1908 White FR Treadle Restoration Question
 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]597548[/ATTACH]Okay, my question stems from my husband being overly enthusiastic in trying to take apart the machine for a thorough cleaning. He wanted to take the crank wheel off so removed both the end screw and the screw that connects to the crank shaft. The problem is the crank shaft screw will NOT screw back in. Has anyone else had this problem? If so, what did you do to resolve it? To me it almost looks as if the threads on the machine are stripped. When I hand turn the crank, the needle arm goes up and then stops. The crank gets extremely stiff and the wheel just turns on the shaft if you try to force it around. I hope I haven’t damaged it beyond repair!

Hmm, ...use some spray can oil and clean the treading best you can, both grub screw and the clutch part. The treading in cast iron is sometimes a bit rough. Is the hand wheel like this one? Use generous amounts of oil on the axle and the hand wheel part, screw too. I odd cases screws on turning parts turn in anti-clockwise, but usually clockwise. It depens upon the direction of the turing parts and screws affected by it. On most hand wheels the stop motion screw (clutch) and parts involved need to go on the correct way or it won't tighten properly.

My husband suggested that the screw might have gotten over tightened and deformed. We tried the oil for the clutch and the screw with no luck. He’s thinking now that we need to replace the screw since the threads on the one we have aren’t engaging.