A new batch just arrived
05-31-2021, 08:14 AM
#22
Member
Join Date: May 2021
Location: Kansas
Posts: 13
Wow - does your sister want another sibling?!! 
What a nice haul! And you can't beat the cost of about $4.60 per machine! lol
I was really surprised when I bought my 66 Red Eye that the decals were in such fantastic shape, but the more photos I see of 66 Red Eyes, I'm struck by how intact the decals usually are compared to other models (older and newer) with other decals. Was there something about the Red Eyes that was different?
What a nice haul! And you can't beat the cost of about $4.60 per machine! lolI was really surprised when I bought my 66 Red Eye that the decals were in such fantastic shape, but the more photos I see of 66 Red Eyes, I'm struck by how intact the decals usually are compared to other models (older and newer) with other decals. Was there something about the Red Eyes that was different?
05-31-2021, 08:22 AM
#23
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2020
Location: South of St Louis
Posts: 822
I think the Red Eyes with good decals weren't used much! Of the 5 I picked up, 3 of them I can still see decent decals, the other 2 not so much. I put the first one with decent decals on the workbench yesterday and there is a very thick layer of dirt/grime over the entire machine. I hope I can clean it and have the decals survive. And actually based on the amount of lint under and behind plates, this machine was uses quite a bit, just never cleaned.
09-24-2021, 10:01 AM
#25
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2020
Location: South of St Louis
Posts: 822
I've finally finished this batch of machines, with a handful of other machines interrupting my progress, and good thing because I am due to head back to Minnesota next month for another pile...
The final machine was the Red Eye in the picture, which I wanted to convert from back clamp to side clamp. When I thought I was finished I just couldn't get the presser foot lever to lift such that I could check the tension release, the tension release lever was blocking everything. I couldn't understand how just changing the presser foot bar could cause this.
After about an hour of snarling (head banging on the workbench requires at least 3 hours of prior snarling) at the machine and checking two others to make sure I had the parts in correctly, I finally thought to check the tension release lever against one from a parts bag. Lo and behold the parts were different, even though the part numbers were the same. Although it seems evident that this machine had been worked on at least once before, I am still considering a strongly worded letter to the Singer Manufacturing Company.
I think the larger of the two is the newer one, looks and feels cheaper than the other. Anyway, once the switch was complete things worked as intended. I will wonder for some time though as to what machine the larger lever goes to. Maybe I'll never know.
The final machine was the Red Eye in the picture, which I wanted to convert from back clamp to side clamp. When I thought I was finished I just couldn't get the presser foot lever to lift such that I could check the tension release, the tension release lever was blocking everything. I couldn't understand how just changing the presser foot bar could cause this.
After about an hour of snarling (head banging on the workbench requires at least 3 hours of prior snarling) at the machine and checking two others to make sure I had the parts in correctly, I finally thought to check the tension release lever against one from a parts bag. Lo and behold the parts were different, even though the part numbers were the same. Although it seems evident that this machine had been worked on at least once before, I am still considering a strongly worded letter to the Singer Manufacturing Company.
I think the larger of the two is the newer one, looks and feels cheaper than the other. Anyway, once the switch was complete things worked as intended. I will wonder for some time though as to what machine the larger lever goes to. Maybe I'll never know.
09-25-2021, 03:39 AM
#27
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Maryland
Posts: 2,576
I'm always interested to see what problems crop up when working with old machines and (as my grandmother would have said) "that takes the cake"! Different parts with the same part number? Really? What were they thinking? Simanco, speak!
