Please help...my "new" 1949 221 won't sew?
#1
Please help...my "new" 1949 221 won't sew?
Hello all.. I won this sweet machine from my guild and a friend who has sown with hers a LOT came today to show me how to clean, oil, thread, etc....It runs beautifully IF there is no thread or material to sew... But when I put thread and material in it, it won't go... We've tried all the tips we know (thank you Google!)... HELP????
#2
OK baby steps. without fabric, will the needle thread grab the bobbin thread?
Do the feed dogs move up and back and forth?
Define, "won't go" Does the motor run? Needle move?
Will it stitch if you spin the wheel by hand? Thanks.
Do the feed dogs move up and back and forth?
Define, "won't go" Does the motor run? Needle move?
Will it stitch if you spin the wheel by hand? Thanks.
#3
Power Poster
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 41,538
This would be my check list: is the belt worn and not tight enough to work...are the feed dogs moving when it sews....is the little silver nob in the center of the hand wheel tightened ( if it is disengaged for bobbin filling, the needle won't go up and down ) thread the machine and check the tension disc to see if it is too tight if too loose....is the needle in properly as in flat side to the outside of the machine and are you threading the needle from the inside of machine to outside...are you using the little single hole foot it comes with (mine will not sew with the 1/4 inch foot )
#4
Oh dear friends, I clearly did not give enough information!! (sorry!!) Well, it runs beautifully IF there is no thread and no material involved. As soon as it is threaded the wheel just does not want to turn? The motor is running but with thread and/or material, no go... My friends and I took it to our local Singer expert and he, too, is baffled. I must tell you that he is "fixin' to retire" at 98!! Yes! He still goes to his shop every day! He's "workin' on it"... wish him luck!
#5
Super Member
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 1,963
The old sewing machine guy will solve it. Does it stitch through the fabric when not threaded? I'm thinking something might hinder the needle punch power, which usually is cleaning, oiling, and wiping off the motor belt and groove in motor pulley and hand wheel. The Featherweight is known to mishave if there's thread caught under the base, and it's a bit cumbersome to check and clean it out thoroughly. This is a good tutorial on it.
#6
The old sewing machine guy will solve it. Does it stitch through the fabric when not threaded? I'm thinking something might hinder the needle punch power, which usually is cleaning, oiling, and wiping off the motor belt and groove in motor pulley and hand wheel. The Featherweight is known to mishave if there's thread caught under the base, and it's a bit cumbersome to check and clean it out thoroughly. This is a good tutorial on it.
#7
Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Baileys Prairie, Texas
Posts: 294
There is a lady in Huntsville, Texas who is the local "go to" person on Featherweight
Hello all.. I won this sweet machine from my guild and a friend who has sown with hers a LOT came today to show me how to clean, oil, thread, etc....It runs beautifully IF there is no thread or material to sew... But when I put thread and material in it, it won't go... We've tried all the tips we know (thank you Google!)... HELP????
#8
Nona...thank you so much!! I haven't been able to check on my machine yet...tomorrow is the day I'll be able to. I'll be looking up Ms. Montgomery and her website. Thank you!! And I'm so sorry about the floor... so terrible.
Janice
Janice
sewing machines. Her name is Nova Montgomery she has a website on facebook. She teaches how to clean and maintain your machine and is a great resourcs for parts. Look her up and contact her and she may be able to give you some guidance. Lovely lady... My black featherweight did not survive the flood in May of last year. We had thirty inches of water at our back fence. We got nothing in the house proper, but the pump house went down, and our barn had 9 inches and our garage had 4 inches of brazos river clay...The house missed by less than 1 inch of coming in.
#9
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 2,890
Aren't you blessed that it didn't get in your house? Lots of losses, I'm sure, though.
bkay
Dallas
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