ThayerRags

My 319 works just fine in a treadle. I never tried it as an electric. (I figured it would be too noisy.)

CD in Oklahoma

manicmike

My 319 is really very quiet with its motor but everyone who's treadled one tells me how great it is. I am keen to try it out but all my treadles are either industrial or 1800s style and ol' minty won't fit.

greywuuf

Mine did not come with a motor or bracket ( or light come to think of it) so to test it It went in the treadle stand and has pretty much just stayed there since.

sews

No - I'm no treadler

I do own one (pretty red-eye that I enjoyed bringing back from stasis), but it was given to me by a neighbor out of the blue and I can't wrap my head around it (yet?). Too busy to get some practice time in.

Thank you, manicmike, for pointing out the missing item. Given the other inconsistencies re this "serviced" machine, it is quite likely that the plate is lost. What size plate am I looking for?
It does run quiet at times, likely by accident.

You, btw, are mostly responsible for my interest in the 319 - I read several of your contributions about this machine when I first joined QB. I do like the semi-industrial looks of it, and also the bright, light green color.

sews

Mike, I have found the spring steel - now we need to figure out where it goes.... Thanks for pointing out that its absence may have been the cause of the noise. We'll wait to fix this until the brushes arrive.

Does it also account for the slow response of the motor?

(to be continued :-) )

manicmike

Yes it will probably fix everything, taking the part out really screws with it. I have a 319K on the table right now so I pulled it apart and took a pic to show you where the bit goes.

Glad to be responsible for your decision, I doubt you'll regret it once you put the spring wedge back in. The machine I took the motor off for the picture is used to make high quality jackets. Very smooth, quiet and competent, and after the bobbin case modification it sews anything. It's just a bonus that it's also attractive 1950s mint green.

I removed the motor, the screws that hold the bottom (electrical) section to it, the brushes, then the two screws that hold the motor together. It's been separated a little so you can see the part reasonably clearly.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]520037[/ATTACH]
I've also drawn the correct shape (it moves when separating the two halves)

sews

Mike, thank you very much (!) for taking the trouble to photograph the placement of that unit. We'll report progress - or lack thereof - once we install the brushes.

manicmike

No problem Sabine. Now you've told me I'm partly responsible for your buying this machine I'm feeling much better too
I know for sure it will be quiet now. How short were the brushes? I've never seen a Singer motor with brushes completely worn out, only Berninas.

Oh, and there is a permanent fix for the wrong needle issue too. The 319 is made to use 206x13 needles which are only being made in two less than useful sizes (12 and 14). The 206x13 is almost identical to the common universal or 15x1, except slightly shorter at the tip. It's shorter to prevent the tip striking the bobbin case during wide zig-zag.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]520045[/ATTACH]
The arrows point to the areas vulnerable to needle strike. So to prevent needle strike from 15x1 needles, you need to file the two areas to remove the metal that would be hit by a longer needle (obviously with the bobbin removed) so it's more like a \_/ .
A friend of mine from Tasmania wrote an excellent description of the problem and fix on his web site, http://andrewcaddle.com/wordpress/si...ndard-needles/
The problem and fix are the same for 206, 306, 319 and 320, even though the bobbin cases may be slightly different. You can use a dremel tool if you have one or go to an OSMG and have it done (mine charges $5).

To give you balance, I'll say that someone who's quite prominent in the Yahoo groups calls this "bobbin case mutilation" and bans any discussion of it. He says that even if I stop the needle striking the bobbin case, the longer needle will still be in thicker fabric when the feed dog starts to move backwards, breaking the needle. Both Andrew Caddle and I have performed many experiments to test this and we both found that in my 319s and 320s and in his 306s and 320, the feed dog doesn't begin to move backwards until long after the longer needle has left the fabric. When I visited him in January he folded eight layers of denim (would have been more except he couldn't fit any more under the presser foot) and zig-zagged at maximum bight and maximum speed without any issue using a 15x1 jeans needle. It was also an excellent stitch, incidentally.
I'm not sure why Mr H is so convinced that it doesn't work even though all tests show that it does, but I thought I'd present his argument too, in case you thought (as I did) "This fix seems too easy to be true". I've now had four cases modified and had no problems in the past year or so and I've been using my 319Ks and 320K2 every day for garment manufacture. Also, my OSMG said he's modified dozens of BCs for 319 owners over the past 30 years so they could use 15x1s and not one customer has ever reported a problem.

ThayerRags

I mended some more jeans on my electric Singer 834 Stylist today. It had been a while since I’d used it, and I thought I might be able to mend some knee holes using the freearm, but I ended up opening the side seams of the legs to get where I needed to go anyway. I could have done that on my Singer 319W treadle, but it felt good to zig my 834 around a little bit again. My wife uses it once in a while for button holes and zippers at the shop, so it gets a little exercise.

During a break in the rain, I hurried home to fiddle with my newest “sewing machine”, an old stitching awl. It’s designed to be used with an additional needle and thread (for the bottom thread) to make a lock stitch. I’m not sure how old it is, but it is different than any that I’ve seen produced during my time. The thread spool is housed in the handle, and the spare needles are housed in the other end beneath the needle chuck collar. I don’t see any markings on it at all, so if anyone can shed some light on my newest “sewing machine”, I’m all ears.

CD in Oklahoma

greywuuf

Thats looks exactly like my fairly current "Speedy Stitcher" ( minus the use and patina of course ) I do not see anything unusual about it at all..... am I missing something ?