrong.

NapaJohn

My first guess would be that there is gunk under the bobbin case causing it to not spin freely creating the nests. I would remove the bobbin case and clean under it. When I first get an old machine, I open it all up and clean everything with kerosene and then oil it all, although I understand sewing machine oil only is the favored method here.

The bobbin case on the 201 might give you trouble the first time you do it (I had more trouble getting it back together than taking it out). Here's a good tutorial by Rain:

http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/07/ho...bbin-case.html

You can follow his links to removal of the hook and then reinstallation. I didn't remove my hook, as it didn't look that bad but if yours looks like it's packed with lint you might want to do that.

You can also try cleaning the tension assembly with some dental floss.

Good luck.

oldsewnsew

messes on the bottom usually reflect problems on the top and vice versa. pull on the thread before it goes thru the needle eye. compare the tension with pulling up the bobbin thread. they should be roughly equal if youre using the same thread size. My guess is the top tension, isn't right. pull the disc out a little and look in the path w a flashlight. dental floss can retrieve thread bitd. or u msy nedd to take it apart and clean it.

miriam

You might want to pull the tension off and clean it up then re-assemble. You will need to have a manual or some good pics to help you get it back together. http://www.tfsr.org/publications/tec...achine_manual/ or utonopedia.org/crafts-and-technology/fabric-and-dyes/basic-sewing-machine-repair
If there is a lot of crud in there dental floss won't make a lick of difference. I pull them, clean and then re-assemble just to be sure everything works.

Kerosene works but it is not necessary to soak a machine in the stuff. A lot of times sm oil does the job. Some times you will need something stronger but why get out big guns if you don't need to.

manicmike

I second this. Also, Miriam's right in that it can also be the tension discs. When you buy a new machine, you should always clean the tension discs and the bobbin area anyway. The former is extremely easy and taking the discs apart is not difficult either.

Simple test for the top tension: crank (top toward you) until the needle is on its way up. Make sure the foot is down, turn the tension dial to zero and try pulling at the thread: It should come through easily. Now repeat at 3 or 4. If there's no difference and you can still pull it through easily, your problem lies in the top tensioner. At about 3 or 4 it should bend the needle (don't pull it hard or you'll break the needle). If the top tensioner is OK, the bobbin area is likely to be the cause.
Note the position of the tensioner on the threaded part before taking it apart (take a photograph). I put it on zero first.

The bobbin area: You have a URL for it above, and once you remove the feed dog, remove the locking ring for the bobbin then the other plate (next to FD) which holds the locking ring in position and lift out the bobbin case. I've done it twice in the past few days and there has been a large amount of thread and lint underneath each time. When the thread wraps around the case, most people (the previous owner of your machine, for example) just break the thread and keep sewing, so the amount of garbage is no surprise. I've only ever come across a clean bobbin area once: The machine had been serviced then immediately stored.

ArizonaKAT

WOW! Thanks everyone! I dental flossed the tension. Then went in for the kill on the bobbin. It was the first time I took a bobbin assembly apart and boy was it nasty . . . black and stickey AND it looks like someone had taken it apart before. It was put together wrong. The "shark" was misplaced and the bobbin was spinning everywhere.

With a lot of help from you here and online tut, I managed to disassemble, clean and reassemble. She is now purring and stitching like a 201 stitches. Love these machines. Next chore is refinishing the cabinet.

I am now a pro (ha ha!). Going to clean the rest of my bobbin assemblies.

manicmike

The 201 is such a great, strong machine and the stitches are amazing. After your clean she'll be your favourite for years and years Nothing like it for hemming jeans.

Well done for doing it yourself.

miriam

Rain Noe has a wonderful blog - here is his article about cleaning the bobbin area:
http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/07/ho...bbin-case.html

ArizonaKAT

I've been sewing on a 201 for a couple of years now. Got it in Tucson from a lady whose grandfather was a taylor. Got the second one from ebay and it went to my daughter who in the beginning was a little indignant about getting an "old" machine. The 201 is still sewing and her new plastic machines are sitting in the corner . . . still broke. I then got a 201 from Goodwill. The motor went out and I attempted to rewire it. It's still sitting on my workbench. This last one I got up north in Arizona from a man whose mother was a seamstress. It's going to my granddaughter who lives with me so I can get my 201 back. :-)