bkay

What causes the stitch length to be incorrect? I have it set on 8 stitches per inch, but I'm getting about 12. The stitches are fine, just not the right size.
bkay

OurWorkbench

Has this been an ongoing problem? Did it just start? Have you had it sitting for a while. Maybe just needs oiling and run a bit to get back to "normal" use. I'm guessing that it is not the stitch length regulator just moving. I've read of that happening. http://www.oldsewingear.com/1/post/2...-selector.html

Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.
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Hooligan

I recently got a 401A as you know and found that mine was also slightly off (set @ 8 and stitched 10....all fixed now). Can be a hard one to pin down if you haven't recently adjusted anything. From my experience, stitch length issues are always from adjustment issues or could simply need a deep clean inside where feed fork connecting rod is located (especially around the slide block area). Apologies, not much help but nothing serious in my opinion also.....Just a matter of setting the machine up correctly, not forgetting that deep clean...some peeps forget or miss this area when cleaning out old machines

bkay

Thanks, Janey. I guess it's not really a problem. It's just interesting. I haven't been sewing for a few months. I did oil the machine fairly well before I started, though (just the oiling points). This is that machine that I spent weeks on cleaning and oiling. It apparently had been oiled well in it's previous life, then spent a decade or more in a store room. It was so gummed up, it wouldn't zig-zag. I have another one that seems to be in good condition that I should use, I suppose. I just like this one because I spent so much time working with it.

Thanks, Hooligan. I'm not much of a mechanic. What is "feed fork connecting rod is located (especially around the slide block area)"?

I have recently adjusted the tension. The tension needs to be taken apart and cleaned, but I'm a little reluctant to tackle it.

bkay

Hooligan

@bkay by the sounds of it, it is more gummed up than you think (in the the hard to reach areas). The feed fork is the rod that the stitch length lever connects to inside the pillar and the slide block is the piece that allows the lever to move correctly (the block issues usually cause either a sticking lever or a loose lever but gets gummed up also with sitting for long periods). From the feed fork, check all points along to the feed dogs, adjust, clean and lube as needed (i would be surprised is something is worn). Then adjust the pressure on the foot and do a test, hopefully that will help

JoeJr

I'm curious if the machine stitch length indicator ever matched the number of stitches on this machine. Would this series of machines have been that correctly calibrated even from the factory? I just picked up a 403 recently and now I'll be curious to check when it makes it to the top of the pile. And I was looking at the tensioner on it and I'm not sure I would take it apart, unless there's something in the manual showing how to do it.

Hooligan

From what I've read, some old Singers are prone to incorrect stitch length and this model range happens to be one of them. While annoying to some, i say it's just part of the character of the oldies Can be adjusted correctly i found out on my machine but i wouldn't of worried about if not.

Hooligan

@bkay just a thought for you, many older Singers with stitch length levers are usually near enough when the lever bar is placed level with the relevant number and "not" the lever clamp that some use a pointer. Think FW & model 15-91 levers....they are calibrated in the same way (approx. at the top of the lever bar) as they don't use the same lever clamp style to lock the lever. I think that may be all it is and your machine isn't as off as you think. Just a characteristic of yesteryear on some old Singers maybe

bkay

I'm not sure if it ever matched. I've never done anything with it except piece quilts and do some straight line quilting. You can vary the stitch length, as I change it regularly, but I never measured it before.

I don't think the tension is a big deal. There are numerous tutorials on the web on how to do it. If I understand it correctly, the tension set up didn't change much from the 15 to the 503 and maybe further.There are just one or two more disks in the 401 than the 201. Just make sure that you take a photo when you take it apart. You lay it out the way it comes off and make sure you put it back the same way (that includes the direction each piece faces). You clean them carefully and put them back down one piece at a time. There was a link to a good tutorial a while back that I looked at. Until I actually do something, I'm uneasy, though.
bkay