Suzi

Just recently I had a Wheeler and Wilson 8 donated to me (complete with original cabinet) and although everything moves freely and there are no missing parts (amazing) I can't get her to sew. Granted she's not cleaned up yet but the humungus mouse nest has been removed (phew) and all movable parts are well oiled and when I operate with the handwheel she runs super quiet.

Now ----- the bobbin hook picks up the top thread just fine on the initial drawthrough but after that it's a disaster. Occasionally we'll get a few stitches formed on the top (teeny-tiny) but the underside of the fabric is one huge rat's nest. What is going on here? I really need help from you guys.

I want sooooo bad for her to sew as she will be the oldest machine I have and she's such a cutie.

Charlee

First...we want pictures....you know that, right?

I think you may have an issue with threading? These machines, in my opinion, are a bear to get threaded right... do you have a manual for your 8? There's a few spots online to pick one up. Here's a photo of mine that I did for someone here to thread theirs...
[ATTACH=CONFIG]329679[/ATTACH]

Suzi

OK - am enclosing pictures - sure hope she looks half as good as yours once she's cleaned up!

Thanks for the pic with the threading diagram - - - looks as though I have her threaded correctly but will look closer with the machine right in front of me to be sure! I downloaded a manual from the Smithsonian site and followed it's instructions ........ with the result being a rats nest of thread from the upper thread right above the bobbin and under the needle hole. When I watch it attempt to sew it wraps the upper thread around the bobbin several times before it releases and that's what causes the jam up. Timing? I'm totally confused and it's taxing my patience. Thanks sooooo much for your reply. Hope the picures come through since I tried sending them with my first post but they wouldn't go through.



QUOTE=Charlee;5161265] First...we want pictures....you know that, right?

I think you may have an issue with threading? These machines, in my opinion, are a bear to get threaded right... do you have a manual for your 8? There's a few spots online to pick one up. Here's a photo of mine that I did for someone here to thread theirs...
[ATTACH=CONFIG]329679[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]

Charlee

If it's a timing issue, the best person I know of to help you with it is Mizkaki...she's fixed literally thousands of machines! To be honest, I don't usually fix machines....I do the simple stuff, the spousal unit does slightly more complicated stuff, and if it takes more than that, the machine doesn't stay.

If it's not the threading, or the bobbin threading...it could be that the needle is either messed up or wrong for the machine... (just because it came in the machine doesn't make it the right one)....but to me, it looks like your tension is out all the way to the end...try tightening the tension... look at mine, it's about halfway in....

Charlee

Techie stuff aside.... I do believe your machine is older than mine...mine doesn't have the upper pitman. I think it's going to clean up beautifully! I wish mine had the back drop leaf for the cabinet...altho I don't know why, I don't use the machine!

Suzi

The last patent on the plate is 1887 so it's at least that old.

OK - SHE SEWS! Ever feel like a ton of bricks (or, in my case a ton of doggie doo-doo) has fallen from your shoulders? I have no real clue as to what the magic combination of trials and errors was but it involved moving the stitch length knob back to the highest number and the tension screwed down (upper thread was, and is, sooo tight I was afraid to try - even though I know the worst that can happen is a broken thread). PLEASE check your tension and let me know if yours is equally as tight! If (as you told me) the tension is too light she won't sew at all. Hubby went about really cleaning out the discs. NOW - the stitch length adjuster doesn't really do a whole lot since no matter where I set the thing the stitches pretty much remain the same ...... teeny-tiny.

You have no idea how much I appreciate your input ........... THANK YOU!

Charlee

You're still in the cleaning/oiling process tho, right? Could be that the feed dogs are stuck, or something between the regulator and dogs is stuck.
Yep....my thread is tight to pull, but sews a pretty stitch. Dunno why....but if it works, I'm not messing with it!

I can't tell from your photos...is your spooler (bobbin winder) on the leg of the treadle?

Suzi

Yes to the cleaning/oiling. When we first started on her the dogs were stuck in the down position so the mechanism that involves the stitch length/feed dogs height was oiled and scraped off (am sure there is more debris there but it seems to move freely) but the stitch length remains the same.

"Tight" is a misnomer ------ "impossibly tight" would be a better description BUT she sews with the tension like that!

The spooler is a removable object that slips into a holder on the leg of the irons - at first I hadn't a clue as to what that thing could be but figured it out pretty quick. Needless to say - even though she is a simple machine, she's sooooo interesting to fool around with. Hope she's going to be a super working girl ............ ;o)

Yours is so pretty that I'm entertaining thoughts of having my younger daughter do some decorative painting on the machine (she does lovely work) as this girl is Plain Jane. Will that destroy her antique value in any way???

Charlee

Suzi, there are those that will tell you "Yes, you'll destroy the value". But when you consider that this machine is not worth all that much to begin with (meaning it's not rare and worth thousands as it is), and the condition is less than pristine, "refinish/refurb" will actually raise the value, especially if you can keep it within the Wheeler and Wilson decal styles. Your machine did not actually have the fancier decals or company name on the bar when it was new.
All of that being said....it's YOUR machine and YOUR cabinet, and I think you should do WHAT EVER makes you happy with it!

Latrinka

Wow! That is one old machine!